Crisis of the Empire: O. Savytskyi’s Group, Society and Authority at the Beginning of the 20th Century
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/uhj2025.06.068Keywords:
Oleksandr Savytskyi, Socialist-Revolutionaries-Maximalists, political-criminal group, revolutionary movement, Chernihiv Governorate, Russian Empire.Abstract
The aim is to study the activities of O. Savytskyi’s political and criminal group at the beginning of the 20th century, its influence on society, and the reaction of the Russian Empire state authorities. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism and structuralism, combining micro- and macroanalysis, where historical actors are examined at the local level, reflecting the general trends of the era. Scientific novelty. For the first time, the activities of the “Savytskyi gang” as a political-criminal entity have been comprehensively characterised, its connection with the Union of Socialist-Revolutionaries-Maximalists has been clarified, and the role of socio-political and natural factors that contributed to its long existence has been determined. Main results. It has been proven that O. Savytskyi’s group, using terror and expropriation, demonstrated the low effectiveness of the tsarist law enforcement structures, created an atmosphere of fear among the population, and paralysed the activities of political organisations in the region. The inability of the authorities to quickly eliminate the threat was due to a shortage of personnel, a lack of coordination between state institutions, and the weakness of the Russian Empire’s administrative apparatus.
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