«Intensive acquaintance»: Mutual perception of foreign prisoners of war and the Siberian population during the First World War and the beginning of the Civil War (from notes by I.I. Serebrennikov)

Within the framework of commenting on historical sources and analyzing the behavioral choice of foreigners between the extremes of distancing and involvement in the events of the Civil War, the authors turn to the testimonies of I.I. Serebrennikov on the topic of mutual perception of prisoners of war and the Siberian population. Their special value, in addition to the author's competence, is determined by the fact that the fixation of information was carried out “hot on the trail”, fragments of direct speech, inscribed in the context of Russian and World history. Modern researchers have made important generalizations about the role of prisoners of war in the Civil War, and historical sources are introduced into scientific circulation. This article consistently examines the memories of the internment of foreign citizens, mentions assessments of the “German dominance” in Russia, describes the first meetings of prisoners of war and the local population with characteristics of mutual perception, touches on the topic of awareness of the content of enemy propaganda. The main conclusion of I.I. Serebrennikov, made in December 1914: “Siberia has been especially lucky in all recent wars: during the Russian-Japanese war, many earthworms from European Russia got acquainted with our outskirts; now the foreign countries are intensively getting acquainted with it in the person of captured Germans, Austrians and Turks.” The parties that met perceived each other quite complacently - foreigners were delighted with Siberia until the appearance of plans to stay in it after the war, and the local population behaved friendly towards prisoners of war. Reports of a large number of surrendered enemies supported the optimism and confidence of the Russian population in the rear. The highest burden from the placement of prisoners of war on the urban and barracks infrastructure of Siberia and the Far East is emphasized. Since the end of 1916, prisoners of war have become a problem - “they do not want to work, they stop obeying.” In conclusion, a dramatic historical collision is mentioned, when the events of the Great Russian Revolution transferred the long-standing struggle of Czechoslovaks and Hungarians to the expanses of Siberia.

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