A SELF-PORTRAIT AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF THE EPOCH (REVIEW OF: KEDROV M.A. MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 1878 – 1933 / INTRODUCTORY ARTICLE, COMMENT. D.YU. KOZLOV, L.I. PETRUSHEVA, V.A. BOLTRUKEVICH; WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF E.V. BALUSHKINA, YU.G. ORLOVA. M.: QUADRIGA, 2020. 304 P.)

Bazhanov Denis Alexandrovich, Khutsieva Viktoria Valeryevna

The proposed article is a review of the publication of the autobiography of Vice Admiral Mikhail Alexandrovich Kedrov. The reviewers concluded that the author's participation in the events of the Russo-Japanese, World War I, the revolutionary process of 1917, and the Russian Civil War, which are significant for understanding the patterns of Russia's historical path, determine the significance of this source for specialists and those interested. The conducted critical analysis allowed us to note the gaps in the author's presentation of the pages of his biography, concerning, in particular, the role of his court rank in his career before the fall of the monarchy, aspects of his work as assistant to the military and Naval Minister of the Provisional Government A.I. Guchkov, his role in developing plans for the evacuation of the Russian army from the Crimea, as well as in organizing and the role of the Naval Union. These omissions were largely compensated by the compilers in the prepared comments, as well as appendices that contain clerical and personal documents that shed light on the context of many events in the biography of M.A. Kedrov, as well as assessments of his activities. An essential addition is also information about the author's biography after writing his memoirs.

Keywords:M.A. Kedrov, Russian Navy, the Russian-Japanese War, the First World War, the revolution of 1917, the Civil War, Russian naval emigration, the Naval Union.