CONSTRUCTING THE IMAGE OF THE ENEMY IN THE PERIODICALS OF THE YENISEI PROVINCE (1918-1920)

Batura Andrey Alexandrovich

The article is devoted to a comparative analysis of propaganda narratives in the press of the Yenisei Province during the Civil War (1918–1920). The aim is to identify the mechanisms of constructing images of the enemy. The methods used include discourse analysis of the newspapers «Volya Sibiri» and «Krasnoyarskiy Rabochiy», as well as imagological analysis of the journal «Krasnyy Bich». The study established an evolution from accusations of usurpation (1918) to «the biologization» of the enemy (1919–1920). The White rhetoric, operating with abstractions («an experiment on the people»), was inferior to the Red one, which used pragmatic images of a «parasite» and a «hireling» of the Entente. Visual satire recorded the victory through the ridicule of the opponent. The informational superiority of the Reds, based on adaptability and connection with mass consciousness, became a key factor in their victory and the legitimization of power in the region.

Keywords:Civil War, information warfare, propaganda, information confrontation between Reds and Whites, newspaper periodicals, Yenisei Province.