"The old government collapses – the new is born..." : Dmitry Sverchkov's literary works on the St. Petersburg's Soviet of Workers' Deputies of 1905

Abstract

This article deals with the literary and publishing activity of Dmitry Sverchkov, a member of the Executive Committee of the Petersburg Soviet of Workers‘ Deputies, 1905. It is connected with his memory of the creation, activity and termination of the Soviet. Based on archival documents and the published works, it is shown that during the period after the revolutionary events of 1917, Sverchkov sought to keep the memory of the Soviet in works of prose and in cinema. The plots of his script “October Revolution 1905 and the first St. Peterburg‘s Soviet of Workers‘ Deputies” (1924) and his play “But Are Not Defeated!” (1931) are analyzed. The most important point is that the writer shows the people as participants of the revolutionary events in 1905. The article is also based on shorthand reports of Sverckov‘s speeches at The Vseroskomdram‘s Plenums.