Byloe

a journal about the history of the revolutionary movement in Russia. V. L. Burtsev published six issues of Byloe in London and Paris between 1900 and 1904. The material published in the journal was devoted to the revolutionary movement from the 1860’s to the 1880’s, especially People’s Will. The creation of an organ for the collection and printing of historical revolutionary information had positive significance. Byloe’s shortcoming was its idealization of the views and tactics of members of the People’s Will.

In January 1906 the monthly journal Byloe began publication in St. Petersburg under the editorship of V. Ia. Bogucharskii, P. E. Shchegolev, and Burtsev. The journal elucidated the history of social movements from the 18th century until the Revolution of 1905-07, with an emphasis on material on the revolutionary movement of the raznochintsy (in the 19th century, Russian intellectuals not of gentle birth). The journal published valuable information on the trials of N. G. Chernyshevskii, M. L. Mikhailov, D. I. Pisarev, and N. A. Serno-Solov’evich; the Populist and People’s Will trials of the 1870’s and 1880’s; and several Populists’ memoirs. The journal was published in a large press run (about 30, 000 copies). It was subjected to repression and closed by the authorities in 1907 with the tenth (22nd) book.

Minuvshie gody (Years Gone By), a journal of history and literature that partially replaced Byloe, began to be published in 1908. The same year, Burtsev renewed the publication of Byloe in Paris. Issues numbered 7-15 were published between 1908 and 1913. The journal renewed publication in July 1917 in Petrograd. The original editors were Shchegolev, Burtsev, V. V. Vodovozov, and E. V. Tarle. Shchegolev was an editor of Byloe after the October Revolution until it ceased publication. Thirty-five issues of the journal were published between 1917 and early 1926. Byloecontinued to devote a good deal of space to subjects linked to the movement of the 1860’s, 1870’s and 1880’s, but a considerable portion of the text dealt with the 20th century.