Революция и социальная справедливость : Ожидания и реальность (« Письма во власть » 1917-1927 годов)*

Aleksandr Ia. Livshin, Igor' B. Orlov, Revolution and social justice: expectations and reality ("Letters to the authorities" 1917-1927). The phrase "letters to the authorities" refers to the various forms of appeal to the powers that be by the people during the post-revolutionary period (letters, complaints, petitions, denunciations). These letters constitute an important source for the study of social history and for the history of how people think. They were a means of dialogue between society and the authorities, an important means of communication within the "state — people" relationship during the Soviet period. The extent to which so basic a concept as that of justice is represented in people's minds is indicative of the changes that took place within popular consciousness during the first post-revolutionary decade. The perception of justice in various social groups was globally unstable, contradictory, and fluctuating. This reflected the deep social, political and cultural changes of the time.