제1차 세계대전 시기 러시아 도시의 음주문화

Abstract

Participating in World War I, the Russian government temporarily banned the sale of alcoholic beverages in relevant regions for efficient military mobilization. On August 22, 1914, however, Nikolai II would extend the ban on vodka sales until the end of the war. The decree of October 13, 1914, stipulated that local authorities implement the prohibition of all kinds of alcohol in response to petitions from local governments and social groups. These measures of the emperor and his government were greatly welcomed in the atmosphere of elevated patriotism immediately after the war. More and more areas introduced the strict dry law. Actually, not all Russians welcomed the ban, and the drinking culture permeated the daily lives of Russians. Therefore, the decree of October 13, 1914, left some ‘legal’ ways to get alcohol. Such ‘legal’ ways were easily abused by those who wanted to drink, and the ‘secret selling of alcoholic beverages’, sometimes combined with illegal activities, revealed the incompetence and corruption of the authorities, or the limits of their power, along with the masses’ desire to drink. In fact, the dry law had a class-discriminatory nature, and as the government''s various measures made it more cumbersome to get alcohol and the price of alcohol rise rapidly, such a class-discriminatory nature was strengthened. In other words, the upper classes were able to obtain necessary alcohol by their wealth and social status, and sometimes drank alcohol as if showing off. In the eyes of the public, especially the lower classes of society, this behavior of the upper classes destroyed the authority and trust of the dry law, arousing a craving for alcohol and a hostility to injustice and discrimination. In addition to this situation, the continued defeat of the Russian army in the spring-summer 1915, followed by the influx of refugees and an increasing war fatigue, was also one of the major causes for the noticeable increase of ‘illegal’ drinking in various Russian cities. This spread of drunkenness in various cities was not only due to the ‘illegal’ distribution of alcohol. Those who wanted to get drunk, especially poor residents, used a variety of vodka substitutes, such as denatured alcohol, lacquer, varnish, and cologne, that were relatively inexpensive, easy to obtain, and quick to get drunk, rather than alcohol. Over time, the use of vodka substitutes became widespread, and the social groups using these vodka substitutes also expanded. (Chonnam National University / sachpak@jnu.ac.kr)