"A hard and hungry life has come": combating hunger in the Yaroslavl village during the Civil war (based on the materials of P. V. Bugrov’s diaries)

Abstract

The paper analyzes the diaries of the Yaroslavl peasant P. V. Bugrov, dating back to the first third of the XX century, which are a valuable historical source for reconstructing the everyday life of the peasant community. They show the catastrophic impact of wars and revolution on the peasant economy and present individual and collective practices of survival in conditions of hunger and unstable socio-political situation. Analysis of diaries allows us to conclude that the peasant economy continues to exist even in extremely unfavorable conditions and provides life to its members through a variety of ways to overcome hunger.