«Honest Russian Newspaper»: «Minskoe Slovo» and the Conservative-Monarchist Movement in the NorthWestern Region at the beginning of the 20th Century

The article analyzes the materials of the Minskoe Slovo newspaper, published in Minsk in 1906–1912 and becoming a “mouthpiece” of Russian nationalist ideas designed to counter liberal and left-wing radical forces in the election campaigns for the 2nd–3rd State Dumas. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the ideological and theoretical foundations of the political program of the Minskoe Slovo newspaper and to determining the role of the publication in the socio-political life of the Minsk province at the beginning of the 20th century. It is concluded that the Minskoe Slovo newspaper made a significant contribution to the development and dissemination of Russian nationalist discourse in the Northwestern Territory at the beginning of the 20th century, defending national Russian interests and the rights of the Orthodox population of the northwestern provinces. At the same time, the editorial board of the newspaper, which proposed the awakening of Russian national self-awareness as the basis for the spiritual and political stability of the empire, did not take into account the interests of the “foreign groups” of the outskirts, choosing a futile tactic of political struggle that did not meet the demands of the time and the needs of the local administration.