'Ungovernable empire' vs 'straw scarecrow in the garden' (constructing the image of Sergei Witte in 'Memoirs')

I.N. Verevkina

Perm State University, Perm, 614990 Russia

E-mail: arina_verevkina@mail.ru

Received August 23, 2021

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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DOI: 10.26907/2541-7738.2021.6.61-70

For citation: Verevkina I.N. “Ungovernable empire” vs “straw scarecrow in the garden” (constructing the image of Sergei Witte in “Memoirs”). Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2021, vol. 163, no. 6, pp. 61–70. doi: 10.26907/2541-7738.2021.6.61-70. (In Russian)

Abstract

The article examines the views of one of the most authoritative officials at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries on the subject of constructing his own image of a public politician in memoir reflection. The main sources are Sergei Witte’s “Memoirs”, unpublished archival materials stored in the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA) and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI), and periodical press materials. The methodological basis of this study is the interdisciplinary research paradigm of the performative turn. The results of a comparative analysis of the images of S. Witte during different periods of his government service are discussed. A significant difference is revealed in the self-presentation of S. Witte as the Finance Minister and as the Prime Minister. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the author’s tactics in the struggle for his own positive reputation in the public political space of the Russian Empire. The questions related to nuances of S. Witte’s appointments and resignations to the positions on civil service presented by him in the extremely subjective optics are considered. It is concluded that the author of the memoirs seeks to strengthen the positive components of his own image, constructs a reputation for himself as an outstanding civil servant, the “Savior of Russia” who surpassed the managerial talents of other statesmen. At that point, S. Witte tried to dissociate from the image of a power lover widely spread in the public opinion. Describing the short period of his premiership, the memoirist presents himself as a victim of general bullying, which did not allow him to fully realize his managerial abilities. Depending on external conjunctures, S. Witte built his own image through victimized narrative, alternative view of the situation or strengthening of his own positive characteristics.

Keywords: Sergei Witte, S. Witte’s memoirs, Russian Empire, images of power, public policy

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