Journalistic techniques in the Decembrists’ propaganda practice. The case of M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin

Abstract

This article is about journalistic techniques in the Decembrists’ propaganda practice: it describes the ways of recruitment into the secret organization, starting with the collection of information about the candidates for the conspirators and ending with the proposal to commit regicide. The article analyses the role of poetic journalism, primarily Pushkin’s poems, in attracting new members to the conspiracy. The article centers on the figure of the Decembrist M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, the most effective agitator, whom A.Kh. Benckendorff called “the demon of propaganda”.