[Russian newspaper] Общее Дело (Obshchee Delo)(= The Common Cause) 11 October 1917 (No. 14 ) Burtsev, Vladimir, editor (one of the leading anti-Bolshevik Socialist-Revolutionaries)

In Russian. 4 pages. 55 x 37 cm. Pages are yellow and fragile. Front Page 1 Main headline: "This is not what Russia expects from the Provisional Government!" An editorial by editor Vladimir Burtsev, sharply criticizing the failures of the Provisional Government to stabilize the country. He accuses it of indecisiveness, weakness toward the Soviets, and inability to restore order or the army's fighting capacity. Key articles: "Today" - A short news digest: Government expected to issue a new declaration on foreign policy. Interior Minister A.D. Protopopov has been declared mentally ill. Reports of the capture of 7,500 prisoners and 20 guns. Report by Captain Gerasimov on the Kornilov Affair. Continued disintegration of the Tsarist batteries and army morale. Preparations for another offensive. Mention of speech by I.M. Tsereteli, a socialist leader. "A.D. Protopopov declared insane" - Details about the former Tsarist Interior Minister being diagnosed as mentally unwell and detained in a psychiatric hospital. Editorial tone: Anti-autocratic, anti-Bolshevik, pro-"law and order" republican stance. Burtsev calls for a strong democratic republic, condemning both reactionaries and extremists. Page 2 Main sections: ""Documents about the dishonorable behavior and violence of soldiers" - Reports on crimes and excesses committed by some revolutionary soldiers, including assaults and theft, showing moral decay in the army after the February Revolution. "On the Moonsund Islands" - Updates from the Baltic Sea front: German naval forces attacking Russian positions on the Moonsund archipelago; discussion of evacuation. "Chronicle" - Short news updates from Petrograd, Riga, Kronstadt, and other areas: Ongoing strikes in Petrograd. Rumors of evacuation from Riga. Epidemics spreading among soldiers. Agricultural shortages and economic chaos. Theaters and cultural events briefly noted in "Press" - Commentary on other newspapers, including "Worker's Path", "New Voice", and comparing ideological tendencies of the socialist press and criticizing Bolshevik propaganda. Page 3 Major article: "Report of Captain Gerasimov on the Kornilov Affair" - An important first-hand account regarding General Lavr Kornilov's failed August 1917 coup. Gerasimov, one of Kornilov's associates, defends the general's motives, describing him as a patriot trying to save Russia from chaos. The report contrasts sharply with the government's portrayal of Kornilov as a traitor. Other articles: "The task of republicans" - A call for unity among moderate democratic and republican forces to prevent both reaction and Bolshevik dictatorship. "By the Baltic Shores" - A correspondent's report from Reval (Tallinn) about evacuation efforts and naval battles near the Baltic coast. The Germans are advancing; Russian fleet morale and coordination are poor. Smaller notes: - theater and entertainment advertisements. An ad for Burtsev's journal The Future. A small note on the resignation of a certain L.F. Kerensky (possibly a relative of A.F. Kerensky, the Prime Minister). Overall Themes: Disillusionment with the Provisional Government. Fear of anarchy and the spread of Bolshevik radicalism. Patriotism and calls for moral regeneration. First-hand military and political reporting (Kornilov, Moonsund, Baltic). Cultural and press coverage typical of a liberal anti-Bolshevik paper.