The Inconspicuous Epidemic: Spanish Flu Discourse in National Newspapers of Soviet Russia (1918–1919)

Figures & data

Figure 1. Discourse topics of the spanish flu in the soviet press in 1918-1919.

TABLE 1. Social actors, objects and phenomena and predications in the article “Spanish Disease” (Izvesia, July 16, 1918).

Social actors, objects, phenomena	Predications
Humanity	we brings heavy, agonizing sacrifices to imperialism
Bourgeoisie/Imperialists	Lloyd-Georges, Wilhelms, Cleamenceaus and the likes defenders of ‘right and justice’ apologists for the world war should inscribe the epidemic of the Spanish flu on their memorial plaque of bourgeois culture
Spanish flu	a new, yet unknown in history a new scourge extremely contagious, often resulting in death unknown even to the dark years of the Middle Ages just a faint shadow of the dreadful catastrophic destruction that is still visible in the future a symbol of disasters brought upon the entire world by the dominance of predatory imperialism a symbol of what war has brought and will bring to the world
Capitalist civilization	has collapsed has plunged into a bloody war has corrupted humanity with its disgraceful ideology brought an unknown medieval disease
Famine	has engulfed the whole world just the harbinger of the impending extinction of entire regions of Europe from starvation and exhaustion
Imperialism	a dangerous mental illness that has swept across Europe ready to sacrifice everything, including not only the lives and property of the current inhabitants of the world but also the fate of future generations

TABLE 2. Social actors, objects, and phenomena and predications in the article ‘The Spanish disease and the Russian infection’ (Izvestia, August 11, 1918).

Social actors, objects, phenomena	Predications
Working class/proletariat/soldiers in the West	apathetic paralyzed by the Spanish disease suffering from the bourgeoisie and imperialists exhausted by war and endless exploitation
Working class/proletariat/soldiers in Soviet Russia	breathed freely has several advantages receives enhanced rations moves from raw, dark basements to bright, dry premises, freed from parasitic elements has the opportunity for the productive struggle for its interests
Bourgeoisie	uses all means to restrain the inevitable explosion of spontaneous outrage
Imperialists	direct the poison of war against workers to weaken them
Social betrayers	leaders of the workers who betrayed them instead of fighting for workers’ rights, they sing patriotic anthems
Spanish flu	comes from the West only the working class suffers from it influences the working class with fatal outcomes develops under conditions of militarization of factories and workshops, 10-hour working days, abundance of food substitutes, overcrowding and unprecedented nervous shocks accompanied by a terrible decline in strength and complete apathy particularly rampant in concentration camps
Russian infection	comes from the East exclusively affects the working class Germans erect Chinese walls against it, arrange quarantines and stage sham states—buffers its symptoms are a decline in military discipline, desertion, dissolution of soldiers, and ‘increased demands’ of workers relentlessly moves forward

DIAGRAM 1. The number of mentions of the Spanish flu in the publications of Izvestia newspaper between July 08, 1918 and March 23, 1919 (per week).

DIAGRAM 2. The number of publications devoted to Spanish flue in the newspapers Pravda and Izvestia between October 19 and 27, 1918 (per day).

DIAGRAM 3. The number of mentions of Spanish flu, cholera, and typhus in publications of Izvestia between July 8, 1918 and March 23, 1919 (weekly breakdown).