Images of the Decembrists in Soviet plays written for the centenary of the 1825 Uprising

The objective of this study is to identify the distinctive characteristics that constitute the images of the Decembrists in Soviet plays composed for the centenary of the 1825 uprising, and to examine their alignment with the historiographical trends of the era. The article analyzes dramatic works written in the 1920s, such as N. N. Lerner’s “Nikolai I: Decembrists” (1923), A. Aino’s “Decembrists” (1923), and M. S. Yakhontova’s “Decembrists” (1925), within the context of the formation of the Decembrist concept. The research involves analyzing key characters and their attributes, as well as identifying the influence of Soviet ideology on the interpretation of historical events. The scholarly novelty lies in examining the plays about the Decembrists within the context of the actualization of these images in connection with the 1925 anniversary, as well as in applying semiotic theory to their analysis. The research concludes that the Decembrists became an important element in the construction of an international revolutionary Soviet identity.