Children and War: the Kuban Region during the First World War

This study is devoted to the analysis of childhood in the Kuban region during the First World War. The material for the manuscript was archival materials from the State Archive of the Krasnodar Krai (Krasnodar, Russian Federation), as well as historical research on the problems of childhood during the war during the First World War. The following methods are used: classification method, historiographical analysis, synthesis, historical-system method, etc. The problem of the participation of Kuban children in the First World War is poorly understood, primarily due to the small number of sources. According to the few available documents stored in the GACC, there is reason to say that from the very beginning of the war, children and adolescents of the Kuban region took an active patriotic position and fully supported the outbreak of the war. Teachers of educational institutions and the local Cossacks actively participated in the formation of children's patriotism. The Cossacks also developed decent drill skills and provided young Cossacks with ammunition, as mentioned in their orders by the head of the Kuban region and the ataman of the Kuban Cossacks, M.P. Babich. There is every reason to assume that the patriotism of Kuban children is widespread, which is confirmed by their fleeing to the front as volunteers against the will of their parents. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.