The Russian Civil War

The Russian Civil War

The Civil War is a series of armed conflicts in Russia between various political groups. The main actions were divided between the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Red Army, "red") and the armed forces of the White Movement ("white"). The causes of the civil war were the social, national and political contradictions in Russia that worsened after the February Revolution of 1917.

There are three problems associated with the study of the Russian Civil War:

1. Chronology of the Civil War. There is still no consensus on when the civil war began and when it ended. The beginning of the civil war is called either 1917 or 1918. In October 1917, a coup d’etat took place and the Bolsheviks (RSDLP), led by V.I. Lenin, came to power. There were battles in Petrograd, and junkers (cadets of military schools) rebelled in Moscow on November 11−16. Most scientists believe that in 1918 there was already a full-scale civil war in the country. The date of the end of the civil war is called 1920, 1921 or 1922. In November 1920 the last units of the white army evacuated abroad. In 1921, peasant uprisings took place in the country (for example, the Tambov rebellion, the West Siberian Uprising, etc.). In 1922, most of the centers of resistance to the Bolsheviks were suppressed.

2. "Simplification" of the story. In Soviet times, the prevailing point of view was about the "good" Reds who fought for freedom, the new world and the "bad" whites who fought for the tsar, landlords and capitalists. In the 1990s, the point of view on the events of the civil war changed, they said "the Reds fought for power", "the whites fought for Russia". In the early 2000s, they said, "the Reds fought so that there would be no rich," "the whites fought so that there would be no poor." Currently, this issue is debatable.

3. "Complication" of the story. In addition to the "reds" and "whites", there were also "greens" (hiding in the forests), self-styled "self-defense units", "Petliurists" and "Makhnovists" in Ukraine, etc.

The Civil War ended with the establishment of Soviet power in most of the territory of the former Russian Empire, the formation of the independent states of Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the creation of the Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republics.

The Civil War in Siberia

The confrontation between the old and the new authorities intensified after the uprising of the Czechoslovak corps, which broke out on May 25, 1918. Well-organized and armed troops of the corps overthrew the Soviet government along the Trans-Siberian Railway. Tomsk surrendered without a fight. Barnaul fell on June 15. After the capture of Omsk, the Czechoslovaks moved to Ishim and Tobolsk.

On the night of June 19, 1918, the Czechs and Whites, led by Captain Nikolai Nikolaevich Kazagrandi, landed on the shore of the Irtysh and took Tobolsk. On June 20, the Whites took Tyumen.

On June 30, 1918, the Provisional Siberian Government headed by Pyotr Vasilyevich Vologda was established in Omsk. Omsk became the white capital of Russia, as opposed to Moscow.

On the night of July 17, 1918, the royal family was shot in Yekaterinburg. Servants and confidants were executed along with them. In total, 11 people were shot in the basement of engineer Ipatiev’s house.

The situation of the Provisional Siberian Government in the autumn of 1918 was greatly complicated due to failures at the front. Under these conditions, the Socialist revolutionaries of the Urals and Siberia created a coalition government — Directory under the chairmanship of N.D. Avksentiev. Anarchy and chaos were growing in the region.

On the night of November 18, 1918, Admiral A.V. Kolchak arrested the members of the Directory and declared himself the Supreme Ruler of Russia. Kolchak banned trade unions and parties, and limited the powers of local governments. The townspeople were dissatisfied with the rise in prices, the shortage of food, and in Kolchak’s army began a decline in discipline and mass desertion, especially among peasants who were mobilized by force.

In the summer of 1919, a clear turn in favor of the Red Army was marked at the front. Already on September 3, 1919, the Whites stopped defending Tobolsk and retreated to Uvat and Demyanka. However, Kolchak ordered Tobolsk to be recaptured. White reserves were thrown into battle, on September 27, 1919, the Whites took Tobolsk.

On October 11, 1919, the Supreme Ruler A.V. Kolchak himself visited Tobolsk. He held a meeting on the issue of the export of church valuables from Tobolsk and the branch of the state bank. A week later, the retreat of the Whites from Tobolsk to the north and east began. The Whites failed to gain a foothold in Ishim. On October 22, 1919, the Reds took Tobolsk, on October 31 — Petropavlovsk, on November 4 — Ishim.

In the Tobolsk North, a partisan movement turned against the whites. The partisan detachments were mainly peasants who had deserted from the Siberian Army. On November 17−18, the village of Samarovo was taken. By this time, many partisan detachments numbered up to 250 people.

On November 13, 1919, five trains of A.V. Kolchak with his headquarters and gold reserves (28 wagons with gold) left Omsk for Novonikolaevsk. On November 14, 1919, the 27th Infantry Division of the Reds reached the outskirts of Omsk.

After the surrender of Omsk, the remnants of the whites slowly retreated towards Novonikolaevsk. Kolchak himself fled to Irkutsk, but ended up with the White Russians, who turned him over to the Reds.

December 14, 1919 The Red Army took Novonikolaevsk. On December 20, 1919, the Reds took Tomsk.

On February 7, 1920, at 5 a.m., Kolchak and the Minister of the Provisional Government, Viktor Nikolaevich Pepelyaev, were shot on the ice of a Hangar near the mouth of the Ushakovka River. The execution was led by the chairman of gubchek, Samuel Chudnovsky, and the firing squad was led by Ivan Bursak (real name — Boris Yakovlevich Blatlinder).

The battles of the Red Army units with separate detachments of whites continued in the North of the Tobolsk province until March 1920. During these battles, the Whites were finally defeated.

Creation of the VChK

On December 7 (20), 1917, the Council of People’s Commissars established the VChK (All-Russian Emergency Commission for Combating Counterrevolution and Sabotage). It was abbreviated as the VChK, hence the word "Chekist". The VChK had its own departments and committees, for example, to combat smuggling, homelessness, counterintelligence department, etc.

The VChK had enormous powers, including shooting on the spot without trial. According to the English historian and writer Robert Conquest, author of the book "The Great Terror" (1968), from 1917 to 1922, about 140 thousand people were shot by the VChK.

Initially, the VChK was located in Petrograd at 2 Gorokhovaya Street. In March 1918, the VChK was transferred to Moscow. In 1919 The VChK occupied the building of the former insurance company "Russia" on Lubyanka Square ("Lubyanka"). Lenin’s associate Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky ("iron Felix") headed the VChK.

Уездная полиция

Главой уездной (окружной) полиции являлся исправник, который назначался губернатором с утверждением Министерства внутренних дел. Исправник был наделен широкими полномочиями, далеко выходящими за пределы общественной безопасности, защиты жизни, здоровья и имущества граждан. Окружной исправник заведовал полицейскими служащими, решал кадровые вопросы. В его воле было назначение на службу, перемещение, награждение и наказание, увольнение. Исправник следил за выполнением приказов, положений, циркуляров и инструкций. Выполнял следственно-разыскные функции, в том числе сыск и дознание, наблюдение и агентурная сеть, надзор за ссыльными.

Во второй половине XIX в. была введена должность помощника (заместителя) окружного исправника. Помощник назначался и увольнялся со службы в том же порядке, что и глава окружной полиции. В обязанности помощника входило делопроизводство, а также он заменял исправника в случае его отсутствия по болезни, отпуска или ухода на пенсию.

Окружному исправнику подчинялись становые приставы. Несколько волостей объединяли в станы.

9 июня 1878 г. была введена должность полицейских урядников — самая низшая должность окружной полиции. Полицейские урядники подчинялись становым приставам. Они обязаны были находится на участниках, к которым прикреплялись. В обязанность полицейских урядников входило следить за общественным порядком. Урядники обязаны следить выполнением призыва на военную службу. Кроме того, на полицейского урядника накладывались особые обязательства. Например, по Уставу лесному не допускать самовольной порубки и кражи леса. По Уставу питейному следить за правилами торговли вином.