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A Memoir History of the Russian Civil War: Volume I: Birth of the Volunteer Army: Book One: The Collapse of the Front,the Flight to the Don
The "Russian Civil War" (1916-1926) was really a series of wars, uprisings, and massacres between hundreds of political factions, nationalities, and ephemeral political entities that were thrown into chaotic internecine struggle following the implosion of the Russian Empire in 1917. Although popular histories often refer to a singular “Russian Revolution” that destroyed the Empire, this book will demonstrate that World War, Revolution, and Civil War were experienced in tandem and without pause for the participants on the ground.
The first book of our ambitious compendium-history begins with the total collapse of the Russian Army that occurred from March to December 1917. The memoirs contained in book 1 of volume I demonstrate the effects of the revolutionary socialist agitation against the Russian Imperial Army officer corps amidst the increasingly hopeless military situation at the eastern fronts that followed Tsar Nicholas II's abdication in March 1917.
As the fronts and the rear descended into chaos, the weak provisional government capitulated to the Bolshevik-dominated Soviet, and the Russian state ceased to exist between the fires of World War and civil war. Officers and junkers who rejected the Bolshevik seizure of power now had to escape the bloodshed and anarchy of the state's dissolution. Together, they fled to the comparatively-quiet Don Cossack Host. In the old Cossack land, the officers and junkers hoped to create a new, Volunteer Army with which they could reverse the Bolshevik political victories in the capitals of Russia.
It is here that our series begins.
*Notice to Ebook customers, this series contains both footnotes and endnotes. Footnotes are numbered with Arabic numerals, and endnotes are numbered with Roman numerals. Footnotes concern details about the text that might be missed by casual reading, while endnotes serve as a dictionary of historical biography. Both sets of notes appear at the conclusion of the epub file.
The first book of our ambitious compendium-history begins with the total collapse of the Russian Army that occurred from March to December 1917. The memoirs contained in book 1 of volume I demonstrate the effects of the revolutionary socialist agitation against the Russian Imperial Army officer corps amidst the increasingly hopeless military situation at the eastern fronts that followed Tsar Nicholas II's abdication in March 1917.
As the fronts and the rear descended into chaos, the weak provisional government capitulated to the Bolshevik-dominated Soviet, and the Russian state ceased to exist between the fires of World War and civil war. Officers and junkers who rejected the Bolshevik seizure of power now had to escape the bloodshed and anarchy of the state's dissolution. Together, they fled to the comparatively-quiet Don Cossack Host. In the old Cossack land, the officers and junkers hoped to create a new, Volunteer Army with which they could reverse the Bolshevik political victories in the capitals of Russia.
It is here that our series begins.
*Notice to Ebook customers, this series contains both footnotes and endnotes. Footnotes are numbered with Arabic numerals, and endnotes are numbered with Roman numerals. Footnotes concern details about the text that might be missed by casual reading, while endnotes serve as a dictionary of historical biography. Both sets of notes appear at the conclusion of the epub file.
- GenresHistory
540 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2024
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February 25, 2025
I enjoyed this a great deal but anyone thinking of obtaining it should be clear about what they are getting into: this is essentially a collection of reminiscences by White emigrés. As such, it is extremely valuable, and of course there is a wide collection of different voices. The White movement encompassed a huge range of political opinion, from liberal democrats to monarchists to quasi fascists. The one perspective you won’t find here, though, is that of the Reds.
This volume deals with the chaotic origins of the White volunteer movement. The author makes the interesting and convincing point that at this stage (from about the autumn of 1917 to the beginning of 1919) the most significant feature was not Whites or Reds but what he calls Grays: the huge numbers of disaffected demobilising former Tsarist soldiers, wearing grey army greatcoats, who were on their way home from the first world war. In general, these men were not politically motivated, although they had a general dislike of officers and were susceptible to Red propaganda. If you were one of the many trying to make your way to the Don to join the nascent White movement, you could blend in with this lot, and drink vodka and play cards with them, and possibly outwit or intimidate them, as you made your way south. But you could also very easily end up getting robbed or murdered by them, especially if you were betrayed by the cut of your clothes or your accent. Alas, so many young officer cadets seemed incapable of adopting a proletarian disguise. Cutting off your shoulder straps was not enough: having clean finger nails could be a death sentence.
Given the chaos and the violence it’s amazing what was achieved. Some of the memoirs here are by significant figures in the White movement – such as Denikin – who was (in my opinion) a disastrous military and political leader but reveals himself here as a first class writer. Other more obscure figures hint at extraordinary lives beyond the civil war – such as the officer who survived to serve successively in the Albanian cavalry, the Italian tank corps, and the US infantry. This is a full and fascinating addition to Russian Civil War studies, and I look forward to the subsequent volumes.
This volume deals with the chaotic origins of the White volunteer movement. The author makes the interesting and convincing point that at this stage (from about the autumn of 1917 to the beginning of 1919) the most significant feature was not Whites or Reds but what he calls Grays: the huge numbers of disaffected demobilising former Tsarist soldiers, wearing grey army greatcoats, who were on their way home from the first world war. In general, these men were not politically motivated, although they had a general dislike of officers and were susceptible to Red propaganda. If you were one of the many trying to make your way to the Don to join the nascent White movement, you could blend in with this lot, and drink vodka and play cards with them, and possibly outwit or intimidate them, as you made your way south. But you could also very easily end up getting robbed or murdered by them, especially if you were betrayed by the cut of your clothes or your accent. Alas, so many young officer cadets seemed incapable of adopting a proletarian disguise. Cutting off your shoulder straps was not enough: having clean finger nails could be a death sentence.
Given the chaos and the violence it’s amazing what was achieved. Some of the memoirs here are by significant figures in the White movement – such as Denikin – who was (in my opinion) a disastrous military and political leader but reveals himself here as a first class writer. Other more obscure figures hint at extraordinary lives beyond the civil war – such as the officer who survived to serve successively in the Albanian cavalry, the Italian tank corps, and the US infantry. This is a full and fascinating addition to Russian Civil War studies, and I look forward to the subsequent volumes.
Displaying 1 of 1 review