History 04/03/20 “Red Bashkirs”: why white allies began to fight in the red Army
we All know the ancient Eastern parable about the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The outcome of the war often depends on slightest advantage at a crucial moment. And who knows what may become the “straw” in this case?
the Conflict between the Soviet authorities and the Bashkir
Like all the peoples of the Russian Empire, the Bashkirs after the fall of the monarchy experienced a period of national revival and self-determination. In the summer of 1917 in Orenburg passed Sabasteanski kurultais national democratic organizations, which decided to achieve at the forthcoming all-Russian Constituent Assembly the establishment of a national-territorial Bashkir autonomy within a federated Russian Republic.
After the seizure of power in the capitals of the Bolsheviks, self-determination of the Bashkir people went more radical. 2 (15) November 1917 the Council of people’s Commissars issued, the signatures of Lenin and Stalin, “the Declaration of the rights of the peoples of Russia” which proclaimed the right of every nation to the education of their own state. Based on this programmatic document the Soviet government, the Bashkir regional Shuro 15 (28) November, 1917, proclaimed the establishment of the Autonomous Baskurdistan part of Russia. Its boundaries roughly coincided with the modern borders of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
Bashkir leaders had tried to do his national-state construction, observing neutrality flares up in civil war. Resistance to the establishment of Soviet power in the Urals had the Orenburg Cossacks, led by ataman, Lieutenant-General A. I. Dutov. The Bolsheviks were sent to the Urals the detachments of the red guard. January 27, 1918, Orenburg was proclaimed Soviet power.
the Bolsheviks were not respecting the neutrality
Baskurdistan, and not recognized for its government the right to represent the interestsSy Bashkir people. Already in the night from 16 for February 17 (new calendar), 1918 seven members of the Bashkir government and the Bashkir Shura was arrested by the Pro-Soviet soldiers Orenburg garrison. March 5, Orenburg revolutionary Committee issued an ultimatum to all Bashkir population in which the Bashkir government was accused of collaborating with counter-revolutionary ataman Dutov and all Bashkirs were ordered to surrender their weapons to local councils and red guards units.
the terms of the ultimatum to the population was given three days. Otherwise, threatened the Bolsheviks, the whole of the Bashkir Council will be executed and Bashkir villages, are not subject to the requirements “be wiped off the face of the earth by artillery and machine guns.” To reinforce the seriousness of their intentions, even before the expiration of the ultimatum deadline, March 7, two members of the Bashkir government were executed.
then reversed the punitive expedition of the red guard in Bashkortostan. In these circumstances, the Bashkir organization went underground and began to cooperate actively with the underground white guard and Cossack groups as well as with the Czechs.
Bashkirs in the anti-Bolshevik camp
may 25, 1918, the Czechoslovak corps, one of the centers which were Ufa and Chelyabinsk. The revolt was immediately joined by local anti-Bolshevik organizations. The Soviet government in a matter of days vanished in the space of eight thousand versts from the Volga to the Pacific ocean. 1 Jun 1918 in Chelyabinsk resumed the government of the Autonomous Baskurdistan.
on June 8 in Samara appeared the Committee members of the Constituent Assembly (Komuch), who took the initiative to recreate the all-Russian government and army. Komuch collaborated with other arbitrarily emerged anti-Soviet regional governments and not to let them.
Bashkir authorities have begun to form their own national army. In September 1918 they signed an agreement with the Komuch, according to which Bashkurdistan was recognized as a national-territorial ABconomia and Bashkir army has joined the people’s army of Komuch as a separate Bashkir case. At the end of October 1918 the Bashkir corps consisted of five infantry and two cavalry regiments.
At the State conference held in Ufa in September 1918, there was formed Russian Provisional government (the Directory). Autonomy of regional governments was preserved.
Kolchak pushes away Democrats and minorities
Coup of 18 Nov 1918 in Omsk was the beginning of the end of the anti-Bolshevik movement. Speaking for consolidation in the name of “United, indivisible Russia,” Admiral Kolchak destroyed the anti-Soviet front, to alienate all the democratic forces. One of the first orders of Kolchak was the requirement of dissolution of all regional governments. The smell of the “old regime”.
the Bolsheviks skillfully used any strife in the camp of his enemies. They subtly catch the moments when it was possible to break away from White the movements of his allies. For its part, Bashkir leaders also began to seek agreement with the Soviet government on the conditions for recognition of national aspirations. The initiator of contacts with the Bashkir party has become an influential Chairman of the Military Council of the autonomy Akhmetzaki Validi Tugan.
In December 1918 Validi has taken part in the meeting of representatives of the Orenburg and Ural Cossacks, the Bashkir and Kazakh autonomy (Alash Orda), do not recognize the coup Kolchak. The conspirators decided to raise the troops entrusted to them to fight on two fronts against the Bolsheviks and against Kolchak. But prevention of ataman Dutov disrupted a planned speech. Then Validi transferred subject to him Bashkir housing on the side of the red army.
In February 1919 and was formally constituted body “of the red Bashkirs”, and on March 20, 1919 was signed the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Bashkir government on the creation of the Bashkir ASSR. In March-April 1919 turned the General offensive of Kolchak to Moscow. White again took the previously posted areas of the Urals and already went to the Volga, but at the end of April – early may 1919, was decisively defeated by the red army. After that their retreat did not stop already to the Pacific ocean.
As the Bashkir corps and the support of the Bashkir population was not enough in the spring of 1919 Kolchak to defeat the Bolsheviks, which would open a white road to Moscow.
Yaroslav Butakov
Source:
© Russian Seven
Recommended statesalaska… Share: Comments Comments on the article “the”Red Bashkirs”: why white allies began to fight in the red Army” Please log in to leave a comment! br>
Share on Tumblr
