The tragedy of the Cossack chieftain, thanks to whom the White Army appeared: Alexey Kaledin

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The civil war split Russia into two camps. Among the supporters of the monarchy, who were in the minority, the hope of salvation was associated with the Don Cossacks. And when numerous officers turned to Alexei Maksimovich Kaledin, the chieftain of the Don Army, for help, he agreed. It was thanks to him that the White Army appeared in Novocherkassk. But ordinary Cossacks hoped that the Civil War would not affect them. And when it became clear that bloodshed could not be avoided, the people did not follow their chieftain, taking the side of the Bolshevik government. Kaledin could not survive this.

The glorious path of a combat officer

Alexey Maksimovich was born in 1861 on the Kaledin farm, which was on the territory of the Don Cossack Region. As a Cossack, he was not faced with the question of his future profession. He became a military man, graduating from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff.

Kaledin was a sullen, reserved person, but this did not in any way affect his relationship with colleagues. Those, first of all, appreciated Alexei Maksimovich for his honesty, courage and perseverance. Kaledin was married to a Swiss woman named Maria Granjean. It is known that the couple raised a son (his name has not survived), who died at the age of 11. After this event, Alexey Maksimovich became even more withdrawn. The tragedy greatly affected his morale.

When the First World War began, Kaledin went to the front, where he commanded the 12th Cavalry Division. Then he was transferred to the post of commander of the Eighth Army. And with her he happened to take part in the legendary Brusilov breakthrough. But then, as you know, the monarchy in the Russian Empire collapsed. Nicholas II abdicated the throne, the February Revolution broke out, and all life began to change rapidly. Then the shameful peace treaty was concluded and Russia withdrew from the First World War. All this Kaledin took calmly, trying not to draw premature conclusions. But then the changes also affected the armed forces. Alexei Maksimovich had to transfer the command of his army to Lavr Kornilov, after which he returned to the Don and waited for what would happen next.

Troubled Don

Now we need to make a small digression. The attitude of the Russian Empire and the Cossacks was rather peculiar. The Cossacks, who primarily valued freedom, were forced to recognize the power of the Russian sovereign. Accordingly, they were also subject to military service. In return, they received many benefits and privileges compared to other inhabitants of the empire. The most important thing is that the Cossacks got vast plots of fertile land for personal use. And this caused strong social tension. Peasants from neighboring regions did not hide their discontent over this, but the authorities pretended that nothing was happening. Immigrants from other regions, who for various reasons were forced to settle on the territory of the Cossacks, were also very indignant.

The Cossacks, on the other hand, had a negative attitude towards all strangers who appeared on their territory. And by the beginning of the twentieth century, there were about a million such people on the Don. They demanded land on a permanent basis and refused to lease it. The situation escalated from year to year. And no one understood what the conflict could lead to.

But the Civil War began. The Bolsheviks seized power and began to spread their influence throughout the country. The Cossacks, who believed that this conflict would not affect them, preferred to stay on the sidelines. But events developed so rapidly that the Cossacks had to choose which side they were on. In the Big Military District, which met in May 1917, Aleksey Maksimovich Kaledin was chosen as the military ataman. It was to him that the Cossacks entrusted their fate.

I must say that Kaledin himself was not delighted with all this. He understood that sooner or later the war would reach the Don. And he was not at all confident in his Cossacks.

Meanwhile, anti-Bolshevik forces began to gather in Novocherkassk. Even the former Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Mikhail Alekseev, arrived there. The White Army was formed. At first, most of the Cossacks took her side and were going to fight the Bolsheviks. Kaledin himself stood at the head of the Volunteer Army.

At the end of December 1917, he entered Rostov with his army. Residents greeted the ataman with delight, since they saw in him the new ruler of Russia. But Alexey Maksimovich understood that the most difficult test lay ahead, a test of the Cossacks for strength. And they did not pass it.

White officers believed in the Cossacks, considering them the stronghold of the monarchy in Russia. But they were wrong. Already at the very beginning of 1918, a painful process of stratification began in the Cossacks. The aristocracy supported the White movement, and simple Cossacks sided with the Bolsheviks. The situation escalated between the population of the Lower and Upper Don.

Zugzwang in real life

The position of Kaledin at that moment could not be envied. He found himself between a rock and a hard place. And any of his decisions could only lead to a worsening of the situation. Zugzwang, just not on the chessboard, but in real life.

The white officers realized with horror that their hopes were dashed. The Cossacks were not going to fight for the monarchy and go to Moscow. They did not intend to fight at all, thinking peacefully to come to an agreement with the Bolsheviks. Yesterday's officers of the tsarist army and the local aristocracy became enemies.

On January 29, 1918, Kaledin honestly informed his comrades-in-arms that "the situation is hopeless." Most of the Don residents refused to support the White movement, and a final split took place. And there were two ways out: to start a fratricidal war among the Cossacks, or simply to come to terms with the decision of the majority. And Alexey Maksimovich chose the second option.

On the same day, he resigned as chieftain, and then committed suicide. The military leader, who brilliantly showed himself on the battlefields of the First World War, was unable to withstand the full weight of the Civil War. He could not give orders to shoot at his own, so he chose to die himself. The second reason was that the Cossacks turned away from him at the most difficult moment. The ataman understood that as soon as the Red Army men appeared on the Don, he would immediately be handed over to them for reprisal as payment for peace.

Only the Cossacks were wrong. Having lost the chieftain, she soon lost her freedom. A bloody process of decossackization began, the protagonists of which were embittered peasant settlers. They took revenge on the Cossacks for years of humiliation and persecution.

The civil war is a time of strife and tragedy. The story of how the chekists dealt with the last Cossack chieftain echoes with pain in the hearts. This is how the best people of the Russian Empire left.