Table of contents:
Video: Kornilov revolt: the Bolsheviks cunningly eliminated two of their inveterate enemies?
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The mutiny of General Kornilov in early September 1917 is considered by historians to be an unsuccessful attempt to establish a military dictatorship in Russia. Say, zealous leaped from the general - the hero of the war, and he decided "in one fell swoop to beat all troublemakers." But not everything was so simple with this rebellion.
At the end of June 1917, the Provisional Government attempted to launch a major offensive on the Southwestern Front. But due to the unwillingness of the soldiers to fight, this offensive failed miserably. Then the Minister of War Kerensky decided to hang all the dogs on the Bolsheviks, announcing that they had corrupted the army. But the commander of the Western Front, General Denikin (yes, the same one) at about the same time declared to Kerensky: These words will come back to haunt Anton Ivanovich later.
In search of a dictator
From the bowels of counterintelligence, material was extracted (most likely fabricated by the British special services) about Lenin's work for German intelligence. From the front, Kerensky called in troops that had not yet been promoted, martial law was declared in Petrograd, and the arrests of Bolshevik leaders began. Counterintelligence of the Petrograd military district issued arrest warrants for 28 prominent Bolsheviks, starting with Lenin, accusing them of spying for Germany. But what is interesting: this list did not include the names of Stalin and Dzerzhinsky. We will talk about this oddity later.
Juncker defeated the Pravda editorial office on the Moika. Lenin managed to leave it a few minutes before the arrival of the cadets. I wonder who warned him? Let's remember this moment too. The headquarters of the Bolsheviks in the Kshesinskaya palace was captured, and the troops of the Petrograd garrison, sympathizing with the Bolsheviks, were partially disarmed, partially sent to the front. It seemed that the influence of the Bolsheviks in Petrograd had come to naught. It remains to wait for the dictator, who will restore order in the country with fire and sword.
The British ambassador to Russia, George Buchanan, nominated Infantry General Lavr Georgievich Kornilov to the post of such a dictator. This man in all respects was good for the Russian Bonaparte - he was a supporter of a firm hand, stood for the continuation of the war to a victorious end, was decisive and firm. True, his colleagues called him "a lion with a ram's head," but for a dictator this is not the point - others can also think for him.
The British special services promoted Kornilov in a quality manner.
To begin with, in August, a State meeting was held in Moscow, at which Kornilov, who by that time had become the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, announced his position. The capital was covered with leaflets printed with English money and delivered from Petrograd in a special train of the British ambassador. Having tasted the glory, the general began to act.
On August 19, by order of Kornilov, Russian troops left Riga. Thus, the commander-in-chief killed two birds with one stone - he showed everyone that without the introduction of strict discipline in the army, it was impossible to conduct hostilities and that thereby the way for the Germans was opened to Petrograd. At the same time, Kornilov demanded that the Petrograd military district, which became the front-line, be subordinated to him.
At the end of August, a march of troops loyal to Kornilov against Petrograd was planned. To participate in this campaign, it was decided to use the so-called Wild Division - a unit consisting of natives of the North Caucasus, and the 3rd Cavalry Corps of General Krymov. According to the calculations of Kornilov's curators, these forces should have been quite enough to neutralize the troops of the Petrograd garrison, disperse the Soviets and establish a military dictatorship.
It was smooth on paper
General Kornilov's plan was simple and elegant: the Wild Division and the 3rd Cavalry Corps are deployed into a Separate Petrograd Army - after which, in echelons, equestrian units enter Petrograd and arrange St. Bartholomew's Night for all troublemakers.
But Kornilov, with his straightforwardness, frightened Kerensky, declaring that in the future military junta Alexander Fyodorovich would have the maximum portfolio of the Minister of Justice. Naturally, Kerensky could not agree to such a thing. And he announced that he was removing Kornilov from the post of commander-in-chief. At the same time, he declared Petrograd on martial law and called on the Soviets to repulse the rebellious general.
The Soviets, in which the Bolsheviks retained their influence, naturally, happily seized upon the opportunity to arm themselves (several tens of thousands of rifles and revolvers, a large amount of ammunition were issued from arsenals and military warehouses for arming the Red Guard units, a large amount of ammunition) and to organize, creating combat detachments.
And the advancement of the units loyal to Kornilov was going very badly. First, the general managed to antagonize the leadership of the railway workers' union ("Vik-zhel"), which he threatened with severe punishment in case of non-fulfillment of his demands. And the railwaymen sabotaged the advance of echelons with cavalry units.
And then the invasion of the agitators began on the trains stretching along the railway. Moreover, to work with horsemen from the Wild Division, their fellow countrymen came from the North Caucasus - the so-called Muslim delegation from the Central Committee of Mountain Peoples. After one day of conversation, the combat capability of the Wild Division was zero. The horsemen disembarked from the trains at Vyritsa station and refused to go to Petrograd.
Roughly the same was the case with the Krymov corps. In general, the whole venture with the dictatorship of General Kornilov ended in a complete fiasco. General Krymov, after a conversation with Kerensky, shot himself, and Kornilov was arrested and sent to the prison of the city of Bykhov.
Who won?
The Bolsheviks were the beneficiaries of all that had happened. They managed to restore their influence among the masses, arm the units of the Red Guard and prepare them for the seizure of power. Kerensky finally discredited himself, betraying Kornilov, after which he could not count on the help of any of the generals of the Russian army. Thus, the revolt of General Kornilov paved the way for the Bolsheviks to power.
Who was the author of this graceful plan? We can only indirectly guess who it is.
Lieutenant General Nikolai Mikhailovich Potapov at that time held the position of chief of intelligence in the Russian army. It is now known that since June 1917 he collaborated with the Bolsheviks. Was it not he who got Stalin and Dzerzhinsky out of the blow in July of the same year and warned Lenin about the imminent appearance of the cadets in the editorial office of the Pravda newspaper? He could also inform Stalin, who then maintained contacts with the military who sympathized with the Bolsheviks, about General Kornilov's plans.
However, it was not only General Potapov who helped the Bolsheviks. Kornilov's offensive against Petrograd was thwarted by two other generals. These are the commander-in-chief of the Northern Front, Infantry General Vladislav Klembovsky and the Chief of Staff of the Northern Front and the commandant of the Pskov garrison, Major General Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich (his brother, Vladimir, was an old Bolshevik and until 1920 was the head of the Council of People's Commissars).
They managed to pull away dozens of echelons of the corps of General Krymov and the Wild Division from Pskov along eight railways and abandoned these echelons without steam locomotives in dense forests, without food and fodder. The hungry and embittered soldiers were easy to raid later on.
All of these generals later went on to serve in the Red Army. The Kerensky government, deprived of the support of the army and navy (Tsentrobalt refused to carry out the orders of the Provisional Government on September 19, 1917), was easy for the Bolsheviks to overthrow. Kerensky fled abroad, and General Kornilov, released from the Bykhov prison by the new commander-in-chief, General Dukhonin, went to the Don to start an armed struggle from there against the Bolsheviks he hated.
Recommended:
Why the judgment of King Solomon was considered the fairest in the world, and he himself was considered an inveterate sinner
We often hear the phrase - "Solomon's decision", which has become a catch phrase. From time immemorial, the image of King Solomon has come down to us as a character in many legends and parables. In all legends, he acts as the wisest of people and a just judge, famous for his cunning. However, there are still controversies among historians: some believe that the son of David lived in reality, others are sure that a wise ruler is a biblical falsification
How Hedgehogs Destroy New Zealand: Thorny Enemies of the People
In New Zealand, authorities are trying in vain to get rid of hedgehogs. Lovely animals were brought into the country many years ago by the British colonialists, they awakened in them nostalgic memories of their homeland. Since then, the population of these animals has grown to enormous proportions. There are no predators in the country that would regulate it in a natural way. Now hedgehogs are literally destroying local flora and fauna. The government is trying to fight the problem. They try to catch thorny hooligans. They are hunted and hunted. Folded
How Nefertiti's husband fought with the gods, the traditional role of the pharaoh and the canon in art: 20 years of Akhenaten's revolt
A reformer pharaoh, a seer, a guest from the past, or … an alien? The identity of the mysterious ruler of Egypt, the husband of the beautiful Nefertiti, is surrounded by many fantastic rumors. If you cut off the most incredible, there will be a story of a man who went against millennial traditions - in politics, religion and art. He rejected all canons, rejected all gods except one, and ruled Egypt along with a mysterious woman
Brothers-artists Korovin: Two different worldviews, two opposites, two dissimilar destinies
The history of art, mixed with the human factor, has always been full of various mysteries and paradoxical phenomena. For example, in the history of Russian fine arts there were two painters, two siblings who simultaneously studied and graduated from the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture in Moscow. However, their creativity and worldview were completely different, however, like themselves, they were diametrically opposed both in character and in fate. It's about the Korovin brothers - Konstantin and Sergei
Two worlds, two universes: 20 postcards about men, women and their uneasy relationships
Sometimes it seems that men and women speak different languages - there are so many misunderstandings and disagreements between them. But still, we are nowhere without each other - this is how the world works. For our readers, two dozen postcards that may help someone better understand their other half