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== Background == |
== Background == |
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The rebellion was caused by the forced confiscation of grain by the [[Bolshevik]] authorities, a policy known in Russian as ''"[[prodrazvyorstka]]"''. In 1920 the requisitions were increased from 18 million to 27 million [[pood]]s in the region. This caused the peasants to reduce their grain production knowing that anything they did not consume themselves would be immediately confiscated. Filling the state quotas meant death for many by starvation <ref name="black book"/>. The revolt began on 19 August 1920 in a small town of Khitrovo where a military requisitioning detachment of the Red Army appropriated everything they could and "beat up elderly men of seventy in full view of the public" <ref name="black book"/>. The peasant army was known as the Antonovtsi or "Blue Army", as opposed to the "[[White Army]]" (anti-communist army), "[[Red Army]]" (communist army), and "[[Black Guards|Black Army]]" (anarchists of Ukraine and Russia)—all taking part in the Civil War. |
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Because the Tambov region had been an SR stronghold for many years, it experienced unrest. SR elements purposely fanned the dissatisfiaction of the peasants with grain requisitioning and the lack of manufactured goods. Forces opposed to the Soviet government tried to exploit the dissatisfaction of the peasants with grain requisitioning. <ref> |
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[http://slovari.yandex.ru/dict/bse/article/00003/63900.htm?text=%D0%90%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0&encid=bse I. Ia. Trifonov, "Antonovshchina"]</ref> |
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Preparations for the revolt were made by the SR Party as early as 1918. Its organizers sought to overthrow the Soviet Government and restore the pre-revolutionary order. The leader of the revolt, A. Antonov, had participated in an anti-soviet plot, and in 1918 went into hiding to avoid arrest and began to set up an illegal band. <ref> |
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[http://slovari.yandex.ru/dict/bse/article/00003/63900.htm?text=%D0%90%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0&encid=bse I. Ia. Trifonov, "Antonovshchina"]</ref> |
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A distinctive feature of this rebellion, among the many of these times, was that it was led by a political organization, the [[Union of Toiling Peasants]] (''Soyuz Trudovogo Krestyanstva''). A Congress of Tambov rebels abolished Soviet power and created a Constituent Assembly that called for universal suffrage and land reform. A major tenet proposed by them was returning all land to the peasants.<ref name="Conquest"/> |
A distinctive feature of this rebellion, among the many of these times, was that it was led by a political organization, the [[Union of Toiling Peasants]] (''Soyuz Trudovogo Krestyanstva''). A Congress of Tambov rebels abolished Soviet power and created a Constituent Assembly that called for universal suffrage and land reform. A major tenet proposed by them was returning all land to the peasants.<ref name="Conquest"/> |
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In October 1920 the peasant army numbered over 50,000 fighters, and was joined by numerous deserters from the [[Red Army]]. The rebel militia was highly effective and infiltrated even the Tambov [[Cheka]] <ref name="black book"/>. [[Alexander Schlichter]], Chairman of the [[Tambov Oblast|Tambov]] Gubernia Executive Committee, contacted [[Lenin]], who ordered Red Army reinforcements for the area.<ref>[http://marxists.catbull.com/archive/lenin/works//1920/oct/19c.htm Lenin to Kornev 19 October, 1920] accessed 21 December 2008</ref> In January 1921 peasant revolts spread to [[Samara, Russia|Samara]], [[Saratov]], [[Tsaritsyn]], [[Astrakhan]], and [[Siberia]]. In February peasant army reached its peak, numbering up to 70,000 and successfully defending the area against Bolshevik expeditions. |
In October 1920 the peasant army numbered over 50,000 fighters, and was joined by numerous deserters from the [[Red Army]]. The rebel militia was highly effective and infiltrated even the Tambov [[Cheka]] <ref name="black book"/>. [[Alexander Schlichter]], Chairman of the [[Tambov Oblast|Tambov]] Gubernia Executive Committee, contacted [[Lenin]], who ordered Red Army reinforcements for the area.<ref>[http://marxists.catbull.com/archive/lenin/works//1920/oct/19c.htm Lenin to Kornev 19 October, 1920] accessed 21 December 2008</ref> In January 1921 peasant revolts spread to [[Samara, Russia|Samara]], [[Saratov]], [[Tsaritsyn]], [[Astrakhan]], and [[Siberia]]. In February peasant army reached its peak, numbering up to 70,000 and successfully defending the area against Bolshevik expeditions. |
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⚫ | On May 20, 1921 the ''Republic of the Tambov guerilla's land'' was proclaimed at the public gathering that was initiated by the [[Union of the Working Peasants]], the town's administration, and the command of the United (One) guerilla army of the Tambov land. The meeting took place in the village of Karay-Saltyki, Kirsanov uyezd, [[Tambov Governorate]] where the head of the republic was elected Shendiapin. The seriousness of the uprising called for the creation of the "Plenipotentiary Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Bolshevik party for liquidation of banditry in the Tambov Gubernia". With settled [[Polish-Soviet War]] and [[Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel|General Wrangel]]'s defeat the [[Red Army|RKKA]] could divert its regular troops into the area - in the effect nearly 100,000 soldiers were sent in, including special [[Cheka]] detachments.<ref name="black book"/> The army used heavy artillery and [[armored train]]s. The Red Army under [[Tukhachevsky]] used to take and execute without trial, civilian hostages. Tukhachevsky and [[Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko]] signed an order, dated June 12 [[1921]], that stipulated: |
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The bandits made us of the tactics of partisan warfare, resorting to ambushes. Having cut off the southeast railroad line, they interrupted the shipping of grain to the central regions of Russia, plundered state farms, and damaged property. More than 2000 people were murdered by the bandits. <ref> |
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[http://slovari.yandex.ru/dict/bse/article/00003/63900.htm?text=%D0%90%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0&encid=bse I. Ia. Trifonov, "Antonovshchina"]</ref>. The bandits practiced violence and terror against people. In a Tambov commune near Rasskazovo, they "killed everyone, even the young and aged." According to Maxim Gorky, there were instances of Communists being nailed to trees with railroad spikes and their half-crucified bodies being left to flop about and dangle in agony. According to rebel eyewitnesses, captured workers were buried alive up to their necks after having been charged with "religious apostasy". <ref> [http://books.google.com/books?id=gveBKGhmskAC&pg=PA393&dq=Tambov+antonov+torture&lr=#PPA397,M1''The Furies'' By Arno J. Mayer, p 397]</ref> |
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{{Quotation2|"The forests where the bandits are hiding are to be cleared by the use of poison gas. This must be carefully calculated, so that the layer of gas penetrates the forests and kills everyone hiding there." <ref name="black book"/>}} |
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When the remnants of the larger insurgent groups fled to forests and swamps along the Voronoa river, Tukhachevsky ordered preparations to use poison gas to "smoke them out." Although this plan was announced publicly to encourage the bandits to surrender, it was not carried out just because of technical difficulties. <ref>''The Bolsheviks in Russian Society'', Vladimir N. Brokin, p.192</ref> Whether chemical weapons were used has not proven, according to historians. <ref>[Eric Croddy Chemical and biological warfare: a comprehensive survey for the concerned, p.151]</ref> |
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⚫ | [[Chemical weapons]] were used "from end of June 1921 until apparently the fall of [[1921]]", by direct order from leadership of [[Red Army]] and [[Bolshevik|Communist party]] <ref name="Sennikov"> [http://gulag.ipvnews.org/article20061017.php B.V.Sennikov. ''Tambov rebellion and liquidation of peasants in Russia''], Publisher: Posev, [[2004]], ISBN 5-85824-152-2 [http://www.rusk.ru/vst.php?idar=321701 Full text in Russian]</ref> Publications in local Communist newspapers openly glorified liquidations of "bandits" with the poison gas <ref name="Sennikov"/> |
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⚫ | On May 20, 1921 the ''Republic of the Tambov guerilla's land'' was proclaimed at the public gathering that was initiated by the [[Union of the Working Peasants]], the town's administration, and the command of the United (One) guerilla army of the Tambov land. The meeting took place in the village of Karay-Saltyki, Kirsanov uyezd, [[Tambov Governorate]] where the head of the republic was elected Shendiapin. The seriousness of the uprising called for the creation of the "Plenipotentiary Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Bolshevik party for liquidation of banditry in the Tambov Gubernia". With settled [[Polish-Soviet War]] and [[Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel|General Wrangel]]'s defeat the [[Red Army|RKKA]] could divert its regular troops into the area - in the effect nearly 100,000 soldiers were sent in, including special [[Cheka]] detachments.<ref name="black book"/> |
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Seven [[Concentration camp]]s were set up. At least 50,000 people were interned, mostly women, children, and elderly, some of them were sent there as [[hostage]]s. The mortality rate in the camps was 15-20 percent a month.<ref name="black book"/> |
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⚫ | |||
The uprising was gradually quelled in 1921. Antonov was killed in 1922 during an attempt to arrest him. Total losses among the population of Tambov region in 1920-1922 resulting from the war, executions, and imprisonment in concentration camps were estimated as at least 240,000 <ref name="Sennikov"/>. |
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==Recovery of Documents== |
==Recovery of Documents== |
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Nonetheless in 2004 ''Posev'' published Sennikov's collection ''Tambov's rebellion 1918-1921 and the de-peasantry of Russia 1929-1933'' where beside the documents of the Governate Military Commissariat (including the [[Konstantin Mamontov's raid|famous raid]] by the less known General K.K. Mamontov in 1919 against [[Bolsheviks]]) were published the documents describing the [[Great Purge]] of 1920-30s. The information there included the orders from the command of the [[Red Army]] during the rebellion, exchange of letters, reports about the use of the chemical weapons against the peasants, the documents of the [[Union of the Working Peasants]], and numerous others. |
Nonetheless in 2004 ''Posev'' published Sennikov's collection ''Tambov's rebellion 1918-1921 and the de-peasantry of Russia 1929-1933'' where beside the documents of the Governate Military Commissariat (including the [[Konstantin Mamontov's raid|famous raid]] by the less known General K.K. Mamontov in 1919 against [[Bolsheviks]]) were published the documents describing the [[Great Purge]] of 1920-30s. The information there included the orders from the command of the [[Red Army]] during the rebellion, exchange of letters, reports about the use of the chemical weapons against the peasants, the documents of the [[Union of the Working Peasants]], and numerous others. |
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==Other Documentation== |
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During the Soviet times the rebellion was turned to propaganda purposes{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}. There were numerous novels and written dissertations that were based upon false references{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}. One of the novels is written by N.E. Virta (real name Karelsky) and is called ''Loneliness'' (Odinochestvo). The novel was based on documents fabricated by the [[NKVD]]{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} where it is recorded that Petr Storozhev, the former head of the Revolutionary Committee was shot. The documents along with the novel confused many other historians researching the topic{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}}. |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
Revision as of 16:25, 22 June 2010
Tambov Rebellion | |||||||
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Part of Russian Civil War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United (One) guerilla army of the Tambov land | Red Army | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
P.M. Tokmakov | Mikhail Tukhachevsky | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
50,000 | 100,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
ca. 5000 killed | Unknown. At least 1000 members of the Communist Party and other civilians were killed |
The Tambov Rebellion which occurred between 1920 and 1921 was one of the largest and best-organized peasant rebellions challenging the Bolshevik regime during the Russian Civil War.[1][2] The uprising took place in the territories of the modern Tambov Oblast and part of the Voronezh Oblast, less than 300 miles southeast of Moscow. The leader of the rebellion, Pyotr Mikhailovich Tokmakov, was a former officer of the Russian Imperial Army, who had earlier been decorated with the highest Order of St. George. In Soviet history the rebellion was referred to as Antonov's mutiny or the Antonovschina, although Aleksandr Antonov, a former official of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, was only the Chief of Staff of one of the rebel armies. The movement was later portrayed by the Soviets as a sort of anarchical banditry like other anti-Soviet movements who opposed them during this period.
Background
The rebellion was caused by the forced confiscation of grain by the Bolshevik authorities, a policy known in Russian as "prodrazvyorstka". In 1920 the requisitions were increased from 18 million to 27 million poods in the region. This caused the peasants to reduce their grain production knowing that anything they did not consume themselves would be immediately confiscated. Filling the state quotas meant death for many by starvation [2]. The revolt began on 19 August 1920 in a small town of Khitrovo where a military requisitioning detachment of the Red Army appropriated everything they could and "beat up elderly men of seventy in full view of the public" [2]. The peasant army was known as the Antonovtsi or "Blue Army", as opposed to the "White Army" (anti-communist army), "Red Army" (communist army), and "Black Army" (anarchists of Ukraine and Russia)—all taking part in the Civil War.
A distinctive feature of this rebellion, among the many of these times, was that it was led by a political organization, the Union of Toiling Peasants (Soyuz Trudovogo Krestyanstva). A Congress of Tambov rebels abolished Soviet power and created a Constituent Assembly that called for universal suffrage and land reform. A major tenet proposed by them was returning all land to the peasants.[1]
On February 2, 1921, the Bolshevik leadership announced the end of the "prodrazvyorstka", and issued a special decree directed at peasants from the region implementing the "prodnalog" policy. The new policy was essentially a tax on grain and other foodstuffs. This was done prior to the X Party Congress, where the measure was officially adopted. The announcement began circulating in the Tambov area on February 9, 1921. The Tambov uprising and unrest elsewhere were significant reasons that the "prodnalog" policy was implemented and the "prodrazvyorstka" was abandoned.
Timeline
Aleksandr Antonov, a radical member of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, had sided with the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution in 1917, but he became disenchanted with them after the Bolshevik's requisition of grain policy was implemented in 1918. Antonov became a popular hero to the people of the Tambov region of central Russia where he started his campaigns.
In October 1920 the peasant army numbered over 50,000 fighters, and was joined by numerous deserters from the Red Army. The rebel militia was highly effective and infiltrated even the Tambov Cheka [2]. Alexander Schlichter, Chairman of the Tambov Gubernia Executive Committee, contacted Lenin, who ordered Red Army reinforcements for the area.[3] In January 1921 peasant revolts spread to Samara, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, Astrakhan, and Siberia. In February peasant army reached its peak, numbering up to 70,000 and successfully defending the area against Bolshevik expeditions.
On May 20, 1921 the Republic of the Tambov guerilla's land was proclaimed at the public gathering that was initiated by the Union of the Working Peasants, the town's administration, and the command of the United (One) guerilla army of the Tambov land. The meeting took place in the village of Karay-Saltyki, Kirsanov uyezd, Tambov Governorate where the head of the republic was elected Shendiapin. The seriousness of the uprising called for the creation of the "Plenipotentiary Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the Bolshevik party for liquidation of banditry in the Tambov Gubernia". With settled Polish-Soviet War and General Wrangel's defeat the RKKA could divert its regular troops into the area - in the effect nearly 100,000 soldiers were sent in, including special Cheka detachments.[2] The army used heavy artillery and armored trains. The Red Army under Tukhachevsky used to take and execute without trial, civilian hostages. Tukhachevsky and Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko signed an order, dated June 12 1921, that stipulated:
"The forests where the bandits are hiding are to be cleared by the use of poison gas. This must be carefully calculated, so that the layer of gas penetrates the forests and kills everyone hiding there." [2]
Chemical weapons were used "from end of June 1921 until apparently the fall of 1921", by direct order from leadership of Red Army and Communist party [4] Publications in local Communist newspapers openly glorified liquidations of "bandits" with the poison gas [4]
Seven Concentration camps were set up. At least 50,000 people were interned, mostly women, children, and elderly, some of them were sent there as hostages. The mortality rate in the camps was 15-20 percent a month.[2]
The uprising was gradually quelled in 1921. Antonov was killed in 1922 during an attempt to arrest him. Total losses among the population of Tambov region in 1920-1922 resulting from the war, executions, and imprisonment in concentration camps were estimated as at least 240,000 [4].
Recovery of Documents
The documents about the rebellion were found by the local ethnographer Boris Sennikov in 1982 that he found while cleaning the altar from the sand in the Winter Church of the Kazan monastery in Tambov. There were the Cheka archives about the rebellion and the collectivisation process in the area. Apparently from 1920s the church served as the archive of the Tambov Governorate Military Commissariat and the monastery was the headquarters of the local department of Cheka.
In 1933 the local government decided to get rid of the documents that compromise the Soviet regime. It was decided to burn them. But during the process the fire came out of the control and had to be extinguished by sand and water. The documents were believed to be completely destroyed and everybody supposedly forgot about them. In 1982 the local archive changed its address and the church became abandoned. When Sennikov found the documents the Tambov departament of the Committee for the State Security of USSR opened a criminal case on him. Later the case was closed due to lack of motive, but coincidently Sennikov was fired from his job.
Nonetheless in 2004 Posev published Sennikov's collection Tambov's rebellion 1918-1921 and the de-peasantry of Russia 1929-1933 where beside the documents of the Governate Military Commissariat (including the famous raid by the less known General K.K. Mamontov in 1919 against Bolsheviks) were published the documents describing the Great Purge of 1920-30s. The information there included the orders from the command of the Red Army during the rebellion, exchange of letters, reports about the use of the chemical weapons against the peasants, the documents of the Union of the Working Peasants, and numerous others.
Other Documentation
During the Soviet times the rebellion was turned to propaganda purposes[citation needed]. There were numerous novels and written dissertations that were based upon false references[citation needed]. One of the novels is written by N.E. Virta (real name Karelsky) and is called Loneliness (Odinochestvo). The novel was based on documents fabricated by the NKVD[citation needed] where it is recorded that Petr Storozhev, the former head of the Revolutionary Committee was shot. The documents along with the novel confused many other historians researching the topic[citation needed].
Notes
- ^ a b Robert Conquest, The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine Oxford University Press New York (1986) ISBN 0-195-04054-6
- ^ a b c d e f g Nicolas Werth, Karel Bartošek, Jean-Louis Panné, Jean-Louis Margolin, Andrzej Paczkowski, Stéphane Courtois, The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression, Harvard University Press, 1999, hardcover, 858 pages, ISBN 0-674-07608-7
- ^ Lenin to Kornev 19 October, 1920 accessed 21 December 2008
- ^ a b c B.V.Sennikov. Tambov rebellion and liquidation of peasants in Russia, Publisher: Posev, 2004, ISBN 5-85824-152-2 Full text in Russian
External links
- Tukhachvsky role in the Tambov revolt, including the text of commands given to the red army concerning the use of war gases, taking and executing hostages, deporting of peasant families to Concentration camps. (In Russian)
- Programme of Union of Toiling Peasants
- (in Russian) Antonovshchina: a wealth of historical documents, including the documents from the rebel side
- An illustrated article about Tambov revolt from Gulag website (Russian)
- Great site with lots of bibliography for further research Template:En icon