Nestor Ivanovich
Battles and victories
"Old Man", Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Revolutionary Workers' and Peasants' Army of the Yekaterinoslav region, commander of the Red Army brigade, commander of the 1st Insurgent Division, commander of the "Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine".
Makhno himself considered himself a military commander, and not a leader of the population of the occupied territory.
Nestor Ivanovich Makhno was born on October 26, 1888 in the village of Gulyai-Polye, Yekaterinoslav province, into a peasant family. It was a large village, in which there were even factories, at one of which he worked as a foundry worker.
Terrorist, trade boss, chairman of the Council
The revolution of 1905 captivated the young worker, he joined the Social Democrats, and in 1906 he joined the group of “free grain growers” - anarchist-communists, participated in raids and propaganda of the principles of anarchy. In July-August 1908, the group was discovered, Makhno was arrested and in 1910, together with his accomplices, was sentenced by a military court to death penalty. However, many years before this, Makhno’s parents changed his date of birth by a year, and he was considered a minor. In this regard, the execution was replaced by indefinite hard labor.
In 1911, Makhno ended up in Moscow Butyrki. Here he studied self-education and met Pyotr Arshinov, who was more “savvy” in anarchist teaching, who would later become one of the ideologists of the Makhnovist movement. In prison, Makhno fell ill with tuberculosis and had his lung removed.
The February Revolution of 1917 opened the doors of prison for Makhno, and in March he returned to Gulyai-Polye. Makhno gained popularity as a fighter against autocracy and a speaker at public gatherings, and was elected to local authority authorities - Public Committee. He became the leader of the Gulyai-Polye group of anarcho-communists, which subordinated the Public Committee to its influence and established control over the network of public structures in the region, which included the Peasant Union (since August - the Council), the Council of Workers' Deputies and the trade union. Makhno headed the volost executive committee of the Peasant Union, which actually became the authority in the region.
After the start of Kornilov’s speech, Makhno and his supporters created the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution under the Soviet and confiscated weapons from landowners, kulaks and German colonists in favor of their detachment. In September, the volost congress of Soviets and peasant organizations in Gulyai-Polye, convened by the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution, proclaimed the confiscation of landowners' lands, which were transferred to peasant farms and communes. So Makhno was ahead of Lenin in implementing the slogan “Land to the peasants!”
On October 4, 1917, Makhno was elected chairman of the board of the trade union of metalworkers, woodworkers and other trades, which united virtually all the workers of Gulyai-Polye and a number of surrounding enterprises (including mills). Makhno, who combined leadership of the trade union with leadership of the largest local armed political group, forced entrepreneurs to fulfill the demands of the workers. On October 25, the union board decided: “Workers who are not members of the union are required to immediately enroll as members of the Union, otherwise they risk losing the support of the Union.” A course was set for the universal introduction of an eight-hour working day. In December 1917, Makhno, busy with other matters, transferred the chairmanship of the trade union to his deputy A. Mishchenko.
Makhno was already faced with new tasks - a struggle for power began to boil between supporters and opponents of the Soviets. Makhno stood for Soviet power. Together with a detachment of Gulyai-Polye men, commanded by his brother Savva, Nestor disarmed the Cossacks, then took part in the work of the Alexander Revolutionary Committee, and headed the revolutionary committee in Gulyai-Polye. In December, on Makhno’s initiative, the Second Congress of Soviets of the Gulyai-Polye region met, which adopted the resolution “Death to the Central Rada.” The Makhnovsky district was not going to submit to either the Ukrainian, Red or White authorities.
At the end of 1917, Makhno had a daughter from Anna Vasetskaya. Makhno lost contact with this family in the military whirlpool of the spring of 1918. After the conclusion of the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty in March 1918, German troops began advancing into Ukraine. Residents of Gulyai-Polye formed a “free battalion” of about 200 fighters, and now Makhno himself took command. He went to the Red Guard headquarters to get weapons. In his absence, on the night of April 15-16, a coup was carried out in Gulyai-Polye in favor of Ukrainian nationalists. At the same time, a detachment of nationalists suddenly attacked the “free battalion” and disarmed it.
These events took Makhno by surprise. He was forced to retreat to Russia. At the end of April 1918, at a meeting of Gulyai-Polye anarchists in Taganrog, it was decided to return to the area in a few months. In April-June 1918, Makhno traveled around Russia, visiting Rostov-on-Don, Saratov, Tsaritsyn, Astrakhan and Moscow. Revolutionary Russia evokes complex feelings in him. On the one hand, he saw the Bolsheviks as allies in revolutionary struggle. On the other hand, they very cruelly crushed the revolution “under themselves”, creating a new one, their own power, and not the power of the Soviets.
In June 1918, Makhno met with anarchist leaders, including P.A. Kropotkin, was among the visitors of V.I. Lenin and Ya.M. Sverdlov. In a conversation with Lenin, Makhno, on behalf of the peasantry, outlined to him his vision of the principles of Soviet power as self-government, and argued that anarchists in the countryside of Ukraine are more influential than communists. Lenin made a strong impression on Makhno, the Bolsheviks helped the anarchist leader cross to occupied Ukraine.
Batko, brigade commander, division commander, army commander
In July 1918, Makhno returned to the vicinity of Gulyai-Polye, then created a small partisan detachment, which in September began military operations, attacking estates, German colonies, occupiers and employees of Hetman Skoropadsky. The first major battle with the Austro-Hungarian troops and supporters of the Ukrainian state in the village of Dibrivki (B. Mikhailovka) turned out to be successful for the partisans, earning Makhno the honorary nickname “father”. In the Dibrivok area, Makhno’s detachment united with F. Shchusya’s detachment. Then other local detachments began to join Makhno. The successful partisans began to receive the support of the peasants. Makhno emphasized the anti-landowner and anti-kulak nature of his actions.
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The collapse of the occupation regime after the November Revolution in Germany caused a surge in the insurgency and the collapse of the regime of Hetman Skoropadsky. As the Austro-German troops evacuated, detachments coordinated by Makhno's headquarters began to take control of the area around Gulyai-Polye. On November 27, 1918, Makhno’s forces occupied Gulyai-Polye and never left it. The rebels drove the occupiers out of their area, destroyed the resisting farmsteads and estates, and established ties with local governments. Makhno fought against unauthorized extortions and robberies. Local rebels were subordinate to the main headquarters of the rebel troops “named after Old Man Makhno.” In the south of the region there were clashes with the troops of Ataman Krasnov and the Volunteer Army.
In mid-December, fighting began between the Makhnovists and UPR supporters. Makhno entered into an agreement on joint actions with the Ekaterinoslav Bolsheviks and was appointed gubernatorial committee and Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Revolutionary Workers' and Peasants' Army of the Ekaterinoslav region. On December 27-31, 1918, Makhno, in alliance with a detachment of Bolsheviks, recaptured Ekaterinoslav from the Petliurists. But the Petliurists launched a counterattack and recaptured the city. Makhno and the communists blamed each other for the defeat. Having lost half of his detachment, Makhno returned to the left bank of the Dnieper.
Makhno considered himself a military commander, and not a leader of the population of the occupied territory. The principles of organizing political power were determined by the congresses of front-line soldiers and Soviets. The First Congress took place on January 23, 1919, without Makhno’s participation, and began preparations for the more representative Second Congress.
In January 1919, units of the Volunteer Army launched an offensive on Gulyai-Polye. The Makhnovists suffered from a shortage of ammunition and weapons, which forced them to enter into an alliance with the Bolsheviks on January 26, 1919. On February 19, Makhnovist troops entered the 1st Trans-Dnieper Division of the Red Army under the command of P.E. Dybenko as the 3rd brigade under the command of Makhno.
Having received ammunition from the Reds, on February 4, Makhno went on the offensive and took Bamut, Volnovakha, Berdyansk and Mariupol, defeating the White group. The peasants, submitting to “voluntary mobilization,” sent their sons to the Makhnovist regiments. The villages patronized their regiments, the soldiers chose commanders, the commanders discussed upcoming operations with the soldiers, each soldier knew his task well. This “military democracy” gave the Makhnovists a unique fighting ability. The growth of Makhno's army was limited only by the ability to arm new recruits. For 15-20 thousand armed fighters there were over 30 thousand unarmed reserves.
On February 8, 1919, in his appeal, Makhno put forward the following task: “Building a true Soviet system, in which the Soviets, elected by the working people, would be servants of the people, implementers of those laws, those orders that the working people themselves will write at the All-Ukrainian Labor Congress...”
“Our working community will have full power within itself and will carry out its will, its economic and other plans and considerations through its bodies, which it itself creates, but which it does not endow with any power, but only with certain instructions,” - wrote Makhno and Arshinov in May 1919.
Subsequently, Makhno called his views anarcho-communism of the “Bakunin-Kropotkin sense.”
Speaking on February 14, 1919 at the II Gulyai-Polye district congress of front-line soldiers, Soviets and sub-departments, Makhno stated: “I call on you to unity, because unity is the guarantee of the victory of the revolution over those who sought to strangle it. If comrade Bolsheviks come from Great Russia to Ukraine to help us in the difficult struggle against counter-revolution, we must say to them: “Welcome, dear friends!” But if they come here with the goal of monopolizing Ukraine, we will tell them: “Hands off!” We ourselves know how to raise the liberation of the working peasantry to a height, we ourselves will be able to arrange a new life for ourselves - where there will be no lords, slaves, oppressed and oppressors.”
The resolutions of the congress were consonant with anarchist ideas: “The Second Regional Congress... persistently calls on fellow peasants and workers to build a new free society on the ground, without violent decrees and orders, in spite of the rapists and oppressors of the whole world, without rulers, without subordinate slaves, without the rich, and without the poor." The congress delegates spoke sharply against the “parasite officials” who are the source of “violent orders.”
In February 1919, the policies of the RCP(b) were sharply criticized at the Second Congress of Soviets of Gulyai-Polye. The resolution of the congress read: “Political and various other commissars, not elected by us, but appointed by the government, monitor every step of the local councils and mercilessly deal with those comrades from the peasants and workers who come out in defense of people's freedom against representatives of the central government. Calling itself a workers' and peasants' government, the government of Russia and Ukraine blindly follows the lead of the Bolshevik Communist Party, which, in the narrow interests of its party, conducts vile, irreconcilable persecution of other revolutionary organizations.
Hiding behind the slogan of the “dictatorship of the proletariat,” the Bolshevik Communists declared a monopoly on the revolution for their party, considering all dissenters to be counter-revolutionaries... We call on the comrades of workers and peasants not to entrust the liberation of the working people to any party, to any central power: liberation of the working people is the work of the working people themselves.”
“And who can we blame?
Who can close the window?
So as not to see how guarded the pack is
And the peasantry love Makhno so much?..”
S.A. Yesenin, Country of Scoundrels, 1922 - 1923.
At the congress, the political body of the movement, the Military Revolutionary Council (VRC), was elected. The party composition of the VRS was left-socialist - 7 anarchists, 3 left Socialist Revolutionaries and 2 Bolsheviks and one sympathizer. Makhno was elected an honorary member of the VRS. Thus, on the territory controlled by the Makhnovists, an independent system of Soviet power arose, autonomous from the central government of the Ukrainian SSR. This caused mutual distrust between Makhno and the Soviet command.
Makhno invited brigades of anarchists to the area of operation to promote anarchist views and cultural and educational work. Among the visiting anarchists, the old comrade P.A. had an influence on Makhno. Arshinov. In the area where the Makhnovists operated, political freedom existed for leftist movements - the Bolsheviks, left Socialist Revolutionaries and anarchists. Makhno received the chief of staff sent by the division commander Dybenko, the left Socialist Revolutionary Ya.V. Ozerov and communist commissars. They engaged in propaganda, but had no political power.
The commander of the Ukrainian Front, V. Antonov-Ovseenko, who visited the area in May 1919, reported: “children’s communes and schools are being established - Gulyai-Polye is one of the most cultural centers of Novorossia - there are three secondary educational institutions, etc. Through Makhno’s efforts, ten hospitals for the wounded were opened, a workshop was organized to repair guns and locks for guns were made.”
The communists tolerated the openly anti-Bolshevik nature of the Makhnovists' speeches as long as the Makhnovists advanced. But in April the front stabilized, the fight against Denikin’s forces continued with varying degrees of success. The Bolsheviks set a course to eliminate the special situation of the Makhnovist region. Heavy fighting and supply shortages increasingly exhausted the Makhnovists.
On April 10, the III regional congress of peasants, workers and rebels in Gulyai-Polye adopted decisions directed against the military-communist policy of the RCP (b). Chief Dybenko responded with a telegram: “Any congresses convened on behalf of the military-revolutionary headquarters dissolved according to my order are considered clearly counter-revolutionary, and the organizers of such will be subjected to the most repressive measures, up to and including outlawing.” The congress responded to the division commander with a sharp rebuke, which further compromised Makhno in the eyes of the command.
April 15, 1919 member of the RVS of the Southern Front G.Ya. Sokolnikov, with the consent of some members of the RVS of the Ukrfront, brought before the Chairman of the RVS of the Republic L.D. Trotsky questioned the removal of Makhno from command.
On April 25, the Kharkov Izvestia published an article “Down with Makhnovshchina,” which said: “The insurgent movement of the peasantry accidentally fell under the leadership of Makhno and his “Military Revolutionary Headquarters,” in which both the reckless anarchists and the White-Left Socialist Revolutionaries found refuge. and other remnants of “former” revolutionary parties that disintegrated. Having fallen under the leadership of such elements, the movement significantly lost its strength; the successes associated with its rise could not be consolidated by the anarchic nature of its actions... The outrages that are happening in Makhno’s “kingdom” must be put to an end.” This article outraged Makhno and raised fears that it was a prelude to an attack by the Bolsheviks. On April 29, he ordered the detention of some of the commissars, deciding that the Bolsheviks were preparing an attack on the Makhnovists: “Let the Bolsheviks sit with us, just as our Cheka sits in the Cheka’s dungeons.”
The conflict was resolved during negotiations between Makhno and the commander of the Ukrainian Front V.A. Antonova-Ovseenko. Makhno even condemned the most harsh provisions of the resolutions of the Congress of Soviets of the region and promised to prevent the election of command personnel, which (apparently due to the contagiousness of the example) was so feared in neighboring parts of the Red Army. Moreover, the commanders had already been chosen, and no one was going to change them at that time.
But, having made some concessions, the old man put forward a new, fundamentally important idea that could try on two strategies of the revolution: “Before a decisive victory over the whites, a revolutionary front must be established, and he (Makhno. - A.Sh.) strives to prevent civil strife between the various elements of this revolutionary front."
On May 1, the brigade was withdrawn from the subordination of the P.E. division. Dybenko and subordinated to the emerging 7th Division of the 2nd Ukrainian Army, which never became a real formation. In fact, not only the 7th Division, but the entire 2nd Army consisted of Makhno’s brigade and several regiments that were significantly inferior to it in numbers.
Ataman N.A. provided a new reason for increasing mutual distrust. Grigoriev, who started a rebellion on the right bank of Ukraine on May 6. On May 12, under the chairmanship of Makhno, a “military congress” convened, that is, a meeting of the command staff, representatives of units and the political leadership of the Makhnovist movement. Makhno and the congress condemned N.A.’s speech. Grigoriev, but also expressed criticism towards the Bolsheviks, who provoked the uprising with their policies. The “Military Congress” proclaimed the reorganization of the 3rd Brigade into the 1st Insurgent Division under the command of Makhno.
The reason for a new aggravation of relations with the communists was the deployment of the 3rd brigade to the division. A paradoxical situation when the brigade was composed most army, interfered with the appropriate supply, and the interaction of the command with the huge “brigade”, and the management of its units. The Soviet command first agreed to the reorganization, and then refused to create a division under the command of an obstinate opposition commander. On May 22, Trotsky, who arrived in Ukraine, called such plans “preparation of a new Grigorievshchina.” On May 25, at a meeting of the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense of Ukraine, chaired by Kh. Rakovsky, the issue of “Makhnovshchina and its liquidation” was discussed. It was decided to “liquidate Makhno” with the help of the regiment.
Having learned about the intentions of the command, Makhno announced on May 28, 1919 that he was ready to resign, since he “never aspired to high ranks” and “will do more in the future among the grassroots of the people for the revolution.” But on May 29, 1919, the headquarters of the Makhnov division decided: “1) urgently invite Comrade Makhno to remain in his duties and powers, which Comrade Makhno tried to relinquish; 2) transform all Makhnovist forces into an independent rebel army, entrusting the leadership of this army to Comrade Makhno. The army is operationally subordinate to the Southern Front, since the latter's operational orders will proceed from the living needs of the revolutionary front." In response to this step, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Southern Front decided on May 29, 1919 to arrest Makhno and bring him before the Revolutionary Tribunal. Makhno did not accept the title of army commander and continued to consider himself a division commander.
This was announced when the Southern Front itself began to fall apart under the blows of Denikin. The Makhnovist headquarters called for the restoration of unity: “There is a need for cohesion, unity. Only with common effort and consciousness, with a common understanding of our struggle and our common interests for which we are fighting, will we save the revolution... Give up, comrades, all sorts of party differences, they will destroy you.”
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On May 31, the VRS announced the convening of the IV Congress of District Councils. The center regarded the decision to convene a new “unauthorized” congress as preparation for an anti-Soviet uprising. On June 3, the commander of the Southern Front, V. Gittis, gave the order to begin the liquidation of the Makhnovshchina and the arrest of Makhno.
On June 6, Makhno sent a telegram to V.I. Lenin, L.D. Trotsky, L.B. Kamenev and K.E. Voroshilov, in which he offered to “send a good military leader who, having familiarized himself with the matter on the spot with me, could take command of the division from me.”
On June 9, Makhno sent a telegram to V.I. Lenin, L.D. Kamenev, G.E. Zinoviev, L.D. Trotsky, K.E. Voroshilov, in which he summed up his relationship with the communist regime: “What I noted was hostile, but Lately the offensive behavior of the central government towards insurrection leads with fatal inevitability to the creation of a special internal front, on both sides of which there will be a working mass who believes in the revolution. I consider this the greatest, never forgivable crime against the working people and I consider myself obligated to do everything possible to prevent this crime... I consider my resignation from my post to be the surest means of preventing the crime impending on the part of the authorities.”
Meanwhile, the Whites invaded the Gulyai-Polye area. For some time, with a small detachment, Makhno still fought side by side with the red units, but on June 15, with a small detachment, he left the front. Its units continued to fight in the ranks of the Red Army. On the night of June 16, seven members of the Makhnovist headquarters were shot by the verdict of the Donbass revolutionary tribunal. The chief of staff of Ozerov continued to fight with the whites, but on August 2, according to the verdict of the VUCHK, he was shot. Makhno gave money to groups of anarchists who went out to prepare terrorist attacks against the Whites (M.G. Nikiforova and others) and the Bolsheviks (K. Kovalevich and others). On June 21, 1919, Makhno’s detachment crossed to the right bank of the Dnieper.
In July, Makhno married Galina Kuzmenko, who became his fighting friend for many years.
Makhno tried to stay away from the front rear so as not to contribute to the successes of the Whites. Makhno's detachment attacked Elisavetgrad on July 10, 1919. On July 11, 1919, the Makhnovists united with the detachment of the nationalist ataman N.A. Grigorieva. In accordance with the agreement of the two leaders, Grigoriev was declared commander, and Makhno - chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Insurgent Army. Makhno's brother Grigory became the chief of staff. Disagreements arose between the Makhnovists and the Grigorievites in connection with N.A.’s anti-Semitism. Grigoriev and his reluctance to fight against the Whites. July 27 N.A. Grigoriev was killed by the Makhnovists. Makhno sent a telegram on air: “Everyone, everyone, everyone. Copy - Moscow, Kremlin. We killed the famous ataman Grigoriev. Signed - Makhno."
Under pressure from Denikin, the Red Army was forced to retreat from Ukraine. The former Makhnovists, who found themselves under the command of the Bolsheviks in June, did not want to go to Russia.
...Russian anarchism, which gave birth to the world-famous theorists Kropotkin and Bakunin, in the practical activities of the party throughout the Russian Troubles represents one continuous tragic farce. And it would, of course, be imprudent not to appropriate the only serious movement and not to canonize Makhno as its leader - such a bright figure of timelessness, albeit with a robber appearance...
A.I. Denikin. Essays on Russian Troubles. Paris, 1921.
Most of the Makhnovist units operating as part of the Red Army, as well as part of the 58th Red Division, went over to Makhno’s side. On September 1, 1919, at a meeting of army command staff in the village. The “Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine (Makhnovists)” was proclaimed in Dobrovelichkovka, a new Revolutionary Military Council and army headquarters headed by Army Commander Makhno were elected.
The superior forces of the Whites pushed the Makhnovists back near Uman. Here the Makhnovists entered into an “alliance” with the Petliurists, to whom they handed over their convoy with the wounded.
Makhnovia in the white rear
In July-August 1919 white army advanced across the vast expanses of Russia and Ukraine towards Moscow and Kyiv. The officers peered into the horizon. A few more victorious battles, and Moscow will greet its liberators with the ringing of bells. On the flank of Denikin’s campaign against Moscow, it was necessary to solve a “simple” task - to finish off the remnants of the Southern Group of Reds, Makhno’s gang and, if possible, the Ukrainian nationalist Petlyura, who was getting under the feet of Russian statehood. After the Whites drove the Reds out of Yekaterinoslav with a dashing raid and thereby overcame the Dnieper barrier, the cleansing of Ukraine seemed a done deal. But when the Whites entered the area where Makhno had gathered his forces in early September, difficulties arose. On September 6, the Makhnovists launched a counterattack near Pomoschnaya. They moved from all sides, and the discordant crowd just before the attack turned into a dense formation. The Whites fought back, but it turned out that Makhno at that time bypassed their positions and captured a convoy with ammunition. They were what the “father” needed.
On September 22, 1919, General Slashchev gave the order to put an end to Makhno in the Uman region. How much time can you waste on this gang! Of course, the Makhnovists are numerous, but they are a rabble, and the disciplined forces of the Volunteer Army are superior to the bandits in their combat effectiveness. After all, they are chasing the Reds! Slashchev's units dispersed in different directions to drive the beast. The Simferopol White Regiment occupied Peregonovka. The trap slammed shut. General Sklyarov’s detachment entered Uman and began to wait for the “game” to be brought to him.
Meanwhile, the “game” itself drove the hunters. On September 26, a terrible roar was heard - the Makhnovists blew up their stock of mines, which were still difficult to carry with them. It was both a signal and " psychic attack" The cavalry and infantry rushed towards the whites, supported by many machine guns on carts. Denikin’s troops could not stand it and began to seek salvation on the heights, thereby opening the way for the Makhnovists to key crossings and forks in the roads. At night, the Makhnovists were already everywhere, the cavalry pursued those retreating and fleeing. On the morning of September 27, the Makhnovist cavalry mass crushed the ranks of the Lithuanian battalion and cut down those who did not have time to flee. This formidable force moved on, destroying the whites who got in their way. Having brought up their guns, the Makhnovists began to shoot the battle formations pressed against the river. Their commander, Captain Hattenberger, realizing that defeat was inevitable, shot himself. Having killed the remaining whites, the Makhnovists moved to Uman and drove Sklyarov’s forces out of there. Slashchev's regiments were broken in parts, Denikin's front was broken through on the flank.
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The Makhnovist army, loaded onto carts, moved deep into Denikin’s rear. Looking at this breakthrough, one of the surviving officers sadly said: “At that moment, great Russia lost the war.” He was not so far from the truth. Denikin’s rear was disorganized, and a Makhnovia hole formed in the center of the white “Dobrovoliya”. And then the news came - the same force struck the Bolsheviks almost at the very heart of their regime - on September 25, the Moscow City Committee of the Communist Party took off. The anarchists took revenge on the communists for Makhno’s comrades shot by the revolutionary tribunal. It was the third force Civil War, obeying its own will and its own logic.
Makhno's army burst into operational space behind Denikin's rear. Makhno, commanding the central column of rebels, occupied Aleksandrovsk and Gulyai-Polye in early October. In the area of Gulyai-Polye, Aleksandrovsk and Yekaterinoslav, a vast rebel zone arose, which absorbed part of the White forces during Denikin’s attack on Moscow.
In the Makhnovist region, on October 27 - November 2, a congress of peasants, workers and rebels was held in Aleksandrovsk. In his speech, Makhno stated that “the best volunteer regiments of Gen. Denikin was completely defeated by the rebel detachments,” but also criticized the communists, who “sent punitive detachments to “suppress the counter-revolution” and thereby interfered with the free insurrection in the fight against Denikin.” Makhno called for joining the army “to destroy all violent power and counter-revolution.” After the speech of the Menshevik worker delegates, Makhno again took the floor and sharply spoke out against the “underground agitation on the part of the Mensheviks,” whom, like the Socialist Revolutionaries, he called “political charlatans” and called for “no mercy” for them and “drive them out.” After this, some of the working delegates left the congress. Makhno responded by saying that he did not “brand” all workers, but only “charlatans.” On November 1, he appeared in the newspaper “Path to Freedom” with the article “It cannot be otherwise”: “Is it acceptable that the workers of the city of Aleksandrovsk and its surroundings, in the person of their delegates - the Mensheviks and right Socialist Revolutionaries - on a free business worker-peasant and at the insurgent congress held opposition to the Denikin founders?
From October 28 to December 19 (with a break of 4 days), the Makhnovists held the large city of Yekaterinoslav. Enterprises were transferred into the hands of those who work for them. On October 15, 1919, Makhno addressed the railway workers: “In order to quickly restore normal railway traffic in the area we liberated, as well as based on the principle of establishing a free life by the workers’ and peasants’ organizations themselves and their associations, I propose to fellow railway workers and employees to energetically organize and establish the movement itself, setting a sufficient payment for passengers and cargo, except for military personnel, as a reward for its work, organizing its cash desk on a comradely and fair basis and entering into the closest relations with workers’ organizations, peasant societies and rebel units.”
Makhno insisted that workers should repair weapons free of charge. At the same time, Makhno allocated 1 million rubles for the needs of the health insurance fund. The Makhnovists established benefits for those in need. The Military Revolutionary Council was headed by the anarchist V. Volin, who became the leading ideologist of the movement (Arshinov temporarily lost contact with Makhno during the events of the summer of 1919). The activities of leftist parties were allowed. There was counterintelligence, authorized to arrest white agents and conspirators. She allowed arbitrariness against civilians. The Makhnovist army grew to several tens of thousands of fighters.
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In November 1919, counterintelligence arrested a group of communists led by regimental commander M. Polonsky on charges of preparing a conspiracy and poisoning of Makhno. On December 2, 1919, the accused were shot.
In December 1919, the Makhnovist army was disorganized by a typhus epidemic, then Makhno also fell ill.
Between whites and reds
Having retreated from Yekaterinoslav under the onslaught of the Whites, Makhno with the main forces of the army retreated to Aleksandrovsk. On January 5, 1920, units of the 45th division of the Red Army arrived here. At negotiations with representatives of the red command, Makhno and representatives of his headquarters demanded that they be allocated a section of the front to fight the whites and maintain control over their area. Makhno and his staff insisted on concluding a formal agreement with the Soviet leadership. January 6, 1920 Commander of the 14th I.P. Uborevich ordered Makhno to advance to the Polish front. Without waiting for an answer, the All-Ukrainian Revolutionary Committee declared Makhno outlawed on January 9, 1920, under the pretext of his failure to comply with the order to go to the Polish front. The Reds attacked Makhno's headquarters in Aleksandrovsk, but he managed to escape to Gulyai-Polye on January 10, 1920.
At a meeting of command staff in Gulyai-Polye on January 11, 1920, it was decided to grant the rebels a month's leave. Makhno declared his readiness to “go hand in hand” with the Red Army while maintaining independence. At this time, more than two Red divisions attacked, disarmed and partially shot the Makhnovists, including the sick. Makhno's brother Grigory was captured and shot, and in February, another brother Savva, who was involved in supplies in the Makhnovist army, was captured. Makhno went into hiding during his illness.
After Makhno's recovery in February 1920, the Makhnovists resumed hostilities against the Reds. In winter and spring, a grueling guerrilla war unfolded; the Makhnovists attacked small detachments, workers of the Bolshevik apparatus, warehouses, distributing grain supplies to the peasants. In the area of Makhno's actions, the Bolsheviks were forced to go underground, and acted openly only when accompanied by large military units. In May 1920, the Council of Revolutionary Insurgents of Ukraine (Makhnovists) was created, headed by Makhno, which included Chief of Staff V.F. Belash, commanders Kalashnikov, Kurylenko and Karetnikov. The name SRPU emphasized that we are not talking about the RVS, usual for a civil war, but about a “nomadic” government body of the Makhnovist republic.
Wrangel’s attempts to establish an alliance with Makhno ended in the execution of the White emissary by decision of the SRPU and the Makhnovist headquarters on July 9, 1920.
In March-May 1920, detachments under the command of Makhno fought with units of the 1st Cavalry Army, VOKhR and other forces of the Red Army. In the summer of 1920, the army under the overall command of Makhno numbered more than 10 thousand soldiers. On July 11, 1920, Makhno’s army began a raid outside its region, during which it took the cities of Izyum, Zenkov, Mirgorod, Starobelsk, Millerovo. On August 29, 1920, Makhno was seriously wounded in the leg (in total, Makhno had more than 10 wounds).
In the conditions of Wrangel’s offensive, when the Whites occupied Gulyai-Polye, Makhno and his Socialist Party of Ukraine were not against concluding a new alliance with the Reds if they were ready to recognize the equality of the Makhnovists and the Bolsheviks. At the end of September, consultations about the union began. On October 1, after a preliminary agreement on the cessation of hostilities with the Reds, Makhno, in an address to the rebels operating in Ukraine, called on them to stop hostilities against the Bolsheviks: “by remaining indifferent spectators, the Ukrainian rebels would help the reign in Ukraine of either the historical enemy - the Polish lord, or again royal power headed by a German baron." On October 2, an agreement was signed between the government of the Ukrainian SSR and the Socialist Party of Ukraine (Makhnovists). In accordance with the agreement between the Makhnovists and the Red Army, hostilities ceased, an amnesty was declared in Ukraine for anarchists and Makhnovists, they received the right to propagate their ideas without calling for the violent overthrow of the Soviet government, to participate in councils and in elections to the V Congress of Councils scheduled for December. The parties mutually agreed not to accept deserters. The Makhnovist army came under operational subordination to the Soviet command with the condition that it “preserved the previously established routine within itself.”
Acting together with the Red Army, on October 26, 1920, the Makhnovists liberated Gulyai-Polye, where Makhno was stationed, from the Whites. The best forces of the Makhnovists (2,400 sabers, 1,900 bayonets, 450 machine guns and 32 guns) under the command of S. Karetnikov were sent to the front against Wrangel (Makhno himself, wounded in the leg, remained in Gulyai-Polye) and participated in the crossing of Sivash.
After the victory over the Whites on November 26, 1920, the Reds suddenly attacked the Makhnovists. Having taken command of the army, Makhno managed to escape from the blow dealt to his forces in Gulyai-Polye. Southern Front of the Red Army under the command of M.V. Frunze, relying on his multiple superiority in forces, managed to surround Makhno in Andreevka near Sea of Azov, but on December 14-18, Makhno broke into operational space. However, he had to go to the Right Bank of the Dnieper, where the Makhnovists did not have sufficient support from the population. During heavy fighting in January-February 1921, the Makhnovists broke through to their native places. On March 13, 1921, Makhno was again seriously wounded in the leg.
In 1921, Makhno's troops finally turned into gangs of robbers and rapists.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
Nestor Makhno in the Zaporozhye Regional Museum of Local Lore
On May 22, 1921, Makhno moved to a new raid to the north. Despite the fact that the headquarters of the unified army was restored, the forces of the Makhnovists were dispersed, Makhno was able to concentrate only 1,300 fighters for operations in the Poltava region. At the end of June - beginning of July M.V. Frunze inflicted a sensitive defeat on the Makhnovist strike group in the area of the Sulla and Psel rivers. After the announcement of the NEP, peasant support for the rebels weakened. On July 16, 1921, Makhno, at a meeting in Isaevka near Taganrog, proposed that his army make its way to Galicia to raise an uprising there. But disagreements arose over what to do next, and only a minority of fighters followed Makhno.
Makhno with a small detachment broke through all of Ukraine to the Romanian border and on August 28, 1921 crossed the Dniester into Bessarabia.
Emigration
Once in Romania, the Makhnovists were disarmed by the authorities, in 1922 they moved to Poland and were placed in an internment camp. On April 12, 1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee announced a political amnesty, which did not apply to 7 “hardened criminals,” including Makhno. The Soviet authorities demanded the extradition of Makhno as a “bandit.” In 1923, Makhno, his wife and two associates were arrested and accused of preparing an uprising in Eastern Galicia. On October 30, 1923, a daughter, Elena, was born to Makhno and Kuzmenko in a Warsaw prison. Makhno and his comrades were acquitted by the court. In 1924, Makhno moved to Danzig, where he was again arrested in connection with the killings of Germans during the civil war. Having fled from Danzig to Berlin, Makhno arrived in Paris in April 1925 and from 1926 settled in the suburb of Vincennes. Here Makhno worked as a turner, carpenter, painter and shoemaker. Participated in public discussions about the Makhnovist movement and anarchism.
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In 1923-1933. Makhno published articles and brochures devoted to the history of the Makhnovist movement, the theory and practice of anarchism and the labor movement, and criticism of the communist regime. In November 1925, Makhno wrote about anarchism: “the absence of his own organization capable of opposing its living forces to the enemies of the Revolution made him a helpless organizer.” Therefore, it is necessary to create a “Union of Anarchists, built on the principle of common discipline and common leadership of all anarchist forces.”
In June 1926, Arshinov and Makhno put forward a draft “Organizational Platform of the General Union of Anarchists,” which proposed to unite the anarchists of the world on the basis of discipline, combining anarchist principles of self-government with institutions where “leading positions in the economic and social life of the country” are preserved. Supporters of the "Platform" held a conference in March 1927, which began to create the International Anarcho-Communist Federation. Makhno entered the secretariat to convene its congress. But soon leading anarchist theorists criticized the Platform project as too authoritarian and contrary to the principles of the anarchist movement. Desperate to come to an agreement with the anarchists, in 1931 Arshinov switched to the position of Bolshevism, and the idea of “platformism” failed. Makhno did not forgive his old comrade for this renegade.
Makhno’s original political testament was his 1931 letter to the Spanish anarchists J. Carbo and A. Pestaña, in which he warned them against an alliance with the communists during the revolution that had begun in Spain. Makhno warns his Spanish comrades: “Having experienced relative freedom, the anarchists, like ordinary people, became carried away by free speech.”
Cover of a book about N.I. Makhno
Since 1929, Makhno’s tuberculosis worsened; he took part in public activities less and less, but continued to work on his memoirs. The first volume was published in 1929, the other two were published posthumously. There he outlined his views on the future anarchist system: “I thought of such a system only in the form of a free Soviet system, in which the entire country is covered by local, completely free and independent social self-government of workers.”
At the beginning of 1934, Makhno’s tuberculosis worsened and he was admitted to the hospital. He died in July.
Makhno's ashes were buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery next to the graves of the Parisian communards. Two years after his death, the black banner of anarchy, which had fallen from Makhno’s hands, would again develop next to the red and republican banners in revolutionary Spain - contrary to the warnings of the father and in accordance with the experience of the Makhnovist movement, in accordance with the very logic of the struggle against oppression and exploitation.
SHUBIN A.V., Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor
Literature
Antonov-Ovseenko V.A. Notes on the Civil War. M-L., 1932.
Arshinov P. History of the Makhnovist movement. Berlin, 1923.
Belash A.V., Belash V.F. The roads of Nestor Makhno. Kyiv, 1993.
Makhnovshchina and its yesterday's Bolshevik allies. Paris, 1928.
Nestor Ivanovich Makhno. Kyiv, 1991.
Nestor Makhno. Peasant movement in Ukraine. 1918-1921. M., 2006.
Skirda A. Nestor Makhno. Cossack of Freedom (1888-1934). Civil war and the struggle for free councils in Ukraine in 1917-1921. Paris, 2001.
Shubin A.V. Makhno and his time. ABOUT Great Revolution and the Civil War of 1917-1922. in Russia and Ukraine. M., 2013.
Internet
Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich
His army won the Kulikovo victory.
Wrangel Pyotr Nikolaevich
Participant in the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars, one of the main leaders (1918−1920) of the White movement during the Civil War. Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army in Crimea and Poland (1920). General Staff Lieutenant General (1918). Knight of St. George.
Voronov Nikolay Nikolaevich
N.N. Voronov is the commander of artillery of the USSR Armed Forces. For outstanding services to the Motherland, N.N. Voronov. the first in the Soviet Union to be awarded the military ranks of “Marshal of Artillery” (1943) and “Chief Marshal of Artillery” (1944).
...carried out general management of the liquidation of the Nazi group surrounded at Stalingrad.
Stalin (Dzhugashvili) Joseph Vissarionovich
He was the Supreme Commander of all armed forces Soviet Union. Thanks to his talent as a Commander and Outstanding Statesman, the USSR won the bloodiest WAR in the history of mankind. Most of the battles of World War II were won with his direct participation in the development of their plans.
During his short military career, he knew practically no failures, both in battles with the troops of I. Boltnikov, and with the Polish-Liovian and “Tushino” troops. The ability to build a combat-ready army practically from scratch, train, use Swedish mercenaries in place and at the time, select successful Russian command cadres for the liberation and defense of the vast territory of the Russian northwestern region and the liberation of central Russia, persistent and systematic offensive, skillful tactics in fight against the magnificent Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, undoubted personal courage - these are the qualities that, despite the little-known nature of his deeds, give him the right to be called the Great Commander of Russia.
Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich
He managed to bring his subordinate troops to the Don in full force, and fought extremely effectively in the conditions of the civil war.
Uborevich Ieronim Petrovich
Soviet military leader, commander of the 1st rank (1935). Member of the Communist Party since March 1917. Born in the village of Aptandrius (now Utena region of the Lithuanian SSR) in the family of a Lithuanian peasant. Graduated from the Konstantinovsky Artillery School (1916). Participant of the 1st World War 1914-18, second lieutenant. After the October Revolution of 1917, he was one of the organizers of the Red Guard in Bessarabia. In January - February 1918 he commanded a revolutionary detachment in battles against Romanian and Austro-German interventionists, was wounded and captured, from where he escaped in August 1918. He was an artillery instructor, commander of the Dvina brigade on the Northern Front, and from December 1918 head of the 18th Infantry divisions of the 6th Army. From October 1919 to February 1920, he was the commander of the 14th Army during the defeat of the troops of General Denikin, in March - April 1920 he commanded the 9th Army in the North Caucasus. In May - July and November - December 1920, commander of the 14th Army in battles against the troops of bourgeois Poland and the Petliurites, in July - November 1920 - 13th Army in battles against the Wrangelites. In 1921, assistant commander of the troops of Ukraine and Crimea, deputy commander of the troops of the Tambov province, commander of the troops of the Minsk province, led the military operations during the defeat of the gangs of Makhno, Antonov and Bulak-Balakhovich. From August 1921 commander of the 5th Army and the East Siberian Military District. In August - December 1922, Minister of War of the Far Eastern Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the People's Revolutionary Army during the liberation of the Far East. He was commander of the troops of the North Caucasus (since 1925), Moscow (since 1928) and Belarusian (since 1931) military districts. Since 1926, a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, in 1930-31, deputy chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and chief of armaments of the Red Army. Since 1934 member of the Military Council of NGOs. He made a great contribution to strengthening the defense capability of the USSR, educating and training command staff and troops. Candidate member of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in 1930-37. Member of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee since December 1922. Awarded 3 Orders of the Red Banner and Honorary Revolutionary Weapon.
Paskevich Ivan Fedorovich
Hero of Borodin, Leipzig, Paris (division commander)
As commander-in-chief, he won 4 companies (Russian-Persian 1826-1828, Russian-Turkish 1828-1829, Polish 1830-1831, Hungarian 1849).
Knight of the Order of St. George, 1st degree - for the capture of Warsaw (the order, according to the statute, was awarded either for the salvation of the fatherland, or for the capture of the enemy capital).
Field Marshal.
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
Creator of modern airborne forces. When the BMD with its crew parachuted for the first time, its commander was his son. In my opinion, this fact speaks about such a wonderful person as V.F. Margelov, that's it. About his devotion to the Airborne Forces!
Dokhturov Dmitry Sergeevich
Defense of Smolensk.
Command of the left flank on the Borodino field after Bagration was wounded.
Battle of Tarutino.
Pozharsky Dmitry Mikhailovich
In 1612, during the most difficult time for Russia, he led the Russian militia and liberated the capital from the hands of the conquerors.
Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Pozharsky (November 1, 1578 - April 30, 1642) - Russian national hero, military and political figure, head of the Second People's Militia, which liberated Moscow from the Polish-Lithuanian occupiers. His name and the name of Kuzma Minin are closely associated with the country’s exit from the Time of Troubles, which is currently celebrated in Russia on November 4th.
After the election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the Russian throne, D. M. Pozharsky plays a leading role at the royal court as a talented military leader and statesman. Despite the victory of the people's militia and the election of the Tsar, the war in Russia still continued. In 1615-1616. Pozharsky, on the instructions of the tsar, was sent at the head of a large army to fight the detachments of the Polish colonel Lisovsky, who besieged the city of Bryansk and took Karachev. After the fight with Lisovsky, the tsar instructs Pozharsky in the spring of 1616 to collect the fifth money from merchants into the treasury, since the wars did not stop and the treasury was depleted. In 1617, the tsar instructed Pozharsky to conduct diplomatic negotiations with the English ambassador John Merik, appointing Pozharsky as governor of Kolomensky. In the same year, the Polish prince Vladislav came to the Moscow state. Residents of Kaluga and its neighboring cities turned to the tsar with a request to send them D. M. Pozharsky to protect them from the Poles. The Tsar fulfilled the request of the Kaluga residents and gave an order to Pozharsky on October 18, 1617 to protect Kaluga and surrounding cities by all available measures. Prince Pozharsky fulfilled the tsar's order with honor. Having successfully defended Kaluga, Pozharsky received an order from the tsar to go to the aid of Mozhaisk, namely to the city of Borovsk, and began to harass the troops of Prince Vladislav with flying detachments, causing them significant damage. However, at the same time, Pozharsky became very ill and, at the behest of the tsar, returned to Moscow. Pozharsky, having barely recovered from his illness, took an active part in defending the capital from Vladislav’s troops, for which Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich awarded him new fiefs and estates.
Rurikovich Svyatoslav Igorevich
Great commander of the Old Russian period. The first known to us Kyiv prince, having a Slavic name. The last pagan ruler of the Old Russian state. He glorified Rus' as a great military power in the campaigns of 965-971. Karamzin called him “Alexander (Macedonian) of our ancient history.” The prince freed the Slavic tribes from vassal dependence on the Khazars, defeating the Khazar Khaganate in 965. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in 970, during the Russian-Byzantine War, Svyatoslav managed to win the battle of Arcadiopolis, having 10,000 soldiers under his command, against 100,000 Greeks. But at the same time, Svyatoslav led the life of a simple warrior: “On campaigns he did not carry carts or cauldrons with him, did not cook meat, but, thinly slicing horse meat, or animal meat, or beef and roasting it on coals, he ate it like that; he did not have a tent , but slept, spreading a sweatshirt with a saddle in their heads - the same were all the rest of his warriors. And he sent envoys to other lands [envoys, as a rule, before declaring war] with the words: “I’m coming to you!” (According to PVL)
Alekseev Mikhail Vasilievich
One of the most talented Russian generals of the First World War. Hero of the Battle of Galicia in 1914, savior of the Northwestern Front from encirclement in 1915, chief of staff under Emperor Nicholas I.
General of Infantry (1914), Adjutant General (1916). Active participant in the White movement in the Civil War. One of the organizers of the Volunteer Army.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
He led the armed struggle of the Soviet people in the war against Germany and its allies and satellites, as well as in the war against Japan.
Led the Red Army to Berlin and Port Arthur.
Muravyov-Karssky Nikolai Nikolaevich
One of the most successful commanders of the mid-19th century in the Turkish direction.
Hero of the first capture of Kars (1828), leader of the second capture of Kars (the largest success of the Crimean War, 1855, which made it possible to end the war without territorial losses for Russia).
Ermak Timofeevich
Russian. Cossack. Ataman. Defeated Kuchum and his satellites. Approved Siberia as part of the Russian state. He dedicated his entire life to military work.
Yuri Vsevolodovich
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich
Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1955). Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945).
From 1942 to 1946, commander of the 62nd Army (8th Guards Army), which particularly distinguished itself in the Battle of Stalingrad. He took part in defensive battles on the distant approaches to Stalingrad. From September 12, 1942, he commanded the 62nd Army. IN AND. Chuikov received the task of defending Stalingrad at any cost. The front command believed that Lieutenant General Chuikov was characterized by such positive qualities as determination and firmness, courage and a great operational outlook, a high sense of responsibility and consciousness of his duty. The army, under the command of V.I. Chuikov, became famous for the heroic six-month defense of Stalingrad in street fighting in a completely destroyed city, fighting on isolated bridgeheads on the banks of the wide Volga.
For the unprecedented mass heroism and steadfastness of its personnel, in April 1943, the 62nd Army received the honorary title of Guards and became known as the 8th Guards Army.
Tsarevich and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, the second son of Emperor Paul I, received the title of Tsarevich in 1799 for his participation in the Swiss campaign of A.V. Suvorov, and retained it until 1831. In the Battle of Austrlitz he commanded the guards reserve of the Russian Army, took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, and distinguished himself in the foreign campaigns of the Russian Army. For the “Battle of the Nations” at Leipzig in 1813 he received the “golden weapon” “For bravery!” Inspector General of the Russian Cavalry, since 1826 Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland.
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich
Cossack general, "thunderstorm of the Caucasus", Yakov Petrovich Baklanov, one of the most colorful heroes of the endless Caucasian War century before last, fits perfectly into the image of Russia familiar to the West. A gloomy two-meter hero, a tireless persecutor of highlanders and Poles, an enemy of political correctness and democracy in all its manifestations. But it was precisely these people who achieved the most difficult victory for the empire in the long-term confrontation with the inhabitants of the North Caucasus and the unkind local nature
Kappel Vladimir Oskarovich
Without exaggeration, he is the best commander of Admiral Kolchak’s army. Under his command, Russia's gold reserves were captured in Kazan in 1918. At 36 years old, he was a lieutenant general, commander of the Eastern Front. The Siberian Ice Campaign is associated with this name. In January 1920, he led 30,000 Kappelites to Irkutsk to capture Irkutsk and free the Supreme Ruler of Russia, Admiral Kolchak, from captivity. The general's death from pneumonia largely determined the tragic outcome of this campaign and the death of the Admiral...
Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich
Commander of the 62nd Army in Stalingrad.
Rurik Svyatoslav Igorevich
Year of birth 942 date of death 972 Expansion of state borders. 965 conquest of the Khazars, 963 march south to the Kuban region, capture of Tmutarakan, 969 conquest of the Volga Bulgars, 971 conquest of the Bulgarian kingdom, 968 founding of Pereyaslavets on the Danube (the new capital of Rus'), 969 defeat of the Pechenegs in the defense of Kyiv.
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
Participated in the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-91 and the Russian-Swedish War of 1788-90. He distinguished himself during the war with France in 1806-07 at Preussisch-Eylau, and from 1807 he commanded a division. During Russian-Swedish war 1808-09 commanded the corps; led the successful crossing of the Kvarken Strait in the winter of 1809. In 1809-10, Governor-General of Finland. From January 1810 to September 1812, the Minister of War did a lot of work to strengthen the Russian army, and separated the intelligence and counterintelligence service into a separate production. In the Patriotic War of 1812 he commanded the 1st Western Army, and, as Minister of War, the 2nd Western Army was subordinate to him. In conditions of significant superiority of the enemy, he showed his talent as a commander and successfully carried out the withdrawal and unification of the two armies, which earned M.I. Kutuzov such words as THANK YOU DEAR FATHER!!! SAVED THE ARMY!!! SAVED RUSSIA!!!. However, the retreat caused discontent in noble circles and the army, and on August 17 Barclay surrendered command of the armies to M.I. Kutuzov. In the Battle of Borodino he commanded the right wing of the Russian army, showing steadfastness and skill in defense. He recognized the position chosen by L. L. Bennigsen near Moscow as unsuccessful and supported M. I. Kutuzov’s proposal to leave Moscow at the military council in Fili. In September 1812, due to illness, he left the army. In February 1813 he was appointed commander of the 3rd and then the Russian-Prussian army, which he successfully commanded during the foreign campaigns of the Russian army of 1813-14 (Kulm, Leipzig, Paris). Buried in the Beklor estate in Livonia (now Jõgeveste Estonia)
Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich
Admiral, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Great Patriotic War, commander Black Sea Fleet. One of the leaders of the Defense of Sevastopol in 1941 - 1942, as well as the Crimean operation of 1944. During the Great Patriotic War, Vice Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky was one of the leaders of the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. Being the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, at the same time in 1941-1942 he was the commander of the Sevastopol Defense Region.
Three Orders of Lenin
three Orders of the Red Banner
two Orders of Ushakov, 1st degree
Order of Nakhimov, 1st degree
Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree
Order of the Red Star
medals
Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich
The best Russian commander during the First World War. An ardent patriot of his Motherland.
Duke of Württemberg Eugene
General of the Infantry, cousin of the Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. In service in the Russian Army since 1797 (enlisted as a colonel in the Life Guards Horse Regiment by Decree of Emperor Paul I). Participated in military campaigns against Napoleon in 1806-1807. For participation in the battle of Pułtusk in 1806 he was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious, 4th degree, for the campaign of 1807 he received a golden weapon “For Bravery”, he distinguished himself in the campaign of 1812 (he personally led the 4th Jaeger Regiment into battle in the Battle of Smolensk), for participation in the Battle of Borodino he was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious, 3rd degree. Since November 1812, commander of the 2nd Infantry Corps in Kutuzov's army. He took an active part in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814; units under his command particularly distinguished themselves in the Battle of Kulm in August 1813, and in the “Battle of the Nations” at Leipzig. For courage at Leipzig, Duke Eugene was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Parts of his corps were the first to enter defeated Paris on April 30, 1814, for which Eugene of Württemberg received the rank of infantry general. From 1818 to 1821 was the commander of the 1st Army Infantry Corps. Contemporaries considered Prince Eugene of Württemberg one of the best Russian infantry commanders during the Napoleonic Wars. On December 21, 1825, Nicholas I was appointed chief of the Tauride Grenadier Regiment, which became known as the “Grenadier Regiment of His Royal Highness Prince Eugene of Württemberg.” On August 22, 1826 he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1827-1828. as commander of the 7th Infantry Corps. On October 3, he defeated a large Turkish detachment on the Kamchik River.
Olsufiev Zakhar Dmitrievich
One of the most famous military leaders of Bagration's 2nd Western Army. Always fought with exemplary courage. He was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd degree, for his heroic participation in the Battle of Borodino. He distinguished himself in the battle on the Chernishna (or Tarutinsky) River. His reward for his participation in defeating the vanguard of Napoleon's army was the Order of St. Vladimir, 2nd degree. He was called "a general with talents." When Olsufiev was captured and taken to Napoleon, he said to his entourage the words famous in history: “Only Russians know how to fight like that!”
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
After Zhukov, who took Berlin, the second should be the brilliant strategist Kutuzov, who drove the French out of Russia.
Shein Mikhail
Hero of the Smolensk Defense of 1609-11.
He led the Smolensk fortress under siege for almost 2 years, it was one of the longest siege campaigns in Russian history, which predetermined the defeat of the Poles during the Time of Troubles
Rumyantsev Pyotr Alexandrovich
Russian military leader and statesman, who ruled Little Russia throughout the reign of Catherine II (1761-96). During the Seven Years' War he commanded the capture of Kolberg. For victories over the Turks at Larga, Kagul and others, which led to the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, he was awarded the title “Transdanubian”. In 1770 he received the rank of Field Marshal. Knight of the Russian orders of St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. George 1st class and St. Vladimir 1st class, Prussian Black Eagle and St. Anna 1st class
Eremenko Andrey Ivanovich
Commander of the Stalingrad and South-Eastern Fronts. The fronts under his command in the summer and autumn of 1942 stopped the advance of the German 6th field and 4th tank armies towards Stalingrad.
In December 1942, the Stalingrad Front of General Eremenko stopped the tank offensive of General G. Hoth's group on Stalingrad, for the relief of the 6th Army of Paulus.
Senyavin Dmitry Nikolaevich
Dmitry Nikolaevich Senyavin (6 (17) August 1763 - 5 (17) April 1831) - Russian naval commander, admiral.
for courage and outstanding diplomatic work shown during the blockade of the Russian fleet in Lisbon
Bennigsen Leonty Leontievich
Surprisingly, a Russian general who did not speak Russian, became the glory of Russian weapons of the early 19th century.
He made a significant contribution to the suppression of the Polish uprising.
Commander-in-Chief in the Battle of Tarutino.
He made a significant contribution to the campaign of 1813 (Dresden and Leipzig).
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
Well, who else but him is the only Russian commander who has not lost more than one battle!!!
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
The only commander who carried out the order of Headquarters on June 22, 1941, counterattacked the Germans, drove them back in his sector and went on the offensive.
Bagration, Denis Davydov...
The War of 1812, the glorious names of Bagration, Barclay, Davydov, Platov. A model of honor and courage.
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
A man whose faith, courage, and patriotism defended our state
Shein Alexey Semyonovich
The first Russian generalissimo. Leader of the Azov campaigns of Peter I.
Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich
Participant of the First World War (served in the 186th Aslanduz Infantry Regiment) and the Civil War. During the First World War, he fought on the Southwestern Front and took part in the Brusilov breakthrough. In April 1915, as part of the guard of honor, he was personally awarded the St. George Cross by Nicholas II. In total, he was awarded the St. George Crosses of III and IV degrees and medals “For Bravery” (“St. George” medals) of III and IV degrees.
During the Civil War, he led a local partisan detachment that fought in Ukraine against the German occupiers together with the detachments of A. Ya. Parkhomenko, then he was a fighter in the 25th Chapaev Division in Eastern Front, where he was engaged in the disarmament of the Cossacks, participated in battles with the armies of generals A.I. Denikin and Wrangel on the Southern Front.
In 1941-1942, Kovpak's unit carried out raids behind enemy lines in the Sumy, Kursk, Oryol and Bryansk regions, in 1942-1943 - a raid from the Bryansk forests to Right Bank Ukraine in the Gomel, Pinsk, Volyn, Rivne, Zhitomir and Kiev regions; in 1943 - Carpathian raid. The Sumy partisan unit under the command of Kovpak fought through the rear of the fascist German troops for more than 10 thousand kilometers, defeated enemy garrisons in 39 populated areas. Kovpak's raids played a big role in the deployment partisan movement against the German occupiers.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union:
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated May 18, 1942, for the exemplary performance of combat missions behind enemy lines, the courage and heroism shown during their implementation, Kovpak Sidor Artemyevich was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the medal “ Golden Star" (No. 708)
The second Gold Star medal (No.) was awarded to Major General Sidor Artemyevich Kovpak by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated January 4, 1944 for the successful conduct of the Carpathian raid
four Orders of Lenin (18.5.1942, 4.1.1944, 23.1.1948, 25.5.1967)
Order of the Red Banner (12/24/1942)
Order of Bohdan Khmelnitsky, 1st degree. (7.8.1944)
Order of Suvorov, 1st degree (2.5.1945)
medals
foreign orders and medals (Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia)
Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
The largest figure in world history, whose life and government activities left a deep imprint not only on the fate of the Soviet people, but also on all humanity, will be the subject of careful study by historians for many more centuries. The historical and biographical feature of this personality is that she will never be consigned to oblivion.
During Stalin's tenure as Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Chairman State Committee defense, our country is marked by victory in the Great Patriotic War, massive labor and front-line heroism, the transformation of the USSR into a superpower with significant scientific, military and industrial potential, and the strengthening of our country’s geopolitical influence in the world.
Ten Stalin's blows- the general name for a number of the largest offensive strategic operations in the Great Patriotic War, carried out in 1944 by the armed forces of the USSR. Along with other offensive operations, they made a decisive contribution to the victory of the countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition over Nazi Germany and its allies in World War II.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
For the highest art of military leadership and immeasurable love for the Russian soldier
Rurikovich Yaroslav the Wise Vladimirovich
He dedicated his life to protecting the Fatherland. Defeated the Pechenegs. He established the Russian state as one of the greatest states of his time.
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
Successfully commanded Soviet troops during the Great Patriotic War. Among other things, he stopped the Germans near Moscow and took Berlin.
Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich
A man of great courage, an excellent tactician and organizer. M.D. Skobelev had strategic thinking, saw the situation both in real time and in the future
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
Victory in the Great Patriotic War, saving the entire planet from absolute evil, and our country from extinction.
From the first hours of the war, Stalin controlled the country, front and rear. On land, at sea and in the air.
His merit is not one or even ten battles or campaigns, his merit is Victory, made up of hundreds of battles of the Great Patriotic War: the battle of Moscow, battles in the North Caucasus, the Battle of Stalingrad, the battle of Kursk, the battle of Leningrad and many others before the capture Berlin, success in which was achieved thanks to the monotonous inhuman work of the genius of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
Personally took part in the planning and implementation of ALL offensive and defensive operations of the Red Army in the period 1941 - 1945.
Kornilov Vladimir Alekseevich
During the outbreak of the war with England and France, he actually commanded the Black Sea Fleet, and until his heroic death he was the immediate superior of P.S. Nakhimov and V.I. Istomina. After the landing of the Anglo-French troops in Yevpatoria and the defeat of the Russian troops on Alma, Kornilov received an order from the commander-in-chief in the Crimea, Prince Menshikov, to sink the ships of the fleet in the roadstead in order to use sailors for the defense of Sevastopol from land.
Gorbaty-Shuisky Alexander Borisovich
Hero of the Kazan War, first governor of Kazan
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
Russian military leader, political and public figure, writer, memoirist, publicist and military documentarian.
Participant in the Russo-Japanese War. One of the most effective generals of the Russian Imperial Army during the First World War. Commander of the 4th Infantry "Iron" Brigade (1914-1916, from 1915 - deployed under his command to a division), 8th Army Corps (1916-1917). Lieutenant General of the General Staff (1916), commander of the Western and Southwestern Fronts (1917). An active participant in the military congresses of 1917, an opponent of the democratization of the army. He expressed support for the Kornilov speech, for which he was arrested by the Provisional Government, a participant in the Berdichev and Bykhov sittings of generals (1917).
One of the main leaders of the White movement during the Civil War, its leader in the South of Russia (1918-1920). He achieved the greatest military and political results among all the leaders of the White movement. Pioneer, one of the main organizers, and then commander of the Volunteer Army (1918-1919). Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (1919-1920), Deputy Supreme Ruler and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army Admiral Kolchak (1919-1920).
Since April 1920 - an emigrant, one of the main political figures of the Russian emigration. Author of the memoirs “Essays on the Russian Time of Troubles” (1921-1926) - a fundamental historical and biographical work about the Civil War in Russia, the memoirs “The Old Army” (1929-1931), the autobiographical story “The Path of the Russian Officer” (published in 1953) and a number of other works.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
During the Patriotic War, Stalin led all the armed forces of our homeland and coordinated their military operations. It is impossible not to note his merits in competent planning and organization of military operations, in the skillful selection of military leaders and their assistants. Joseph Stalin proved himself not only as an outstanding commander who competently led all fronts, but also as an excellent organizer who carried out enormous work to increase the country's defense capability both in the pre-war and during the war years.
A short list of military awards of I.V. Stalin received by him during the Second World War:
Order of Suvorov, 1st class
Medal "For the Defense of Moscow"
Order "Victory"
Medal "Golden Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union
Medal "For victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945"
Drozdovsky Mikhail Gordeevich
Alexander Mikhailovich Vasilevsky (September 18 (30), 1895 - December 5, 1977) - Soviet military leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union (1943), Chief of the General Staff, member of Headquarters Supreme High Command. During the Great Patriotic War, as Chief of the General Staff (1942-1945), he took an active part in the development and implementation of almost all major operations on the Soviet-German front. From February 1945, he commanded the 3rd Belorussian Front and led the assault on Königsberg. In 1945, commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan. One of the greatest commanders of the Second World War.
In 1949-1953 - Minister of the Armed Forces and Minister of War of the USSR. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (1944, 1945), holder of two Orders of Victory (1944, 1945).
Loris-Melikov Mikhail Tarielovich
Known mainly as one of the minor characters in the story “Hadji Murad” by L.N. Tolstoy, Mikhail Tarielovich Loris-Melikov went through all the Caucasian and Turkish campaigns of the second half of the mid-19th century.
Having shown himself excellently during the Caucasian War, during the Kars campaign of the Crimean War, Loris-Melikov led reconnaissance, and then successfully served as commander-in-chief during the difficult Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, winning a number of important victories over the united Turkish forces and in the third once he captured Kars, which by that time was considered impregnable.
Peter the First
Because he not only conquered the lands of his fathers, but also established the status of Russia as a power!
Spiridov Grigory Andreevich
He became a sailor under Peter I, participated as an officer in the Russian-Turkish War (1735-1739), and ended the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) as a rear admiral. His naval and diplomatic talent reached its peak during the Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774. In 1769 he led the first passage of the Russian fleet from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the difficulties of the transition (the admiral's son was among those who died from illness - his grave was recently found on the island of Menorca), he quickly established control over the Greek archipelago. The Battle of Chesme in June 1770 remained unsurpassed in terms of loss ratio: 11 Russians - 11 thousand Turks! On the island of Paros, the naval base of Auza was equipped with coastal batteries and its own Admiralty.
The Russian fleet left Mediterranean Sea after the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardji Peace in July 1774, the Greek islands and lands of the Levant, including Beirut, were returned to Turkey in exchange for territories in the Black Sea region. However, the activities of the Russian fleet in the Archipelago were not in vain and played a significant role in world naval history. Russia, having made a strategic maneuver with its fleet from one theater to another and achieved a number of high-profile victories over the enemy, for the first time made people talk about itself as a strong maritime power and an important player in European politics.
Pokryshkin Alexander Ivanovich
Marshal of Aviation of the USSR, the first three times Hero of the Soviet Union, symbol of Victory over the Nazi Wehrmacht in the air, one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Great Patriotic War (WWII).
While participating in the air battles of the Great Patriotic War, he developed and tested in battles new tactics of air combat, which made it possible to seize the initiative in the air and ultimately defeat the fascist Luftwaffe. In fact, he created an entire school of WWII aces. Commanding the 9th Guards Air Division, he continued to personally participate in air battles, scoring 65 air victories throughout the entire period of the war.
Baklanov Yakov Petrovich
An outstanding strategist and mighty warrior, he achieved the respect and fear of his name among the uncovered mountaineers who had forgotten iron grip"Thunderstorms of the Caucasus". At the moment - Yakov Petrovich, an example of the spiritual strength of a Russian soldier in front of the proud Caucasus. His talent crushed the enemy and minimized the time frame of the Caucasian War, for which he received the nickname “Boklu”, akin to the devil for his fearlessness.
Chernyakhovsky Ivan Danilovich
To a person to whom this name means nothing, there is no need to explain and it is useless. To the one to whom it says something, everything is clear.
Twice hero of the Soviet Union. Commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front. The youngest front commander. Counts,. that he was an army general - but just before his death (February 18, 1945) he received the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union.
Liberated three of the six capitals of the Union Republics captured by the Nazis: Kyiv, Minsk. Vilnius. Decided the fate of Kenicksberg.
One of the few who drove back the Germans on June 23, 1941.
He held the front in Valdai. In many ways, he determined the fate of repelling the German offensive on Leningrad. Voronezh held. Liberated Kursk.
He successfully advanced until the summer of 1943, forming with his army the top of the Kursk Bulge. Liberated the Left Bank of Ukraine. I took Kyiv. He repulsed Manstein's counterattack. Liberated Western Ukraine.
Carried out Operation Bagration. Surrounded and captured thanks to his offensive in the summer of 1944, the Germans then humiliatedly walked through the streets of Moscow. Belarus. Lithuania. Neman. East Prussia.
Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
He made the greatest contribution as a strategist to the victory in the Great Patriotic War (aka World War II).
Ivan III Vasilievich
He united the Russian lands around Moscow and threw off the hated Tatar-Mongol yoke.
Rokhlin Lev Yakovlevich
He headed the 8th Guards Army Corps in Chechnya. Under his leadership, a number of districts of Grozny were captured, including the presidential palace. For participation in the Chechen campaign, he was nominated for the title of Hero of the Russian Federation, but refused to accept it, stating that “he has no moral right to receive this award for military operations on his own territory.” countries".
Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich
In World War I, commander of the 8th Army in the Battle of Galicia. On August 15-16, 1914, during the Rohatyn battles, he defeated the 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army, capturing 20 thousand people. and 70 guns. On August 20, Galich was captured. The 8th Army takes an active part in the battles at Rava-Russkaya and in the Battle of Gorodok. In September he commanded a group of troops from the 8th and 3rd armies. From September 28 to October 11, his army withstood a counterattack by the 2nd and 3rd Austro-Hungarian armies in battles on the San River and near the city of Stryi. During the successfully completed battles, 15 thousand enemy soldiers were captured, and at the end of October his army entered the foothills of the Carpathians.
Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich
There are no outstanding military figures on the project from the period from the Time of Troubles to the Northern War, although there were some. An example of this is G.G. Romodanovsky.
He came from a family of Starodub princes.
Participant of the sovereign's campaign against Smolensk in 1654. In September 1655, together with the Ukrainian Cossacks, he defeated the Poles near Gorodok (near Lvov), and in November of the same year he fought in the battle of Ozernaya. In 1656 he received the rank of okolnichy and headed the Belgorod rank. In 1658 and 1659 participated in hostilities against Hetman Vyhovsky, who betrayed him, and Crimean Tatars, besieged Varva and fought near Konotop (Romodanovsky’s troops withstood a heavy battle at the crossing of the Kukolka River). In 1664, he played a decisive role in repelling the invasion of the Polish king’s 70 thousand army into Left Bank Ukraine, inflicting a number of sensitive blows on it. In 1665 he was made a boyar. In 1670 he acted against the Razins - he defeated the detachment of the chieftain's brother, Frol. The crowning achievement of Romodanovsky’s military activity was the war with Ottoman Empire. In 1677 and 1678 troops under his leadership inflicted heavy defeats on the Ottomans. An interesting point: both main figures in the Battle of Vienna in 1683 were defeated by G.G. Romodanovsky: Sobieski with his king in 1664 and Kara Mustafa in 1678
The prince died on May 15, 1682 during the Streltsy uprising in Moscow.
Katukov Mikhail Efimovich
Perhaps the only bright spot against the background of Soviet armored force commanders. A tank driver who went through the entire war, starting from the border. A commander whose tanks always showed their superiority to the enemy. His tank brigades were the only ones(!) in the first period of the war that were not defeated by the Germans and even caused them significant damage.
His First Guards Tank Army remained combat-ready, although it defended itself from the very first days of the fighting on the southern front of the Kursk Bulge, while exactly the same 5th Guards Tank Army of Rotmistrov was practically destroyed on the very first day it entered the battle (June 12)
This is one of the few of our commanders who took care of his troops and fought not with numbers, but with skill.
Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich
I beg the military historical society to correct the extreme historical injustice and include in the list of the 100 best commanders, the leader of the northern militia who did not lose a single battle, who played an outstanding role in the liberation of Russia from the Polish yoke and unrest. And apparently poisoned for his talent and skill.
Romanov Mikhail Timofeevich
The heroic defense of Mogilev, the first all-round anti-tank defense of the city.
Belov Pavel Alekseevich
He led the cavalry corps during the Second World War. He showed himself excellently during the Battle of Moscow, especially in defensive battles near Tula. He especially distinguished himself in the Rzhev-Vyazemsk operation, where he emerged from encirclement after 5 months of stubborn fighting.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
An outstanding Russian commander. He successfully defended the interests of Russia both from external aggression and outside the country.
Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich
In the conditions of the disintegration of the Russian state during the Time of Troubles, with minimal material and personnel resources, he created an army that defeated the Polish-Lithuanian interventionists and liberated most of the Russian state.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
Russian admiral who gave his life for the liberation of the Fatherland.
Oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, leader of the White movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
The greatest commander of the Second World War. Two people in history were awarded the Order of Victory twice: Vasilevsky and Zhukov, but after the Second World War it was Vasilevsky who became the Minister of Defense of the USSR. His military genius is unsurpassed by ANY military leader in the world.
Antonov Alexey Inokentevich
Chief strategist of the USSR in 1943-45, practically unknown to society
"Kutuzov" World War II
Humble and committed. Victorious. Author of all operations since the spring of 1943 and the victory itself. Others gained fame - Stalin and the front commanders.
Dubynin Viktor Petrovich
From April 30, 1986 to June 1, 1987 - commander of the 40th combined arms army of the Turkestan Military District. The troops of this army made up the bulk of the Limited contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan. During the year of his command of the army, the number of irretrievable losses decreased by 2 times compared to 1984-1985.
On June 10, 1992, Colonel General V.P. Dubynin was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation
His merits include keeping the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin from a number of ill-conceived decisions in the military sphere, primarily in the field of nuclear forces.
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
“I studied J.V. Stalin thoroughly as a military leader, since I went through the entire war with him. I.V. Stalin knew the issues of organizing front-line operations and operations of groups of fronts and led them with full knowledge affairs, having a good understanding of large strategic issues...
In leading the armed struggle as a whole, J.V. Stalin was helped by his natural intelligence and rich intuition. He knew how to find the main link in a strategic situation and, seizing on it, counter the enemy, carry out one or another major offensive operation. Undoubtedly, he was a worthy Supreme Commander."
(Zhukov G.K. Memories and reflections.)
Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko (1828-1901)
General, hero of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. The Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, which marked the liberation of the Balkan peoples from centuries-old Ottoman rule, brought forward a number of talented military leaders. Among them should be named M.D. Skobeleva, M.I. Dragomirova, N.G. Stoletova, F.F. Radetsky, P.P. Kartseva and others. Among these illustrious names there is one more - Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko, whose name is associated with the victory at Plevna, the heroic transition through the winter Balkans and victories along the banks of the Maritsa River.
MAKHNO, NESTOR IVANOVYCH(1888–1934), Ukrainian military and political figure, one of the leaders of the anarchist movement during the Civil War. Born October 27 (November 8), 1888 in the village. Gulyaypole, Aleksandrovsky district, Ekaterinoslav province, in a poor peasant family; father, I.R. Makhno was a coachman. He graduated from the parochial school (1900). From the age of seven he was forced to go to work as a shepherd for rich farmers; later he worked as a laborer for landowners and German colonists. From 1904 he worked as a laborer at an iron foundry in Gulyai-Polye; played in the factory theater group. In the fall of 1906 he joined the anarchists and joined the youth branch of the Ukrainian group of anarchist-communists (grain volunteers). Participant in several gang attacks and terrorist attacks; was arrested twice. Accused of the murder of an official of the local military government, he was sentenced in 1910 to death by hanging, commuted to hard labor due to his minority at the time of the crime (1908). While in the Butyrka convict prison, he was engaged in self-education; regularly came into conflict with the prison administration.
(15) March 1917, after the February Revolution, he was released and left for Gulyai-Polye. Participated in the re-establishment of the Peasant Union; in April 1917 he was unanimously elected chairman of his local committee. He advocated ending the war and transferring land for use to peasants without ransom. In order to acquire funds for the purchase of weapons, he resorted to the favorite method of anarchists - expropriations. In July, he proclaimed himself commissar of the Gulyai-Polye region. Delegate to the Ekaterinoslav Congress of Soviets of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies (August 1917); supported his decision to reorganize all branches of the Peasant Union into peasant councils. He strongly condemned the anti-government rebellion of General L.G. Kornilov and headed the local Committee for the Defense of the Revolution. He opposed the Provisional Government and rejected the idea of convening a Constituent Assembly. In August-October, he carried out the confiscation of landowners' lands in the Aleksandrovsky district, which were transferred to the jurisdiction of land committees; transferred control over enterprises into the hands of workers.
He accepted the October Revolution ambiguously: on the one hand, he welcomed the destruction of the old state system, on the other, he considered the power of the Bolsheviks to be anti-people (anti-peasant). At the same time, he called for a fight against Ukrainian nationalists and the Ukrainian People's Republic created by them. Supported the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After German occupation Ukraine created in April 1918 in the Gulyai-Polye region a rebel detachment (free Gulyai-Polye battalion), which waged a guerrilla war with German and Ukrainian government units; In retaliation, the authorities killed his older brother and burned his mother's house. At the end of April 1918 he was forced to retreat to Taganrog and disband the detachment. In May 1918 he arrived in Moscow; held negotiations with anarchist leaders and Bolshevik leaders (V.I. Lenin and Ya.M. Sverdlov). In August he returned to Ukraine, where he again organized several partisan formations to fight the Germans and the regime of Hetman P.P. Skoropadsky. By the end of November, the number of these formations had increased to six thousand people. He made daring raids on rich German economies and landowners' estates, dealt with the occupiers and hetman officers, and at the same time forbade robbing peasants and organizing Jewish pogroms.
After the Germans left Ukraine (November 1918) and the fall of Skoropadsky (December 1919), he refused to recognize the power of the Ukrainian Directory. When its armed forces under the command of S.V. Petliura occupied Yekaterinoslav and dispersed the provincial council, it entered into an agreement with the Red Army on joint actions against the Directory. At the end of December 1918, he defeated the seven-thousand-strong Petliura garrison of Yekaterinoslav. A few days later, the troops of the Directory again captured the city; however, the Makhnovists retreated and fortified themselves in the Gulyai-Polye area.
By that time, this territory had turned into a kind of “enclave of freedom”, where Makhno tried to implement the anarcho-communist idea of society as a “free federation” of self-governing communes, not knowing any class or national differences. Pursuing the exploiters (landowners, manufacturers, bankers, speculators) and their accomplices (officials, officers), he at the same time made efforts to establish normal life workers (workers and peasants); On his initiative, children's communes were created, schools, hospitals, workshops were opened, and theatrical performances were organized.
The invasion of Denikin's troops into the territory of Ukraine in January-February 1919 created an immediate threat to Gulyai-Polye, which forced Makhno to agree to the operational subordination of his units to the Red Army as the 3rd separate brigade of the Trans-Dnieper Division. In the spring of 1919 he fought with the whites in the Mariupol-Volnovakha sector. In April, his relations with the Bolsheviks deteriorated due to their anti-Makhnovist propaganda campaign. On May 19, he was defeated by Denikin’s troops and fled with the remnants of his brigade to Gulyai-Polye. On May 29, in response to the decision of the Workers' and Peasants' Defense Council of Ukraine to liquidate the Makhnovshchina, he broke the alliance with the Bolsheviks. In June, when the Whites, despite heroic defense, captured Gulyai-Polye, he took refuge in the surrounding forests. In July, he teamed up with N.A. Grigoriev, a red commander who rebelled against Soviet power in May; On July 27, he and his entire staff were shot; Some of the Grigorievites remained with the Makhnovists. In July-December 1919, at the head of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine (about 35 thousand people) he created, he waged a guerrilla war against Denikin’s followers. In September he again entered into an agreement with the Bolsheviks. On September 26, he broke through the White front and passed through the rear of the Volunteer Army, capturing Gulyaypole, Berdyansk, Nikopol, Melitopol and Yekaterinoslav; in the occupied territories he organized communes, trade unions, a system of assistance to those in need, and tried to restore production and trade. With his actions he provided enormous assistance to the Soviet troops at the height of Denikin’s offensive on Moscow (for which he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner): the White command, trying to eliminate the threat to its rear, was forced to transfer the 2nd Army Corps from the Moscow direction to the south, which only in December 1919 managed to drive the Makhnovists out of Yekaterinoslav.
After the Bolsheviks occupied southern Ukraine in January 1920, he entered into conflict with them, refusing to fight against the Poles. In January-September he fought against the Red Army, but in July he rejected Wrangel’s proposal for joint action. When the White troops captured the main areas under his control at the end of September 1920, he again reconciled with the Soviets, signing an agreement on military cooperation with the command of the Southern Front in October. His troops took part in the defeat of the Whites in Northern Tavria at the end of October - beginning of November 1920, in the crossing of Sivash and the assault on Perekop on November 7–12, 1920.
At the end of the Crimean campaign, he rejected the demand of the Soviet military command to include the Makhnovists in the Red Army. In response, at the end of November - beginning of December 1919, the Bolsheviks carried out military operations to eliminate his formations in the Crimea and in the Gulyai-Polye region. However, N.I. Makhno managed to form a new army (up to 15 thousand). In January-August 1920 he waged a partisan war with the Reds; made a deep raid throughout Ukraine. At the end of August, his troops, having suffered heavy losses, were pressed against the Dniester near Yampol; Makhno himself, at the head of fifty horsemen, crossed to the Romanian coast on August 26.
In 1922 he left for Poland, where he was arrested on suspicion of anti-Polish activities. In 1923 he was able to move to France. He worked in a printing house, a film studio, and a shoe shop. He continued to promote anarchist ideas in the press and in public speeches. He was often and seriously ill. Died of tuberculosis in Paris on July 6, 1934; buried in Père Lachaise cemetery.
Ivan Krivushin
Nestor Makhno was born in a village with the exotic name Gulyaypole on October 26 (November 7), 1888. Nowadays it is the Zaporozhye region of Ukraine, then it was the Yekaterinoslav province. The father of the future famous anarchist leader was a simple cattle farmer, his mother was a housewife.
The family had five children. Parents tried to give their children a decent education. Nestor himself graduated from parochial school, but already at the age of seven he started working part-time: he worked as a laborer for wealthier fellow villagers. Subsequently, Makhno managed to work at an iron foundry.
The biography of Nestor Ivanovich was dramatically changed by the revolution of 1905. He found himself in a group of anarchists, which was responsible for robbery and terrorist attacks. In one of the clashes with law enforcement officials, Makhno killed a policeman. The criminal was caught and tried. Makhno was sentenced to death. Only his age saved him from inevitable death: at the time of the crime, Nestor was a minor. The execution was replaced by ten years of hard labor.
The young anarchist ended up in Butyrka prison. Here he did not waste time, but began to actively educate himself. This was facilitated by communication with experienced cellmates and a rich prison library. In Makhno’s cell he was not with ordinary criminals, but with political criminals. The worldview of the young rebel was shaped by anarchist prisoners. Makhno had his own vision of the country's development prospects.
Makhno during the Revolution and Civil War
Makhno was released after the February Revolution. The knowledge gained in prison inspired Nestor. He returns to his homeland and becomes the head of the Committee to Save the Revolution. This organization called on the people to ignore the orders of the Provisional Government and begin dividing the land.
Makhno was wary of the October Revolution: he believed that it infringed on the interests of the peasantry.
In 1918, Ukrainian lands were occupied by the German army. Makhno put together his own rebel detachment and actively fought both against the invaders and against the government of Hetman Skoropadsky. Gradually, the leader of the anarchists won the favor of the broad peasant masses.
After Petliura entered the political arena, Makhno entered into an agreement with the Soviet government, pledging to fight against the new Ukrainian government. Nestor Ivanovich felt like a real owner of his land. He strove to improve the lives of the people, opening schools, hospitals, and workshops.
The position of the anarchists changed after the capture of Gulyai-Polye by Denikin’s troops. Makhno launched a real guerrilla war against the White Army and actually thwarted the advance of Denikin’s troops to Moscow. However, after the victory over the White Guard, the Bolsheviks declared Makhno their enemy. He turned out to be an outlaw. General Wrangel tried to take advantage of this by offering Dad cooperation in the fight against the “Reds”. Makhno did not agree to this alliance. Moreover, he once again trusted the Soviet government when it invited him to fight against the remnants of Wrangel’s troops. But this alliance was short-lived and ended with the liquidation of the partisan detachments subordinate to the anarchist leader.
With a small detachment of associates and his wife Agafya, Nestor Ivanovich managed to move to Romania in 1921. The Romanian authorities transferred the remnants of the anarchist army to Poland, from where Makhno and his comrades were deported to France. Last years Makhno spent his life in poverty. He had to remember what it meant to be a laborer.
Nestor Makhno passed away in Paris on July 25, 1934 at the age of 45. The cause of death was tuberculosis.
Introduction
Nestor Ivanovich Makhno (Ukrainian Nestor Ivanovich Makhno, according to some statements Mikhnenko; October 26 (November 7, new style) 1888, village of Gulyaypole, Alexandrovsky district, Yekaterinoslav province - July 6, 1934, Paris, France) - anarcho-communist, in 1918 -1921 leader of detachments of peasant rebels operating in the southern theater of the Civil War. Known as Father Makhno(I officially signed some orders this way). Author of the memoir “Memoirs”.
1. Early years
By origin - Ukrainian, a peasant from Gulyai-Polye. Father Ivan Rodionovich is a cattle farmer, mother Evdokia Matveevna is a housewife. The family had five children. Fifth of the brothers. Since 1895 - seasonal worker. He graduated from Gulyai-Polye primary school (1897). From 1903 he worked at the iron foundry of M. Kerner in Gulyai-Polye.
2. Makhno - anarchist
From the end of August - beginning of September 1906 - a member of the “Peasant Group of Anarcho-Communists” (another name is the “Union of Free Grain Growers”), operating in Gulyai-Polye. As part of the group, he participated in expropriations (for the first time - October 14, 1906). First arrested at the end of 1906 for illegal possession of weapons (soon released), then on October 5, 1907 on charges of attempted murder of Gulyai-Polye guards Zakharov and Bykov (held in the Aleksandrovsk district prison, released on July 4, 1908 on bail of 2 thousand rubles ). On August 26, 1908 he was arrested. By the session of the Odessa Military District Court on March 22, 1910, he was sentenced to death by hanging, which was replaced by indefinite hard labor. The following year he was transferred to the convict department of Butyrka prison in Moscow.
This is where Makhno’s “universities” began. The prison's rich library and communication with other prisoners also helped. In his cell, Makhno met the famous anarchist activist, former Bolshevik Pyotr Arshinov, who in the future would become a significant figure in the history of the Makhnovshchina. Arshinov, although he was only a year older than Makhno, began his ideological training. In addition, the illiterate Makhno studied history, mathematics and literature in his cell.
Being an active participant in prison protests, he was sent to a punishment cell 6 times, contracted pulmonary tuberculosis, after which he could not smoke. After the February Revolution, Makhno, like many other prisoners, both political and criminal, was released early from prison and returned to Gulyai-Polye after 3 weeks. There he was elected comrade (deputy) chairman of the volost zemstvo. On March 29, 1917, he became chairman of the Gulyai-Polye Peasant Union (he remained so after the reorganization of the Union into the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies). He advocated immediate radical revolutionary changes before the convening of the Constituent Assembly. On May 1, 1917, he signed a dispatch to Petrograd demanding the expulsion of 10 “capitalist ministers” from the Provisional Government. In June 1917, on Makhno’s initiative, a worker control, in July, with the support of Makhno’s supporters, he dispersed the previous composition of the zemstvo, held new elections, became chairman of the zemstvo and at the same time declared himself commissar of the Gulyai-Polye region. In August 1917, on Makhno’s initiative, a committee of farm laborers was created under the Gulyai-Polye Council of Workers’ and Peasants’ Deputies, whose activities were directed against local landowners; in the same month he was elected as a delegate to the provincial congress of the Peasant Union in Yekaterinoslav.
In the summer of 1917, Nestor Ivanovich Makhno headed the “committee to save the revolution” and disarmed the landowners and bourgeoisie in the region. At the regional Congress of Soviets (mid-August 1917), he was elected chairman and, together with other anarchists, called on the peasants to ignore the orders of the Provisional Government and the Central Rada, proposed “to immediately take away church and landowner land and organize a free agricultural commune on estates, if possible with participation in these communes the landowners and kulaks themselves.”
3. After the October events of 1917
Back on September 25, 1917, Makhno signed a decree of the district council on the nationalization of land and its division between peasants. From December 1 to December 5, 1917 in Yekaterinoslav, Makhno took part in the work of the provincial congress of Soviets of workers, peasants and soldiers' deputies, as a delegate from the Gulyai-Polye Soviet; supported the demand of the majority of delegates to convene the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets; elected to the judicial commission of the Aleksandrovsky Revolutionary Committee to consider cases of persons arrested by the Soviet government. Soon after the arrests of the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries, he began to express dissatisfaction with the actions of the judicial commission and proposed blowing up the city prison and releasing those arrested. He reacted negatively to the elections to the Constituent Assembly and called the emerging situation a “card game”: “It is not the parties that will serve the people, but the people will serve the parties. Already now... in the affairs of the people only their name is mentioned, and the affairs of the party are decided.” Having received no support from the Revolutionary Committee, he resigned from its membership. After the capture of Yekaterinoslav by the forces of the Central Rada (December 1917), he initiated an emergency congress of Soviets of the Gulyai-Polye region, which passed a resolution demanding the “death of the Central Rada” and spoke out in favor of organizing forces opposing it. On January 4, 1918, he resigned from the post of Chairman of the Council and decided to take an active position in the fight against opponents of the revolution. He welcomed the victory of the revolutionary forces in Yekaterinoslav. Soon he headed the Gulyai-Polye Revolutionary Committee, created from representatives of anarchists, left Socialist Revolutionaries and Ukrainian socialist revolutionaries.
At the beginning of April 1918, after the capture of Yekaterinoslav and the surrounding area by Austro-German troops, he organized a detachment together with a group of comrades-in-arms and fought against the Kaiser’s troops and the government of the Ukrainian State. After the retreat and disbandment of the detachment in Taganrog, he took part in the anarchist conference there (late April 1918). Deciding to get acquainted with the activities of anarchists, he set off along the route Rostov-on-Don - Saratov (where he participated in an anarchist conference in May 1918) - Tambov - Moscow. In Moscow, he met with the leaders of Russian anarchists Arshinov, A. A. Borov, I. S. Grossman, P. A. Kropotkin, L. Cherny (Turchaninov), as well as the leaders of the Soviet government V. I. Lenin, Ya. M. Sverdlov , L.D. Trotsky, G.E. Zinoviev, attended meetings of the All-Russian Congress of Textile Trade Unions, participated in the Moscow Conference of Anarchists (June), which developed tactics of struggle against the hetmanate and Austro-German troops in Ukraine.
Makhno writes in his memoirs that Lenin was interested in the question of how the peasants of his areas perceived the slogan “All power to the Soviets!”
In agreement with the All-Ukrainian Bureau for the Management of the Insurgent Movement and following the decision of the Taganrog Conference of Anarchists, on June 29, 1918, he left Moscow to organize an armed struggle against the German-Austrian and Hetman troops in Ukraine. From the memoirs of the chief of staff of the Makhnovist army V.F. Belash:
...On September 20, we united in the Dibrovsky forest. Our squad has grown to fifteen people. We stood quietly in the forest for about three days, expanded Shchusya’s dugout, and then decided to go for a ride to Gulyai-Polye. But due to the fact that there were many Austrians there pumping out bread, it was dangerous to stay there. Then we decided to go to the village of Shagarovo and pick up our guys there who were hiding from the Austrians. Makhno did not show himself in any way at that time and was like everyone else, small and equal. Before this, Shchus, who had suffered raids, enjoyed military authority among us. However, he had no power over us, and if we had to go somewhere, everyone decided the issue together and, depending on the mood of the detachment, made one decision or another...
...There were thirty-six of us, and, being in the center of the forest, we did not know how to get out of the ring into the field. What to do? Should I stay here or play for a breakthrough? We hesitated.
Shchus, a supporter of dying in the forest, lost heart. The opposite of him was Makhno. He gave a speech and called on the Shchusevites to follow the Gulyai-Polye people, who were supporters of the breakthrough. The Shchusevites succumbed to his influence and declared:
From now on, be our dad, lead us where you know. And Makhno began to prepare a breakthrough. ..."
On July 21, 1918, with a passport in the name of I. Ya. Shepel, he arrived in Gulyai-Polye. He organized a small partisan detachment underground, which soon united with the partisan detachment of F. Shchus. He made a number of successful attacks on German troops and local landowners (August 1918). In September-October 1918, the forces of other partisan detachments operating in the Aleksandrovsky district were grouped around Makhno’s detachment. Makhno actually became the leader of the rebel movement in the Yekaterinoslav province. The old man’s detachment made lightning raids and immediately disappeared, only to suddenly appear in another place. Makhno's favorite tactic was to appear in the enemy camp in the form of Hetman's units. After the November Revolution of 1918 in Germany, he led the fight against the regime of S.V. Petliura in Ukraine. On November 27, 1918, he occupied Gulyai-Polye, declared the village the “capital” of the army, introduced a state of siege in it, formed and headed the “Gulyai-Polye Revolutionary Headquarters”. He accepted the proposal of the Yekaterinoslav Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine (Bolsheviks) about joint military actions against the Directory and on December 27-29, 1918, he occupied Yekaterinoslav with forces loyal to him. Since December 29, military commissar and member of the provincial Military Revolutionary Committee, since December 30, commander-in-chief of the so-called Soviet revolutionary workers' and peasants' army of the Yekaterinoslav region. On December 31, 1918, after defeat by the Petliurites, the Makhnovists left Yekaterinoslav; on January 5, 1919, Makhno with a detachment of 200 people returned to Gulyai-Polye.
In January-February 1919, Makhno fought against the German colonists in the Gulyai-Polye area and interfered with the Bolsheviks' food appropriation measures); called on the peasants to put into practice the idea of “equal land use based on their own labor.” On December 12-16, 1919, at the 2nd district congress of Soviets of the Gulyai-Polye region, Makhno stated:
If comrade Bolsheviks come from Great Russia to Ukraine to help us in the difficult struggle against counter-revolution, we must say to them: “Welcome, dear friends!” If they come here with the goal of monopolizing Ukraine, we will tell them: “Hands off!”
News of Makhno's victories spread through local villages, from where new recruits flocked. The peasants said:
From now on you are our dad. Lead us against the enemy.
4. Makhno - red commander
In the context of the offensive of the troops of General A.I. Denikin in Ukraine in mid-February 1919, Makhno entered into a military agreement with the command of the Red Army and on February 21, 1919, became the commander of the 3rd brigade of the 1st Trans-Dnieper division, which fought against Denikin’s troops on the Mariupol - line. Volnovakha.
For the raid on Mariupol on March 27, 1919, which slowed down the White advance on Moscow, brigade commander Makhno, according to some sources, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner number 4.*
He repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction, in his opinion, with the overly aggressive policy of the Soviet government in the areas under its control.
On April 10, 1919, at the 3rd regional congress of Soviets of the Gulyai-Polye region, he was elected honorary chairman; in his speech he stated that the Soviet government had betrayed the “October principles”, and the Communist Party legitimized power and “protected itself with extraordinary events.” Together with Shchus, Kogan and Mavroda, Makhno signed a congress resolution, which expressed disapproval of the decisions of the 3rd All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets (March 6-10, 1919, Kharkov) on the land issue (on the nationalization of land), protest against the Cheka and the policies of the Bolsheviks, demand removal of all persons appointed by the Bolsheviks from military and civilian posts (later, when meeting with Antonov-Ovseenko, he refused to sign); at the same time, the Makhnovists demanded the “socialization” of land, factories and factories; food policy changes; freedom of speech, press and assembly to all left parties and groups; personal integrity; rejection of the dictatorship of the Communist Party; freedom of elections to the Soviets of working peasants and workers.
One of the most controversial figures of the Civil War of 1917-1922/23, the leader and organizer of the liberation movement in the southern part of the Ukrainian territories is Nestor Ivanovich Makhno. This charismatic historical figure is known as “Batko Makhno” - he signed some documents that way.
Nestor Ivanovich was born into a peasant family in the village of Gulyaypole in the territory of modern Zaporozhye region (formerly Yekaterinoslav province). There were five children in the family, Nestor was the fifth son. Since childhood, he worked for landowners, performing various agricultural jobs. He studied at a 2-year school in Gulyai-Polye. He worked as a painter's assistant and was a factory worker.
After the formation of the Union of Free Grain Growers, he became an active participant in this association. Another name for the group is “Peasant Group of Anarcho-Communists.” The goals of the organization were armed struggle against the rich and officials. The group organized massacres and terrorist attacks. In 1906, the same year he became a member of the group, Makhno was first arrested on charges of illegal possession of weapons. He spent two years in prison. Having been released, after 2 months he was arrested for murder and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted and Makhno went to hard labor.
In prison, Makhno received an anarchist “education” - the future famous rebel met some ideologists of anarchism and became imbued with their ideas. Pyotr Arshinov, an activist of the anarchist movement, was involved in ideological education.
Makhno was not an exemplary prisoner in prison - he participated in riots and protests several times, for which he was repeatedly sent to punishment cell. Makhno was in prison until the revolutionary events of 1917.
After the revolution
The February Revolution brought many changes to the political and economic structure of the country. After the revolution, criminal and political prisoners were amnestied. After his release, Makhno returned home, where he was entrusted with a managerial position - he became deputy chairman of the volost zemstvo, and in the spring of 1917 - head of the peasant union of the village of Gulyaipole. Despite his position, Makhno formed the Black Guard and never abandoned his anarchist position. The goal remained the idea of expropriation of property - the Batka detachment attacked landowners, trains, officers, and wealthy merchants.
Gradually Makhno began to form his own state entity.
October 1917 and participation in the events of the Civil War
Makhno, back in mid-1917, advocated radical revolutionary changes. But he insisted that it was not necessary to convene a Constituent Assembly, and that it was necessary to expel the most unworthy elements - the capitalists - from the Provisional Government.
Makhno began radical actions within his region, establishing workers' control; he also dissolved the zemstvo. Nestor Ivanovich declares himself commissar. Makhno's power and influence have strengthened, and he calls on the peasants not to react to any authority, to create a free commune. Even landowners can live in a commune if they accept the living conditions in this entity.
After the October Revolution, he called for a fight against the Central Rada and other opponents of the revolution. In the Revolutionary Committee, which was headed by Makhno, there were representatives of the left-wing Socialist Revolutionaries, anarchists, and socialist revolutionaries. In 1918, on the territory of modern Ukraine, the Ukrainian State was formed - a puppet state entity headed by Hetman Skoropadsky; real power belonged to the German government, which occupied part of the Ukrainian territories. Makhno enters into a struggle not only with the enemies of revolutionary changes, but also with the Germans.
Since 1918, he has become a well-known figure among anarchists - he participates in anarchist conferences and meets with the leaders of the Bolshevik government. In the same year, Makhno formed a strong partisan detachment that successfully fought against German troops. After the Germans retreated and the Directory led by Petlyura came to power, he began to fight against him. In November 1918, he formed the revolutionary headquarters of Gulyai-Polye. At the end of 1918, for the first time he accepted the Bolshevik proposal to jointly oppose Petliura. It would be a mistake to assume that Makhno shared the ideals of the Bolsheviks - accepting the Bolshevik proposal meant that the anarchist leader agreed to help, as he himself announced at the Congress of Soviets, “Great Russia” only if the Bolsheviks helped Ukraine in the fight against counter-revolution and did not claim territory and the establishment of monopoly power.
In 1919, Makhno entered into a formal agreement with the Reds. The goal was a joint fight against Denikin’s “white” army. Makhno received the rank of brigade commander. In April 1919, Makhno openly stated his demands: a revision of economic policy by the Bolsheviks, socialization of enterprises and land, freedom of speech, renunciation of the monopoly power of the party. As a result, Makhno decides to create a separate rebel army.
Having broken contacts with the “Reds”, Makhno conducts a raid in the rear of the “White” army - he manages to weaken its influence and significantly change the balance of power in the region. In September, the rebel army was officially formed; “Old Man” rejected all offers of alliances from the “whites”.
It was decided to create their own peasant republic with its center in Yekaterinoslav. At this stage, Makhno’s main enemies were Wrangel’s troops - to fight them he had to make a second alliance with the “Reds”. The Makhnovists took part in battles in the Crimea, where they were betrayed by their ally - the army was surrounded, only a few survived. Soon the Bolsheviks defeat the Makhnovist partisan detachments, and the peasant republic ceases to exist. Makhno ends up in prison, and then in exile in France, where he dies from a long-standing illness in 1934.
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