Russian Civil War (October-December, 1920
November Elections]
As declared by the law of the Russian Empire (Suverennyy Ukaz) on November 2, 1920, the democratic elections of 1920 are held, which have the objective of re-organizing the legislative and executive power of the Russian Empire (at least those positions popularly elected ).
In particular, the main interest of the elections is the change that would occur in the State Duma of the Russian Empire and the imperial Premiership (in essence, the position of Prime Minister).
In this case, we are talking about the elections of the Fourth (IV) Duma of the Russian Empire.
Russia's democratic project seemed to have been quite successful.
After the government reform of Tsar Alexander III in 1905, for 15 years the Russians had successfully formed governments with popular representation and free elections.
But obviously, there were problems looming on the horizon.
After the disputed 1915 elections and the death of Premier, Minister and General Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev, the balance tipped in particular to the left.
So it is not surprising that the electoral victory (due to overwhelming popularity) of the RSDLP of Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin (Dzhugashvili) and Lev Borisovich Kamenev (Rosenfeld / Rozenfeld), allied with Alexander Kerensky's Trudoviks (Labor), was soon announced.
This RSDLP-Trudovik coalition government would effectively dominate the Fourth (IV) Duma, due to the weakness of the center-right and the factionalism of the opposition.
The Fourth (IV) Duma, would be the first State Duma dominated by leftist political parties, which traditionally had an opposition role (against Witte, Stolypin, Skobele and Balashov).
Despite this success, it should be noted that this RSDLP-Trudovik government also had its divisions (there was a Stalinist wing, Zinoviev's Petrograd Group, Kamanev's wing, etc.) and of course its opposition (mainly politicians from center or right-wing deputies).
The 1920 elections were generally conducted properly, although of course there were irregularities in certain places and civil conflicts between left-right groups.
Of course despite these problems mentioned, the elections were still generally crystalline, and their result was valid.
*******
[Russian Civil War]
Iosif V. Stalin's RSDLP victory was a polarizing event across Russia for various reasons.
The formation of the first left-wing constitutional government in the Russian Empire was a historic turning point, causing waves throughout the Russian left and right.
In short, the RSDLP-Trudovik alliance and its victory in the 1920 elections left no one indifferent. At the beginning, early on, there were congratulations or criticisms of Stalin and his associates by competitors, opponents, and other political colleagues.
Tsar Nicholas II and the previous Premier, Pyotr Nikolaevich Balashov, enshrined Iosif V. Stalin and Lev B. Kamenev as the new Premier and Deputy Premier of the State Duma.
With such a drastic change in politics, it is not surprising that the first event held by this new government was a change in the ministries (approved by the Duma and Tsar Nicholas II).
The composition of the government of Tsar Nicholas II and Premier Stalin ended in this way, between November 3 and 5, 1920:
Tsar: Nicholas II (Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov).
Tsesarevich: Nicholas Nikolaevich Romanov.
Premier of the State Duma: Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Stalin).
Deputy Premier of the State Duma: Lev Borisovich Kamenev.
Ministry of War: Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov
* Deputy Minister: Anton Denikin.
Ministry of the Interior: Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky.
Ministry of the Navy: Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov.
Ministry of the Imperial Court: Vladimir Borisovich Frederiks (Adolf Andreas Voldemar Friedricks / Adolf Andreas Woldemar Freedericksz).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Mikhail Nikolaevich Girs.
Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry: Alexei Ivanovich Rykov.
Ministry of Public Education, Technology and Culture: Pyotr Mikhailovich von-Kaufman (von-Kaufman-Turkestan).
*Deputy Minister: Platon Mikhailovich Kerzhentsev.
Ministry of Justice: Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky.
Governor-General of the Grand Duchy of Finland: Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim.
This was the 'base' government, which would be expanded or altered by later governments, as necessary for the activities of the Russian administration.
In general, the first Cabinet of Premier Stalin was dominated by figures from the left (Dzerzhinsky, Kerensky, Rykov), but there were also other figures of an apolitical or simply non-leftist character, such as Brusilov, Denikin, Girs, von Kaufman-Turkestan , Frederiks or Grand Duke Alexander Romanov.
Despite this, there was no doubt that the lean of the Stalin government would definitely be to the left. And this had some more concerned than others.
Stalin was already planning his future movements, in particular Kamenev's purge of the RSDLP (which would be possible after having placed allies in vital positions).
But of course, not everything can go well in life ...
With the seizure of power of the State Duma from Stalin after his victory in the 1920 elections, and the restructuring of the cabinet of ministers (with the planning of other future changes), it was time for the Directorate of National Salvation of the Admiral Alexander V. Kolchak to act.
On November 5, 1920, Admiral Alexander Kolchak issued the First General Order of the Directorate of National Salvation, with the aim of abolishing the legislative bodies (the State Duma and the Senate) to 'put the house in order' (in essence a coup against government agencies elected by the people in Russia).
With this order, several of the military forces and militants that supported Kolchak were mobilized
The most decisive days took place between this mentioned November 5 and November 7, 1920.
There were forces allied to Kolchak at various strategic points:
* Around southern Russia (generally the Ukraine region, Crimea and regions like the Don and Kuban in the North Caucasus) were the large forces of Cossacks, aristocrats and militants, led by Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (the Black Baron) and Pavlo Skoropadskyi ('Hetman' of the whole territory).
Under Wrangel and Skoropadskyi were, as support, other military commanders or political-civil-bureaucratic officials associated with the regime that was to be established.
We speak of personalities such as Nestor Makhno (tank engineer and local militia commander), Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich (leader of the Black Hundreds of the region), and the military commanders Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev and Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin (together with his subordinate Vasily Tchernetzov ).
* In the Baltic the main commander of the vanguard of Kolchak's forces was Sergey Leonidovich Markov, although officially on this front, Markov was subordinate to General Nikolai Nikolayevich Yudenich.
In this region was also Pavel Rafalovich Bermondt-Avalov, as support to the advance of Markov and the forces of Yudenich.
The objective of Yudenich, Markov and Bermondt-Avalov was a blow towards the Baltic positions of the Russian Empire, in particular the taking of Petrograd.
* Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov and Dmitry Leonidovich Horvat were located in the Far East (in Chita, near Outer Mongolia and Inner Mongolia).
The objective was for the Directorate to seize important portions of the Trans-Siberian and be able to capture the Pacific area of the Russian Empire, to cut off European Russia from possible allies in the east.
After pacifying the region, the Far East Directorate's goal was to advance west to support the other forces loyal to Kolchak.
* In northern Russian Scandinavia (Finland-Finnmark, Kola, Karelia) there was mainly Nikolai Vasilyevich Tchaikovsky, a leftist completely opposed to the idea of Stalin's RSDLP taking so much power in the State Duma.
The problem on this front, for the Directorate, was that Tchaikovsky was not a very skilled military man and there was a shortage of allies.
In essence, Tchaikovsky was more of a politician and a distraction to government forces.
* In Central Siberia there was Admiral Alexander V. Kolchak himself, who took the city of Omsk, expanding to its surroundings.
Below Kolchak in this region were Pyotr Vasilievich Vologodsky (essentially as 'vice president' of the Kolchak government) and Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel (alongside Sergei Nikolaievich Wojciechowski, his right-hand man), as the top Directorate commander in the region, after Kolchak of course.
Kolchak's presence had been almost an 'accident', being there after a trip in Vladivostok. But in any case, the coup must continue.
Surely the most important were the forces that were trying to advance into the heart of Russia, to its capital, Moscow, seat of the Duma and which was an important part of what 'Russia' is as an entity.
It is true that if a foreign invader came to Moscow, the Russians would not surrender. But here we speak of a civil war, a struggle of brothers.
And in this context, the taking of Moscow could mean a lot for Kolchak or for the loyalists.
The Directory forces towards Moscow were led by Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov.
General Kornilov, after the First General Order, marched with his troops and soon betrayed the Directorate between November 6 and 7, in favor of Tsar Nicholas II, Iosif Stalin and the Fourth Duma.
On November 7, Tsar Nicholas II, War Minister Aleksey Brusilov and Premier Stalin declared a serious state of emergency. What practically abolished or ceased various civil rights and political parties, including among these the work of the Fourth Duma. Which left the Tsar and his allies to handle the situation as they saw fit.
In essence, martial law came to Russia alongside the civil war, and the factions mobilized.
Brusilov, commander of the Covenant of Nations military forces, also ensured that allies arrived from abroad (and that the Covenant remained loyal).
Ready-to-protect-the-motherland.-Militias.-1941.jpg
Ready to protect the motherland. Loyalist militias around Russia.
Partisans-in-attack.jpg
Attack of Kolchak's Directorate forces against Loyalist forces in some place of Western Russia.
The-roads-of-war.jpg
The Roads of the Russian Civil War. Civilian pain is the same in all wars.
* [Kolchak Allies Annex]: There were also other scattered allies, who did not play a political or military role, but an economic role.
Like the commercial cliques run by Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov
*******
*[Heart of Russia and Baltic]
With Lavr Kornilov's betrayal, General Leonid Markov received a severe blow. Through both, the Directorate was supposed to take over the capitals and industrial centers of the Russian Empire (which would make the war much shorter and easier).
With the betrayal of a friend in this way, Markov suffered a severe blow and on November 7, his advance towards Petrograd began to fail. So Markov and his men had to stop and reorganize.
Fortunately for the Directorate, all was not lost.
Yudenich and Bermondt-Avalov, thanks to the advance of Markov, were able to seize most of the territory of Lithuania, as a base for the Directorate project.
Because of this, Markov and his associates had to fight in Latvia against government forces, which was a tough fight for various reasons.
The immediate objective of the Directorate in the Baltic changed after Kornilov's betrayal.
The best, for now, was to seize control of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to lay siege to the city of Petrograd (instead of a quick capture, a long and tedious siege), and take possession of part of the Baltic Fleet.
Through Petrograd the second largest city of the Russian Empire was taken, and the White Sea-Baltic Sea Canal could be cut, and threatened southern Finland (its most populated part).
Easier said than done.
In the Baltic Sea proper, there was a war between the navy of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov and Mannerheim against the navy circles that supported Admiral Kolchak.
In both the Baltic Sea and Black Sea Navy, there were cliques supporting Kolchak's efforts.
Thus there were naval engagements between the forces of the Russian civil war, although of course they were never as important as the conflict on land.
Meanwhile, in the proper heart of Russia, government forces were preparing for their clash with Kolchak and security measures against his allies.
War Minister Aleksey Brusilov along with the loyalist forces soon rallied Russian assets to march against Kolchak's forces.
There were two particular objectives, first a western front against enemies in southern Russia and the Baltic, and second an eastern front toward Central Siberia.
As long as Kolchak occupied Omsk, the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway was cut off.
Although of course, after years of improvement, this was not the only alternative for the loyalist forces and their logistics.
There were the Central Asian railways, loyal to the legitimate government of the Russian Empire.
With the heart of Russia intact, the loyalist forces could surround (and later crush) the power cores of the Directorate of Kolchak.
*[Southern Russia]
Supported by the aristocracy, conservative Cossacks and big capitalists, the southern Russian Empire became basically a valuerte of the Directorate of Kolchak.
It was true that there were civil clashes between loyalists and Directorate forces, but that was not the point. From Kiev, Wrangel and Skoropadskyi formed an effective bureaucracy and government, capable of withstanding the border clash against loyalist forces.
While the objectives of the Directorate were being planned.
Through the south, the Directorate seized a notable part of the Black Sea (and with this, a part of the Black Sea fleet). The loyalists had to go to Tsargrad and the Russian Antolia while planning a counterattack to the attempted coup.
And the Directorate also seized one of the most agriculturally productive regions of the Russian Empire, fueling the group's resistance to the loyalists' trade blockade. For the moment.
With this territory in hand, the regional Directorate, led by Wrangel and Skoropadskyi, decided on its next objectives.
With Kornilov's betrayal, it was clear that the north would not be so safe for this clique.
So, the clique had to take care of 4 fronts: the north (heart of Russia), the west (Bessarabia), the east (the rest of the Caucasus) and the south (the enemy Black Sea Fleet).
With an isolated position, the Directorate first sent forces to Bessarabia to gain control of the region and prevent Covenant troops from going to aid the Loyalists.
Wrangel was a distinguished military commander, and was in charge of the defense of the weaker fronts of the clique (north and west), which resisted notably because of him.
Instead, Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev and Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin had to deal with the border war in the east (especially using the Cossacks against the loyalist troops of the North Caucasus).
While Skoropadskyi and allies faced the defense of the south, and the maintenance of order in the territory.
*[Central Siberia]
Kolchak had effectively cut off the central route of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and had seized part of the industrial heartland of Central Siberia, created years ago.
The geographical position of Central Siberia was also useful, true that Kolchak was an admiral and not a general, but anyway he had some skill in handling ground troops (or in the worst case, he had officers and others who could help him for the ground war).
Under these conditions, the Directorate expanded in the west towards the Urals and in the north towards the Arctic Sea.
Through the Urals and defenses in the Arctic against the White Sea Fleet, the Directorate guaranteed an important defensive line against the loyalist forces.
Defenses that would give Kolchak time to plan his next goals.
On one side was the southern flank, where Kolchak had to expand to wrest Central Asia from the Loyalists, and on the other side was the eastern flank, where Kolchak had to go to support Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov and Dmitry Leonidovich Horvat.
Neither was an easy task for various reasons, including geography, climate, and the resistance of locals or loyalist forces against such advance.
However, it is clear that during the last months of 1920, the Directorate would survive the loyalist assaults.
*[Finland and Northern Russia]
Nikolai Vasilyevich Tchaikovsky attempted to form a Clique or 'Provisional Government of the North', against the government established in Moscow by Tsar Nicholas II and Premier Stalin.
But there were obvious problems with this.
The northern Directorate government, led by Tchaikovsky, was much more isolated than the other cliques and relied more on leftist opposition political elements than on military forces.
Due to all this, the northern clique was the first to fall.
And it fell relatively quickly, between the end of November and the beginning of December, when Governor-General Mannerheim was able to take a closer look at it after defending the southern Grand Duchy of Finland.
The fall was due to Russian-Finnish troops, and the White Sea fleet of the Russian Empire, crushing this rebellion.
There is not much to tell about this front really.
It was a possible threat to the Norwegian-Russian border, to northern Finland, and possibly to northern Russian cities (like Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, etc), but it simply lacked the resources to do much.
An interesting case is that this leftist opposition to the Fourth Duma by Makhno and Tchaikovsky, was an excuse for Lev Trotsky to enter the civil war in favor of the Fourth Duma.
Trotsky's militias proved to be very useful in fighting the Russian Civil War, Trotsky being better military than political.
*[Far East]
The main objective of Semyonov and Horvat must have been the conquest of the Far East, in particular of Inner Manchuria, Outer Manchuria and the Korean Peninsula.
The problem was ... How to do it? Now that Kornilov had betrayed them, and thus there was a major change of plans (less support for Semyonov and Horvat's efforts).
These regions mentioned were traditionally loyal, and with millions of inhabitants who could be quite negative towards the Directorate's intentions.
For this reason Semyonov drew up a plan, a series of strategies for the tactical attack and conquest of vital points of the Far East, to extinguish the loyalist support sources.
Semyonov was competent, that's what made him dangerous.
Instead Horvat was in charge of getting support between the locals, and the logistics administration, in which he was also quite competent.
But even so the situation of the clique of the Directorate of the Far East, did not look good enough. Not without further support from other cliques or new recruits for Kolchak's forces.
For a moment, Semyonov believed he had a great opportunity.
In the south, in Outer Mongolia, there was Semyonov's old friend Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.
Semyonov believed that if Ungern-Sternberg joined the Directorate, they could combine his efforts to successfully conquer the Far East.
But Ungern-Sternberg was a loyalist, and soon focused on attacking the southern flank of the Far Eastern Directorate, marking one of the most brutal and violent fronts of the Russian civil war.
While Ungern-Sternberg was heading north north, Damdin Sükhbaatar stayed in Mongolia and sent his forces south, to keep the northern states of China in line with the loyalist forces.
*["Poland"]
The existence of a civil war in Russia of course affects minorities. Most of these did not think about independence (unless it was necessary as a last resort), there was a clear division.
Tsar Nicholas II and Joseph Stalin were in favor of Russia's ethnic minorities, while Alexander V. Kolchak and his group were an enemy to them (partly due to their association with the Black Hundreds, Russian ultra-nationalists ).
However, as always, there are exceptions.
Militarily, the Polish Congress never had a chance in the face of a unified and strong Russia, not economically, politically or militarily.
And during 1920 this was still true.
So some Poles saw the Russian Civil War as an excuse for Poland's independence from the Russian Empire, finally more than a century after Poland was part of Russia.
Galicia and Silesia remained loyal, but there were sporadic uprisings in some areas of the Polish Congress.
The funny thing is that both sides of the Russian civil war made an effort to extinguish any attempt at Polish independence, because at the end of the day neither wanted the division of what was 'Russia'.
Because of this much effort for the independence of Poland, came from the 'Polish Government in exile' led by Edward Rydz-Śmigły ("President of Poland") and Leopold Skulski ("Vice President of Poland").
Under orders from Rydz-Śmigły, Lucjan Żeligowski created a kind of 'Polish Legion' to create a nationalist guerrilla force against Russia, with the aim of achieving Polish independence.
There was some British support, but Edward VIII's policy to the Russian Civil War was final, and therefore the fate of the Polish Legion rested solely with its members.
After a successful arrival in Korol'grad (Königsberg) the Polish Legion headed towards the Polish Congress, in a path that was not very beneficial for them.
As mentioned, both factions hated any attempt at independence or interference in the unity of Russia (Russia is One and Indivisible).
In the north of the Polish Congress, near the Baltic (more specifically Lithuania), General Lucjan Żeligowski, who was trying to proclaim a new Republic of Poland, faced the forces of Nikolai N. Yudenich and Pavel Rafalovich Bermondt-Avalov.
A combat that was quite negative for the Polish Legion, almost destroyed after this combat.
The Poles had to retreat again to a Baltic port, where now the navy of the Russian Empire prevented them from leaving.
Against the back of the wall, the Polish Legion attempted a guerrilla war. Although of course, the non-Poles were not in its favor (and even some Poles were against it).
And this guerrilla war was not very fruitful, although it lasted because of the Russian Civil War, the authorities were able to dissolve this Polish Legion shortly after.
*[Covenant of Nations]
The supreme commander of the Covenant forces, Aleksey Brusilov, pointed out that the Covenant stood and would stand firmly in favor of the Russian Empire.
Therefore, Brusilov called into action to the allies of Russia to end the forces opposing the legitimate regime of the Russian Empire.
And the Covenant countries responded favorably to Brusilov's call, a regime change in Big Brother could be disastrous.
There were decades-long diplomatic, cultural and political relations that could not be undone as easily as a simple civil war.
Also the economic consequences of the civil war were already important, but the fall of the Russian Empire would be even more so, especially for the Russosphere.
So the Balkans and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Anatolia, Thailand and Russian Indonesia, the Russian colonial empire, and northern China sent troops and other aid to help Big Brother in his fight.
Of course there were parts weaker than others, but there were no major rebellions in the Covenant regions, such as Persia or North China (especially not the Northern Chinese States, thanks to the loyalist forces maintaining their position in the region).
The Qajar dynasty in particular stayed quite in line.
The Covenant's plan was, of course, to reinforce the closest fronts of the Russian Empire.
* Transcaucasia or the South Caucasus.
* Bessarabia and other western parts of the Russian Empire close to the Covenant.
* Tsargrad and nearby territories.
* The Loyalist Far East.
*[International]
A shakeup in one of the largest economies on the planet was problematic for various parts of the world. A re-fall in economic aspects, which had not been seen since the time of economic miracles (after the Great Depression).
Despite this instability, the truth is that the Russian Civil War would remain somewhat regional-local, with little foreign intervention outside of the Russosphere proper, for various reasons.
Red Europe for example supported the loyalists, giving them 'critical support', since they believed that they were much better than a possible military dictatorship led by Kolchak.
Especially since it would do enormous damage to the European socialist project, which would be surrounded by hostile powers and chaos.
The United States remained neutral in the face of this conflict, although the American capitalists were willing to sell both sides, mainly they sold to the loyalist forces (who had much more money and industry than the Directorate).
The most curious case however is the Imperial Federation.
Why not act?
Very simple, the 5-10 year policy, and the British government's own problems.
King-Emperor Edward VIII and his government believed that this was not the time for a direct war with Russia, as the Imperial Federation still had to recover and prepare after WW2.
All the British did was to materially support Polish separatist groups, but there was little success in supporting the militancy of other groups.
Partly because the British were busy with their own affairs (the Third Anglo-Afghan War, colonial problems or the British Imperial Crisis) or the anti-minority policies of Kolchak against the pro-minority policies of Stalin and Tsar Nicholas II, not it helped (which caused most minorities in the Russian Empire to support the loyalists against Kolchak, instead of increasing separatism).
Furthermore, the chaos in Russia could be more beneficial to the Imperial Federation if they did not act.
A.) Supporting Kolchak alone could see the Russians rallying against Kolchak and the British, leading to notable losses on many points.
B.) If the British acted against both sides (that is, against Russia and the Covenant), Kolchak and Tsar Nicholas II could reach an agreement to unite against the British.
The best strategy for the British was not to participate. If Kolchak won, there would be an anti-communist dictator who might be friendly to them.
And if the loyalists won, at least Russia weakens a little before the Third Great War.
*******
*[Annex: Most important factions in the Russian Civil War]
Nicholas II trust circle.
Nicholas II (Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov).
Loyalists in the Armed Forces, the State, Secret Services and Burocracy, etc.
Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili "Stalin" and Felix Dzerzhinsky "Iron Felix".
Members of the Okhrana and the KGB under Stalin and Dzerzhinsky
Yakov "Yasha" Isaakovich Serebryansky, leader of Uncle's Yasha Group.
Stalinist and allied factions within the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party
Lev Borisovich Kamenev (leader of the allied factions in the RSDLP).
Several local parties of the Russian Empire (absorbed by the RSDLP).
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim, Governor-General of the Grand Duchy of Finland.
Elements inside the Grand Duchy of Finland, also loyalist to the Tsar.
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky.
Many Left-Moderate Trudoviks and former Socialist Revolutionaries.
Georgian Social Democrats, led by Irakli Tsereteli (under Kerensky).
Damdin Sükhbaatar of the Mongolian Social Democratic Labor Party.
Khorloogiin Choibalsan, Dogsomyn Bodoo, Dansranbilegiin Dogsom, Darizavyn Losol, Soliin Danzan and Ajvaagiin Danzan, among other Mongolian officers.
Members of the MSDLP in Inner Mongolia.
Boris Viktorovich Savinkov.
Pyotr Vladimirovich Karpovich, Savinkov's assistant.
Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov.
Anton Denikin.
Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov.
Lev Trotsky.
Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.
Alibi Togzhanovich Dzhangildin.
Mirsaid Sultan-Galiev.
Turar Ryskululy Ryskulov.
Amangeldy Uderbayuly Imanov and Tokash Bokin.
Jukums Vācietis, from Latvia.
Vincas Mickevičius-Kapsukas, from Lithuania and Petr Stuchka from Latvia.
Directorate of National Salvation
Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, Admiral.
Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel, the Black Baron.
Yakov Aleksandrovich Slashchov.
Pavlo Skoropadskyi, Hetman.
Nestor Makhno, Father Makhno.
Nikolai N. Yudenich.
Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov.
Pavel Rafalovich Bermondt-Avalov.
Pyotr Vasilievich Vologodsky and Nikolai Vasilyevich Tchaikovsky.
Sergey Leonidovich Markov.
Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov (double agent).
Pyotr Vasilievich Vologodsky, Russian statesman, public figure and mason.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Tchaikovsky,.
Vladimir Mitrofanovich Purishkevich.
Prince Felix Felixovich Yusupov, Count Sumarokov-Elston.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseev.
Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin.
Vasily Tchernetzov.
Alexander Petrovich Perkhurov.
Dmitry Leonidovich Horvat.
Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel.
Sergei Nikolaievich Wojciechowski.
'Poland' ("Polish Government in Exile"): Lucjan Żeligowski (general and chief of the Pilish Legion), Edward Rydz-Śmigły (President) and Leopold Skulski (Vicepresident).
*******
[International]
*[Peloponnese triumvirate due to a macaque]
October 2, King Constantine I of 'Greece' (the government in the Peloponnese) is bitten by a Barbary macaque named Fritz (an animal brought to the palaces of the region).
As a result of the macaque bite, King Constantine would die on October 25.
It is curious how the macaque's wound has important consequences due to the death of Constantine.
With his death, the Peloponnesian dictatorship suffered a severe blow.
Prime Minister Dimitrios Rallis, who was also progressively suffering from problems (not related to a macaque, but to his personal health) had to do something to save the 'real Greece'.
The death of Constantine I established a 'Triumvirate' in the Peloponnesian dictatorship:
* The council of state ('Parliament'), collaborators and Dimitrios Rallis appointed Ioannis Rallis (Dimitrios' son) as heir / future Prime Minister after Dmitrios death (which occurred on August 5, 1921, due to cancer).
Ioannis would follow the legacy of his father for the support of the Peloponnesian dictatorship.
* George, the eldest son of Constantine I, officially rose as George II to the position of King of Greece.
Similar to his father, George II leaned to the right and began to ally strongly with the military, supporting reactionary and expansionist policies for the recovery of the 'true' Hellenic homeland (northern Greece, Tsargrad, territories in Anatolia, etc).
* Prince Alexander, second son of Constantine I, became another important player in the Peloponnesian dictatorship together with Ioannis Rallis and his older brother (George II).
De facto becoming the leader of a 'neutralist' faction.
The middle brother leaned more towards liberalism than ultra-nationalism or socialism.
In reality, neutrality implied little change, Alexander remained aligned with the Imperial Federation and made the reconquest of lost territories, but at the same Alexander believed that a certain 'reconciliation' with moderates (a national union government) was needed to end the greatest enemies of Greece (mainly enemies Alexander was referring to radical leftism and foreigners).
There was also Prince Paul, who held virtually no power during this time due to his young age.
The youngest of Constantine I's male children leaned to the left, becoming the 'Red Prince of Greece' attacking the dictatorship when WW3 arrived.
*******
October 3, in the People's Republic of France the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is created, the largest horse race of the PRF, which opens in Paris and is held annually on the first Sunday of October.
A horse named 'Comrade' is the first winner of the first Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Horse racing in the People's Republic of France was stopped only on 2 occasions, in the first months of the post-revolutionary period / after the civil war and in the years of the Third World War.
(OOC: Curiously the first event of its kind in OTL France was won by a 'Comrade', I just think it's ironic that it also happens in ITL communist France).
October 4, the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare is created, a non-governmental organization of the Grand Duchy of Finland (Russia), founded at the initiative of Sophie Mannerheim (wife of Governor-General Mannerheim).
With the aim of promoting the well-being of children, youth and families with children.
The Mannerheim League has remained active and has always been close with charities of the Russian Empire (in particular those charitable companies related to the monarchy).
October 5, the Grand University of Cairo opens, as part of the modernization projects of the Emirate of Ha'il.
Classes at this university (in its early years) were equivalent to the last two years of high school and the first two years of university.
The Grand University of Cairo was responsible for the enrollment of hundreds of students in the fields of science and art.
October 7, the 48 states of the United States have a population of around 105,710,620 inhabitants, as revealed by the 1920 population census.
October 8, various Islamic extremist groups are formed in Afghanistan as a result of the British invasion of the country and the political-tribal struggle in the region.
Other countries with Muslim entities will suffer consequences in later decades due to this Third Anglo-Afghan War (the Indian subcontinent, the Russian Central Asia and the international Muslim community).
October 10, in Puerto Rico, Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo takes his first leadership position in the Spanish Navy (or well, what's left of it in Puerto Rico).
From this point on, Francisco Teódulo will rise to become admiral.
(OOC: first appearance of Francisco Franco).
October 11, the royal tour of King-Emperor Edward VIII throughout the Imperial Federation is successful and his allies continue to increase.
Edward VIII arrives in Portsmouth and then travels by train to London. The Times of London noted that "No station on the route lacked its group of cheering spectators ... People had come from remote villages and lonely farms to see the King pass ...".
Despite this, during this time, troubles between the Commons and Lords continue to increase.
October 13, former Marine Smedley Butler and his Rednecks add several new militant forces and other supporters to the Socialist-Communist Party of the United States of America.
These red militants, who include civilians, veterans, former members and active members of the armed forces, became very notable in the labor uprisings and marches of 1921 to 1933.
Love and Liquor, the first Burmese feature film, is released.
October 13 becomes Film Day in Burma / Myanmar.
October 14, a Presidential Debate takes place before the 1920 elections, between Henry Ford, Eugene V. Debs and James M. Cox.
Cox and Ford were very confident, but the presentation of the debate in the media was very successful for Debs and the S-CPUSA.
October 15, the unions suffer another blow from the Lords of the Imperial Parliament and the Council of State of the Imperial Federation.
Economic and political measures that put unions under siege, and considerably damage the possibility of strikes.
After the purges the unions are weakened and unable to mount an adequate defense. We must also take into account that several unions were run by collaborators with the British regime of Edward VIII and Louis Alexander Mountbatten.
It is this situation of the unions that in part considerably damages the Commons and opponents of the regime, since the masses of the population are bribed, radicalized in favor of the regime (right-wing militants) or too weakened-incapacitated (reducing the number of militants against the dictatorial regime).
By the Imperial Federation's own Imperial Crisis, the 1 million pro-Commons militants were generally coal miners (the only union that had more or less successfully resisted the regime).
October 17, the Communist Party of Germany in Austria attacks several institutions-buildings related to Catholicism, due to the threat that various priests promote counter-revolutionary ideas.
Death of John "Jack" Silas Reed, American journalist and communist.
Before 1933, Reed's remains were a quasi-cult site for American Communists due to Reed's literary production.
However post-1933, the remains of him had to be moved.
October 18, thousands of unemployed British men and women staged a furious march towards the residence of Prime Minister Louis Alexander Mountbatten.
The British police drew their swords and rode into the growing crowd to disperse it.
This is one of the first incidents of the British Imperial Crisis, which led precisely to the increase in violence between the ultra-right and the last pieces of pre-WW3 resistance.
October 20, various Commons in the Imperial Parliament are censored by the Lords and the British regime, which continues to deny being of a dictatorial nature.
"We are democratic. If we weren't, nothing would prevent us, aside of the government we exercise, from having a dictatorship.
At this time, we have the legitimacy, to be a government imposed, accepted and peacefully enforced. We know that there are dissidents, we know that there is opposition.
But the existence of this opposition in the Imperial Parliament is proof that there is no dictatorship.
It is necessary to understand that in reality, we are simply living a transition period between two historical cycles. "
-Official speech by the leaders of the British regime, Edward VIII, Prime Minister Louis Alexander Mountbatten and Winston Churchill (leader of the All-British Party).
"Ashamed" of the dictatorship, so ashamed, that they insist there is none.
(OOC: Speech based on the civil-military dictatorship of my country).
October 26, Henry Ford is accused of initiating diplomatic discussions for an oil-coal trade treaty with the Imperial Federation, approximately 6 days before the US presidential elections.
Although the supposed treaty is never fulfilled, it is true that Ford in his first period supported the rapprochement between the United States and the Imperial Federation.
October 30, Australian Communists are exiled from the Imperial Federation.
In general, Australian communist leaders, such as W. P. Earsman, end up in various parts of Asia (Indonesia and later China or Japan).
November 2, political elections in the Russian Empire (elections for the State Duma and the Empire's Premiership) and in the United States of America (presidential elections).
In the Russian Empire, the 1920 elections reveal the victory of Iosif V. Stalin, leader of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP), with the majority of the popular vote.
In the 1920 presidential election, National Republican Party candidate Henry Ford wins his second presidential term.
However the elections reveal something worrying, in his fifth election, Eugene V. Debs becomes the second most popular candidate.
Thus, the S-CPUSA effectively displaced the Democratic Party, and overthrew the traditional two-party order (which had been progressively threatening for years).
For liberals and conservatives, this poses a huge threat to the United States. Nat-Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and Congress begin to form alliances against the Socialists.
November 5, definitively begins the Russian Civil War, between the forces of the legitimate government and the attempted military coup led by the Directorate of National Salvation.
The 'Fight of the Century' is remembered between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier, heavyweight champions (and light heavyweight in the case of Carpentier)
Each fighter would receive an unprecedented amount of money, around 1 million dollars (equivalent to more than 12 million dollars 1 century later).
November 10, the Imperial Federation denounces the British exiles in the Socialist Republic of Ireland, after the Englishman Cecil L'Estrange Malone (member of the Communist Party of England) proclaimed:
"I hope the day will come soon when we will gather here to give a blessing to the British Revolution ... When that day comes, woe to all those who stand in our way."
L'Estrange Malone also insisted on the need to hang British politicians, such as Churchill and the All-British Party from him, and King Edward VII himself.
"What are a few royals or a few Churchills lamp posts, compared with the misery of thousands of human beings due to the British Imperialism?"
This is why Cecil L'Estrange Malone became a kind of bogeyman of the reactionary personalities of the Imperial Federation. Especially because of his views in favor of revolutionary terror, similar to the terror of the French Revolution.
But quite loved in the Communist Party of England and Red Europe.
November 13, a group of teenagers carried out the largest train robbery in US history (up to that point).
The leader was 17 years old and was helped by his younger brother and another young accomplice, who broke into a bagón in the first stop of the train (with a shipment of currency, bonds and gold from the United States Mint) outside of Omaha, Nebraska.
This without knowing that the mail bags carried more than the normal amount of money orders and cash. The amount stolen, originally thought to be a million dollars, was soon revealed to be more than $ 7,000,000 (equivalent to more than $ 80 million a century later).
Much of the money was burned and only a small amount was recovered.
November 14, Prime Minister Dimitrios Rallis begins to give his son Ioannis more responsibilities in managing the Peloponnesian dictatorship.
Ioannis becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Greece.
General Pyotr Wrangel is successful in mobilizing troops to the northern and western fronts of the Directorate of the South, more specifically in Bessarabia where loyalist and Romanian troops had mobilized against the Directorate.
November 18, in the socialist countries of Red Europe 'Maternity Homes' are created and maternity leave payments (money for pregnant women who have to stop working due to their condition) are extended to 24 weeks.
Maternity Homes are specifically built by the ministries of health of socialist countries to provide free services (including health education) to pregnant women or those seeking postpartum care, with the aim of supporting women with high-risk pregnancies and reduce the high death rate associated with illegal abortions.
Basically with this, the socialist countries create alternative means to avoid abortion, which at this point had not yet been legalized in any country in the world.
November 19, representatives of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and Costa Rica signed a boundary agreement in Amapala (Guatemala) as the first step towards the reunification of Central America.
President Ford of the United States looks at this with neutrality, for the moment. It all depends on whether a unified Central America is good for American business or not.
November 26, there is "the deadliest earthquake in Albania", with a magnitude of 6.2, a 7 second earthquake collapsed several buildings and killed 200 people, most in the city of Tepelenë (southern Albania).
The Catholic Syrian Bank, later one of the oldest banks in India (although today it has another name after its nationalization at the hands of the Indian government) is created in the British Raj.
November 27, the movie The Mark of Zorro (starring Douglas Fairbanks) opens.
The Mark of Zorro would later turn out to be an influence on movie adaptations of pulp heroes or similar heroes, such as Batman in Russia or Crimson Avenger in America.
December 7, President Henry Ford delivers his State of the Union address, where he points out the possible risks of divisions within the United States, especially due to the threat of socialism in the country.
December 8, with martial law in Russia, the building of the State Duma and the fundamental laws of the Russian Empire begin to be re-structured by Tsar Nicholas II and his associates.
The Russia that comes out of the civil war will not be the same as the Russia before the war, for various reasons ...
December 11, the formation of alliances between Nat-Republicans and Democrats continues due to the perception of the strengthening of communism in the United States.
December 14, initiates the Akali movement within the Sikh community of the British Raj.
The Akali movement or Gurdwara Reform, was a campaign to reform the gurdwaras (places of worship belonging to Sikhism).
Of course they did not receive much attention from the British, who opposed the movement because of separatist tendencies. And in a sense they were right, the Sikh militants allied themselves with the Indian communists after 1925.
"One must remember that one is dealing with Orientals".
-Winston Churchill, insulting Asians once again.
December 16, a magnitude 8.7 earthquake hits the Federative Republic of Gansu, eventually resulting in the death of more than 200,000 people throughout the China region (both the northern states and the Republic of China in the south , and some border parts of Russia).
The earthquake struck at 8:05 p.m. local time and killed 73,027 people in Haiyuan City, as well as 30,000 in Guyuan and 20,000 in Longde, with more than 100,000 buried alive in landslides of loess deposits.
Damdin Sükhbaatar, with the support of the Russian loyalist authorities and the Russian Red Cross, launches a major campaign to support the damaged regions (providing aid and services to repair damage, feed and care for the population, etc.).
In the process, Damdin Sükhbaatar effectively keeps China's northern states under occupation by loyal forces and pacifies the region (effectively purging any disloyal elements), which remains in line with the Covenant of Nations and the Russian Empire.
The Ma family, who run the Federative Republic of Gansu, are quite grateful for this.
December 17, the Nat-Republican and Democrat alliance focuses on increasing the number of representatives in the United States House of Representatives before 1922.
This is because there are states aligned with the National Republican Party, which according to the 1920 census, have had an increase in population (and more Representatives of the Nat-Republican Party are good against the socialists of the S-CPUSA).
December 22, Lev Trotsky creates militias for the Russian civil war, aligning himself with the Fourth Duma and the government of Tsar Nicholas II to fight against the Directorate of Alexander V. Kolchak.
December 28, the Kharkov militias start, a series of pro-legitimist resistance groups against the forces of the Directorate of the South (led by Wrangel and Skoropadskyi).
One of the most notable leaders of these militias was the Balkan Josip Broz Tito, who joined them 2 days later.
*******
* [Perspective: Legitimists and Heirs of the Land]
"Gentlemen, I know that the civil war is won. I know it from the first minute." Tsar Nicholas II proclaims. "But I am concerned about what will happen after the civil war, we must rebuild Russia. Every citizen of the empire has this duty, to his comrades and his motherland."
The czar was speaking before Premier Stalin and the remaining deputies of the Fourth Duma (RSDLP and Trudoviks, with some others like Trotsky's followers, who had proven loyal to the Fourth Duma).
The group was now meeting in one of Moscow's palaces, while the building of the Fourth (IV) State Duma of the Russian Empire was being rebuilt.
After this political meeting, Stalin and Tsar Nicholas met with Brusilov in Moscow, surrounded by military officers to discuss martial law measures and operations against the Directorate.
"Most of our plan seems to be in order, but of course the destruction has been impossible to stop." Brusilov calmly indicates, but this was a tough time for Russia.
"We know. But we must first act against the Directorate before we think about the destruction that will be left behind." Stalin indicates. "Dzerzhinsky's Ministry of the Interior is preparing to nationalize all the assets of collaborators with Kolchak and sabotage various rebel positions."
"We also have similar objectives for the operations of the Ministry of War." Anton Denikin reports promptly, issuing various documents to Tsar Nicholas II and Premier Stalin.
Tsar Nicholas II read the documents together with the officers and other members of his circle of trust, present in that room.
Most of these were approved.
There were three main targets, firstly Kolchak himself, the clique of Wrangel and Skoropadskyi, and the Directorate forces in the Baltic.
With European Russia and Central Siberia completely liberated, nothing would stand in the way of the loyalist forces. And then Russia would finally see peace once again.
"If the order was given, the army must go. I am a military man and I must go to the front." The Tsesarevich Nicholas Nikolaevich insists before his father, the Tsar himself.
"You are the heir, your father would never force you to go to the front. Just say something!" Empress Elena tries to stop another son from leaving, she and her husband (Tsar Nicholas II) had tried to change their older sons' minds on several occasions.
And it didn't always work.
"I made a promise to my grandfather, the Tsar Alexander III. If the country calls me, there I go." Nicholas Nikolaevich insists.
"As commander of the armed forces ..." Tsar Nicholas II exclaims, serious for a moment. But then he can't say much more. "Make me proud."
His son looked a lot like him (and like Tsar Alexander III), not only physically, but also he had this stubborn nature.
The Tsesarevich and the Tsar embraced, perhaps for one last time.
Not everyone would live to see Tsar Nicholas II's New Russia.
*******
* [Perspective: From Omsk]
The Directorate forces fired their artillery into the sky, while the Air Force of the Russian Empire scouted and bombarded the rebel positions.
It was a tough battle between tenacious forces in central Siberia...and beyond.
Kolchak watched from his balcony at the Batyushkin mansion, sipping a cup of tea after having attended to the day's business. Snow was falling in the city of Omsk.
Not only military of all kinds joined him and his Directorate, but also civil and political officials from the Kadets, Septembrists, Black Hundreds and others.
Civil war was a complicated affair, borders were sometimes blurred and allies or enemies could disappear in a matter of seconds.
The radios and telegraphs under the Directorate worked, but suffered interference and attacks by the loyalist forces (and at the same time the Directorate attacked the loyalists of course).
In a civil war, both forces will try to destroy each other with all possible arsenal.
And therefore, political and military issues came to his table at every moment.
"How is the consolidation of our forces going?" Vologodsky, 'vice president' of the supreme leader, asks curiously. Vologosky was a politician and statesman, not a military man.
"The loss of Kornilov and Brusilov has been disastrous, but we will survive." Kolchak indicates calmly and confidently. "Do you have any news to give? If not, I would prefer you to leave my office."
"Well sir, it is clear that Commander Brusilov is preparing an offensive towards Siberia. Hopefully they will try to cross the Urals by the middle of next year." Vologosky explains by presenting more papers.
The Supreme Leader finishes his tea and goes to serve them in silence, while Vologosky leaves.
Defending the western and northern Frankish was 'straightforward', but costly. And in turn the Central Clique had to think about supporting the Far East Clique and attacking loyalist Central Asia.
There was a lot of work to do for Kolchak.
"If we attack Central Asia, we could face a Muslim rebellion or a guerrilla war that would be very costly to win in these turbulent years." Kolchak indicates. "I have to find some way to win allies there." The supreme leader indicates.
800px-Kolchak-i-syn-polka.jpg
Kolchak visiting the front. He is greeting one of the children who is under the care of the regiment.
*******
*[Perspective: The party of royals]
The door was forced open by the troops behind it.
The smell of alcohol soon flooded the noses of the troops, who then saw the exiled Prince Carol of Romania, Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich (son of Tsar Nicholas II) and a few women.
The royalty was confused, there was a bit of resistance when the troops grabbed them, but then the commander spoke.
"By order of Tsar Nicholas II and the Fourth Duma, it is mandatory that they be transported to Moscow." The commander indicates promptly, while he led everyone present in that room.
"What is happening? ... Who are you?" A drunk Mikhail exclaims.
"I am Commander Rudolf Romanovsky-Honcharov. Your highness, there has been an attempted coup and your safety is at risk. Your family and the Covenant authorities are concerned for your safety...and the safety of your friend of course." Rudolf exclaims promptly.
Exiting the building was easy, although Carol and Mikhail had trouble going down the stairs and getting into the military vehicles.