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Leon Trotsky was unlucky in our history. In the USSR, starting from Stalin's times, everyone unanimously and fiercely hated him. And for some reason most post-Soviet researchers forgot about him. Although, given his role in the revolution of 1905, in the revolution of 1917, in the events associated with the signing of the Brest Peace, etc., it is certainly necessary to talk about Trotsky, no matter how we treat this figure.
For example, for some reason we tend to remain silent about the decisive role that Trotsky (and not Voroshilov and Budyonny) played in the creation of the Red Army.
Having resigned from the post of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs immediately after the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was approved at the 7th emergency party congress, Lev Davidovich did not remain without a major government post for long. The congress ended its work on March 8, 1918, on March 11, the Soviet government moved from Petrograd to Moscow, and already on the same day a telegram was sent to Lenin, in which, on behalf of the Petrograd Bureau of the Central Committee, it was proposed to immediately appoint Trotsky as “Chief People’s Commissar for Military Affairs” .
The matter really did not tolerate delays. The October revolution in Petrograd could have been carried out by the forces of the irregular Red Guard, but a regular army was already needed to defend the revolution. The old army was destroyed by the hands of the Provisional Government and the Bolsheviks, for which Russia paid with “obscene peace,” and chaos still reigned in the military department of the victorious revolution.
Unlike all other ministries, the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs by March 1918 found itself without competent leadership. The Bolshevik triumvirate of Antonov-Ovseenko, Krylenko and Dybenko, which headed this department after October, fell apart for various reasons.
The problem, however, was not only this. None of the members of the triumvirate had the necessary outlook, will and organizational talent to deal with such a complex issue as military development.
Not to mention the authority necessary to keep in check three opposing forces at once: the masses of soldiers, struck by anarchy, military specialists - people who are competent, but ideologically suspicious of the new government, and party leaders, whose revolutionary determination, on the contrary, greatly exceeded their modest knowledge of military affairs.
A telegram to Lenin, signed by a candidate member of the Central Committee of the party, Adolf Joffe, which proposed to urgently appoint Trotsky as People's Commissar for Military Affairs, was dictated precisely by the fact that part of the party elite in Petrograd decided to take upon themselves the defense of the city, self-confidently interfering with the strategic and military-technical orders of specialists .
Ioffe made a fair conclusion: “Not a single honest and self-respecting military specialist will work in such conditions. The only salvation would be the immediate appointment of Trotsky... for he could simply not take these boyish nonsense into account.”
Lenin agreed with the assessment and already on March 18, that is, just ten days after his resignation from the post of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Trotsky received the portfolio of Minister of War (People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic) in the government. As subsequent events showed, this was one of the most successful personnel decisions of Soviet times.
It is clear that the construction of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) was not carried out by Trotsky alone, but by a whole galaxy of military leaders and Bolshevik politicians. However, the main one was Trotsky.
It was he, Leiba Davidovich Bronstein, a Jew from the village of Yanovka, Kherson province, who confused all the cards of the whites, and the West, and tipped the scales of the Civil War in favor of the Bolsheviks.
Trotsky's leading role in the creation of the Red Army was also recognized by his direct opponents in the Civil War - the generals of the White Army. General Denikin writes: “The Supreme Military Revolutionary Council with its chairman Bronstein and members Podvoisky, Antonov, Stalin and others was placed at the head of the armed forces. In fact, however, all power was in the hands of Bronstein.”
Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History, which is distinguished by its objectivity, states: “The disunity of the White command, on the one hand, and the administrative and strategic talent of Trotsky, on the other, decided the outcome of the matter. Both opposing armies were born from a mass of peasant partisans and non-professional militias. Through trial and error, Trotsky forged from his masses a professional and combat-ready army.”
Moreover, it can be argued that Trotsky’s appointment as Minister of War left an imprint on the entire subsequent history of relations between the Soviet Union and the West, given how influential the Red Army eventually became in international life.
Finally, the Red Army played important role not only as a defender of the fatherland or as an instrument of Bolshevik policy outside the USSR. The army created by Trotsky became perhaps the main forge and educator of Soviet personnel.
It was in the army that the large peasant mass of Russia underwent the first, albeit primitive, but effective socialist treatment. The peasant was trained not only in military affairs, but also in literacy, fed, treated, and ideologically prepared. The army gave a start in life to major Soviet commanders, scientists, “red directors,” artists, and writers.
In other words, like much else from the Soviet past, the Red Army does not fit into a primitive black-and-white assessment format. Pros and cons, good and evil, tightly closed ranks, marched here from Trotsky until the last day of the existence of the USSR (or even further), leaving historians with the widest possible maneuver for any interpretation.
As Trotsky himself admits, he was not prepared for military work and agreed to take such a responsible position only because Lenin insisted on it. Lev Davidovich, like many other intelligent people, was born with glasses and a hat, but without a sword belt.
The fact that it was precisely such a person who created the Red Army indicates that God is not without a sense of humor. However, Lev Davidovich was not a caricatured “civilian shtafirka.”
His military uniform really did not fit well, and he had never served in the army, but he saw war and people in war with his own eyes. And this is an invaluable experience. In 1912-1913, Trotsky, as a war correspondent, transmitted over 70 reports from the front lines of the first and second Balkan wars.
In addition, Trotsky had much of what a truly military man should have: the character of a leader, an iron will, personal courage and organizational talent. As for special knowledge, given Trotsky’s high general educational level (after all, a diploma from the University of Vienna), this was a gain. Quite soon after his appointment, the People's Commissar could already appreciate the advice of military experts and make professionally competent decisions.
Finally, throughout the entire period of the Civil War, Trotsky had strong support from Lenin, and he constantly used this trump card; fortunately, Lev Davidovich always had enough ill-wishers due to his controversial Marxist past, quarrelsome character and caustic language.
It was during the Civil War that Trotsky spoiled his relationship with Stalin. The People's Commissar for National Affairs intrigued against the People's Commissar for Military Affairs for a long time, but at that time he lost and was forced to ask Trotsky (through Lenin) for an apology. Trotsky forgave Stalin at that time, Stalin did not forgive Trotsky. So Stalin began to forge the famous ice ax that split Trotsky’s skull back at that time.
The Bolsheviks had to create new combat-ready armed forces in the shortest possible time and from very poor material (on the ruins of the old army, from assorted partisan detachments, from forcibly mobilized peasants). Perhaps the main enemy of the People's Commissar at the first stage of creating a regular army was anarchy, to which he opposed the most severe discipline.
Later, Trotsky was more than once reproached for extrajudicial reprisals against Red Army soldiers, commanders and even commissars. In cases of stampede, he even used the experience of the ancient Romans: he indiscriminately executed every tenth person. It is often remembered that it was he who initiated the creation of barrage detachments that mercilessly shot the retreating Red Army soldiers.
The reproach is controversial - not because all these statements contradict the facts (numerous executions actually took place), but because Trotsky’s leadership style was both Lenin’s style and, in general, the style of that era. Already in November 1917, the famous decree of the Council of People's Commissars “On the Courts” appeared, which contained direct instructions in emergency situations and in the absence of legal norms to act on the basis of a revolutionary sense of justice.
Considering that the civil war is all emergency and legal vacuum, it is not surprising that revolutionary legal consciousness dominated everywhere in those days.
Defending the Bolsheviks’ right to terror, Lenin said at a rally in November 1918 in front of employees of the Cheka: “When we are reproached for cruelty, we are perplexed how people forget the most elementary Marxism.” In other words, it was not so much Trotsky who put him up against the wall, but rather “elementary Marxism.” And, of course, the logic of war, inexorable in its cruelty.
Lev Davidovich laid three principles as the basis for military development. Universal military training of workers, which was supposed to ensure a constant influx of more or less trained reserves into the army. Widespread involvement of military specialists in the work tsarist army, which made it possible to build truly professional armed forces. And the widespread installation in the Red Army of ideological overseers - commissars, which guaranteed the protection of the interests of the revolution and the Bolshevik Party.
Finally, all this, according to Trotsky’s plan, was to be secured, like an iron hoop, by the highest discipline, which was ensured, on the one hand, by revolutionary propaganda, and on the other, by repression.
If ideologically the Red Army was built on a fundamentally new foundation, then professionally it inherited the traditions of the old Russian army. As the famous monarchist Vasily Shulgin figuratively noted, some “white ideas crawled across the red front.”
Denikin also testified to the same thing, emphasizing that Trotsky built the army “entirely in the image and likeness of the imperial army, with the exception of the collegial form of supreme military power, the institution of commissars and komjacheki, in whose hands were the supervision of the command staff and the political education of the masses.”
Although the very principle of attracting military experts to the new army was officially approved by the Central Committee and supported by Lenin, in practice it was in this area that Trotsky had to wage the most fierce struggle.
Party members did not trust military experts, did not want to obey them, and constantly accused the People's Commissar of favoring former officers. The accusation is unfair. It was Trotsky who persistently ensured that in the event of treason the entire officer family would be subjected to the most severe repressions; it was he who created the system of the most severe commissar supervision over the command staff. It’s just that the People’s Commissar rightly believed that you couldn’t build an army on revolutionary enthusiasm alone.
There were not enough commanders, especially for senior positions, so Trotsky was constantly fussing: he asked that the security officers release the arrested officers from prison and place them at the disposal of the People's Commissariat (if they were not directly involved in the conspiracy), or he demanded that Moscow urgently conduct an audit of the bureaucratic ranks.
The People's Commissar proposed to “identify” former military specialists, “remove them from Soviet institutions” and send them to the front. In December 1918, at the insistence of Trotsky, the Council of People's Commissars adopted a decree “On the procedure for calling up all former officers for active military service.”
Thus, thanks to Trotsky’s persistence during the Civil War, more tsarist officers fought on the side of the Reds than on the side of the Whites.
Only during the month from December 15, 1918 to January 15, 1919, more than 4,300 officers and 7,600 non-commissioned officers of the tsarist army were drafted into the Red Army. At the same time, the Bolshevik command courses managed to train only 1,340 Red commanders, that is, approximately one tenth of the number of “former” ones.
Of course, among the officers called up to the front there were also those who fought on the side of the Reds under duress, but by the end of 1918, the majority of military specialists no longer held a stone in their bosoms for the new government.
The mood among military specialists slowly but steadily changed in favor of the Bolsheviks. And because the Soviet government, unlike the Provisional Government, not only brought order to the army, but also generally demonstrated amazing resilience, and this appeals to a military man.
But most importantly, because a threat arose on the horizon that has always united Russians around power, whatever it was at that time - the threat of foreign intervention. Trotsky, who carefully observed this process, stated with satisfaction: “During the 13 months of Soviet power, it became clear to many, many former officers... that no other regime is now capable of ensuring the independence of the Russian people from foreign violence.”
And he was right. The foreign factor in the civil war worked for the Bolsheviks. They had well learned the lessons of the Great French Revolution, and therefore knew for sure that foreign intervention does not undermine, but only strengthens the revolutionary bastions, rallying even yesterday’s oppositionists around the authorities (on the basis of patriotism). So, without even intending it, the West helped the Soviet regime survive.
Lev Davidovich
Battles and victories
A major figure in the communist movement, Soviet military-political figure, People's Commissar for Military Affairs.
Trotsky, not being a military specialist, managed to practically organize the Red Army from scratch, turning it into an effective and powerful armed force and becoming one of the organizers of the victory of the Red Army in the Civil War. "Red Bonaparte"
Trotsky (Bronstein) Lev Davidovich was born in the Kherson province into a family of wealthy Jewish colonists. Graduated from St. Paul's College in Odessa. He had a broad outlook and developed intellect. From his youth he participated in revolutionary activities, collaborated with the Social Democrats (although he repeatedly came into conflict with V.I. Lenin). He was repeatedly arrested, exiled and escaped. He spent many years in exile in France, Austria-Hungary, and visited the North American United States.
As a war correspondent, Trotsky participated in the First and Second Balkan Wars, gaining his first ideas about war and the army. Even during that period, he proved himself to be a serious organizer and specialist. Although he demanded payment for himself as a correspondent that exceeded the monthly salary of the Serbian minister, with this money he paid for a secretary who performed technical work and compiled certificates, and he himself supplied customers with extremely accurate and verified information. It included not only a presentation of events, but also attempts to analyze and synthesize material, a deep understanding of the life of the Balkan region and fairly accurate forecasting, which is fully confirmed by the research of modern domestic and foreign Balkan researchers. There is no reason to believe that, while at the head of the Soviet military department, Trotsky showed less thoroughness in his work.
During the First World War, again as a war correspondent, Trotsky became acquainted with the French army. He independently studied issues of militarism.
In 1917, Trotsky came to Russia and actively participated in revolutionary propaganda among the troops of the Petrograd garrison. In September 1917, he took over the post of chairman of the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, and in October he created the Military Revolutionary Committee, which headed the work to prepare an armed seizure of power in the capital. Through the efforts of Trotsky, the Petrograd garrison did not support the Provisional Government, and the Bolsheviks seized power. Trotsky organized the defense of Petrograd from the offensive of the troops of General P.N. Krasnov, personally checked the weapons and was on the front line.
At the end of 1917 - beginning of 1918. Trotsky served as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. He supported the unsuccessful policy of “neither peace nor war,” as a result of which he left the post of People’s Commissar.
In mid-March 1918 L.D. Trotsky, by decision of the Party Central Committee, became People's Commissar for Military Affairs (he held this post until 1925) and Chairman of the Supreme Military Council. Trotsky was the military leader of the Red Army during the Civil War, concentrating immense power in his hands. In the fall of 1918, he headed the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic.
Not being a military specialist, he showed outstanding organizational skills and managed to practically organize the Red Army from scratch on a regular basis, turning it into a massive, effective and powerful armed force based on the principles of universal conscription and strict discipline. At the highest military posts in Soviet Russia, Trotsky demonstrated his character - iron will and determination, colossal energy, fanatical commitment to achieving the intended result with undoubted ambition.
Under the leadership of Trotsky, the military-administrative apparatus of Soviet Russia took shape, military districts, armies and fronts were created, and mass mobilizations were carried out in a country decomposed by revolutionary ferment. The Red Army achieved its victories over the internal counter-revolution.
Trotsky became the main ideologist and proponent of the policy of recruiting former officers of the old army, who were called military specialists, into the Red Army. This policy encountered fierce resistance both in the party and among the mass of soldiers who ended up in the Red Army. One of Trotsky’s ardent opponents on this issue was Central Committee member I.V. Stalin, who sabotaged this course. IN AND. Lenin also doubted the correctness of Trotsky's course. However, the correctness of this policy was confirmed by successes at the fronts, and in 1919 it was declared the official party course.
During the Civil War, Trotsky showed himself to be a talented organizer who understood the nature of war and methods of management in its conditions, as well as a person who knew how to find mutual language with military experts. Trotsky's strength as the leader of the Red Army was his clear understanding of the strategy of the Civil War. In this matter, he was significantly superior even to old military specialists with an academic education, who poorly understood the social nature of the Civil War.
This was especially clearly manifested during the discussion about Soviet strategy on the Southern Front in the summer - autumn of 1919. Commander-in-Chief S.S. Kamenev planned the main attack of the offensive through the Cossack areas, where the Reds faced fierce resistance from the local population. Trotsky sharply criticized the direction of the main attack proposed by Kamenev. He was against the offensive through the Don region, since he reasonably believed that the Reds would meet the greatest resistance in the Cossack territories. Meanwhile, the Whites achieved significant successes in their main Kursk direction, which threatened the very existence of Soviet Russia. Trotsky’s idea was to separate the Cossacks from the volunteers by delivering the main blow precisely in the Kursk-Voronezh direction. In the end, the Red Army moved to implement Trotsky's plan, but this happened only after several months of fruitless attempts to implement Kamenev's plan.
Trotsky spent the hottest time of the Civil War traveling around the fronts in his famous train (“flying control apparatus,” as Trotsky called it), organizing troops on the ground. He repeatedly traveled to the most threatened fronts and established work there. He made an outstanding contribution to strengthening the front near Kazan in August 1918, when the Red Army was demoralized. Trotsky was able to strengthen the morale of the troops with punitive measures, propaganda and strengthening the group Soviet troops in the Kazan region.
He later recalled his trips to the fronts:Looking back at the three years of the civil war and looking through the log of my continuous trips along the front, I see that I almost did not have to accompany the victorious army, participate in the offensive, or directly share its successes with the army. My trips were not of a festive nature. I only went to unfavorable areas when the enemy broke through the front and drove our regiments in front of them. I retreated with troops, but never advanced with them. As soon as the broken divisions were put in order and the command gave the signal for the offensive, I said goodbye to the army for another troubled sector or returned to Moscow for a few days to resolve the accumulated issues in the center.
“Of course, this method cannot be called correct,” Trotsky noted in another of his works. - A pedant will say that in supply, as in all military affairs in general, the most important thing is the system. This is right. I myself am inclined to sin rather towards pedantry. But the fact is that we did not want to die before we managed to create a coherent system. That is why we were forced, especially in the first period, to replace the system with improvisations, so that the system could be based on them in the future.”
For example, what did Trotsky do during the defense of Petrograd in the fall of 1919? Documents indicate that with his authority he ensured the supply of everything necessary for the 7th Army defending the “Cradle of the Revolution”. He dealt with army supply problems and resolved personnel issues. He carried out strategic planning: he put forward very practical proposals for turning Petrograd into an impregnable fortress, and raised in advance the question of the prospects for relations with the Estonians in the event of the defeat of Yudenich’s army and its withdrawal to Estonia. He exercised general supreme control, and also instructed the military and political leadership and, as Trotsky himself noted, gave “an impetus to the initiative of the front and the immediate rear.” In addition, with his characteristic ebullient energy, he held rallies, made speeches, and wrote articles. The benefits of his presence in Petrograd were undoubted.
Trotsky wrote about the achievements of the first days near Petrograd: “The command staff, embroiled in failures, had to be shaken up, refreshed, renewed. Even greater changes were made in the commissar composition. All units were strengthened from within by the communists. Individual fresh units also arrived. Military schools were brought to the forefront. In two or three days we managed to bring up the completely depleted supply apparatus. The Red Army soldier ate more, changed his underwear, changed his shoes, listened to the speech, shook himself, pulled himself up and became different.”
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Already at this time, Trotsky developed a universal formula for victories in the Civil War. On October 16, 1919, he wrote to former General Dmitry Nikolaevich Nadezhny, who was entrusted with command of the 7th Army: “As always in similar cases This time too, we will achieve the necessary turning point with the help of organizational, agitational and punitive measures.”
According to Trotsky, “it is impossible to create a strong army on the fly. Plugging and mending holes at the front will not help matters. The transfer of individual communists and communist detachments to the most dangerous places can only temporarily improve the situation. There is only one salvation: to transform, reorganize, educate the army through hard, persistent work, starting with the main cell, with the company, and rising higher through the battalion, regiment, division; establish proper supply, proper distribution of communist forces, proper relationships between command staff and commissars, ensure strict diligence and unconditional integrity in reports (highlighted in the document. - A.G.)". Thus, the secret of Trotsky’s success lay not only in the number of bayonets.
Trotsky outlined the reasons for the Whites’ defeats as follows:While they, Dutov, Kolchak, Denikin, had partisan detachments from the most qualified officer and cadet elements, until then they developed a large striking force in relation to their number, because, I repeat, this is an element of great experience, high military qualifications. But when the heavy mass of our regiments, brigades, divisions, and armies, built on mobilization, forced them to move on to mobilizing the peasants in order to oppose the masses to the masses, the laws of class struggle began to work. And mobilization turned into internal disorganization for them, causing the forces of internal destruction to work. To manifest this, to reveal it in practice, all it took was blows from our side.
The Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic tried to find a common language with elements disloyal to the Bolsheviks. Thus, in the spring of 1919, Trotsky proposed integrating Nestor Makhno’s anarchists into the Red Army by sending detachments of party workers, security officers, sailors and workers to the “anarchist gangs” of the Makhnovists.
Trotsky was an excellent speaker, his speeches at the fronts played a role in raising the morale of the Red Army soldiers. He showed concern for ordinary Red Army soldiers. In the fall of 1919, he wrote to the Central Committee about the need for warm clothing for the army, because... “You cannot demand more from the human body than it can bear.”
Trotsky contributed in every possible way to the dissemination of military knowledge in the Red Army and the development of military science. Thus, under his patronage, a serious military-scientific magazine “Military Affairs” was published in Moscow by a group of former officers.
While taking care of the training of commanders, the leaders of the Red Army did not forget about ordinary soldiers. Since 1918, their training has been carried out through Vsevobuch (General Military Training). In a short time, training and formation departments appeared in all work centers. According to Trotsky's plan, Vsevobuch was to create large military units up to and including armies. As part of Vsevobuch, pre-conscription training was carried out in labor schools, which 60,000 people, or 10% of all those registered, completed.
Trotsky attached great disciplinary importance to the factor of repression in the army. The secret “Instructions to responsible employees of the 14th Army,” signed by Trotsky on August 9, 1919, spoke about the principles of punitive policy: “All leading institutions of the army - the Revolutionary Military Council, the Political Department, the Special Department, the Revolutionary Tribunal must firmly establish and implement the rule that not a single crime in the army goes unpunished. Of course, the punishment must be strictly consistent with the actual nature of the crime or misdemeanor. The sentences must be such that every Red Army soldier, reading about them in his newspaper, clearly understands their fairness and necessity for maintaining the combat effectiveness of the army. Punishments should follow the crime as quickly as possible.”
Not only the rank and file, but also command staff and even commissars needed to strengthen discipline. The leader of the Red Army, Trotsky, in this regard was ready to go to the end, even to the point of shooting party workers. It was on his orders that a tribunal was appointed, which sentenced to death the commander of the 2nd Petrograd Regiment Gneushev, the regimental commissar Panteleev and every tenth Red Army soldier who, with part of the regiment, abandoned their positions and fled by ship from near Kazan in the summer of 1918. This incident sparked a discussion in the party about the admissibility of shooting party workers and a wave of criticism against Trotsky. The high-profile case gives reason to believe that the executions of party members were still an exceptional and isolated phenomenon.
Another means of intimidation, which actually did not find any real application in the Red Army, was orders to take hostage the families of defectors from among military experts.
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A few years after the Civil War, Trotsky commented on the meaning of such harsh orders (primarily orders to shoot commissars): “It was not an order to shoot, it was the usual pressure that was then practiced. I have here dozens of telegrams of the same kind from Vladimir Ilyich... This was a common form of military pressure at that time.” Thus, it was primarily about threats. Trotsky is often accused of some kind of excessive cruelty, which is not true.
Of course, Trotsky also made mistakes that corresponded to the scale of his activities. Thus, with his actions to disarm the Czechoslovaks, he provoked an armed uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps. His hopes for a world revolution, as well as those associated with these hopes, did not come true either. specific plans and calculations.
Having lost in the internal party political struggle, Trotsky went into exile, and in 1929 he was expelled from the USSR and subsequently deprived of Soviet citizenship. In exile he became the founder of the Fourth International, created a number of historical works and memoirs. Mortally wounded by an NKVD agent in 1940 in Mexico.
IN Soviet period researchers and memoirists sought to downplay the role of L.D. Trotsky in the creation of the Red Army, since his figure was actually excluded from historical process in Stalin’s interpretation of the history of the Civil War and was mentioned only in extremely negative terms. However, in the post-Soviet period it became possible to talk about outstanding role Trotsky in the creation of the Soviet armed forces. Of course, Trotsky was not a commander, but he was an outstanding military administrator and organizer.
GANIN A.V., Ph.D., Institute of Slavic Studies RAS
Literature
My life. M., 2001
Stalin. T. 2. M., 1990
Kirshin Yu.Ya. Trotsky is a military theorist. Klintsy, 2003
Krasnov V., Daines V. Unknown Trotsky. Red Bonaparte. M., 2000
Felshtinsky Yu., Chernyavsky G. Leon Trotsky is a Bolshevik. Book 2. 1917-1924. M., 2012
Shemyakin A.L. L.D. Trotsky about Serbia and the Serbs (military impressions of 1912-1913). V.A. Tesemnikov. Research and materials dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the birth of V.A. Tesemnikova. M., 2013. pp. 51-76
Internet
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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 traits, like determination and firmness, courage and a great operational outlook, a high sense of responsibility and consciousness of one’s 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.
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.
Vladimir Svyatoslavich
981 - conquest of Cherven and Przemysl. 983 - conquest of the Yatvags. 984 - conquest of the Rodimichs. 985 - successful campaigns against the Bulgars, tribute to the Khazar Khaganate. 988 - conquest of the Taman Peninsula. 991 - subjugation of the White Croats. 992 - successfully defended Cherven Rus in the war against Poland. In addition, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles.
Dokhturov Dmitry Sergeevich
Defense of Smolensk.
Command of the left flank on the Borodino field after Bagration was wounded.
Battle of Tarutino.
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.
Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky Pyotr Alexandrovich
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
He is a great commander who did not lose a single (!) battle, the founder of Russian military affairs, and fought battles with genius, regardless of their conditions.
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.
Gorbaty-Shuisky Alexander Borisovich
Hero of the Kazan War, first governor of Kazan
Rurikovich (Grozny) Ivan Vasilievich
In the diversity of perceptions of Ivan the Terrible, one often forgets about his unconditional talent and achievements as a commander. He personally led the capture of Kazan and organized military reform, leading a country that was simultaneously fighting 2-3 wars on different fronts.
Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich
A commander who had no defeats...
Yuri Vsevolodovich
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.
Ivan groznyj
He conquered the Astrakhan kingdom, to which Russia paid tribute. Defeated the Livonian Order. Expanded the borders of Russia far beyond the Urals.
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 greatest success Crimean War, 1855, which made it possible to end the war without territorial losses for Russia).
Margelov Vasily Filippovich
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.
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Soldier, several wars (including World War I and World War II). passed the way to Marshal of the USSR and Poland. Military intellectual. did not resort to “obscene leadership”. He knew the subtleties of military tactics. practice, strategy and operational art.
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 the Mediterranean Sea after the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi 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.
Maksimov Evgeniy Yakovlevich
Russian hero of the Transvaal War. He was a volunteer in fraternal Serbia, participating in the Russian-Turkish war. At the beginning of the 20th century, the British began to wage war against the small people - the Boers. Eugene successfully fought against the invaders and in 1900 was appointed military general. Died in Russian Japanese war. In addition to his military career, he distinguished himself in the literary field.
Gurko Joseph Vladimirovich
Field Marshal General (1828-1901) Hero of Shipka and Plevna, Liberator of Bulgaria (a street in Sofia is named after him, a monument was erected). In 1877 he commanded the 2nd Guards Cavalry Division. To quickly capture some passes through the Balkans, Gurko led an advance detachment consisting of four cavalry regiments, a rifle brigade and the newly formed Bulgarian militia, with two batteries of horse artillery. Gurko completed his task quickly and boldly and won a series of victories over the Turks, ending with the capture of Kazanlak and Shipka. During the struggle for Plevna, Gurko, at the head of the guard and cavalry troops of the western detachment, defeated the Turks near Gorny Dubnyak and Telish, then again went to the Balkans, occupied Entropol and Orhanye, and after the fall of Plevna, reinforced by the IX Corps and the 3rd Guards Infantry Division , despite the terrible cold, crossed the Balkan ridge, took Philippopolis and occupied Adrianople, opening the way to Constantinople. At the end of the war, he commanded military districts, was governor-general, and a member of the state council. Buried in Tver (Sakharovo village)
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.
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
A man whose faith, courage, and patriotism defended our state
Kondratenko Roman Isidorovich
A warrior of honor without fear or reproach, the soul of the defense of Port Arthur.
Minich Burchard-Christopher
One of the best Russian commanders and military engineers. The first commander to enter Crimea. Winner at Stavuchany.
Nakhimov Pavel Stepanovich
Karyagin Pavel Mikhailovich
Colonel, chief of the 17th Jaeger Regiment. He showed himself most clearly in the Persian Company of 1805; when, with a detachment of 500 people, surrounded by a 20,000-strong Persian army, he resisted it for three weeks, not only repelling the attacks of the Persians with honor, but taking fortresses himself, and finally, with a detachment of 100 people, he made his way to Tsitsianov, who was coming to his aid.
Romodanovsky Grigory Grigorievich
An outstanding military figure of the 17th century, prince and governor. In 1655, he won his first victory over the Polish hetman S. Potocki near Gorodok in Galicia. Later, as commander of the army of the Belgorod category (military administrative district), he played a major role in organizing the defense of the southern border of Russia. In 1662, he won the greatest victory in the Russian-Polish war for Ukraine in the battle of Kanev, defeating the traitor hetman Yu. Khmelnytsky and the Poles who helped him. In 1664, near Voronezh, he forced the famous Polish commander Stefan Czarnecki to flee, forcing the army of King John Casimir to retreat. Beaten repeatedly Crimean Tatars. In 1677 he defeated the 100,000-strong Turkish army of Ibrahim Pasha near Buzhin, and in 1678 he defeated the Turkish corps of Kaplan Pasha near Chigirin. Thanks to his military talents, Ukraine did not become another Ottoman province and the Turks did not take Kyiv.
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
If anyone has not heard, there is no point in writing
Rokossovsky Konstantin Konstantinovich
Because it inspires personal example many.
Stalin (Dzhugashvilli) Joseph
Govorov Leonid Alexandrovich
Monomakh Vladimir Vsevolodovich
Antonov Alexey Innokentievich
He became famous as a talented staff officer. He participated in the development of almost all significant operations of the Soviet troops in the Great Patriotic War since December 1942.
The only one of all Soviet military leaders awarded the Order of Victory with the rank of army general, and the only Soviet holder of the order who was not awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
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.
Field Marshal General Gudovich Ivan Vasilievich
The assault on the Turkish fortress of Anapa on June 22, 1791. In terms of complexity and importance, it is only inferior to the assault on Izmail by A.V. Suvorov.
A 7,000-strong Russian detachment stormed Anapa, which was defended by a 25,000-strong Turkish garrison. At the same time, soon after the start of the assault, the Russian detachment was attacked from the mountains by 8,000 mounted highlanders and Turks, who attacked the Russian camp, but were unable to break into it, were repulsed in a fierce battle and pursued by the Russian cavalry.
The fierce battle for the fortress lasted over 5 hours. About 8,000 people from the Anapa garrison died, 13,532 defenders led by the commandant and Sheikh Mansur were taken prisoner. A small part (about 150 people) escaped on ships. Almost all the artillery was captured or destroyed (83 cannons and 12 mortars), 130 banners were taken. Gudovich sent a separate detachment from Anapa to the nearby Sudzhuk-Kale fortress (on the site of modern Novorossiysk), but upon his approach the garrison burned the fortress and fled to the mountains, abandoning 25 guns.
The losses of the Russian detachment were very high - 23 officers and 1,215 privates were killed, 71 officers and 2,401 privates were wounded (Sytin's Military Encyclopedia gives slightly lower data - 940 killed and 1,995 wounded). Gudovich was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree, all the officers of his detachment were awarded, and a special medal was established for the lower ranks.
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
Commander-in-Chief during the Patriotic War of 1812. One of the most famous and beloved military heroes by the people!
John 4 Vasilievich
Vorotynsky Mikhail Ivanovich
“Drafter of the statutes of the watchdog and border service” is, of course, good. For some reason, we have forgotten the Battle of YOUTH from July 29 to August 2, 1572. But it was precisely with this victory that Moscow’s right to many things was recognized. They recaptured a lot of things for the Ottomans, the thousands of destroyed Janissaries sobered them up, and unfortunately they also helped Europe. The Battle of YOUTH is very difficult to overestimate
Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich
according to the only criterion - invincibility.
Prince Svyatoslav
Dolgorukov Yuri Alekseevich
An outstanding statesman and military leader of the era of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Prince. Commanding the Russian army in Lithuania, in 1658 he defeated Hetman V. Gonsevsky in the Battle of Verki, taking him prisoner. This was the first time since 1500 that a Russian governor captured the hetman. In 1660, at the head of an army sent to Mogilev, besieged by Polish-Lithuanian troops, he won a strategic victory over the enemy on the Basya River near the village of Gubarevo, forcing hetmans P. Sapieha and S. Charnetsky to retreat from the city. Thanks to the actions of Dolgorukov, the “front line” in Belarus along the Dnieper remained until the end of the war of 1654-1667. In 1670, he led an army aimed at fighting the Cossacks of Stenka Razin, and quickly suppressed the Cossack rebellion, which subsequently led to the Don Cossacks swearing an oath of allegiance to the Tsar and transforming the Cossacks from robbers into “sovereign servants.”
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 Evpatoria 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.
Makarov Stepan Osipovich
Russian oceanographer, polar explorer, shipbuilder, vice admiral. Developed the Russian semaphore alphabet. A worthy person, on the list of worthy ones!
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
Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich
The greatest Commander and Diplomat!!! Who utterly defeated the troops of the “first European Union”!!!
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
Commander-in-Chief of the Red Army, which repelled the attack of Nazi Germany, liberated Europe, author of many operations, including “Ten Stalinist Strikes” (1944)
Miloradovich
Bagration, Miloradovich, Davydov are some very special breed of people. They don't do things like that now. The heroes of 1812 were distinguished by complete recklessness and complete contempt for death. And it was General Miloradovich, who went through all the wars for Russia without a single scratch, who became the first victim of individual terror. After Kakhovsky's shot at Senate Square The Russian revolution followed this path - right up to the basement of the Ipatiev House. Taking away the best.
Linevich Nikolai Petrovich
Nikolai Petrovich Linevich (December 24, 1838 - April 10, 1908) - a prominent Russian military figure, infantry general (1903), adjutant general (1905); general who took Beijing by storm.
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!”
Kazarsky Alexander Ivanovich
Captain-lieutenant. Participant in the Russian-Turkish war of 1828-29. He distinguished himself during the capture of Anapa, then Varna, commanding the transport "Rival". After this, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and appointed captain of the brig Mercury. On May 14, 1829, the 18-gun brig Mercury was overtaken by two Turkish battleships Selimiye and Real Bey. Having accepted an unequal battle, the brig was able to immobilize both Turkish flagships, one of which contained the commander of the Ottoman fleet. Subsequently, an officer from the Real Bay wrote: “During the continuation of the battle, the commander of the Russian frigate (the notorious Raphael, which surrendered without a fight a few days earlier) told me that the captain of this brig would not surrender, and if he lost hope, then he would blow up the brig If in the great deeds of ancient and modern times there are feats of courage, then this act should overshadow all of them, and the name of this hero is worthy of being inscribed in gold letters on the Temple of Glory: he is called captain-lieutenant Kazarsky, and the brig is “Mercury”
Antonov Alexey Inokentievich
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.
Stalin (Dzhugashvili) Joseph Vissarionovich
Comrade Stalin, in addition to the atomic and missile projects, together with Army General Alexei Innokentievich Antonov, participated in the development and implementation of almost all significant operations of the Soviet troops in the Second World War, and brilliantly organized the work of the rear, even in the first difficult years of the war.
Svyatoslav Igorevich
Grand Duke of Novgorod, from 945 of Kyiv. Son of Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich and Princess Olga. Svyatoslav became famous as great commander, whom N.M. Karamzin called “Alexander (Macedonian) of our ancient history.”
After the military campaigns of Svyatoslav Igorevich (965-972), the territory of the Russian land increased from the Volga region to the Caspian Sea, from the North Caucasus to the Black Sea region, from the Balkan Mountains to Byzantium. Defeated Khazaria and Volga Bulgaria, weakened and frightened Byzantine Empire, opened the way for trade between Rus' and eastern countries
Minikh Christopher Antonovich
Due to the ambiguous attitude towards the period of Anna Ioannovna’s reign, she is a largely underrated commander, who was the commander-in-chief of the Russian troops throughout her reign.
Commander of Russian troops during the War of the Polish Succession and architect of the victory of Russian weapons in the Russian-Turkish War of 1735-1739.
Uvarov Fedor Petrovich
At the age of 27 he was promoted to general. He took part in the campaigns of 1805-1807 and in the battles on the Danube in 1810. In 1812, he commanded the 1st Artillery Corps in the army of Barclay de Tolly, and subsequently the entire cavalry of the united armies.
Denikin Anton Ivanovich
One of the most talented and successful commanders of the First World War. Coming from a poor family, he made a brilliant military career, relying solely on their own virtues. Member of the RYAV, WWI, graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff. He fully realized his talent while commanding the legendary “Iron” brigade, which was then expanded into a division. Participant and one of the main characters Brusilovsky breakthrough. He remained a man of honor even after the collapse of the army, a Bykhov prisoner. Member of the ice campaign and commander of the AFSR. For more than a year and a half, possessing very modest resources and much inferior in numbers to the Bolsheviks, he won victory after victory, liberating a vast territory.
Also, do not forget that Anton Ivanovich is a wonderful and very successful publicist, and his books are still very popular. An extraordinary, talented commander, an honest Russian man in difficult times for the Motherland, who was not afraid to light a torch of hope.
Vasilevsky Alexander Mikhailovich
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 the Headquarters of the 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, the commander-in-chief of the Soviet troops at 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).
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.
Romanov Mikhail Timofeevich
The heroic defense of Mogilev, the first all-round anti-tank defense of the city.
Kuznetsov Nikolay Gerasimovich
He made a great contribution to strengthening the fleet before the war; conducted a number of major exercises, initiated the opening of new maritime schools and maritime special schools (later Nakhimov schools). On the eve of Germany's surprise attack on the USSR, he took effective measures to increase the combat readiness of the fleets, and on the night of June 22, he gave the order to bring them to full combat readiness, which made it possible to avoid losses of ships and naval aviation.
Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich
The best Russian commander during the First World War. An ardent patriot of his Motherland.
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.
Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich
The great Russian naval commander who won victories at Fedonisi, Kaliakria, at Cape Tendra and during the liberation of the islands of Malta (Ianian Islands) and Corfu. Discovered and introduced new tactics sea battle, with the abandonment of the linear formation of ships and showed the tactics of a “scattered formation” with an attack on the flagship of the enemy fleet. One of the founders of the Black Sea Fleet and its commander in 1790-1792.
Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich
A prominent military figure, scientist, traveler and discoverer. Admiral of the Russian Fleet, whose talent was highly appreciated by Emperor Nicholas II. The Supreme Ruler of Russia during the Civil War, a true Patriot of his Fatherland, a man of a tragic, interesting fate. One of those military men who tried to save Russia during the years of turmoil, in the most difficult conditions, being in very difficult international diplomatic conditions.
Makhno Nestor Ivanovich
Over the mountains, over the valleys
I've been waiting for my blue ones for a long time
Father is wise, Father is glorious,
Our good father - Makhno...
(peasant song from the Civil War)
He was able to create an army and conducted successful military operations against the Austro-Germans and against Denikin.
And for * carts * even if he was not awarded the Order of the Red Banner, it should be done now
Kornilov Lavr Georgievich
KORNILOV Lavr Georgievich (08/18/1870-04/31/1918) Colonel (02/1905). Major General (12/1912). Lieutenant General (08/26/1914). Infantry General (06/30/1917). Graduated from the Mikhailovsky Artillery School (1892) and with a gold medal from the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff (1898). Officer at the headquarters of the Turkestan Military District, 1889-1904. Participant Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905: staff officer of the 1st Infantry Brigade (at its headquarters). When retreating from Mukden, the brigade was surrounded. Having led the rearguard, he broke through the encirclement with a bayonet attack, ensuring freedom of defensive combat operations for the brigade. Military attaché in China, 04/01/1907 - 02/24/1911. Participant in the First World War: commander of the 48th Infantry Division of the 8th Army (General Brusilov). During the general retreat, the 48th Division was surrounded and General Kornilov, who was wounded, was captured on 04.1915 at the Duklinsky Pass (Carpathians); 08.1914-04.1915. Captured by the Austrians, 04.1915-06.1916. Dressed in the uniform of an Austrian soldier, he escaped from captivity on 06/1915. Commander of the 25th Rifle Corps, 06/1916-04/1917. Commander of the Petrograd Military District, 03-04/1917. Commander of the 8th Army, 04/24-07/8/1917. On 05/19/1917, by his order, he introduced the formation of the first volunteer “1st Shock Detachment of the 8th Army” under the command of Captain Nezhentsev. Commander of the Southwestern Front...
Platov Matvey Ivanovich
Ataman of the Great Don Army (from 1801), cavalry general (1809), who took part in all wars Russian Empire late XVIII - early XIX century.
In 1771 he distinguished himself during the attack and capture of the Perekop line and Kinburn. From 1772 he began to command a Cossack regiment. During the 2nd Turkish War he distinguished himself during the assault on Ochakov and Izmail. Participated in the battle of Preussisch-Eylau.
During the Patriotic War of 1812, he first commanded all the Cossack regiments on the border, and then, covering the retreat of the army, won victories over the enemy near the towns of Mir and Romanovo. In the battle near the village of Semlevo, Platov’s army defeated the French and captured a colonel from the army of Marshal Murat. During the retreat of the French army, Platov, pursuing it, inflicted defeats on it at Gorodnya, Kolotsky Monastery, Gzhatsk, Tsarevo-Zaimishch, near Dukhovshchina and when crossing the Vop River. For his merits he was elevated to the rank of count. In November, Platov captured Smolensk from battle and defeated the troops of Marshal Ney near Dubrovna. At the beginning of January 1813, he entered Prussia and besieged Danzig; in September he received command of a special corps, with which he participated in the battle of Leipzig and, pursuing the enemy, captured about 15 thousand people. In 1814, he fought at the head of his regiments during the capture of Nemur, Arcy-sur-Aube, Cezanne, Villeneuve. Awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.
It's simple - It was he, as a commander, who made the greatest contribution to the defeat of Napoleon. He saved the army under the most difficult conditions, despite misunderstandings and grave accusations of treason. It is to him that ours is practically a contemporary of those events great poet Pushkin dedicated the poem "Commander".
Pushkin, recognizing Kutuzov's merits, did not oppose him to Barclay. In place of the common alternative “Barclay or Kutuzov,” with the traditional resolution in favor of Kutuzov, Pushkin came to a new position: both Barclay and Kutuzov are both worthy of the grateful memory of posterity, but Kutuzov is revered by everyone, but Mikhail Bogdanovich Barclay de Tolly is undeservedly forgotten.
Pushkin mentioned Barclay de Tolly even earlier, in one of the chapters of “Eugene Onegin” -
Thunderstorm of the twelfth year
It has arrived - who helped us here?
The frenzy of the people
Barclay, winter or Russian god?...
Shein Alexey Semyonovich
The first Russian generalissimo. Leader of the Azov campaigns of Peter I.
Vatutin Nikolay Fedorovich
Operations "Uranus", "Little Saturn", "Leap", etc. and so on.
A true war worker
Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War. Under his leadership, the Red Army crushed fascism.
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"
Medal "For Victory over Japan"
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.
Barclay de Tolly Mikhail Bogdanovich
Full Cavalier Order of St. George. In the history of military art, according to Western authors (for example: J. Witter), he entered as the architect of the “scorched earth” strategy and tactics - cutting off the main enemy troops from the rear, depriving them of supplies and organization in their rear guerrilla warfare. M.V. Kutuzov, after taking command of the Russian army, essentially continued the tactics developed by Barclay de Tolly and defeated Napoleon’s army.
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 the Russian-Swedish war of 1808-09 he commanded a 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, Minister of War, held great job to strengthen the Russian army, he 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)
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 suggests that wonderful person, like V.F. Margelov, that's it. About his devotion to the Airborne Forces!
Blucher, Tukhachevsky
Blucher, Tukhachevsky and the whole galaxy of heroes of the Civil War. Don't forget Budyonny!
Kolovrat Evpatiy Lvovich
Ryazan boyar and governor. During Batu's invasion of Ryazan he was in Chernigov. Having learned about the Mongol invasion, he hastily moved to the city. Having found Ryazan completely incinerated, Evpatiy Kolovrat with a detachment of 1,700 people began to catch up with Batya’s army. Having overtaken them, the rearguard destroyed them. He also killed the strong warriors of the Batyevs. Died on January 11, 1238.
Paskevich Ivan Fedorovich
The armies under his command defeated Persia in the war of 1826-1828 and completely defeated Turkish troops in Transcaucasia in the war of 1828-1829.
Awarded all 4 degrees of the Order of St. George and the Order of St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called with diamonds.
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. Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich
The commander, who was repeatedly placed in the most difficult areas, where he either achieved success in the offensive or defensive, or brought the situation out of crisis, transferred a seemingly inevitable catastrophe into non-defeat, a state of unstable equilibrium.
G.K. Zhukov showed the ability to manage large military formations numbering 800 thousand - 1 million people. At the same time, the specific losses suffered by his troops (i.e., correlated with numbers) turned out to be lower over and over again than those of his neighbors.
Also G.K. Zhukov demonstrated remarkable knowledge of the properties of military equipment in service with the Red Army - knowledge that was very necessary for the commander of industrial wars.
Boris Mikhailovich Shaposhnikov
Marshal of the Soviet Union, outstanding Soviet military figure, military theorist.
B. M. Shaposhnikov made a significant contribution to the theory and practice of construction Armed Forces USSR, in their strengthening and improvement, training of military personnel.
He was a consistent advocate of strict discipline, but an enemy of shouting. Rudeness in general was organically alien to him. A true military intellectual, b. colonel of the tsarist army.
Lev Davidovich Trotsky is a Russian revolutionary figure of the 20th century, an ideologist of Trotskyism, one of the currents of Marxism. Twice exiled under the monarchy, deprived of all civil rights in 1905. One of the organizers of the October Revolution of 1917, one of the creators of the Red Army. One of the founders and ideologists of the Comintern, a member of its Executive Committee.
Leon Trotsky (real name Leiba Bronstein) was born on November 7, 1879 into a family of wealthy landowners and tenants. In 1889, his parents sent him to study in Odessa with his cousin, the owner of a printing house and scientific publishing house, Moses Schnitzer. Trotsky was the first student at the school. He was interested in drawing and literature, wrote poetry, translated Krylov's fables from Russian into Ukrainian, and participated in the publication of a school handwritten magazine.
He began to conduct revolutionary propaganda at the age of 17, having joined a revolutionary circle in Nikolaev. On January 28, 1898, he was first arrested and spent two years in prison, it was then that he became familiar with the ideas of Marxism. During the investigation, he studied English, German, French and Italian from the Gospels, read the works of Marx, and became acquainted with the works of Lenin.
Leiba Bronstein at the age of nine, Odessa
A year before going to prison for the first time, Trotsky joined the South Russian Workers' Union. One of its leaders was Alexandra Sokolovskaya, who became Trotsky's wife in 1898. Together they went into exile in the Irkutsk province, where Trotsky contacted Iskra agents, and soon began collaborating with them, receiving the nickname “Pero” for his penchant for writing.
It was in exile that it was discovered that Trotsky suffered from epilepsy, inherited from his mother. He often lost consciousness and constantly had to be under medical supervision.
“I came to London a big provincial, in every sense. Not only abroad, but also in St. Petersburg, I had never been before. In Moscow, as in Kyiv, I lived only in a transit prison.” In 1902, Trotsky decided to escape from exile. It was then, when receiving a false passport, that he entered the name Trotsky (the name of the senior warden of the Odessa prison where the revolutionary was kept for two years).
Trotsky left for London, where Vladimir Lenin was then located. The young Marxist quickly gained fame by speaking at meetings of emigrants. He was extremely eloquent, ambitious and educated, everyone without exception considered him an amazing speaker. At the same time, for his support of Lenin, he was nicknamed “Lenin’s club,” while Trotsky himself was often critical of Lenin’s organizational plans.
In 1904, serious disagreements began between the Bolsheviks and Mensheviks. By that time, Trotsky had established himself as a follower of the “permanent revolution”, moved away from the Mensheviks and married Natalya Sedova for the second time (the marriage was not registered, but the couple lived together until Trotsky’s death). In 1905, they returned together illegally to Russia, where Trotsky became one of the founders of the St. Petersburg Council of Workers' Deputies. On December 3, he was arrested and, as part of a high-profile trial, was sentenced to eternal exile in Siberia with deprivation of all civil rights, but escaped on the way to Salekhard.
A split between the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks was brewing, supported by Lenin, who in 1912, at the Prague conference of the RSDLP, announced the separation of the Bolshevik faction into an independent party. Trotsky continued to advocate for the unification of the party, organizing the "August Bloc", which the Bolsheviks ignored. This cooled Trotsky’s desire for a truce; he preferred to step aside.
In 1917, after the February Revolution, Trotsky and his family tried to get to Russia, but were removed from the ship and sent to a concentration camp for internment of sailors. The reason for this was the revolutionary’s lack of documents. However, he was soon released at the written request of the Provisional Government as an honored fighter against tsarism. Trotsky criticized the Provisional Government, so he soon became the informal leader of the “Mezhrayontsy”, for which he was accused of espionage. His influence on the masses was enormous, as he played special role in the transition to the Bolshevik side of the soldiers of the rapidly decaying Petrograd garrison, which was of great importance in the revolution. In July 1917, the Mezhrayontsy united with the Bolsheviks, and Trotsky was soon released from prison, where he was accused of espionage.
While Lenin was in Finland, Trotsky effectively became the leader of the Bolsheviks. In September 1917, he headed the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, and also became a delegate to the Second Congress of Soviets and the Constituent Assembly. In October, the Military Revolutionary Committee (MRC) was formed, consisting mainly of Bolsheviks. It was the committee that was engaged in armed preparations for the revolution: already on October 16, the Red Guards received five thousand rifles; Rallies were held among the undecided, at which Trotsky’s brilliant oratorical talent again showed itself. In fact, he was one of the main leaders of the October Revolution.
Leon Trotsky, Vladimir Lenin, Lev Kamenev
“The uprising of the popular masses does not need justification. What happened was a rebellion, not a conspiracy. We tempered the revolutionary energy of St. Petersburg workers and soldiers. We openly forged the will of the masses for an uprising, and not for a conspiracy.”
After the October Revolution, the Military Revolutionary Committee remained the only authority for a long time. Under him, a commission was formed to combat counter-revolution, a commission to combat drunkenness and pogroms, and food supplies were established. At the same time, Leni and Trotsky maintained a tough position towards political opponents. On December 17, 1917, in his address to the cadets, Trotsky announced the beginning of the stage of mass terror against the enemies of the revolution in a more severe form: “You should know that no later than in a month, terror will take very strong forms, following the example of the great French revolutionaries. The guillotine, and not just prison, will await our enemies.” It was then that the concept of “red terror” appeared, formulated by Trotsky.
Soon Trotsky was appointed People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs in the first composition of the Bolshevik government. On December 5, 1917, the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee was dissolved, Trotsky transferred his affairs to Zinoviev and completely immersed himself in the affairs of the Petrograd Soviet. “Counter-revolutionary sabotage” began by civil servants of the old Ministry of Foreign Affairs, suppressed thanks to the publication of secret treaties of the tsarist government. The situation in the country was also complicated by diplomatic isolation, which was not easy for Trotsky to overcome.
To improve the situation, he said that the government would take an intermediate position of “neither peace nor war: we will not sign a treaty, we will stop the war, and we will demobilize the army.” Germany refused to tolerate this position and announced an offensive. By this time the army virtually did not exist. Trotsky admitted the failure of his policies and resigned from the post of People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs.
Leon Trotsky with his wife Natalya Sedova and son Lev Sedov
On March 14, 1918, Trotsky was appointed to the post of People's Commissar for Military Affairs, on March 28 to the post of Chairman of the Supreme Military Council, in April - Military Commissioner for Naval Affairs and on September 6 - Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR. Then the formation of a regular army begins. Trotsky became in fact its first commander-in-chief. In August 1918, Trotsky's regular trips to the front began. Several times Trotsky, risking his life, even speaks to deserters. But practice has shown that the army is not capable, Trotsky is forced to support its reorganization, gradually restoring unity of command, insignia, mobilization, a single uniform, military greetings and awards.
In 1922, Joseph Stalin, whose views did not coincide with the views of Trotsky, was elected general secretary of the Bolshevik party. Stalin was supported by Zinoviev and Kamenev, who believed that the rise of Trotsky threatened anti-Semitic attacks on the Soviet regime and condemned him for factionalism.
Lenin died in 1924. Stalin took advantage of Trotsky's absence in Moscow to put himself forward as the "heir" and strengthen his position.
In 1926, Trotsky teamed up with Zinoviev and Kamenev, whom Stalin began to oppose. However, this did not help him and soon followed his expulsion from the party, deportation to Alma-Ata, and then to Turkey.
Trotsky regarded Hitler's victory in February 1933 as the greatest defeat of the international labor movement. He concluded that the Comintern was incapacitated due to Stalin's openly counter-revolutionary policies and called for the creation of the Fourth International.
In 1933, Trotsky was given secret asylum in France, which was soon discovered by the Nazis. Trotsky leaves for Norway, where he writes his most significant work, “The Betrayed Revolution.” In 1936, at a show trial in Moscow, Stalin called Trotsky an agent of Hitler. Trotsky is expelled from Norway. The only country that provided the revolutionary with refuge was Mexico: he settled in the house of the artist Diego Rivera, then in a fortified and carefully guarded villa on the outskirts of Mexico City - in the city of Coyocan.
After Stalin's speeches, the International Joint Commission to Investigate the Moscow Trials was organized in Mexico. The commission concluded that the accusations were slanderous and Trotsky was not guilty.
The Soviet intelligence services kept Trotsky under close surveillance, having agents among his associates. In 1938, under mysterious circumstances in Paris, his closest ally, his eldest son Lev Sedov, died in a hospital after surgery. His first wife and his youngest son Sergei Sedov were arrested and subsequently shot.
Leon Trotsky was killed with an ice pick in his home near Mexico City on August 24, 1940. The perpetrator was an NKVD agent, Spanish Republican Ramon Mercader (pictured), who infiltrated Trotsky's entourage under the name of Canadian journalist Frank Jackson.
Mercader received 20 years in prison for the murder. After his release in 1960, he emigrated to the USSR, where he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. According to some estimates, the murder of Trotsky cost the NKVD approximately five million dollars.
The ice pick that killed Trotsky
From the will of Leon Trotsky: “I have no need to refute here again the stupid and vile slander of Stalin and his agents: there is not a single stain on my revolutionary honor. Neither directly nor indirectly, I have never entered into any behind-the-scenes agreements or even negotiations with the enemies of the working class. Thousands of Stalin's opponents died as victims of similar false accusations.
For forty-three years of my adult life I remained a revolutionary, forty-two of them I fought under the banner of Marxism. If I had to start over, I would, of course, try to avoid certain mistakes, but general direction my life would remain unchanged. I see a bright green strip of grass under the wall, a clear blue sky above the wall, and sunlight everywhere. Life is Beautiful. May future generations cleanse it of evil, oppression, violence and enjoy it fully.”
Leon Trotsky was not only a convinced revolutionary and an excellent speaker, but also a father of many children. It is known about four children of the People's Commissar: he had two sons and two daughters. The destinies of Trotsky's heirs developed differently, but one circumstance nevertheless brought them together: all of his children passed away at a young age. None of them had a chance to survive their famous father.
Zinaida Volkova
Alexandra Sokolovskaya, the first wife of the future People's Commissar, gave her husband two daughters: Zina and Nina. The eldest, Zinaida Lvovna Bronstein (married Volkov), was born in 1901. The first months of the girl’s life were spent in harsh Siberian conditions: her recently married parents were in exile in the Irkutsk province at that time. Zina practically did not know maternal, let alone paternal, care. In 1902, revolutionary Bronstein fake documents fled abroad using the surname Trotsky. The daughter remained in the care of his parents, David and Anna Bronstein.
Growing up, Zinaida shared the views of her father and mother: she also became interested in Marxism. The family life of Trotsky's eldest daughter can hardly be called successful. She was married twice, but the first marriage quickly broke up, and Zinaida’s second husband spent more time in prison than with his wife and children.
In 1930, Zinaida left the Soviet Union. At first she lived with her father in Turkey, then moved to Germany, where she was treated for tuberculosis in one of the clinics. In 1932, Zinaida, like her father, was deprived of Soviet citizenship. Medical assistance did not help the woman come to terms with the vicissitudes of fate: in 1933 she committed suicide.
Nina Nevelson
Soon after Zina's birth, the Bronstein couple had another daughter. The girl, born in 1902, was named Nina. Just like Zina, she ended up being raised by her grandparents. Historians have quite a bit of information about the fate of Trotsky’s second daughter. It is known that she died in 1928 from consumption. Trotsky himself was in exile in Alma-Ata at that time. He asked to be allowed to visit his dying daughter, but this revolutionary desire was not satisfied.
Lev Sedov
Trotsky's sons were born to Natalya Sedova, his second wife, whose marriage, however, was not registered. The eldest son, Lev Lvovich Sedov (he bore his mother’s surname), was born in 1906 in St. Petersburg. The young man, who became seriously interested in Trotskyism, shared the fate of his father.
Belonging to the left opposition, as well as close kinship with its ideologist Trotsky, could not be ignored. First, Lev went to Alma-Ata to fetch his father, then left the Soviet state with him. In 1937, the verdict in the “trial of 17” stated that if Trotsky and his son were found on the territory of the USSR, they must be immediately arrested and tried by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR.
The circumstances of Lev Sedov's death are still shrouded in mystery. He died in 1938 in Paris after having his appendix removed, however, as in the story of Mikhail Frunze, rumors immediately appeared that the supposedly accidental death was staged on Stalin’s initiative.
Sergey Sedov
The second son of Trotsky and Sedova was born in 1908 in Vienna. Sergei was an athletic and energetic boy: he played various sports, dreamed of a circus career, and even tried to join a traveling troupe. Despite the fact that Sergei did not share his father’s and brother’s passion for politics, he was unable to avoid arrest.
Trotsky's youngest son refused to emigrate and remained in his homeland. In 1935 he was arrested and sent to Butyrka. The sentence changed several times: at first they decided to send Sedov to forced labor camps for five years, then he was exiled to Krasnoyarsk for the same term. But this turned out to be not enough. In 1937, Sergei was sentenced to capital punishment.
L. D. Trotsky is an outstanding revolutionary of the twentieth century. IN world history he entered as one of the founders of the Red Army, the Comintern. L. D. Trotsky became the second person in the first Soviet government. It was he who headed the people's commissariat, was involved in naval and military affairs, and showed himself to be an outstanding fighter against the enemies of the world revolution.
Childhood
Leiba Davidovich Bronstein was born on November 7, 1879 in the Kherson province. His parents were illiterate people, but quite wealthy Jewish landowners. The boy had no friends the same age, so he grew up alone. Historians believe that it was at this time that Trotsky’s character trait, a sense of superiority over other people, was formed. From childhood, he looked at the children of farm laborers with disdain and never played with them.
Youth period
What was Trotsky like? His biography has many interesting pages. For example, in 1889 he was sent by his parents to Odessa, the purpose of the trip was to educate the young man. He managed to enter the St. Paul School under a special quota allocated for Jewish children. Quite quickly, Trotsky (Bronstein) became the best student in all subjects. In those years, the young man did not think about revolutionary activities; he was interested in literature and drawing.
At the age of seventeen, Trotsky found himself in a circle of socialists engaged in revolutionary propaganda. It was at this time that he began to study with interest the works of Karl Marx.
It’s hard to believe that his books were studied by millions of people and quickly turned into a real fanatic of Marxism. Even then, he was distinguished from his peers by his sharp mind, showed leadership qualities, and knew how to conduct discussions.
Trotsky immersed himself in an atmosphere of revolutionary activity and created the “South Russian Workers' Union,” whose members were workers of the Nikolaev shipyards.
Persecution
When was Trotsky first arrested? The biography of the young revolutionary contains information about many arrests. He was first imprisoned for revolutionary activities in 1898 for two years. Next was his first exile to Siberia, from which he managed to escape. The name Trotsky was entered in the false passport, and it became his pseudonym for the rest of his life.
Trotsky - revolutionary
After escaping from Siberia, the young revolutionary leaves for London. It was here that he met Vladimir Lenin and became the author of the Iskra newspaper, publishing under the pseudonym “Pero”. Having found common interests with the leaders of Russian Social Democrats, Trotsky quickly became popular and accepted active agitators among migrants.
Trotsky easily established a trusting relationship with the Bolsheviks, using his oratorical abilities and eloquence.
Books
During this period of his life, Leon Trotsky fully supported Lenin’s ideas, which is why he received the nickname “Lenin’s club.” But a few years later, the young revolutionary goes over to the side of the Mensheviks and accuses Vladimir Ulyanov of dictatorship.
He failed to find mutual understanding with the Mensheviks, since Trotsky tried to unite them with the Bolsheviks. After unsuccessful attempts to reconcile the two factions, he declares himself a "non-factional" member of the Social Democratic society. Now, as his main goal, he chooses to create his own movement, different from the views of the Mensheviks and Bolsheviks.
In 1905, Trotsky returned to revolutionary St. Petersburg and found himself in the thick of events taking place in the city.
It is he who creates the St. Petersburg Council of Workers' Deputies, voices revolutionary ideas to people who have a revolutionary mood.
Trotsky actively advocated the revolution, so he ended up in prison again. It was at this time that he was deprived of his civil rights and sent to Siberia for eternal settlement.
But he manages to escape from the gendarmes, cross to Finland, and then leave for Europe. Since 1908, Trotsky settled in Vienna and began publishing the newspaper Pravda. A couple of years later, the publication was intercepted by the Bolsheviks, and Lev Davidovich left for Paris, where he managed the publishing house of the newspaper “Our Word”. In 1917, Trotsky decides to return to Russia and sets off from the Finlyandsky Station to the Petrograd Soviet. He is given membership and given the right to an advisory vote. A couple of months after his stay in St. Petersburg, Lev Davidovich manages to become the informal leader of those who advocate the creation of one common social democratic labor party.
In October of the same year, Trotsky formed the Military Revolutionary Committee, and on November 7 carried out an armed uprising, the goal of which was to overthrow the provisional government. This event in history is known as the October Revolution. As a result, the Bolsheviks come to power, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin becomes their leader.
The new government gives Trotsky the post of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, a year later he becomes People's Commissar for Naval and Military Affairs. It was from this time that he was involved in the formation of the Red Army. Trotsky imprisons and shoots deserters and violators of military discipline, not sparing those who interfere with him active work. This period in history was called the Red Terror.
In addition to military affairs, Trotsky at this time actively collaborated with Lenin on issues related to foreign and internal politics. His popularity peaked towards the end of the Civil War, but due to Lenin's death, Trotsky was unable to carry out all the reforms aimed at transitioning from War Communism to the New Economic Policy. He failed to become Lenin's full-fledged successor; Joseph Stalin took this place. He saw Leon Trotsky as a serious rival, so he tried to take steps to neutralize the enemy. In the spring of 1924, the real persecution of Trotsky began, as a result of which Lev Davidovich was deprived of his post and membership in the Central Committee of the Politburo.
Who replaced Trotsky as People's Commissar of Defense? In January 1925, this position was taken by Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze. In 1926, Trotsky tried to return to the political life of the country; he organized an anti-government demonstration. But the attempts were unsuccessful, he was exiled to Alma-Ata, then to Turkey, and deprived of Soviet citizenship.
We have already noted who replaced Trotsky as People's Commissar of Defense, but he himself did not stop his active struggle against Stalin. Trotsky began to publish the “Bulletin of the Opposition,” in which he tried to write about Stalin’s barbaric activities. In exile, Trotsky was working on creating an autobiography, writing the essay “History of the Russian Revolution,” talking about the necessity and inevitability of the October Revolution.
Personal life
In 1935, he moved to Norway and came under pressure from the authorities, who did not plan to spoil relations with the Soviet Union. The revolutionary's works were taken away and he was put under house arrest. Trotsky did not want to put up with such an existence, so he decides to go to Mexico, monitoring from a distance the events unfolding in the USSR. In 1936, he completed work on the book “The Betrayed Revolution,” in which he called the Stalinist regime an alternative counter-revolutionary coup.
Alexandra Lvovna Sokolovskaya became Trotsky's first wife. He met her at the age of 16, when he had not yet thought about revolutionary activity.
Alexandra Lvovna Sokolovskaya was six years older than Trotsky. It was she, according to historians, who became his guide to Marxism.
She became an official wife only in 1898. After the wedding, the young couple went into exile in Siberia, where they had two daughters: Nina and Zinaida. The second daughter was only four months old when Trotsky managed to escape from exile. The wife was left alone in Siberia with two babies. Trotsky himself wrote about that period of his life that he escaped with the consent of his wife, and it was she who helped him move to Europe.
In Paris, Trotsky met an active participant in the publication of the Iskra newspaper. This led to the breakdown of his first marriage, but Trotsky managed to maintain friendly relations with Sokolovskaya.
A series of troubles
In his second marriage, Trotsky had two sons: Sergei and Lev. Since 1937, Trotsky's family began to face numerous misfortunes. The youngest son was shot for political activity. A year later, his eldest son dies during an operation. A tragic fate befalls the daughters of Lev Davydovich. In 1928, Nina dies of consumption, and in 1933, Zina commits suicide; she fails to get out of a state of severe depression. Soon, Alexandra Sokolovskaya, Trotsky’s first wife, was shot in Moscow.
Lev Davydovich’s second wife lived for another 20 years after his death. She died in 1962 and was buried in Mexico.
Mystery biography
Trotsky's death still remains an unsolved mystery for many people. Who is he, the secret agent who is associated with the death of Lev Davydovich? Who killed Trotsky? This issue deserves separate consideration. Pavel Sudoplatov, whose name is associated with the death of Trotsky, was born in 1907 in Melitopol. Since 1921, he became an employee of the Cheka, then was transferred to the ranks of the NKVD.
Some historians believe that it was he who committed the murder of Trotsky on the orders of Stalin. The task from the “leader of the peoples” was to eliminate Stalin’s enemy, who at that time lived in Mexico.
Pavel Anatolyevich Sudoplatov was appointed to the position of deputy head of the 1st department of the NKVD, where he worked until 1942.
Perhaps it was the murder of Trotsky that allowed him to rise so high in the ranks. Lev Bronstein was Stalin's personal enemy and opponent all his life. No one knows exactly how Trotsky was killed; many legends are associated with the name of this man. Some people think Trotsky state criminal, who fled abroad trying to save his life.
How was Trotsky killed? This question still plagues domestic and foreign historians. It was Lev Bronstein who made a significant contribution to Russian history. There is no exact information about how Trotsky was killed, but Stalin tried to eliminate his rival by any means throughout his political life.
Lenin's and Trotsky's views on the reality of Soviet Russia differed significantly. Lev Bronstein considered the Stalinist regime to be a bureaucratic degeneration of the proletarian regime.
Secrets of death
How was Trotsky killed? In 1927, he was charged seriously with carrying out counter-revolutionary activities under Art. 58 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, Trotsky was expelled from the party.
The investigation into his case was short. Just a few days later, a car with prison bars was transporting Trotsky’s family to Alma-Ata, far from the capital. This journey became for the founder of the Red Army his farewell to the capital's streets.
For Stalin, Trotsky's death would have been an excellent way to eliminate a strong enemy, but he was afraid to deal with him directly.
In search of an answer to the question of who killed Trotsky, we note that many KGB agents tried to deal with Trotsky.
In exile, his family was given shelter by the Mexican artist Rivera. He protected Trotsky from attacks from local communists. Police were constantly on duty at Rivera's house; American supporters of Trotsky reliably protected their leader and helped him conduct active propaganda work.
Soviet counterintelligence in Europe was led at that time by Ignacy Reiss. He decided to stop his spy work and informed Trotsky that Stalin was trying to end his life with his supporters outside the Soviet Union. To do this, it was supposed to use various methods: blackmail, cruel torture, terrorist acts, interrogations. A few weeks after sending this letter to Trotsky, Reiss was found dead on the way to Lausanne, and about ten bullets were found in his body. Mexican police found out that the people who killed Reiss were spying on Trotsky's son. In 1937, Stalin's supporters were preparing an assassination attempt on Leo, but Trotsky's son did not arrive in Mulhouse on time. This incident made Stalin's supporters think about a possible leak of information, and they began searching for an informant. Trotsky's family, having learned about the planned murder, became even more circumspect and cautious.
Lev Davydovich wrote to his son that if an attempt was made on his life, Stalin would be the orderer of the murder.
In September 1937, an international commission headed by Dewey published the results of the case of Leon Trotsky. They spoke of the complete innocence of Lev Sedov (son) and Lev Trotsky (father) of the charges brought against them in Moscow. This news gave Stalin's opponent strength to work and creative activity. But his joy was overshadowed by the death of his son Lev during the operation. The young man became a victim of the NKVD; death overtook him at the age of 32. The death of his son crippled Trotsky, he grew a beard, and the sparkle in his eyes disappeared.
The youngest son refused to renounce his father, for which he was sentenced to five years in the camps and deported to Vorkuta.
Only Zina's son, Seva (Trotsky's grandson), who was born in 1925 and lived in Germany, managed to survive.
Life in exile
Historians put forward different versions regarding the place where Trotsky was killed. In the spring of 1939, he settled into a house near Coyoacan in Mexico. An observation tower was built at the gate, police were on duty outside, and an alarm system was installed in the house. Trotsky grew cacti and raised rabbits and chickens.
Conclusion
In the winter of 1940, Trotsky wrote a will, where in each line one could read the expectation tragic events. By that time, his relatives and supporters had been destroyed, but Stalin did not want to stop there. Criticism of Trotsky, sounded from the other end of the earth, cast a shadow on the bright image of the leader that had been created over so many years.
Lev Davydovich, in his messages addressed to Soviet sailors, soldiers, and peasants, tried to warn them about the corruption of GPU agents and commissars. He called Stalin the main source of danger for the Soviet Union. Of course, such statements were painfully perceived by the “leader of peoples”; he could not allow Trotsky to live. On Stalin's orders, NKVD agent Jackson, who was the son of the Spanish communist Caridad Mercader, is sent to Mexico.
The operation was carefully planned, thought out to the smallest detail. Jackson met Sylvia Agelof, Trotsky's secretary, and gained access to the house. On the night of May 24, 1940, an attempt was made on Lev Davydovich.
Together with his wife and grandson, Trotsky was hiding under the bed. Then they managed to survive, but on August 20, Stalin’s plans to eliminate the enemy were realized. Trotsky, who was hit in the head with an ice drill, did not die immediately. He managed to give some orders regarding his wife and grandson to his devoted workers.
When the doctor arrived at the house, part of Trotsky’s body was paralyzed. Lev Davydovich was taken to the hospital and began to prepare for surgery. The craniotomy was performed by five surgeons. Most of the brain was damaged by bone fragments, and part of it was destroyed. Trotsky survived the operation, and for almost a day his body desperately fought for life.
Trotsky died on August 21, 1940, without regaining consciousness after the operation. Trotsky's grave is located in the courtyard of a house in the Coyoacan area of Mexico City; a white stone was erected over it and a red flag was placed.
