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Cadet Corps (Russia)
Encyclopedia
The Cadet Corps is an admissions-based all boys military academy which prepared boys to become commissioned officers. Boys between the ages of 8 and 15 were enrolled. It was founded in Saint Petersburg
, Russian Empire
in 1731 by Tsarina Anne
. The term of education was seven years. All instructors had a military rank, and taught a wide range of subjects, including a full program of military preparation.
A graduate from the corps became a junker
and had prime candidacy for a military career.
During the October Revolution
and the 1917-23 Russian Civil War
, cadets and junkers unanimously supported the White movement
(Anti-bolshevik
). A small portion of cadets were able to evacuate with the White Army towards the end of Russian Civil War to western countries. Subsequently, the Soviet Government executed or imprisoned all surviving cadets to Siberian GULAG
slave labor camps. Fifteen years later, according to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, none remained alive and free inside USSR.
During World War II
a number of White emigre
cadets joined the Russian Corps
, feeling it was a means of continuing the battle against the Bolshevik regime.
After World War II
, with the emigration of cadets to the United States
, Canada
, Argentina
, and Australia
, White emigre cadet corps ceased to function. A cadet union was formed to unite the graduates of the cadet corps.
Many cadets who escaped alive, formed cadet corps in other countries, most notably in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
(Bela Crkva
), where they received the patronage of Alexander I of Yugoslavia
- himself a graduate from the St. Petersburg cadet corps.
After the fall of the USSR, cadet corps were re-established in Russia.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1731 by Tsarina Anne
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ane or Ann is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah or Hanani, meaning 'He [= God] has favoured me', the name of the mother of the prophet Samuel. Anne is a common name in France.It is sometimes used as a male...
. The term of education was seven years. All instructors had a military rank, and taught a wide range of subjects, including a full program of military preparation.
A graduate from the corps became a junker
Junker (Russia)
Junker has several meanings in the Imperial Russia. The word is from the German language, where it means "young lord".*Junker was a military rank for junior officers of dvoryan descent since 1902....
and had prime candidacy for a military career.
During the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
and the 1917-23 Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, cadets and junkers unanimously supported the White movement
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
(Anti-bolshevik
Anti-bolshevism
Anti-bolshevism has two principal forms:* Anti-bolshevik Anti-communism* Anti-Bolshevik Communism...
). A small portion of cadets were able to evacuate with the White Army towards the end of Russian Civil War to western countries. Subsequently, the Soviet Government executed or imprisoned all surviving cadets to Siberian GULAG
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
slave labor camps. Fifteen years later, according to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, none remained alive and free inside USSR.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
a number of White emigre
White Emigre
A white émigré was a Russian who emigrated from Russia in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War, and who was in opposition to the contemporary Russian political climate....
cadets joined the Russian Corps
Russian Corps
The Russian Corps was an armed force composed of anti-communist Russian emigres that existed during the Second World War in German-occupied Serbia...
, feeling it was a means of continuing the battle against the Bolshevik regime.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with the emigration of cadets to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, White emigre cadet corps ceased to function. A cadet union was formed to unite the graduates of the cadet corps.
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
(Bela Crkva
Bela Crkva (Vojvodina)
Bela Crkva is a town and municipality in the South Banat District of Vojvodina, Serbia. The town has a population of 10,638, while the Bela Crkva municipality has 20,275 inhabitants....
), where they received the patronage of Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I , also known as Alexander the Unifier was the first king of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia as well as the last king of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes .-Childhood:...
- himself a graduate from the St. Petersburg cadet corps.
After the fall of the USSR, cadet corps were re-established in Russia.
See also
- Sea Cadet Corps (Russia)Sea Cadet Corps (Russia)The Sea Cadet Corps , occasionally translated as the Marine Cadet Corps or the Naval Cadet Corps, is an educational establishment for training Naval officers for the Russian Navy in Saint Petersburg.It is the oldest existing high school in Russia.-History:...