White movement in Transbaikal
Encyclopedia
The White movement in Transbaikal was a period of the confrontation between the Soviets and the Whites
over dominance in Transbaikal
from December 1917 to November 1920.
. By August, 1918 the SMD had a considerable force and its strength grew because of the Japanese military assistance. The Japanese were interested in gaining Transbaikal and its resources and especially they supported Grigory Semyonov as a result of confrontation with British-supported Admiral Kolchak.
The Special Manchurian Detachment and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps launched the first massive offensive in order to conquer Chita in the spring of 1918 but were repelled. Finally, Chita was taken on 25 August, 1918. It was the beginning of the Siberian Intervention
of the Japanese and Chita became the headquarters of the Japanese 5th Division for more than two years.
The first action of the newly formed White government was to "encourage" Baikal Cossacks
to join the White Army of Grigory Semyonov. Baikal Cossacks were drafted in the newly formed military formations among them even the Jewish regiment was created in order to raise all possible resources. All in all, Ataman Semyonov managed to make up 20,000 strong army as of May 1920.
After taking Chita and expelling the Soviets in the summer of 1918, the future Ataman Semyonov and his advisers started forming new governmental institutions. On August 25, 1918 the Provisional Oblast Government was initiated in Chita by the former members of the Chita Town Duma, the Transbaikalian Oblast Zemstvo
, and the Chita Uezd Board. The Provisional Oblast Government included many Jews
of various political affiliations.
The Government announced itself under jurisdiction of the Provisional Siberian Government located in Omsk
and immediately annulled all Soviet acts related to confiscations.
On September 14, 1918 Grigory Semyonov arrived at Chita and together with the Japanese he started his rising to autocracy
. He became the Commander-in-Chief of the Separate Eastern Siberian Army, pronounced the Ataman of Baikal Cossacks, and finally on July 9, 1919 Admiral Kolchak's Government appointed him as the Head of all Governmental Institutions of Transbaikal.
Although he became an autocratic ruler of Transbailia, Ataman Semyonov kept all representative bodies such as Oblast and Uezd Assemblies and Boards, Town Dumas, and trade unions. In addition, Ataman Semyonov let political activities of various parties even the Bolsheviks if they didn't attempt to break current laws.
From the first months of his rule over Transbaikal, Grigory Semyonov had chosen terror
as an oppressive means against the displeased. It didn't bring expected results but the start of the massive resistance partisan movement. Ataman Semyonov tried to be more liberal to different social strata but it was impossible to pacify all conflicting groups.
Together with the Japanese he launched a series of military operations against the partisan resistance movements of Baikal Cossacks and local peasants. One of the notable operations against the partisans was the Battle of Bogdat
in the autumn of 1919 in which Grigory Semyonov was close to put an end to the Eastern Transbaikalian Front. The actions of the Japanese and Semyonov's troops were brutal to the partisans and locals. As a result, many locals joined the partisans and they became a considerable force of about 30,000 of the Amur Front
. The latter had played a significant role of putting the end to Ataman Semyonov's regime in Transbaikal in the autumn of 1920.
After Admiral Kolchak's defeat, Ataman Semyonov formed the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts Government headed by the Member of the Constitutional Democratic Party
, S. A. Taskin.
After the defeat of Admiral Kolchak's armies in the Ural and Western Siberia, the Great Siberian Ice march
of the rest of Vladimir Kappel
's 30,000 strong army started in January 1920 heading for Chita. General Vladimir Kappel died of deep frostbite
on January 25, 1920 and his body was briefly buried in Chita.
In February 1920 the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts Forces were formed and on April 27, 1920 the Far Eastern Army headed by the Commander-in-Chief of all military formations of the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts, Ataman Grigory Semyonov. The Army included the following units:
In addition, all Cossack units were not included into the Far Eastern Army. On August 1, 1920 the Asian Cavalry Division headed by Roman Ungern von Sternberg
was re-formed into a partisan detachment but Ungern von Sternberg's troops left the front for Mongolia.
After the signing the Gongota Agreement of 1920
between the Far Eastern Republic
and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps, Ataman Semyonov was left without any support. He even tried to negotiate with the Soviets and Ataman Semenyov formed the Transbaikalian People's Assembly in order to save his government but in vain. The Japanese troops left Transbaikal on October 19, 1920 and Grigory Semyonov's troops retreated from Chita on October 22. The Far Eastern Army left its supply base at Dauria railway station for Mongolia where was engaged into a series of confrontations with the Reds and Chinese troops. Then the Army moved to Manchuria and fought in the Russian Far East until November 1922 then finally was evacuated to China
. Most of refugees settled down near Hailar
.
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...
over dominance in Transbaikal
Transbaikal
Transbaikal, Trans-Baikal, Transbaikalia , or Dauria is a mountainous region to the east of or "beyond" Lake Baikal in Russia. The alternative name, Dauria, is derived from the ethnonym of the Daur people. It stretches for almost 1000 km from north to south from the Patomskoye Plateau and North...
from December 1917 to November 1920.
Initial stages
The first regular military formation of the Whites was the Special Manchurian Detachment (SMD) made up of 9 officers, 35 Cossacks and 40 Buryats on December 12, 1917 by Grigory SemyonovGrigory Semyonov
Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov, or Semenov , was a Japanese-supported leader of the White movement in Transbaikal and beyond from December 1917 to November 1920, Lieutenant General and Ataman of Baikal Cossacks .-Biography:Semyonov was born in the Transbaikal region of eastern Siberia...
. By August, 1918 the SMD had a considerable force and its strength grew because of the Japanese military assistance. The Japanese were interested in gaining Transbaikal and its resources and especially they supported Grigory Semyonov as a result of confrontation with British-supported Admiral Kolchak.
The Special Manchurian Detachment and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps launched the first massive offensive in order to conquer Chita in the spring of 1918 but were repelled. Finally, Chita was taken on 25 August, 1918. It was the beginning of the Siberian Intervention
Siberian Intervention
The ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
of the Japanese and Chita became the headquarters of the Japanese 5th Division for more than two years.
New Reality in Transbaikal
Baikal Cossacks
Baikal Cossacks were Cossacks of the Transbaikal Cossack Host , a Cossack host formed in 1851 in the areas beyond Lake Baikal ....
to join the White Army of Grigory Semyonov. Baikal Cossacks were drafted in the newly formed military formations among them even the Jewish regiment was created in order to raise all possible resources. All in all, Ataman Semyonov managed to make up 20,000 strong army as of May 1920.
After taking Chita and expelling the Soviets in the summer of 1918, the future Ataman Semyonov and his advisers started forming new governmental institutions. On August 25, 1918 the Provisional Oblast Government was initiated in Chita by the former members of the Chita Town Duma, the Transbaikalian Oblast Zemstvo
Zemstvo
Zemstvo was a form of local government that was instituted during the great liberal reforms performed in Imperial Russia by Alexander II of Russia. The idea of the zemstvo was elaborated by Nikolay Milyutin, and the first zemstvo laws were put into effect in 1864...
, and the Chita Uezd Board. The Provisional Oblast Government included many Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
of various political affiliations.
The Government announced itself under jurisdiction of the Provisional Siberian Government located in Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
and immediately annulled all Soviet acts related to confiscations.
On September 14, 1918 Grigory Semyonov arrived at Chita and together with the Japanese he started his rising to autocracy
Autocracy
An autocracy is a form of government in which one person is the supreme power within the state. It is derived from the Greek : and , and may be translated as "one who rules by himself". It is distinct from oligarchy and democracy...
. He became the Commander-in-Chief of the Separate Eastern Siberian Army, pronounced the Ataman of Baikal Cossacks, and finally on July 9, 1919 Admiral Kolchak's Government appointed him as the Head of all Governmental Institutions of Transbaikal.
Although he became an autocratic ruler of Transbailia, Ataman Semyonov kept all representative bodies such as Oblast and Uezd Assemblies and Boards, Town Dumas, and trade unions. In addition, Ataman Semyonov let political activities of various parties even the Bolsheviks if they didn't attempt to break current laws.
From the first months of his rule over Transbaikal, Grigory Semyonov had chosen terror
White Terror
White Terror is the violence carried out by reactionary groups as part of a counter-revolution. In particular, during the 20th century, in several countries the term White Terror was applied to acts of violence against real or suspected socialists and communists.-Historical origin: the French...
as an oppressive means against the displeased. It didn't bring expected results but the start of the massive resistance partisan movement. Ataman Semyonov tried to be more liberal to different social strata but it was impossible to pacify all conflicting groups.
Together with the Japanese he launched a series of military operations against the partisan resistance movements of Baikal Cossacks and local peasants. One of the notable operations against the partisans was the Battle of Bogdat
Battle of Bogdat
The Battle of Bogdat or The Bogdat Operation was the largest battle between the Soviet partisans and the Whites during the Russian Civil War in Transbaikal....
in the autumn of 1919 in which Grigory Semyonov was close to put an end to the Eastern Transbaikalian Front. The actions of the Japanese and Semyonov's troops were brutal to the partisans and locals. As a result, many locals joined the partisans and they became a considerable force of about 30,000 of the Amur Front
Amur Front
The Amur Front of the Far Eastern Republic was a front of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic during the Russian Civil War in Transbaikal....
. The latter had played a significant role of putting the end to Ataman Semyonov's regime in Transbaikal in the autumn of 1920.
After Admiral Kolchak's defeat, Ataman Semyonov formed the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts Government headed by the Member of the Constitutional Democratic Party
Constitutional Democratic party
The Constitutional Democratic Party was a liberal political party in the Russian Empire. Party members were called Kadets, from the abbreviation K-D of the party name...
, S. A. Taskin.
End of Ataman Semyonov's regime in Transbaikal
Great Siberian Ice March
The Great Siberian Ice march was the winter retreat of Vladimir Kappel's White Russian Army in the course of the Russian Civil War in January–February 1920....
of the rest of Vladimir Kappel
Vladimir Kappel
Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel was a White Russian military leader.During the First World War he was a Chief of the 347th Infantry Regiment's Staff and an officer in the 1st Army's Staff...
's 30,000 strong army started in January 1920 heading for Chita. General Vladimir Kappel died of deep frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
on January 25, 1920 and his body was briefly buried in Chita.
In February 1920 the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts Forces were formed and on April 27, 1920 the Far Eastern Army headed by the Commander-in-Chief of all military formations of the Russian Eastern Outlying Districts, Ataman Grigory Semyonov. The Army included the following units:
- 1st Transbaikalian Corps Lieutenant-General Dmitry Semyonov (March 10 to July 23, 1920); Lieutenant-General Georgy MatsievskyGeorgy MatsievskyGeorgy Evgenievich Matsievsky was a Baikal Cossack, active participant of the White movement in Transbaikal, Lieutenant-General ....
(since July 1920) - 2nd Separate Rifle Corps Lieutenant-General Grigory VerzhbitskyGrigory VerzhbitskyGrigory Afanasyevich Verzhbitsky was one of the leaders of the White movement in Transbaikal and Primoriye during the Russian Civil War, Lieutenant-General .Verzhbitsky was graduated from the Odessa Infantry Engineering School in 1897...
(February to August 23, 1920); Major-General Innokenty Smolin (since August 23, 1920) - 3rd Separate Rifle Corps Major-General Viktorin MolchanovViktorin MolchanovViktorin Mikhailovich Molchanov was a Russian Major-General and a participant in the White movement....
(since February 22, 1920)
In addition, all Cossack units were not included into the Far Eastern Army. On August 1, 1920 the Asian Cavalry Division headed by Roman Ungern von Sternberg
Roman Ungern von Sternberg
Baron Roman Nikolai Maximilian von Ungern-Sternberg was a Russian Yesaul , Lieutenant-general, and a hero of World War I...
was re-formed into a partisan detachment but Ungern von Sternberg's troops left the front for Mongolia.
Gongota Agreement of 1920
The Gongota Agreement of 1920 was a milestone in the Russian Civil War in Transbaikal. The Agreement was finalized at Gongota railway station on July 15, 1920 between the Far Eastern Republic's delegation headed by Alexander Krasnoshchyokov and Genrich Eiche and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps...
between the Far Eastern Republic
Far Eastern Republic
The Far Eastern Republic , sometimes called the Chita Republic, was a nominally independent state that existed from April 1920 to November 1922 in the easternmost part of the Russian Far East...
and the Japanese Expeditionary Corps, Ataman Semyonov was left without any support. He even tried to negotiate with the Soviets and Ataman Semenyov formed the Transbaikalian People's Assembly in order to save his government but in vain. The Japanese troops left Transbaikal on October 19, 1920 and Grigory Semyonov's troops retreated from Chita on October 22. The Far Eastern Army left its supply base at Dauria railway station for Mongolia where was engaged into a series of confrontations with the Reds and Chinese troops. Then the Army moved to Manchuria and fought in the Russian Far East until November 1922 then finally was evacuated to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Most of refugees settled down near Hailar
Hailar
Hailar may refer to:* Hailar River, part of the Russia-China border* Hailar District, district in Inner Mongolia, China...
.
See also
- Siberian InterventionSiberian InterventionThe ', or the Siberian Expedition, of 1918–1922 was the dispatch of troops of the Entente powers to the Russian Maritime Provinces as part of a larger effort by the western powers and Japan to support White Russian forces against the Bolshevik Red Army during the Russian Civil War...
- Russian Civil WarRussian Civil WarThe 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...
- White movementWhite movementThe 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...
- Grigory SemyonovGrigory SemyonovGrigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov, or Semenov , was a Japanese-supported leader of the White movement in Transbaikal and beyond from December 1917 to November 1920, Lieutenant General and Ataman of Baikal Cossacks .-Biography:Semyonov was born in the Transbaikal region of eastern Siberia...
- Anti-communismAnti-communismAnti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...