The Creation, Organization and Work of the Red Army’s political apparatus during the Civil War 1918-1920

521 Pages·1989·18.01 MB·English

by  Steven John Main

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The Creation, Organisation and Work of the Red Army's political
apparatus during the Civil War (1918-1920).
Steven John Main
Ph.D.
University of Edinburgh
1989
Contents:
..........................................
Abstract............
·
1
Abbreviations · ·
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 1. ]_
Acknowledgements .•.•.•••..•••••.•.•••••••••..•.•..•••..... iii-v
Introduction · · ·
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •. • • •••••••••••••••••••••• • VJ.-Xl.V
Chapter One: First steps towards the creation of a Red Army
political apparatus (January-March 1918) ••••.•.•••.••••. pp.1-16
Notes ••.••••.••••.•••••••••....•.•••••••••.•••••••••••. pp.17-18
Chapter Two (section one): The creation of the Bolsheviks'
first centralised political organ for the Red Army: the
formation and organisational structure of the All-Russian
Bureau of Military Commissars (April 1918-April 1919) .. pp.19-35
Notes ••••.•••••••••••••••..•••••••.•.•.•••••••.•••.•••. pp. 36-38
Chapter Two (section two): VBVK and the role of the military
commissars in the Red Army (April 1918-April 1919) •..• pp.39-101
sub-section (i): what was a military commissar? ••••••.. pp.41-46
sub-section (ii): the initial experience of VBVK and the
military commissars (April-May 1918) .....•..••..•...•.. pp.46-47
sub-section (iii): VBVK and the work of the First All-Russian
Congress of Military Commissars (June 1918) ••.••.•.•... pp.48-69
sub-section (iv): the changing military situation and the role
of the military commissars (June-September 1918) ••..••. pp.69-80
sub-section (v): the response of the centre to the changing
role of the military commissars (September-December
1918) .•••••••••.•....••••••.•.•••.•..••..••.•......•..• pp.81-86
sub-s e c t ion ( vi ) : number s • . . • . • . • • • • • . • • •· • . • • • • . • . • • • • • pp . 8 6-8 7
sub-section (vii): courses ••••••••••.••••••..••••.••••• pp.88-94
sub-section (viii): daily activity of the military commissars
(1918-1919) •••••.•••••..•. ·• •.•••••.•••.•.•.•.•.......• pp.94-101
Notes •••••.•.•••.•.••.••••...•••..•.•••.•••••...•••.. pp .102-107
Chapter Two (section three): VBVK and the role of the Party
cells in the Red Army (April 1918-April 1919) •..••••• pp.108-145
Notes •.••.•.••••.•.••••.•..•.•••••••••••..••..•.•••.. pp .146-150
Chapter Two (section four): VBVK and the Red Army's political
departments (June 1918-April 1919) •••.•.•••••••••..•• pp.151-214
sub-section (i): the creation and growth of the network of
political departments on the Eastern Front (June-December
1918) ................................................ pp.153-181
sub-section (ii): the activity of the Red Army's political
departments on the Southern Front (September-December
1918 ) ................................................ pp • 181-1 9 2
sub-section (iii): formal recogniton of the Party-political
status of the political departments (December 1918) .• pp.193-197
sub-section (iv): political departmental activity elsewhere in
the Red Army units (September 1918-February 1919) ..•• pp.197-203
(v): VBVK's attempt to establish direct contact
sub~section
with the front-line political departments (January
1919) •••.•.•.••.••••••••.••••.•.•.•••..•••••••••••••• pp.204-208
Contents (cont),
sub-section (vi): future conduct of political work in the Red
Army and the Red Army's political departments (January-March
1919) ....••.•.••..•.•.•...••..•••.•••...••••••••••.•• pp.208-214
Notes.·· .•.•.••••..•...•...•.•••..•••••....•••.•...•• pp. 215-221
Chapter Two (section five): VBVK and the 8th Party Congress-the
final chapter in the activity of VBVK (March-April
1 91 9 ) •.•••••...••....••.••.•...•.•••••••••.••...•••.. pp . 2 2 2-2 4 0
Notes •.••.....•...•••.••....•.•.•....••..•..••...••.. pp. 241-243
Chapter Three (section one): the creation and organisational
structure of the Political Administration of the Revolutionary
Military Soviet of the Republic (May 1919-November
1920) .••..•••••••••••.•••.••..•.•.••••.•.••.••••.•••. pp.244-272
Notes •.•.•.•..•.•••...•••...•.•.•.••••.••••••.•.•.•.• pp.273-277
Chapter Three (section two): the leadership of the Political
Administration of the Revolutionary Military Soviet of the
Republic (PUR) during the Civil War (May 1919-January
1921) •.•..••..••..••.•••.•••.••.••••..••......•.•.•.. pp.278-291
Notes .••......••.•..•.••...•••.•.•.••...•.••.•...•.•. pp. 292-293
Chapter Three (section three): the Political Administration of
the Revolutionary Military Soviet of the Republic and the Work
of the Military Commissars (May 1919-December 1920) .. pp.294-314
sub-section (i): Smilga and Trotsky on the role of the military
commissars (February 1919-March 1920) ...•..••..••..•. pp.297-309
sub-section (ii): practical reaction to the idea of abolishing
the military commissars ••••.•••••.•.•.•.•.•.•.•.•••.• pp.310-311
sub-section (iii): conclusions .•.•.•.•.....••..•.•••• pp.311-314
Notes ..•••..•.•••.•...•.•.•.•.••..•••.•...••••••••.•. pp. 315-316
Chapter Three (section four): the Political Administration of
the Revolutionary Military Soviet of the Republic and the work
of the First All-Russian Congress of Political Workers of the
Red Army (December 1919) ...........•.......•••••.•... pp.317-362
sub-section (i): the number of commissars and Communists in the
Red Army (1919) ••••.•••.•.•••.••••.••••••••.••.•..•.• pp.323-328
sub-section (ii): PUR's 1919 budget ....•.........•..• pp.329-330
sub-section (iii): PUR and the political workers sent to the
front ( 1919) ..•......••............•••............... pp. 330-332
sub-section (iv): PUR and the agitational literature sent to
the front (1919) •................•.••..•........••... pp.332-334
sub-section (v): the work of PUR's cultural-educational
department in 1919 ...•....•.•..•.•.•••....•...•....•. pp.334-336
sub-section (vi): the work of PUR's literary-publications
department in 1919 .........•••••••.•.•.•••••••.•.•.•• pp.336-337
sub-section (vii): PUR and the work of the local political
apparatus at the front (1919) ..••.••.•..•..•.•...•••. pp.338-342
sub-section (viii): Smilga's and Trotsky's speeches and the
closing of the First All-Russian Congress of Political Workers
(December 1919) •.•..••••••...•••••.•.•••••••••••••..• pp.342-349
Contents (cant).
sub-section (ix): the resolutions of the First All-Russian
Congress of Political Workers (December 1919) •....... pp.349-360
sub-section (x): conclusions ....•.•.••.•••••••••••..• pp.361-362
Notes •.••••••••••.•.•..•.•.••...••.•.•••••.•.•.•••.•• pp.363-367
Chapter Three (section five): PUR and political-educational
work in the Red Army in 1919-1920 ..•••.••••••••.•••.. pp.368-417
sub-section (i): PUR and the mobilisation and distribution of
CP members and political workers to the front Red Army units
(October 1919-August 1920) •••••••••••.•..•••..••.•••• pp.369-378
sub-section (ii): evaluating the military value of the CP
members, political workers and workers to the Red Army (1919-
1920) ••••...••.••••.•••••••.•...•••..•.••.••••.•.•.•. pp.378-385
sub-section (iii): PUR and the political and cultural
educational work in the Red Army (1920)-background ••• pp.385-388
sub-section (iv): PUR and the achievements of the Red Army's
political and cultural-educational apparatus (1920) •. pp.388-413
sub-section (iv): the restructuring of the Red Army's political
and cultural-educational apparatus (September-November
1920) .••..•.•...•••.••••.•••••••••.••.•.••••.••..•.•. pp .414-417
Notes ..••••••.•••.•.••.•.•••.•.....•••...•••....•.... pp .418-423
Chapter Four-Conclusion ••••...••••..•..•.•••••...•••• pp.424-451
Appendix one: organisational structure of PUR in May
1919 .•••.•.•••••.•••••.•••.•.•••••••...•.••.......••• pp.452-466
Appendix two: biographies of the leading figures of the R~d
Army's Civil War political apparatus •••.••••..•.•.••• pp.467-484
Appendix three: various diagrams on Red Army's.central
political apparatus in 1918-1920 .••••••••••..•..••••. pp.485-489
Selected Bibliography .•.•.•..• ~······················PP·489-503
The main aim of this dissertation has been to examine the
creation, organisation and work of the Red Army's Civil War
political apparatus and assess its overall contribution to the
Bolshevik war effort. To this end the dissertation itself
cons~s~s of 4 main chapters and a ~umber of appendices,
deta1l1ng not only the war~ of the main political organs of the
Red Army, but also the main personalities involved.
The first chapter is an introductory chapter, examining the
organ, which many Soviet historians have for a long time
considered to be the Bolsheviks' first attempt at the creation
of a centralised political organ for the Red Army, namely the
Organisation~agitation department of the All-Russian Collegiate
for the Formation and Organisation of the Red Army.
The work carried out for the first chapter then leads to a
discussion of the work of arguably the first real attempt by
the Bolsheviks to create a properly functioning political organ
specifically for the Red Army, namely the All-Russian Bureau of
Military Commissars (VBVK). The chapter has been sub-divided
into a number of sections, in order to allow a greater detailed
examination of the work, personalities and difficulties that
the central political apparatus faced in its attempts to exert
some sort of control over the various constituent parts of the
front political apparatus-the military commissars, the Party
cells and the ever-increasing important political departments
in the period 1918-1919.
That VBVK was not to be a crowning success is revealed by
the necessity that the Bolsheviks felt towards the beginning of
1919 to abolish VBVK and create arguably the centralised
political organ of the Red Army during the Civil War period-the
Political Administration of the Revolutionary Military Soviet
of the Republic (PUR). Created in May 1919, PUR was to face
many of the same problems that had beset VBVK a year or so
earlier but, on the whole, coped with them better and political
and cultural-educational work in the Red Army proceeded apace.
The final, conclusive chapter brings all the threads
together and assesses the claims made for the political work
carried out in the front-line Red Army units during 1918-1920
and, whilst admitting that the Bolsheviks did spend much time
on promoting the apparatus in a number of ways, the assertions
made by generations of Soviet historians concerning the overall
value of the political and cultural-educational work carried
out in the Red Army are still too grandiose and that there is a
lack of concrete evidence available, proving the worth of the
political work carried out and its positive military
consequences.
(i)
Abbreviations:-
CC RKP(B)-Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party
(Bolsheviks);
CEC-Central Executive Committee;
PUR-Politicheskoe upravleni Revvoensoveta Respubliki, trans.
the Political Administration of the Revolutionary Military
Soviet of the Republic;
RKKA-Raboche-Krestianskaya Krasnaya Armiya, trans. the
Worker's-Peasants' Red Army;
RMS-Revolutionary Military Soviet;
RVSR-Revoliutsionniy Voenniy Soviet Respubliki, trans. the
Revolutionary Military Soviet of the Republic;
VBVK-Vserossiiskoe buro voennykh komissarov, trans. the All
Russian Bureau of Military Commissars;
VVS-Vysshiy Voenniy Soviet, trans. the Higher Military Soviet.
(ii)
Acknowledgements
The compilation of this dissertation has taken a number of
years of research and the final product owes as much to the
help and assistance of a number of individuals, as well as to
my own persistance and determination. Without the help, a word
used in the widest possible sense, of a lot of people, I am not
all that confident that this dissertation would have saw the
light of day.
First of all, I would like to take the opportunity to
publicly acknowledge a huge debt of gratitude to my parents,
Mr.and Mrs. William Main, whose unstinted support for my
academic aspirations have kept me going through all these
years. In this context, I should also like to say a big thank
you to my brother, Mr. David Main who, at a very crucial stage
of the work for this dissertation, stepped in and, at no small
sacrifice to himself, made it possible for me to contine my
research. Similarly, how my wife, Mrs. Alla Main, has managed
to put up with me and my dissertation for the past three years
is anyone's guess, but she has and both for her love and
support over that period, I will always be in her debt.
Outside of the immediate family, I would also like to
express my deepest gratitude and respect for the man who, both
in terms of time and intellectual energy, contributed hugely to
(iii)
this work and played a key role in its eventual completion-my
superviser for many years, Mr. Ramsay McWhirter. How he
managed to sustain both the drive and interest necessary to see
this dissertation through all the years of financial
uncertainty and, worse than that, reading the first drafts in
my own handwriting is beyond me! Jokes aside, though, he
played a very important role in helping me to sort out what I
really wanted to say about the topic and the completion of this
dissertation is thanks to no small effort on his part.
In expressing my thanks and appreciation of the help and
assistance, both financial and intellectual, to the man who, in
many ways, sparked off my initial interest in Soviet history,
then a special place must be allocated to Mr. James Burton. In
practical terms, he stepped in when it was needed most but, in
a whole host of other ways, his support was always
appreciated. To his wife, Mrs. Pat Burton, I would also like
to say a sincere thank-you for everything that she has done for
both my wife and myself in the past few years.
For stepping in at the eleventh hour, so to speak, I would
also like to thank my present supervisors, Mr. John Goading and
Dr. David Guild. They have played their alloted roles and I
would like to thank them for stepping in to see me through.
For their tremendous help in acquiring materials for me, I
should also like to thank the staff at Inter-Library Loans,
especially Margaret Dowling, Jill Evans and John Green. For
postgraduate students, I.L.L. provides an exceptionally
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important service and, without fear of contradiction, I would
say that a lot of dissertations would go largely uncompleted if
it were not for the great help and assistance that the staff at
I.L.L. provide. They have been a tremendous help to me over
the years, of that there can be no doubt.
I would also like to say thank you to the offices of the
British Council, who granted me a year's scholarship to the
USSR in 1985-1986. It was that year that effectively made this
dissertation, thanks to the access to materials I WpS able to
get at the Lenin and INION Libraries in Moscow. In this
context, I would also like to publicly thank the authorities of
Moscow State University, who provided me with virtually
everything I needed for a succcessful study trip to the USSR.
I would also like to express my appreciation for the
financial assistance rendered to me over a period of years by
the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland-again,
their assistance was most timely. In this context, I would
also like to thank Mr.and Mrs.David Bessant for their financial
help at an important stage of completing this work.
In their own different ways and in various degrees, the
following list of individuals have also played their own unique
roles in helping me complete this work- Mr.Edmund Bradley, Mr.
Jim Cosgrove, Mr. Eric McCallum, Mr. John McKenzie, Mr. Robert
Parker, Miss Willa Stewart and, last but by no means least,
Prof.D.Ward.
(v)