ABOUT SOME EPISODES OF THE COURSE OF MOBILIZATION TO THE RED ARMY AND MILITARY TRAINING IN THE SIMBIRSK PROVINCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR IN SOVIET RUSSIA (based on Simbirsk Newspapers)

DOI: 10.47026/2712-9454-2023-4-1-51-67

УДК 930.1

ББК 63.3(2)6

Andrei V. MANKOV

Key words

Civil War, Red Army (RKKA), mobilization, Simbirsk, Syzran, Bolsheviks, Red Army soldiers, donations, military training, gifts to the Red Army, I. Vareikis, The Simbirsk Infantry Command Courses, “Proletarian”

Abstract

On September 21, 2022, partial mobilization to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was announced in the Russian Federation (RF). In the history of Russia and the USSR, several military mobilizations took place. So, one of the most massive of them was held during the Civil War in Soviet Russia (1918–1922). During this period, the state also organized military training for the broad masses of the people. In our opinion, the experience of mobilization and military training during the Civil War may be of interest to specialists in our days, which makes the topic of mobilization and military training relevant. The problem of military mobilization, unfortunately, is not popular among historians, and the topic of military training in general, in our opinion, has not been studied enough. The novelty of the study lies in the fact that the historical analysis of these events on the regional material of the Middle Volga region and, in particular, on the materials of one of the provinces is practically absent.

The purpose of this article is to identify some features of mobilization and military training in the Simbirsk province.

Materials and methods. The author uses problem-analytical and chronological methods of research, the source base of the work is, first of all, the Simbirsk newspapers of 1918, as well as the memories of the participants in the events.

Results of the study. As a result of the study, it was found out that mobilization in Simbirsk was announced only in the autumn of 1918, which was associated with the liberation of the city in September from the White Czechs. In connection with the need to protect Simbirsk from the White Guards, as well as replenish the belligerent Red Army in the city and the province, work began on the creation of new military units for the new army. Several new military units were formed from mobilized and volunteers in Simbirsk and Syzran. The new growing army required more and more commanders and political workers. The Simbirsk Infantry Command Courses were established in the city – the first military educational institution in the Simbirsk-Ulyanovsk Volga region under Soviet power. During the mobilization, certain problems arose, in particular, the desertion of the Red Army. Numerous resolutions and resolutions were adopted at meetings of workers and peasants in the towns and villages of the province in support of the course taken to mobilize and repel the aggression of the internal counterrevolution. During the study period, active work was launched in the region to collect donations and gifts for the Red Army soldiers. At the head of this work stood the Simbirsk Bolsheviks, who were led by I.M. Vareikis.

Findings. It is concluded that conscription and the system of universal training were among the most important tasks of the current moment in the autumn of 1918 and created favorable conditions for mass replenishment of the personnel of the new truly people’s army.

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Information about the author

Andrei V. Mankov – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Socio-Economic Disciplines, Military Academy of Communications named after Marshal of the Soviet Union S.M. Budenny, Russia, St. Petersburg (63donetsk@mail.ru).

For citations

Mankov A.V. ABOUT SOME EPISODES OF THE COURSE OF MOBILIZATION TO THE RED ARMY AND MILITARY TRAINING IN THE SIMBIRSK PROVINCE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR IN SOVIET RUSSIA (based on Simbirsk Newspapers). Historical Search, 2023, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 51–67. DOI: 10.47026/2712-9454-2023-4-1-51-67 (in Russian).

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