The first after Lenin is Lev Davidovich Trotsky. Interesting facts from the biography. Literary and historical notes of a young technician

Lev Davidovich Trotsky (Leiba Bronstein) (born November 7, 1879 - died August 21, 1940) - revolutionary, ideologist of Trotskyism. One of the organizers of the 1917 revolution. Member of the Bolshevik Party from August 1917 to November 14, 1927. Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) - RCP (b) - VKP (b). He was a member of the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) between the VIII and IX party congresses, a member of the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) from September 25, 1923 to June 2, 1924.

1924 - confrontation between Trotsky and I.V. Stalin's battle for leadership ended in Trotsky's defeat. 1927 - expelled from the party, exiled to Alma-Ata, 1929 - abroad. He sharply criticized the Stalinist regime as a bureaucratic degeneration of proletarian power. 1938 - initiator of the creation of the 4th International. 1940 - was killed in Mexico by an NKVD agent, Spaniard R. Mercader.

Childhood. early years

Leiba Bronstein was born in 1879 in the village of Yanovka, Elisavetgrad district, Kherson province, into the family of a wealthy landowner from among the Jewish colonists. His father was able to learn to read only in old age. He studied at a real school in Odessa and Nikolaev, where he was the first in all disciplines. Leiba loved to draw, was fond of literature, wrote poetry, translated I. A. Krylov’s fables from Russian into Ukrainian, and took part in the publication of a school handwritten magazine. At that time, his rebellious character began to manifest itself for the first time: due to a conflict with a teacher French he was temporarily expelled from the school.

Trotsky in childhood and youth

The beginning of revolutionary activity. Arrest. Link

1896 - in Nikolaev (where he moved) he joined a revolutionary circle. In order to get a higher education, Leiba had to leave her new comrades and go to Novorossiysk. There he was easily able to enter the physics and mathematics department of the local university. But the revolutionary struggle has already captured young man, and he soon left this university and returned to Nikolaev.

1898, January - was arrested, imprisoned, first in Nikolaev, from there transferred to Kherson, then to Odessa and Moscow transit. In a Moscow prison he married A.L., an activist of the South Russian Workers' Union. Sokolovskaya, whom I knew from the Nikolaev period of participation in this organization. Sentenced to four years of exile in Eastern Siberia, where he and his wife were taken in the fall of 1900. At the stage I met F.E. Dzerzhinsky. In exile, he collaborated with the Irkutsk newspaper “Eastern Review”, writing under the pseudonym Antid Oto. He joined the Mensheviks.

Trotsky with his daughter Zina and first wife Alexandra Sokolovskaya

Emigration

1902, August - leaving his wife with two daughters, the youngest of whom was three months old, he fled from Siberian exile with a passport in the name of Trotsky, which he himself entered, not foreseeing that it would become his name for the rest of his life.

Leon Trotsky went to London, where he met with V.I. Lenin. There he spoke more than once to emigrant revolutionaries. Trotsky amazed everyone with his intellect and oratorical abilities. Lenin proposed to include him on the editorial board of Iskra, but Plekhanov categorically opposed this.

1903 - in Paris, Trotsky married Natalya Sedova. But officially Alexandra Sokolova remained his wife until the end of his life.

Return to Russia

After the revolution of 1905, Lev Davidovich and his wife returned to Russia. During the revolution, he showed himself to be an extraordinary organizer, speaker, and publicist; the de facto leader of the St. Petersburg Council of Workers' Deputies, editor of its Izvestia. He belonged to the most radical wing of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP).

Arrest. Second emigration

After the publication of the Financial Manifesto, he was arrested and convicted. 1906 - was sentenced to lifelong settlement in Siberia with deprivation of all civil rights. On the way to Obdorsk, he fled from Berezov.

He moved to Europe, where he made several attempts to unite disparate parties of a socialist orientation, but could not achieve success. In 1912-1913, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, as a military correspondent for the Kyiv Mysl newspaper, wrote 70 reports from the fronts of the Balkan Wars. Subsequently, this experience will help him organize work in the Red Army.

After the outbreak of the First World War, he fled from Vienna to Paris, where he published the newspaper “Our Word”. In it, he published his pacifist articles, which became the reason for Trotsky’s expulsion from France. The revolutionary moved to America, where he hoped to settle, since he doubted the possibility of an imminent revolution in Russia.

Trotsky at a rally in Yekaterinodar (1919)

October Revolution

May 1917 - returned to Petrograd, joined the United Social Democratic Internationalists (“Mezhrayontsy”). Soon he became the informal leader of the “Mezhrayontsy”, who took a critical position towards the Provisional Government. After the failure of the July uprising, he was arrested by the Provisional Government.

At the 6th Congress of the RSDLP(b) he was elected one of the honorary chairmen of the congress and a member of the party Central Committee. 1917, September - after being released from prison, he is elected chairman of the Petrograd Soviet. He was one of the organizers of the armed uprising in Petrograd, during the days of the October Revolution he played a leading role in the PVRK, and led the suppression of the Kerensky-Krasnov rebellion.

Fall from the pinnacle of power

1918, autumn - Trotsky is appointed chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR, i.e. he becomes the first commander-in-chief of the newly formed Red Army. For the next few years, he essentially lived on a train, on which he traveled on all fronts. During the defense of Tsaritsyn, Lev Davidovich entered into open confrontation with Stalin. Over time, he began to understand that there could be no equality in the army, and began to introduce the institution of military experts into the Red Army, striving for its reorganization and a return to the traditional principles of building the armed forces. 1924 - Trotsky was removed from his post as chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council.

In exile

1927 - Lev Davidovich Trotsky was removed from the Politburo of the Central Committee and expelled from the party. 1928, January - was exiled to Alma-Ata. 1929, February - deported from Soviet Union to Turkey.

He settled on the island of Prinkipo (Sea of ​​Marmara, near Istanbul), wrote works there about his life and the revolution and harshly criticized Stalin's policies. Considering the Comintern “captured” by the Stalinists to be politically bankrupt, Lev Davidovich began organizing a new, Fourth International.

He sharply opposed it, calling for the unification of all leftist forces in Europe against German National Socialism. 1933, summer - after the Fuhrer came to power, the radical French government of E. Daladier provided Trotsky with asylum in France. 1935 - Trotsky was forced to leave this country. He was granted new asylum by the Norwegian Labor government, but at the beginning of 1937 he was expelled from there, apparently due to Soviet pressure.

Last years

The revolutionary was now given refuge by the “leftist” President of Mexico Lazaro Cardenas. Leon Trotsky settled in Coyoacan as a guest of the radical artist Diego Rivera. 1938 - The Fourth International was officially founded by Trotskyists.

Meanwhile, the USSR intelligence services did not cease to keep Trotsky under close surveillance, having agents among his associates. 1938 - under strange circumstances, his closest and tireless colleague, his eldest son Lev Sedov, died in a Paris hospital after an operation. News came from the USSR not only about unprecedentedly cruel repressions against the “Trotskyists”. His first wife and his youngest son, Sergei Sedov, were arrested and subsequently shot. The accusation of Trotskyism in the Soviet Union became the most terrible and dangerous in those days.

Death

In recent years, Lev Davidovich worked on his book about Stalin, in which he considered Stalin as a fatal figure for socialism. Anticipating his imminent death, at the beginning of 1940, Trotsky wrote a will, where he spoke of his satisfaction with his fate as a Marxist revolutionary, proclaimed his unshakable faith in the triumph of the 4th International and in the imminent world socialist revolution.

1940, May - an attempt was made on the revolutionary himself in Mexico by a group of killers led by the famous artist A. Siqueiros. However, it failed, but on August 20, 1940, NKVD agent Ramon Mercader struck Trotsky on the head with an ice pick.

Lev Davidovich Trotsky died the next day, August 21, 1940 in Coyocan (Mexico). He was buried in the courtyard of his house, where his museum is now located.

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 positions 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 a common language with military experts. Strength Trotsky, as the leader of the Red Army, had a 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 grouping of 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 defeated 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 harmonious 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.”

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 Nikolayevich Nadezhny, who was entrusted with command of the 7th Army: “As always in such cases, this time 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 offense. 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 executions of 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 that has not actually been found, however, real application in the Red Army, orders began to take hostage the families of defectors from among military experts.

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 the specific plans and calculations associated with these hopes, did not come true.

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.

During the 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 virtually excluded from the historical process in the Stalinist 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 speak with an open mind about Trotsky’s outstanding role 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 V.A. Tesemnikova. M., 2013. pp. 51-76

Internet

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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.

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.

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 assigned military ranks"Marshal of Artillery" (1943) and "Chief Marshal of Artillery" (1944).
...carried out general management of the liquidation of the Nazi group surrounded at Stalingrad.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

People's Commissar of Defense of the USSR, Generalissimo of the Soviet Union, Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The brilliant military leadership of the USSR in the Second World War.

Dzhugashvili Joseph Vissarionovich

Assembled and coordinated the actions of a team of talented military leaders

Svyatoslav Igorevich

I would like to propose the “candidacies” of Svyatoslav and his father, Igor, as the greatest commanders and political leaders of my time, I think there is no point in listing to historians their services to the fatherland, I was unpleasantly surprised not to see their names on this list. Sincerely.

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, commander-in-chief of Soviet troops in the Far East in the war with Japan. One of the greatest commanders of World War II.
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).

Zhukov Georgy Konstantinovich

He made the greatest contribution as a strategist to the victory in the Great Patriotic War (aka the Second World War).

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, the Minister of War did a lot of work to strengthen the Russian army, and 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)

Rurikovich Svyatoslav Igorevich

He defeated the Khazar Khaganate, expanded the borders of Russian lands, and successfully fought with the Byzantine Empire.

Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich

In World War I, commander of the 8th Army in the Battle of Galicia. On August 15-16, 1914, during the Rohatyn battles, he defeated the 2nd Austro-Hungarian Army, capturing 20 thousand people. and 70 guns. On August 20, Galich was captured. The 8th Army takes an active part in the battles at Rava-Russkaya and in the Battle of Gorodok. In September he commanded a group of troops from the 8th and 3rd armies. From September 28 to October 11, his army withstood a counterattack by the 2nd and 3rd Austro-Hungarian armies in battles on the San River and near the city of Stryi. During the successfully completed battles, 15 thousand enemy soldiers were captured, and at the end of October his army entered the foothills of the Carpathians.

Yudenich Nikolai Nikolaevich

October 3, 2013 marks the 80th anniversary of the death in the French city of Cannes of the Russian military leader, commander of the Caucasian Front, hero of Mukden, Sarykamysh, Van, Erzerum (thanks to the complete defeat of the 90,000-strong Turkish army, Constantinople and the Bosporus with the Dardanelles retreated to Russia), the savior of the Armenian people from the complete Turkish genocide, holder of three orders of George and the highest order of France, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor, General Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich.

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.

Oktyabrsky Philip Sergeevich

Admiral, Hero of the Soviet Union. During the Great Patriotic War, commander of the Black Sea Fleet. One of the leaders of the Defense of Sevastopol in 1941 - 1942, as well as the Crimean operation of 1944. During the Great Patriotic War, Vice Admiral F. S. Oktyabrsky was one of the leaders of the heroic defense of Odessa and Sevastopol. Being the commander of the Black Sea Fleet, at the same time in 1941-1942 he was the commander of the Sevastopol Defense Region.

Three Orders of Lenin
three Orders of the Red Banner
two Orders of Ushakov, 1st degree
Order of Nakhimov, 1st degree
Order of Suvorov, 2nd degree
Order of the Red Star
medals

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.

Kotlyarevsky Petr Stepanovich

Hero of the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813. At one time they called Suvorov of the Caucasus. On October 19, 1812, at the Aslanduz ford across the Araks, at the head of a detachment of 2,221 people with 6 guns, Pyotr Stepanovich defeated the Persian army of 30,000 people with 12 guns. In other battles, he also acted not with numbers, but with skill.

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

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.

Slashchev-Krymsky Yakov Alexandrovich

Defense of Crimea in 1919-20. “The Reds are my enemies, but they did the main thing - my work: they revived great Russia!” (General Slashchev-Krymsky).

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

A man whose faith, courage, and patriotism defended our state

Brusilov Alexey Alekseevich

One of the best Russian generals of the First World War. In June 1916, troops of the Southwestern Front under the command of Adjutant General A.A. Brusilov, simultaneously striking in several directions, broke through the enemy’s deeply layered defenses and advanced 65 km. In military history, this operation was called the Brusilov breakthrough.

A talented commander who distinguished himself during the Time of Troubles at the beginning of the 17th century. In 1608, Skopin-Shuisky was sent by Tsar Vasily Shuisky to negotiate with the Swedes in Novgorod the Great. He managed to negotiate Swedish assistance to Russia in the fight against False Dmitry II. The Swedes recognized Skopin-Shuisky as their undisputed leader. In 1609, he and the Russian-Swedish army came to the rescue of the capital, which was under siege by False Dmitry II. He defeated detachments of adherents of the impostor in the battles of Torzhok, Tver and Dmitrov, and liberated the Volga region from them. He lifted the blockade from Moscow and entered it in March 1610.

Ushakov Fedor Fedorovich

During the Russian-Turkish War of 1787-1791, F. F. Ushakov made a serious contribution to the development of sailing fleet tactics. Relying on the entire set of principles for training naval forces and military art, incorporating all the accumulated tactical experience, F. F. Ushakov acted creatively, based on the specific situation and common sense. His actions were distinguished by decisiveness and extraordinary courage. Without hesitation, he reorganized the fleet into battle formation even when approaching the enemy directly, minimizing the time of tactical deployment. Despite the established tactical rule of the commander being in the middle of the battle formation, Ushakov, implementing the principle of concentration of forces, boldly placed his ship in the forefront and occupied the most dangerous positions, encouraging his commanders with his own courage. He was distinguished by a quick assessment of the situation, an accurate calculation of all success factors and a decisive attack aimed at achieving complete victory over the enemy. In this regard, Admiral F. F. Ushakov can rightfully be considered the founder of the Russian tactical school in naval art.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

He was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War! Under his leadership, the USSR won the Great Victory during the Great Patriotic War!

Rumyantsev Pyotr Alexandrovich

Russian military leader and statesman, who ruled Little Russia throughout the reign of Catherine II (1761-96). During the Seven Years' War he commanded the capture of Kolberg. For victories over the Turks at Larga, Kagul and others, which led to the conclusion of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace, he was awarded the title “Transdanubian”. In 1770 he received the rank of Field Marshal. Knight of the Russian orders of St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. George 1st class and St. Vladimir 1st class, Prussian Black Eagle and St. Anna 1st class

Romanov Mikhail Timofeevich

The heroic defense of Mogilev, the first all-round anti-tank defense of the city.

Skopin-Shuisky Mikhail Vasilievich

During his short military career, he knew practically no failures, both in battles with the troops of I. Boltnikov, and with the Polish-Liovian and “Tushino” troops. The ability to build a combat-ready army practically from scratch, train, use Swedish mercenaries in place and during the period, select successful Russian command cadres for the liberation and defense of the vast territory of the Russian northwestern region and liberation central Russia, persistent and systematic offensive, skillful tactics in the fight against the magnificent Polish-Lithuanian cavalry, undoubted personal courage - these are the qualities that, despite the little-known nature of his deeds, give him the right to be called the Great Commander of Russia.

Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

Russian admiral who gave his life for the liberation of the Fatherland.
Oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, full member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society, leader of the White movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.

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.

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.

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

Saltykov Pyotr Semyonovich

The commander-in-chief of the Russian army in the Seven Years' War, was the main architect of the key victories of the Russian troops.

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 his 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 of the Brusilov 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.

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.

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.

Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich

He was the Supreme Commander-in-Chief during the Great Patriotic War, in which our country won, and made all strategic decisions.

Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak (November 4 (November 16) 1874, St. Petersburg - February 7, 1920, Irkutsk) - Russian oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers of the late 19th - early 20th centuries, military and political figure, naval commander, active member of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1906), admiral (1918), leader of the White movement, Supreme Ruler of Russia.

Participant of the Russian-Japanese War, Defense of Port Arthur. During the First World War, he commanded the mine division of the Baltic Fleet (1915-1916), the Black Sea Fleet (1916-1917). Knight of St. George.
The leader of the White movement both on a nationwide scale and directly in the East of Russia. As the Supreme Ruler of Russia (1918-1920), he was recognized by all the leaders of the White movement, “de jure” by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, “de facto” by the Entente states.
Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.

Grachev Pavel Sergeevich

Hero of the Soviet Union. May 5, 1988 “for completing combat missions with minimal casualties and for the professional command of a controlled formation and the successful actions of the 103rd Airborne Division, in particular, in occupying the strategically important Satukandav pass (Khost province) during the military operation “Magistral” "received a medal" Golden Star"No. 11573. Commander of the USSR Airborne Forces. In total, during his military service he made 647 parachute jumps, some of them while testing new equipment.
He was shell-shocked 8 times and received several wounds. Suppressed the armed coup in Moscow and thereby saved the system of democracy. As Minister of Defense, he made great efforts to preserve the remnants of the army - a similar task to few people in the history of Russia. Only because of the collapse of the army and the reduction in the number of military equipment in the Armed Forces was he unable to victoriously end the Chechen War.

Kutuzov Mikhail Illarionovich

It is certainly worthy; in my opinion, no explanation or evidence is required. It's surprising that his name isn't on the list. was the list prepared by representatives of the Unified State Examination generation?

Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich

01/28/1887 - 09/05/1919 life. Head of the Red Army division, participant in the First World War and the Civil War.
Recipient of three St. George's Crosses and the St. George's Medal. Knight of the Order of the Red Banner.
On his account:
- Organization of the district Red Guard of 14 detachments.
- Participation in the campaign against General Kaledin (near Tsaritsyn).
- Participation in the campaign of the Special Army to Uralsk.
- Initiative to reorganize the Red Guard units into two Red Army regiments: them. Stepan Razin and them. Pugachev, united in the Pugachev brigade under the command of Chapaev.
- Participation in battles with the Czechoslovaks and the People’s Army, from whom Nikolaevsk was recaptured, renamed Pugachevsk in honor of the brigade.
- Since September 19, 1918, commander of the 2nd Nikolaev Division.
- Since February 1919 - Commissioner of Internal Affairs of the Nikolaev district.
- Since May 1919 - brigade commander of the Special Alexandrovo-Gai Brigade.
- Since June - head of the 25th Infantry Division, which participated in the Bugulma and Belebeyevskaya operations against Kolchak’s army.
- Capture of Ufa by the forces of his division on June 9, 1919.
- Capture of Uralsk.
- A deep raid of a Cossack detachment with an attack on the well-guarded (about 1000 bayonets) and located in the deep rear of the city of Lbischensk (now the village of Chapaev, West Kazakhstan region of Kazakhstan), where the headquarters of the 25th division was located.

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”

Kolchak Alexander Vasilievich

A person who combines the body of knowledge of a natural scientist, a scientist and a great strategist.

Romanov Pyotr Alekseevich

During the endless discussions about Peter I as a politician and reformer, it is unfairly forgotten that he was the greatest commander of his time. He was not only an excellent organizer of the rear. In the two most important battles of the Northern War (the battles of Lesnaya and Poltava), he not only developed battle plans himself, but also personally led the troops, being in the most important, responsible directions.
The only commander I know of who was equally talented in both land and sea battles.
The main thing is that Peter I created a domestic military school. If all the great commanders of Russia are the heirs of Suvorov, then Suvorov himself is the heir of Peter.
The Battle of Poltava was one of the greatest (if not the greatest) victory in Russian history. In all other great aggressive invasions of Russia, the general battle did not have a decisive outcome, and the struggle dragged on, leading to exhaustion. It was only in the Northern War that the general battle radically changed the state of affairs, and from the attacking side the Swedes became the defending side, decisively losing the initiative.
I believe that Peter I deserves to be in the top three on the list of the best commanders of Russia.

Suvorov Alexander Vasilievich

The greatest Russian commander! He has more than 60 victories and not a single defeat. Thanks to his talent for victory, the whole world learned the power of Russian weapons

Izylmetyev Ivan Nikolaevich

Commanded the frigate "Aurora". He made the transition from St. Petersburg to Kamchatka in a record time for those times in 66 days. In Callao Bay he eluded the Anglo-French squadron. Arriving in Petropavlovsk together with the governor of the Kamchatka Territory, Zavoiko V. organized the defense of the city, during which the sailors from the Aurora, together with local residents, threw the outnumbered Anglo-French landing force into the sea. Then he took the Aurora to the Amur Estuary, hiding it there After these events, the British public demanded a trial of the admirals who lost the Russian frigate.

Platov Matvey Ivanovich

Military Ataman of the Don Cossack Army. He began active military service at the age of 13. A participant in several military campaigns, he is best known as the commander of Cossack troops during the Patriotic War of 1812 and during the subsequent Foreign Campaign of the Russian Army. Thanks to the successful actions of the Cossacks under his command, Napoleon’s saying went down in history:
- Happy is the commander who has Cossacks. If I had an army of only Cossacks, I would conquer all of Europe.

Khvorostinin Dmitry Ivanovich

A commander who had no defeats...

Ridiger Fedor Vasilievich

Adjutant General, Cavalry General, Adjutant General... He had three Golden sabers with the inscription: “For bravery”... In 1849, Ridiger took part in a campaign in Hungary to suppress the unrest that arose there, being appointed head of the right column. On May 9, Russian troops entered the Austrian Empire. He pursued the rebel army until August 1, forcing them to lay down their arms in front of Russian troops near Vilyagosh. On August 5, the troops entrusted to him occupied the Arad fortress. During the trip of Field Marshal Ivan Fedorovich Paskevich to Warsaw, Count Ridiger commanded the troops located in Hungary and Transylvania... On February 21, 1854, during the absence of Field Marshal Prince Paskevich in the Kingdom of Poland, Count Ridiger commanded all troops located in the area of ​​​​the active army - as a commander separate corps and at the same time served as head of the Kingdom of Poland. After the return of Field Marshal Prince Paskevich to Warsaw, from August 3, 1854, he served as Warsaw military governor.

Gavrilov Pyotr Mikhailovich

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War - in the active army. Major Gavrilov P.M. from June 22 to July 23, 1941 he led the defense of the Eastern Fort of the Brest Fortress. He managed to rally around himself all the surviving soldiers and commanders of various units and divisions, closing the most vulnerable places for the enemy to break through. On July 23, he was seriously wounded from a shell explosion in the casemate and was unconscious was captured. He spent the war years in the Nazi concentration camps of Hammelburg and Revensburg, experiencing all the horrors of captivity. Liberated by Soviet troops in May 1945. http://warheroes.ru/hero/hero.asp?Hero_id=484

Duke of Württemberg Eugene

General of the Infantry, cousin of the Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. In service in the Russian Army since 1797 (enlisted as a colonel in the Life Guards Horse Regiment by Decree of Emperor Paul I). Participated in military campaigns against Napoleon in 1806-1807. For participation in the battle of Pułtusk in 1806 he was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious, 4th degree, for the campaign of 1807 he received a golden weapon “For Bravery”, he distinguished himself in the campaign of 1812 (he personally led the 4th Jaeger Regiment into battle in the Battle of Smolensk), for participation in the Battle of Borodino he was awarded the Order of St. George the Victorious, 3rd degree. Since November 1812, commander of the 2nd Infantry Corps in Kutuzov's army. He took an active part in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army in 1813-1814; units under his command particularly distinguished themselves in the Battle of Kulm in August 1813, and in the “Battle of the Nations” at Leipzig. For courage at Leipzig, Duke Eugene was awarded the Order of St. George, 2nd degree. Parts of his corps were the first to enter defeated Paris on April 30, 1814, for which Eugene of Württemberg received the rank of infantry general. From 1818 to 1821 was the commander of the 1st Army Infantry Corps. Contemporaries considered Prince Eugene of Württemberg one of the best Russian infantry commanders during the Napoleonic Wars. On December 21, 1825, Nicholas I was appointed chief of the Tauride Grenadier Regiment, which became known as the “Grenadier Regiment of His Royal Highness Prince Eugene of Württemberg.” On August 22, 1826 he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Participated in the Russian-Turkish war of 1827-1828. as commander of the 7th Infantry Corps. On October 3, he defeated a large Turkish detachment on the Kamchik River.

Skobelev Mikhail Dmitrievich

A man of great courage, an excellent tactician and organizer. M.D. Skobelev had strategic thinking, saw the situation both in real time and in the future

Antonov Alexey Innokentievich

He became famous as a talented staff officer. Participated in the development of almost all significant transactions 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.

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)

Katukov Mikhail Efimovich

Perhaps the only bright spot against the background of Soviet armored force commanders. A tank driver who went through the entire war, starting from the border. A commander whose tanks always showed their superiority to the enemy. His tank brigades were the only ones(!) in the first period of the war that were not defeated by the Germans and even caused them significant damage.
His First Guards Tank Army remained combat-ready, although it defended itself from the very first days of the fighting on the southern front of the Kursk Bulge, while exactly the same 5th Guards Tank Army of Rotmistrov was practically destroyed on the very first day it entered the battle (June 12)
This is one of the few of our commanders who took care of his troops and fought not with numbers, but with skill.

Donskoy Dmitry Ivanovich

His army won the Kulikovo victory.

Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich

Commander of the First Cavalry Army of the Red Army during the Civil War. The First Cavalry Army, which he led until October 1923, played an important role in a number of major operations of the Civil War to defeat the troops of Denikin and Wrangel in Northern Tavria and Crimea.

Minich Burchard-Christopher

One of the best Russian commanders and military engineers. The first commander to enter Crimea. Winner at Stavuchany.

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. Pototsky 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. Repeatedly beat the 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.

Cavalry General A. A. Brusilov showed the ability to manage large operational military formations - the army (8th - 08/05/1914 - 03/17/1916), the front (South-Western - 03/17/1916 - 05/21/1917), group of fronts (Supreme Commander-in-Chief - 05/22/1917 - 07/19/1917).
The personal contribution of A. A. Brusilov was manifested in many successful operations of the Russian army during the First World War - the Battle of Galicia in 1914, the Battle of the Carpathians in 1914/15, the Lutsk and Czartory operations in 1915 and, of course, in the Offensive of the Southwestern Front in 1916 (the famous Brusilov breakthrough).

M.D. Skobelev

Why was he called the “white general”? The simplest explanation is a uniform and a white horse. But he wasn’t the only one wearing a white general’s military uniform...

Leon Trotsky was born in 1879 in the village of Yanovka, Kherson province. He was the fifth child in a classic Jewish family.

Lev received his education first in Odessa, and then in Nikolaev, where he became a member of the local Marxist circle. After graduating from the Nikolaev Real School, he entered Novorossiysk University.

The beginning of revolutionary work

In 1897 he participated in the organization of the workers' union. In 1898 he went to prison for the first time. He was convicted of revolutionary activities and deported.

First emigration to London

In 1902, he managed to escape abroad using false documents. In exile, he closely collaborated with V. Lenin, O. Martov, G. Plekhanov, either taking the side of the “old guard” led by the latter, or taking the side of the young members of the RSDLP led by V. Lenin.

Trotsky in 1905 -1907

In 1905, Lev Davydovich returned to Russia illegally and headed the work of the Petrograd Soviet. In 1906 he was detained, sentenced to eternal exile in Siberia and deprived of all civil rights, but on the way to exile he again managed to escape.

Second emigration

According to a brief biography of Trotsky by Lev Davydovich, during the second emigration (1906-1917) Trotsky traveled a lot. Lived in Vienna, Zurich, Paris, New York (the USA made a great impression on Trotsky).

He published various newspapers and was a freelance correspondent for the newspaper, covering events on the Eastern and Western fronts of the First World War.

Trotsky after '17

In 1917, Trotsky returned to Russia and immediately became a member of the Petrograd Soviet, which was in opposition to the Provisional Government. For his activities in promoting Bolshevism, he went to prison, from which he was released after the failure of the Kornilov rebellion. He immediately became a member of the Central Committee, head of the Petrograd Soviet and a member of the faction from the RSDLP in the Constituent Assembly. In fact, he was the second person in the state and the leading organizer of the October Revolution (as I. Stalin pointed out in his memoirs).

From 1917 to 1918 he held the position of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs, from 1918 to 1924 he was People's Commissar for Military Affairs. In 1919, he took part in the organization of the Comintern, and also became a member of the first Politburo of the Central Committee.

Power struggle

Since 1922, Trotsky begins active struggle for political primacy. I. Stalin, M. Zinoviev and D. Kamenev oppose him. In 1924, immediately after Lenin’s death, Trotsky was removed from the post of People’s Commissar of Military Affairs (M. Frunze was appointed).

In 1924-1925 Trotsky found himself almost completely removed from business, but in 1927 he united with M. Zinoviev and D. Kamenev against Stalin. The activities of the “new opposition” were a failure. In the same year, Trotsky was expelled from the Comintern.

In 1928-1929, he was actually in exile in Alma-Ata, from where he was deported outside the country.

Last emigration

Since 1929, Trotsky was engaged in literary work. They wrote several monographs on the history of the Russian revolution. In 1938 he announced the creation of the Fourth International.

It is known that Trotsky took with him into exile an archive, the contents of which largely compromised Stalin. That is why in 1940, Trotsky, who was living in Mexico at that time, was killed by NKVD officer Ramon Markeder. The USSR officially “denied” involvement in the murder, Markeder was sent to a Mexican prison for 20 years, but after his release he moved to the USSR, where he received the title of Hero of the USSR and was awarded the Order of Lenin.

Other biography options

• The surname “Trotsky” was entered into Lev Davydovich’s first false passport when he fled abroad in 1902. It is interesting that the real “owner” of this surname was the warden of the Odessa prison.

Among the people who left their mark on the history of Russia, there are not many politicians with such a complicated biography as Leon Trotsky. There is still fierce debate about his role in many events that took place in Russia and then in the USSR in the first 40 years of the 20th century.

So who was Lev Davidovich Trotsky? The biography of a famous political figure presented in this article will help you learn about some of his decisions that influenced the fate of millions of people.

Childhood

Trotsky Lev was the 5th child of David Leontievich and Anna Lvovna Bronstein. The couple were wealthy Jewish landowners-colonists who moved to the Kherson province from the Poltava region. The boy was named Leiba, and he was fluent in Russian and Ukrainian, as well as Yiddish.

By the time their youngest son was born, the Bronsteins had 100 acres of land, a large garden, a mill and a repair shop. Next to Yanovka, where Leiba’s family lived, there was a German-Jewish colony. There was a school there, where he was sent at the age of 6. After 3 years, Leiba was sent to Odessa, where he entered the Lutheran real school of St. Pavel.

The beginning of revolutionary activity

After graduating from 6 classes of school, the young man moved to Nikolaev, where in 1896 he joined a revolutionary circle.

For getting higher education Leiba Bronstein had to leave his new comrades and go to Novorossiysk. There he easily entered the physics and mathematics department of the local university. However, the revolutionary struggle had already captured the young man, and he soon left this university to return to Nikolaev.

Arrest

Bronstein, who took the underground nickname Lvov, became one of the organizers of the South Russian Workers' Union. At the age of 18, he was arrested for anti-government activities, and for two years he wandered around prisons. There he became a Marxist and managed to marry Alexandra Sokolovskaya.

In 1990, the young family was exiled to Irkutsk, where Bronstein had two daughters. They were sent to Yanovka. In the Kherson region, the girls found themselves under the care of their grandparents.

Abroad

In 1992, the opportunity arose to escape from exile. Leiba randomly wrote the name Lev Trotsky into his fake passport. With this document he was able to go abroad.

Finding himself beyond the reach of the Russian secret police, Trotsky headed to London, where he met with V. Lenin. There he repeatedly spoke to emigrant revolutionaries. Leon Trotsky (the biography of his early youth is presented above) amazed everyone with his intellect and oratorical talent. Lenin, who sought to weaken the “old men,” proposed including him on the editorial board of Iskra, but Plekhanov categorically opposed this.

While in London, Trotsky married Natalya Sedova. However, Alexandra Sokolova officially remained his wife until the end of his life.

In 1905

When revolution broke out in the country, Trotsky and his wife returned to Russia, where Lev Davidovich organized the St. Petersburg Council of Workers' Deputies. On November 26, he was elected its chairman, but on November 3 he was arrested and sentenced to lifelong settlement in Siberia. At the trial, Trotsky made a fiery speech against violence. She made a strong impression on those gathered, among whom were his parents.

Second emigration

On the way to the place where he was to live in exile, Trotsky was able to escape and moved to Europe. There he made several attempts to unite disparate socialist parties, but was unsuccessful.

In 1912-1913 Trotsky, as a military correspondent for the Kyiv Mysl newspaper, wrote 70 reports from the fronts of the Balkan Wars. This experience helped him organize work in the Red Army in the future.

When World War I began, Leon Trotsky fled from Vienna to Paris, where he began publishing the newspaper “Our Word.” In it, he published his pacifist articles, which became the reason for the revolutionary’s expulsion from France. He moved to the USA, where he hoped to settle, since he did not believe in the possibility of an imminent revolution in Russia.

In 1917

When the February Revolution broke out, Trotsky and his family went by ship to Russia. However, along the way, he was removed from the ship and sent to a concentration camp because he could not produce a Russian passport. Only in May 1917, after long ordeals, Trotsky and his family arrived in Petrograd. He was immediately included in the Petrograd Soviet.

In the following months, Leon Trotsky, whose brief biography before the revolution is already known to you, was engaged in the demoralization of the garrison of the Northern capital. In the absence of Lenin, who was in Finland, he actually led the Bolsheviks.

During the days of the revolution

On October 12, Trotsky headed the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, and a few days later he ordered the Red Guards to be given 5,000 rifles.

During the days of the October Revolution, Lev Davidovich was one of the main leaders of the rebels.

In December 1917, it was he who announced the beginning of the “Red Terror”.

In 1918-1924

At the end of 1917, Trotsky was included in the first composition of the Bolshevik government as the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. During Lenin's ultimatum demanding the acceptance of German conditions, he took the side of Vladimir Ilyich, which ensured his victory.

In the fall of 1918, Trotsky was appointed chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR, i.e., he became the first commander-in-chief of the newly formed Red Army. In subsequent years, he practically lived on a train, on which he traveled on all fronts.

During the defense of Tsaritsyn, Leon Trotsky entered into open confrontation with Stalin. Over time, he began to understand that there could be no equality in the army, and began to introduce the institution of military experts into the Red Army, striving for its reorganization and a return to the traditional principles of building the armed forces.

In 1924, Trotsky was removed from his post as chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council.

In the second half of the 20s

By the beginning of 1926, it became clear that the long-awaited world revolution would not come in the near future. Leon Trotsky became close to the Zinoviev/Kamenev group on the basis of unity of political views on the issue of “building socialism in one country.” Soon the number of oppositionists increased, and Nadezhda Konstantinovna Krupskaya joined them.

In 1927, the Central Control Commission examined the cases of Trotsky and Zinoviev, but did not expel them from the party, but issued a severe reprimand.

Exile

In 1928, Trotsky was exiled to Alma-Ata, and a year later he was expelled from the USSR.

In 1936, Lev Davidovich settled in Mexico, where he was sheltered by the family of artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. There he wrote a book entitled “The Revolution Betrayed,” in which he harshly criticized Stalin.

2 years later, Trotsky announced the creation of an alternative communist organization to the Comintern, the “Fourth International,” which gave rise to many political movements that currently exist in different parts of the world.

Before last day Throughout his life, Lev Davidovich worked on a book in which he proved the version of Lenin’s poisoning on the orders of the “father of all nations.”

On August 20, 1940, Trotsky was assassinated by NKVD agent Ramon Mercader. However, attempts on his life were made from the very first days of his arrival in Mexico.

After his death, Trotsky turned out to be one of the few victims of Stalin who was never rehabilitated.

Now you know what path Lev Davidovich Trotsky took in life. short biography politics tells only a small part of the events in which he was directly involved. Many consider him a villain, and for some, Trotsky is a strong personality, true to his ideals.

Soviet party and statesman Lev Davidovich Trotsky (real name Leiba Bronstein) was born on November 7 (October 26, old style) 1879 in the village of Yanovka, Elisavetgrad district, Kherson province (Ukraine) into a wealthy family. From the age of seven he attended Jewish religious school, which he did not complete. In 1888, he was sent to study in Odessa, then moved to Nikolaev, where in 1896 he entered the Nikolaev Real School, and upon graduation began attending lectures at the Faculty of Mathematics of Odessa University. Here Trotsky became friends with radical, revolutionary-minded youth and took part in the creation of the South Russian Workers' Union.

In January 1898, Trotsky, along with like-minded people, was arrested and sentenced to four years of exile in Eastern Siberia. While under investigation in Butyrka prison, he married a fellow revolutionary, Alexandra Sokolovskaya.

In September 1902, having left his wife and two daughters, he escaped from exile, using false documents under the name of Trotsky, which later became a well-known pseudonym.

In October 1902, he arrived in London and immediately established contact with the leaders of Russian social democracy living in exile. Lenin highly appreciated Trotsky's abilities and energy and proposed his candidacy for the editorial office of Iskra.

In 1903, in Paris, Leon Trotsky married Natalya Sedova, who became his faithful companion.

In the summer of 1903, Trotsky participated in the Second Congress of Russian Social Democracy, where he supported Martov’s position on the issue of the party charter. After the congress, Trotsky, together with the Mensheviks, accused Lenin and the Bolsheviks of dictatorship and destruction of the unity of the Social Democrats. Since 1904, Trotsky advocated the unification of the Bolshevik and Menshevik factions.

When the first Russian revolution began, Trotsky returned to St. Petersburg and in October 1905 took an active part in the work of the St. Petersburg Council, becoming one of its three co-chairs.

The development of the so-called theory by Trotsky, together with Alexander Parvus (Gelfand), dates back to this time. “permanent” (continuous) revolution: in his opinion, the revolution will win only with the help of the world proletariat, which, having completed its bourgeois stage, will move on to the socialist one.

During the revolution of 1905-1907, Trotsky proved himself to be an extraordinary organizer, speaker, and publicist. He was the de facto leader of the St. Petersburg Council of Workers' Deputies and editor of its newspaper Izvestia.

In 1907, he was sentenced to eternal settlement in Siberia with deprivation of all civil rights, but escaped on the way to his place of exile.

From 1908 to 1912, Trotsky published the newspaper Pravda in Vienna and tried to create an “August bloc” of social democrats. This period included his most acute clashes with Lenin, who called Trotsky “Judass”.

In 1912, Trotsky was a war correspondent for Kiev Thought in the Balkans; two years later, after the outbreak of World War I, he moved to Switzerland, and then to France and Spain. Here he joined the editorial office of the left-wing socialist newspaper Nashe Slovo.

In 1916 he was expelled from France and sailed to the United States.

Trotsky hailed the February Revolution of 1917 as the beginning of the long-awaited permanent revolution. In May 1917, he returned to Russia, and in July he joined the Bolshevik Party as a member of the Mezhrayontsy. He was chairman of the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, one of the leaders of the October armed uprising.

After the Bolshevik victory on October 25 (November 7), 1917, Trotsky entered the first Soviet government as People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs. Supported Lenin in the fight against plans to create a coalition government of all socialist parties. At the end of October, he organized the defense of Petrograd from the troops of General Krasnov advancing on it.

In 1918-1925, Trotsky was People's Commissar for Military Affairs and Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic. He was one of the founders of the Red Army and personally supervised its actions on many fronts of the Civil War. He did a great job of recruiting former tsarist officers and generals (“military experts”) into the Red Army. He widely used repression to maintain discipline and “establish revolutionary order” at the front and in the rear, being one of the theorists and practitioners of the “Red Terror.”

Member of the Central Committee in 1917-1927, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee in October 1917 and in 1919-1926.

At the end of the civil war and the beginning of the 1920s, Trotsky's popularity and influence reached their apogee, and a cult of his personality began to take shape.

In 1920-1921, Trotsky was one of the first to propose measures to curtail “war communism” and transition to the NEP. He participated in the creation of the Comintern; was the author of his Manifesto. In the famous “Letter to the Congress,” noting Trotsky’s shortcomings, Lenin called him the most outstanding and capable person from the entire composition of the Central Committee at that time.

Before Lenin's death and especially after it, a struggle for power broke out among the Bolshevik leaders. After Lenin's death, Leon Trotsky's bitter struggle with Joseph Stalin for leadership ended in Trotsky's defeat.

In 1924, Trotsky’s views (so-called Trotskyism) were declared a “petty-bourgeois deviation” in the RCP(b). For his leftist opposition views, he was expelled from the party, in January 1928 he was exiled to Alma Ata, and in 1929, by decision of the Politburo, he was expelled from the USSR.

In 1929-1933, Trotsky lived with his wife and eldest son Lev Sedov in Turkey on the Princes' Islands (Sea of ​​Marmara). In 1933 he moved to France, in 1935 to Norway. At the end of 1936, he left Europe and settled in Mexico, in the house of the artist Diego Rivera, then in a fortified and carefully guarded villa on the outskirts of Mexico City, the city of Coyocan.

He sharply criticized the policies of the Soviet leadership and refuted the statements of official propaganda and Soviet statistics.
Trotsky was the initiator of the creation of the 4th International (1938), the author of works on the history of the revolutionary movement in Russia, literary critical articles, books “Lessons of October”, “History of the Russian Revolution”, “The Betrayed Revolution”, memoirs “My Life”, etc.

In the USSR, Trotsky was sentenced to death in absentia; his first wife and youngest son Sergei Sedov, who pursued an active Trotskyist policy, were shot.

In 1939, Stalin gave the order to liquidate Leon Trotsky. In May 1940, the first attempt to kill him, organized by the Mexican communist artist David Siqueiros, failed.

On August 20, 1940, Leon Trotsky was mortally wounded by the Spanish communist and NKVD agent Ramon Mercader. He died on August 21, and after cremation was buried in the courtyard of his house in Coyocan, where his museum is now located.

The material was prepared based on open sources