Taganrog District: Problems of Politics and Governance in the South of Russia During the Civil War

Introduction. The Civil War in Russia had many dimensions. The general pattern of confrontation arose as a result of the implementation of many local contradictions. The study of the historic situation of the civil strife within the framework of local history opens up new opportunities for assessing the motives of participation in the civil war and the role of class, group, and party contradictions and situational circumstances in this. Methods and materials. The article uses classical research methods. The source base of the research is represented by unpublished and published documents, memoirs, and the press. The sources that came out of the white camp predominate, since the studied territory was under the White Guard jurisdiction. Analysis. The article examines the situation in the Taganrog District of the Don Army Region during 1918–1919. In this district, the peasant population prevailed, unlike the rest of the districts in the Region. The population of the district experienced the administration of various authorities, including the occupying German authorities. Makhno’s movement was unfolding in close proximity. As a result of class hostility and the lack of reliable information, the peasantry of the district rose twice: in October 1918 and in March – April 1919. The uprisings were suppressed, and the district became a problem area for the white military command and political leadership. The article shows in detail how these events matured and unfolded. It is shown that the peasantry, not trusting the Cossacks, pinned their hopes on the main political subjects of the Civil War, which were the Reds or the Volunteer Army. Results. The example of the Taganrog District demonstrates many pain points of the Civil War. The most peasant district in the Cossack army, with a large industrial center, was never successfully integrated into the white statehood. Problems of trust, communication, phobias, and unrealized hopes did not allow this to take place. At the same time, the potential for a strong national government in the district was quite clearly manifested.