National Units of the Red Army in the Steppe Region and Turkestan During the Civil War

Abstract

The article analyzes the process of formation of national military units of the Red Army among the indigenous Muslims of the Steppe Region and Turkestan during the Civil War of 1918– 1922 on the basis of the following sources: legislative acts of the Soviet government, orders and reports of regional party authorities, and commanders of the Eastern and Turkestan fronts. In 1918 and during the first half of 1919, the Bolsheviks didn’t achieve a considerable progress with regard to this question. The situation can be explained by a number of reasons. The positive dynamics of the process of forming national military units among the indigenous ethnic groups of the Steppe Region and Turkestan emerged in the first half of 1919 because of the success of the Red Army on the Eastern and Turkestan fronts. Among other important factors in the successful mobilization of Muslims into the Red Army were: large-scale political work and propaganda campaign of the Communist party of Turkestan among the Muslims, the creation of a Muslim faction within the party, defection of the leaders of the Alash party and the Basmachi movement to the Bolsheviks, the formation of the Turkestan and Kirghiz (Kazakh) Autonomous Soviet socialist republics. Therefore, the Bolsheviks opted for the ethnic, rather than confessional principle in creating military units. This tactic logically followed the process of nation building in the region. It took account of the interests of ethnic groups convinced that the presence of military units was a symbol of the national identity and liability for retaining public and cultural independence.