Revolutionary events in Zaporozhye

In 1917, two revolutions occurred in Russia that established Soviet power. The early years of the establishment of the power of the Soviets were extremely difficult. In the country devastation reigned. Supporters of the previous regime opposed the new government in every way and staged an attempt on the Bolsheviks. There were protest movements (one of the most famous - the Makhnovist movement).

In 1918, a civil war broke out in the country that lasted until 1922.

The brightest moments from the life of post-revolutionary Aleksandrovsk (Zaporozhye) are depicted in a series of paintings by Pavel Redin.

Wrangel in Zaporozhye

In 1920, a fierce civil war between the Red army and the White army was going on in the country. Wrangel was the commander-in-chief of the White army in the Crimea. In June 1920, Wrangel's troops repelled the Red Army’s attack on the Crimea, launched a counterattack and seized part of the Northern Azov region.

But this success of Wrangel did not last long. Already in October 1920, after fierce fighting with the Red Army, Wrangel's troops retreated back to the Crimea. And in early November, after the Reds, under the command of Frunze, broke into the Crimea, a mass evacuation of the White forces from the Crimea began on ships.

One of the episodes of hot October 1920 was reflected in the works of Pavel Redin. The attack of the detachment of the Wrangel army on a train with food was sealed in the artist's picture and a small diorama. Unfortunately, the location of this diorama is unknown. There is only an old photo.

Large, serious works of the artist on the theme of the revolutionary movement in the Zaporozhye region are paintings: "The proclamation of Soviet power in the city of Aleksandrovsk" and "The creation of the Komsomol organization in the city of Aleksandrovsk. Before writing these paintings, the artist not only studied historical archival materials, but also spoke with contemporaries and direct participants in those events.

The newspaper Industrial Zaporozhye published an article entitled “The Chronicle of the Native City” devoted to the work of Pavel Redin, where the working process of creating those canvases was described. You can read this article here.

The proclamation of Soviet power in the city of Aleksandrovsk

In 1917 two revolutions took place in Russia: the February (bourgeois) and the October (socialist) revolutions. After the February Revolution, an unstable dual power arose in Petrograd — the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet. In Kiev, a third political force was formed - the Central Rada.

After the October Socialist Revolution and the overthrow of the Provisional Government in Kiev, the Central Rada adopted the Third Universal and proclaimed the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic. But a month later a conflict occurred between the Ukrainian Central Rada and the Council of People's Commissars of Soviet Russia. The policy of the Central Rada was declared counter-revolutionary. By the end of 1917, power in Aleksandrovsk was controlled by armed units of the Central Rada, free Cossacks, and Haydamaks. But in the city, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party of Bolsheviks (RSDLPb) operated clandestinely.

The first battles for the power of the Soviets in Aleksandrovsk began on the night of December 12 and lasted until December 15, 1917. The forces in the fight against the White Guards and the armed units of the Central Rada were unequal and the Bolsheviks had to retreat. On December 27, 1917, an armed uprising took place in the Yekaterinoslav provincial center (Dnipropetrovsk), which ended two days later with victory and the establishment of Soviet power. This event inspired the Bolsheviks to rout the counterrevolution in Aleksandrovsk.

On the night of January 1 to 2, 1918, an armed uprising began in Aleksandrovsk. Baltic sailors and Red Guards arrived to help the rebels. An armored train - a formidable weapon of those times- arrived at the South Station (Zaporozhye Station 1) for fire support of the Red detachments. By the morning of January 2, part of the Central Rada military detachments retreated beyond the Dnieper, and some into the swamps of the Great Meadow. Aleksandrovsk came under the power of the Bolsheviks.

The painting by Pavel Redin "The proclamation of Soviet power in the city of Aleksandrovsk (Zaporozhye), January 1918” depicted the events of that far January 1918: morning, the central city square near the cathedral. Soldiers and sailors, who at night fought hard against the Haidamaks, gathered at a spontaneous rally. T. M. Mikhelovich, the future head of the City Council of Workers' Deputies, appears before the people and proclaims in the city Soviet power.

Creation of the Komsomol organization in the city of Aleksandrovsk

After the socialist revolution of 1917 and the establishment of Soviet power, the need to create a youth structure that would unite the revolutionary youth became obvious. On October 29, 1918, the First All-Russian Congress of Workers 'and Peasants' Youth Unions was held, at which the creation of the Russian Communist Youth Union was proclaimed. After that, Komsomol organizations were created in the cities of the country. Among the first members of the Komsomol were many young workers and soldiers who joined the ranks of the Komsomol on the fronts of the civil war.

In the city of Aleksandrovsk (Zaporozhye) the Komsomol organization was created in March, 1919. The solemn conference dedicated to this event was held in the building of the people's house (later - Lenin cinema on Svoboda Square). A well-known Russian revolutionary and diplomat, Alexandra Mikhailovna Kollontai, came to participate in this conference. At that time she was the head of the political department of the 1st Zadneprovskaya Ukrainian Soviet Division.

This an important event in the history of the city and the speech of A.M. Kollontai to the first Komsomol members was captured on the canvas by Pavel Redin "Creation of Komsomol organization in Aleksandrovsk (Zaporozhye), March 1919."