The Last Battles of the Civil War in the Far Eastern Republic (On the Memoirs of I.A. Makhanov)

Abstract

Introduction. The published material contains a fragment of the memoirs of I.A. Makhanov, an employee of the artillery department of the People’s Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. The text of the memoirs is kept in a manuscript in a single copy in the personal archive of the author’s son and has not been published yet. The publication has been prepared on the base of modern methods of source study and archeography. Archaeographic notes are provided in footnotes. In the comments to the text, reference data on geographical names, personalities, events mentioned in the memoirs are given. Analysis. As a participant in the Civil War in the Far East, I.A. Makhanov made interesting descriptions of the battles at the In and Olgokhta stations – the final battles of the People’s Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic against the last military formations of the White Army. Memoirs of I.A. Makhanov are an important and informative source on the history of the final stage of the Civil War in Russia. Results. The scientific publication of memoirs gives opportunity to introduce significant clarifications in the prevailing ideas about the end of the Civil War and the establishment of Soviet power in the Far East. Key words: The Civil War in Russia, the Far Eastern People’s Republic, the artillery department of the People’s Army, the end of the Civil War, memoirs of I.A. Makhanov.