Alexander Krasnoshchyokov - Russian Civil War

Russian Civil War

Krasnoshchyokov had managed at first to maintain cordial relations with the forces of the Czech legion that were awaiting evacuation to Europe in the area, but the local soviet in Vladiviostok was overthrown by a Czech coup 28 June 1918, and allied intervention soon followed in August 1918 with the landing of Japanese, British and American troops. These proved too strong for the Red forces who were driven back after hard battles near Dukhovoe and Kraevska 24 August 1918 to Khabarovsk. In September 1918 Krasnoshchyokov disbanded the army in favour of partisan warfare and left his family in the care of the American consul at Khabarovsk to return to the USA. He then went to Blagoveschensk before fleeing into the hills along the river Zeya where he spent three months evading capture by the Japanese. Under an assumed identity he became a merchant at Nerchinsk and travelled throughout Siberia with anti-Kolchak propaganda.

In May 1919 he was arrested as a spy in Samara but jumped off the train that was taking him to trial at Ufa. He was arrested again soon after this, and this time was sent to Irkutsk in September 1919 where he remained imprisoned until December 28, 1919, when Irkutsk fell under the control of the leftist group (including SRs) which formed the Political Centre. Alexander Krasnoshchyokov was released and headed the Irkutsk Gubkom (regional Bolshevik party committee). With the whole of Siberia in turmoil, he proposed to the Red Army HQ at Tomsk January 18, 1920 the idea of a democratic republic as a buffer state which might be acceptable to the Allied Powers still occupying Eastern Siberia. This was accepted and supported by Vladimir Lenin who valued his experience in the USA as he was particularly good at dealing with Americans and had made a favourable impression on the American Expeditionary Force in Siberia. However by the time he returned local Bolsheviks had overthrown the 'Political Centre' of SR's and Mensheviks at Irkutsk, and Krasnoshchyokov was told to locate the capital of this state further east at Verkhne-Udinsk, which had been occupied by Red Partisans under General Eiche on March 7, 1920. It was with great difficulty that Krasnoshchyokov managed to win acceptance by the peasants and partisans for the founding of the Far Eastern Republic which was declared April 6, 1920, even though he had Lenin's support. Krasnoshchyokov himself drew up the constitution in English, before it was translated into Russian. However opposition to him continued among local Bolsheviks, peasants and partisans who wanted union with Russia. They expected the Red Army to fight their way east and destroy the remnants of Kolchaks forces now clustered around Chita under his successor Grigory Semyonov, and on to the Pacific and expel the Japanese Army who had taken control of the towns of the Maritime Province 4–5 April 1920.

He had been a member of the DalBureau of the RKP(b) since March 3, 1920. From April 6, 1920 to August 15, 1921 Alexander Krasnoshchyokov was the first Premier Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs (from August 1920 to April 26, 1921) of the newly created Far Eastern Republic. The republic was recognised by the Japanese Army Command May 11, 1920, and by Soviet Russia May 16, 1920. Thanks to his efforts, the Gongota Agreement was signed 15 July 1920 with General Takayanagi of the Japanese Expeditionary Corps. This established a neutral zone between Verkhne-Udinsk and Chita allowing the Japanese forces, who were under constant pressure from partisans, to withdraw from Transbaikalia without losing face. The Japanese completed this withdrawal 15 October 1920, and Chita was occupied by the partisan NRA 22 October 1920 despite some resistance by the White forces under General Verzbitsky, who then withdrew south to join Semyonov in Manchuria. Krasnoshchyokov met General Eiche at Chita in early November and the Chita became the capital of a state as large as Western Europe. The union of the FER with the Maritime province was finalised 10 November 1920. However his disdain for collective leadership and the continued opposition from local Bolsheviks to his leadership led to continual clashes, and he was recalled from the FER in April 1921, officially to recover from a bout of TB. His successor was Nikolay Matveyev.