RUSSIA’S REVOLUTIONARY SOURCES. PART I: HEROES AND VILLAINS. “Chapaev: Civil War Icon.”
By Brett Coleman
Chapaev : pamyatnik V.I. Chapaevu v Samare, postavlennyĭ v 1932 g
There is a common trope that “History is written by the victors.” While certainly cliche, there are historical examples that sometimes make this statement ring true. Following their success in the Russian Civil War, and the subsequent consolidation of power, the Bolshevik regime engaged in a policy of a re-narrativization of history along “revolutionary” lines. This policy, which we might term the “The Soviet Memory Project,”[1] created a clear disjuncture between the revolutionary government that emerged following the revolutionary coup of October 1917 and the government and society that existed prior to that date. An aspect of the Soviet memory project that most concerns this paper is the formation of a Civil War consciousness following the war’s end. This was a movement meant to generate a sense of revolutionary unity following the carnage of a brutal civil war and relied on the establishment of heroic figures for the new Soviet nation to rally around and lionize as examples of iconic revolutionary citizens. One of these iconic Soviet heroes was Vasily Chapaev, a Red Army commander who fought and died during the Civil War. Chapaev subsequently became a central figure in many Soviet folk stories and jokes, solidifying his legacy as a historical figure. Miami University is fortunate enough to have a source in their Special Collections that ties directly to Chapaev and his transformation from Civil War commander to Soviet Hero.
Covered in a revolutionary red binding and entitled Chapaev, this source manages to capture the spirit of the Russian Civil War by maintaining an unassuming simple cover, perhaps touching on the simple peasant background of the man himself.[2] Within the red bindings are a collection of pictures, war correspondences, letters, and maps all pertaining to the Civil War or Chapaev. Virtually all of the text of this source is in Russian, making it difficult for those without Russian language capabilities to utilize this source to the maximum potential. However there are some insightful elements which might make minor use of the source feasible for those unfamiliar with the language. The first page of the portfolio contains a picture of the iconic statue on Ploshchad Chapaeva in Samara, designed in 1932, the same year the portfolio was published.[3] In addition the page numbers are accompanied by the CCCP logo suggesting that the portfolio itself was commissioned by the Bolshevik Party.[4] Included also in the portfolio are excerpts from prominent party officials commenting on the role of Chapaev during the Civil War.[5] As a result it would appear that the source itself was a part of a party-led initiative to tap into the growing myth of Chapaev and his lionization as a Socialist hero following the success of Dmitry Furmanov’s novel, which first cast Chapaev as a Soviet hero.
The source fits neatly in the historiographical narrative of Chapaev’s apotheosis. Chapaev was published after Furmanov’s novel, which appeared in 1923, but before the release of the famous film adaptation by the Vasilyev brothers in 1934.[6][7] As such, Chapaev represents the Bolshevik recognition of the potential for Civil War heroes to serves as an example to younger Soviet generations. This recognition led to the development of a Civil War cult designed to ensure Soviet citizens reflect on, and learn from, the sacrifices made during the Civil War as they move forward with the monumental task of building Socialism. Furmanov’s novel Chapaev reflected on the author’s experience serving with the titular commander during the Civil War providing political education and advice. As such Furmanov’s novel “. . .is structured on a contrast that was also honored by many later Soviet writers- between the ideologue and the activist, in this case the political commissar Klychkov. . . and the brilliant commander Chapaev.”[8] However, while Furmanov’s novel brought Chapaev’s story to the public light for the first time, and government-initiated efforts in portfolios such as Chapaev brought further attention to Civil War heroes, it is without a doubt the 1934 film adaptation of Chapaev that affected and resonated the most with the Soviet people.
Released to national acclaim in 1934, the film Chapaev is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Soviet filmography. Pravda declared that
“We are indebted to the mastery of the Vasiliev brothers and the whole collective of artists employed on the film Chapaev for a magical return to those heroic days when the Revolution had only just won the chance to build a new life on earth. The literary legacy of the unforgettable commissar Furmanov helped the Vasiliev brothers to produce a film that deservedly occupies an eminent place in our cinema.”[9]
The Bolsheviks recognized not just the film itself but the usefulness of the media as a tool for instilling the virtues of the new Soviet citizens they were attempting to cultivate. As the Pravda article noted: “Cinema- that most mass art of all- allows an audience of millions and ten millions to sense the revolutionary heroism of the past be to be profoundly inspired by it.”[10] While the film downplayed the more nuanced personality traits of the film’s hero in favor of a more generalized heroic version, Justus Hartzok argues that “for the Vasiliev brothers Chapaev was an ‘everyman’ who could sit and share tea with his men. He was one of them, a true son of the revolution. . .”[11] The film’s other characters represent various aspects of Russia during the war and revolution; from the dogmatic Furmanov, who represented party leadership and direction, to the character of Anka. who provides an example for the role women could play in the new socialist order. Of course the titular character himself plays the most important role of all: Chapaev represents a courage and fearlessness in the face of adversity and a willingness to sacrifice everything for the revolution.[12] As a result the film became much more than just a way to reminisce about the past but rather provided an educational tool for Soviet citizens to mold themselves into new Soviet men and women.
The legacy of Chapaev has touched many elements of Soviet history. The Red Army 25th division, the division led by Chapaev during the Civil War, was given use of his name as battle honors. During The Great Patriotic War, a woman by the name of Nina Onilova served in this same division as a machine-gunner and became a sort of real life “Anka.” Though killed in the German offensive she earned the Hero of the Soviet Union award during the Battle of Sevastapol. Her story is touched on in On the Road to Stalingrad: Memoirs of a Woman Machine Gunner, written by Zoya Medvedeva another female machine gunner of the Chapaev division tasked with carrying on the legacy of Chapaev and putting to practice the examples he and Anka set.[13] These stories are just a few of the many that illustrate the translation from film to reality of the values that the story of Chapaev was meant to instill in Soviet citizens. In conclusion, the story of Chapaev can be traced through the publication of Furmanov’s novel, through party publications of materials such as Chapaev, and ultimately through the legacy of the film adaptation. The Soviet experiment was an unprecedented attempt to build a new society unlike any seen before on earth. Doing so required a change of consciousness amongst the citizenry. While Soviet citizens who had shared experiences during the civil war providing a sense of unity around their purpose, the new generation lacked such experience. Instead Chapaev served as a paragon of socialist virtue simultaneously serving as an inspiration for the older citizens who had shared in his experience in the Civil War, and providing the blueprint for the new Socialist man which the younger Soviet citizens should emulate.
[1] I adopt this term from a class session where Stephen Norris used it to discuss early Soviet films.
[2] Russian S.F.S.R. ìTSentralʹnoe arkhivnoe upravlenie. (1932). Chapaev : pamiatnik V.I. Chapaevu v Samare, postavlennyĭ v 1932 g. Moscow: Moskva : ìTSentralńoe Arkhivnoe Upravlenie, AGIT-Massivyĭ Otdel.
[3] Manizer, Matvei. “Chapaev Monument.” http://waytorussia.net/Samara/Sightseeing.html. 1932. See Figure. 1
[4]Figure. 2
[5] Figure. 3
[6] Furmanov, Dm. Chapaev. Moscow: Foreign Languages Pub. House, 1923.
[7] Chapaev. Directed by Georgi Vasilyev, and Sergey Vasilyev. 1934. Film.
[8] Robert, Maguire A. “Furmanov, DM.” In Columbia Dictionary of Modern European Literature. Columbia University Press, 1980. Accessed December 2, 2016. 280
[9] Pravda. “The Whole Country is Watching Chapaev.” November 21, 1934, 1. Chapaev. Directed by Georgi Vasilyev, and Sergey Vasilyev. 1934. Film.
[10] Ibid. 1
[11] Hartzok, Justus G. “Children of Chapaev: the Russian Civil War cult and the creation of Soviet identity, 1918-1941.” PhD diss., University of Iowa, 2009. http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1227. 110
[12] Ibid. 112-119
[13] Smirnova-Medvedeva, Zoya Matveyevna, and Kazimiera Janina Cottam. On the Road to Stalingrad: Memoirs of a Woman Machine Gunner. Nepean, ON, Canada: New Military Pub, 1997.
Brett Coleman is a senior History major.