Civil War in the North Caucasus in the Reflection of the Mountainous Bourgeoise-Democratic Print (On the Materials of “Volnyy Gorets” Newspaper)
Abstract
Introduction. The article attempts to analyze the attitude of the Mountainous government in exile and the Union of Mountaineers of the North Caucasus and Dagestan in a broader sense to the events of the Civil War in the North Caucasus in 1919–1920 based on local printing. Methods and materials. The main emphasis is placed on the analysis of materials of “Volny Gorets” newspaper of the Mountainous government. The authors use the problemchronological, historical-systemic method and the system-functional analysis method. Analysis. The article analyzes the attitude of the mountainous democrats, expressed on the pages of the newspaper, to such aspects of the Civil War as the union of mountain peoples with the Bolsheviks, the assessment of the white and red plans for the mountain regions, the real policy of the warring parties in 1917–1920, the prospects for a confederative structure of the Caucasus. The split of mountain unity by the Bolsheviks is considered by their prosecutors the main reason why the North Caucasus was not able to resist the Denikin invasion. Results. “Volny Gorets” publication is an important and extremely informative source on the events in the North Caucasus during the Civil War of 1919–1920. The newspaper’s publications are both purely informational and analytical. The analysis given by the newspaper’s authors is deep and sober. The events of the civil war in the North Caucasus attracted the closest attention of the editors and, on the whole, remained the priority topic of publications in each issue of “Volny Gorets” during 1919–1920. The analysis of the publication is relatively free from ideological press and bias that distinguishes both purely “white” and “red” publications of that time.
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