One hundred years ago, on January 23 (according to the new style), 1918, the Congress of the front-line Cossacks was assembled in the village of Kamenskaya, which elected the Cossack Military Revolutionary Committee, headed by Fedor Podtelkov and Mikhail Krivoshlykov. It was this committee that proclaimed itself the supreme authority on the Don, recognizing the supremacy of the Moscow Council of People's Commissars. From this moment begins Active participation in the Civil War of the Don Cossacks, which had previously observed "neutrality".
First flashes
As a matter of fact, the fighting on the Don began earlier, at the end of 1917. While the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks was celebrating in Petrograd, Ataman Alexey Kaledin said that « The military government, considering such a seizure of power by the Bolsheviks as criminal ... temporarily, until the restoration of the power of the Provisional Government and order in Russia, assumed the full executive state power in the Don region. On October 27 (hereinafter, all dates are in the old style), Kaledin even invited members of the Provisional Government to the Don to organize an armed struggle, and introduced martial law in the region. Supporters of the Soviet government did not agree with this state of affairs, and asked for help from their associates outside the region.
In 1917, the sailors were one of the pillars of the revolution. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Ships arrived in Rostov on November 24 Black Sea Fleet, which arrived revolutionary-minded sailors. Blood has not yet been shed en masse, but the parties have demonstrated their readiness to take decisive action. Kaledin demanded that the ships be withdrawn back, and that the Red Guard detachments created in Rostov be disarmed, but this ultimatum was ignored. At the same time, a political game was going on to pull power over to themselves: on November 26, the Rostov Bolsheviks announced that power in the region was passing into the hands of the Rostov Military Revolutionary Committee.
Thus, two governments arose on the Don, each of which considered only itself legitimate. These days arrived in the region General Kornilov, and the creation of the white Volunteer Army began. The Reds did not sit idle, by December 25, 1917 Antonov-Ovseenko took almost without resistance western part Donetsk basin.Where the scales will swing depended on the Don Cossacks - however, most of the Cossacks took a wait-and-see attitude.
Elite Troops
It must be admitted that the Cossacks as a whole were faithful to the idea of a monarchy (in addition, they swore personally to the emperor). But after the abdication of the king from the throne, it became unclear who to serve. Neither the Bolsheviks, nor Kaledin and the Provisional Government supported by him, were, from the point of view of the Cossacks, completely legitimate power.
Therefore, the Don Cossacks, who fought on the fronts of the First World War, preferred mainly to remain neutral - and although the Cossack detachments under the command of Chernetsov had already actively shown themselves in suppressing mining uprisings in the neighboring Donbass, the bulk of the Don Cossacks took a wait-and-see attitude. Meanwhile, the personal data of the Cossacks were such that they were able to easily change the entire balance of power on the Don.
“Judge for yourself - according to official data, only the First world war 117 thousand Cossacks were called up, of which a little more than 3 thousand people were killed, and only 170 were captured. At the same time, 37 thousand Cossacks received St. George's crosses for exploits on the battlefield. Only the most elite units of the special forces can boast of such effectiveness of actions, as well as the ratio of achievements and losses today, ”said at the presentation of a photo album dedicated to the participation of the Cossacks in the First World War, doctor historical sciences SSC RAS Andrey Venkov.
The Cossacks showed themselves perfectly on the fronts of the First World War (in the illustration - soldiers of the German and Austrian armies taken prisoner are patrolling, photo from the album Don Cossacks in the First World War). Photo: / Sergey Khoroshavin
However, these people, who had gone through the fire of war, hesitated. Most of the Cossacks did not want to fight. That is why the first attempts to create a Volunteer Army failed. In total, about 5,000 officers, cadets and high school students enrolled in the ranks of the White Guard.
No wonder the Whites on the Don could not resist. By January 28, 1918, the Red detachments occupied Taganrog, February 10 Rostov and February 12 - Novocherkassk. The small detachments of the Volunteer Army could no longer hold back the advance of the Red troops and retreated to the Kuban.
Ataman Alexei Kaledin, who did not receive the support of the front-line Cossacks and did not see the opportunity to stop the Bolshevik detachments, resigned as a military ataman and shot himself.
Subhorunzhy and Ensign
Brave Cossack Fyodor Podtelkov Photo: Wikipedia
The mass involvement of the Don Cossacks in hostilities began after the same Cossack Military Revolutionary Committee, headed by cadet Fyodor Podtelkov And Ensign Mikhail Krivoshlykov.
Podtyolkov was born on the farm Krutovsky farm in the present Volgograd region. Since 1909 - he was in the army, served as an artilleryman in the guards horse artillery. He went through the entire First World War, becoming a consistent supporter of the Bolsheviks by the end of it. Broad-shouldered, tall, with a booming voice, Podtelkov was a born leader, and it is not surprising that it was he who was at the head of the Red Cossacks.
His colleague, Mikhail Krivoshlykov, was of a different type. In the same 1909, when Podtelkov went into the army, Krivoshlykov entered the Donskoy Agricultural School, which he graduated with excellent marks. During his studies, he edited a student newspaper, and after that he worked as an agronomist, studying, in absentia, at the Kiev Commercial Institute. However, when the war began, Krivoshlykov did not escape mobilization. As a person who received some kind of education, he was appointed to the officer position of commander of foot reconnaissance, and then hundreds.
“Being completely invisible before the coup, he began to attract attention in the very first days of the revolution not only by the harshness and extremeness of his judgments, but also by the rude recklessness, the destructive nature of his actions. "Revolutionary" demands in relation to school discipline, attacks against officers and accusing him of "counter-revolutionary", removing him from the walls and beating royal portraits", - these were the speeches of Krivoshlykov," the Cossack magazine Donskaya Volna told about the young officer in 1918.
It was these two who were at the head of the Red Cossacks, and in many respects it was their actions of Podtelkov and Krivoshlykov that led to a mass uprising on the Don, which ended with their death and the tragedy of the entire Don Cossacks.
Brother to brother
Soviet authority, having just established itself on the Don, immediately began to implement its promises, including "land - to the peasants." The trouble was that the main part of the land fund in the region belonged to the Cossacks, and landless peasants could be endowed with allotments only at their expense. The Don Cossacks, to put it mildly, did not like it.
Detachments of the Red Guards did not like the Cossacks. Photo: Wikipedia
The first sparks of rebellions began to flare up, which the Bolsheviks tried to crush by force. Arrests, requisitions, executions began. Podtelkov and Krivoshlykov actively participated in these actions. In addition, Podtelkov stained himself with reprisals against prisoners.
Colonel Vasily Chernetsov became famous for both dashing military operations and punitive actions Photo: Wikipedia
Immediately after the proclamation of the Military Revolutionary Committee, a Cossack detachment was sent to destroy it. Colonel Vasily Chernetsov, however, the Reds managed to break it, and the colonel was captured.
Further, according to the recollections of eyewitnesses, the following happened - “on the way, Podtelkov mocked Chernetsov - Chernetsov was silent. When Podtelkov hit him with a whip, Chernetsov pulled out a small Browning gun from the inner pocket of his sheepskin coat and point-blank ... clicked at Podtelkov, there was no cartridge in the barrel of the pistol - Chernetsov forgot about this, without giving a cartridge from the clip. Podtelkov pulled out his saber, slashed him in the face, and five minutes later the Cossacks rode on, leaving Chernetsov's chopped-up corpse in the steppe.
It was this murder that became the formal reason for the execution of Podtelkov himself, when he, in turn, fell into the hands of the insurgent Cossacks. And it happened already in May of the same year.
The Soviet government started mobilization on the Don, which led to a mass uprising of the Cossacks. The power of the Bolsheviks on the Don collapsed in a matter of days, and the Cossacks made their choice. On May 10, a detachment of Podtelkov and Krivoshlykov was captured. They surrendered almost without a fight, apparently counting on good attitude countrymen, especially since the commanders of the detachments were familiar with each other. However, times have changed Civil War gained momentum, breaking and destroying friendship and family ties. The next day, Podtyolkov and Krivoshlykov were hanged in the Ponomarev village of the village by the verdict of the court of Cossack elders for the execution of the captive Chernetsov. All 78 captured members of his detachment were also shot.
Easter 1918 fell on May 11, and it was on this day that the White Cossacks killed 82 villagers who supported the Soviet government. After the execution, in which the leaders of the Red Cossacks Podtelkov and Spiridonov were killed on the Don, a fratricidal war came, and the mass executions carried out by the Cossacks over the Cossacks ceased to surprise anyone. The episode of "Bloody Easter" in 1918 is described in detail in the novel "Quiet Don".
Blazing Don
The end of winter and the spring of 1918 became a turning point and tragic time for the Don, which determined the future place of the Cossacks in history. In February 1914, Ataman Kaledin shot himself, and on February 24 and 25, the Reds first took Rostov, and then Novocherkassk.
On March 23, the Don Soviet Republic was proclaimed by decree of the Don Regional Military Revolutionary Committee (VRK). A month later, the Congress of Soviets of Workers' and Cossacks' Deputies of the new republic opened in Rostov. Fyodor Podtelkov was elected chairman and commissar in charge of military operations.
On the same days, General Lavr Kornilov dies near Ekaterinodar, and Volunteer army turns to Don. The Germans refused to comply with the Brest peace and brought their troops into the Don region, and by May they occupied Rostov.
As early as May 1, in order to mobilize the Cossacks into the revolutionary army in order to fight against the White Cossacks and the Germans, a detachment of one hundred sabers was sent to the Upper Don from the Donsovnarkom. Podtelkov and Krivoshlykov, the head of the Don Revolutionary Committee, were appointed at the head of the mobilization unit.
The capture of Podtelkov
On May 10, in one of the farms, the detachment of Podtelkov and Krivoshlykov was surrounded by white Cossacks. It turned out that the enemies of the revolution were commanded by an old colleague of the commander of the Reds, the Cossack Spiridonov. After dawn, Podtelkov and Spiridonov met face to face on an old mound not far from the farm, and the dismounted Cossacks waited at its foot. After talking, as Spiridonov later said: “about the past,” the commanders dispersed.
In the afternoon there was a short battle, and the demoralized Red Cossacks surrendered to their countrymen, Podtelkov was also captured. For the trial of the apostates, elders were sent to the villages of Krasnokutskaya and Milyutinskaya, who became judges.
Trial of the Red Cossacks
The trial took place at night and without the presence of the defendants. Of the 82 Red Cossacks, 79 were to be shot and one released. Podtelkov and Krivoshlykov, as leaders of the detachment, were going to be hanged. The harsh verdict of the judge was impressed by the centurion Afanasy Popov, who said that the defendants had betrayed the Don and turned their weapons against their own brothers.
The main fault of Fedor Podtelkov for the Cossacks was the murder of the symbol of the Don counter-revolution, Colonel Vasily Chernetsov. According to eyewitnesses, after the wounded Chernetsov was betrayed by his fellow villagers, Podtelkov began to verbally mock him. After a blow to the face with a whip, the colonel could not stand it and tried to shoot Podtelkov with a small Browning pistol, which he hid in a sheepskin coat. The weapon misfired, and Podtelkov cut down Chernetsov, leaving his dead body lying in the steppe.
execution
The execution fell on the Saturday of Bright Week and in pre-revolutionary Russia, and especially on the Don, this holiday was especially revered. On his occasion, no executions were carried out, and the emperor often granted amnesty to prisoners. The Cossacks themselves did not believe in execution either. According to eyewitnesses, villagers from neighboring farms hurried to Ponomarev, fearing that the "podtelkovtsy" and their judge, as a sign of reconciliation and celebration, would drink all the moonshine without them.
However, the court's decision was different. In front of the eyes of the assembled Cossacks and old people, an execution took place, after which there was no turning back. A direct participant in those events, Cossack Alexander Senin, who led the guard that day, described Podtelkov’s behavior as follows: “Of all the dead, Comrade Podtelkov kept himself most staunchly and heroically. On the eve of his death, he asked me to say something. He was allowed. He spoke about the revolution, its significance, that it must win in the end, and he died with words about the revolution. Already with a noose thrown around his neck, Podtelkov shouted: “Only one thing: don’t go back to the old one!”
Lesson 4
Theme: The tragedy of the civil war on the pages of the novel by M.A. Sholokhov
Quiet Don
The purpose of the lesson: show the civil courage of Sholokhov, who was one of the first Russian writersXXcentury, he told the real truth about the civil war as the greatest tragedy that had grave consequences for the whole people; understand deep intention of "Quiet Flows the Don"; determine the author's position on the key issues of the novel; prove that any civil war - the greatest tragedy, which has grave consequences for both the individual and the entire nation.
Equipment: portrait of M. Sholokhov, illustrations, handouts.
Methodical methods: storytelling, analysis of episodes, analytical conversation, group work.
And the Lord said to Cain:
Where is Abel, your brother?
During the classes
teacher's word
For a long time in Soviet literature, the civil war was shrouded in the halo of a great feat and revolutionary romance. Sholokhov one of the first Soviet writers spoke of the civil war as the greatest national tragedy that had grave consequences for the country.
Why can the creation and publication of the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" be called Sholokhov's literary feat?
(The novel "Quiet Don" was published for twelve years (from 1928 to 1940). And all this time Sholokhov was under enormous pressure - from editors of all degrees to critics, who in one way or another expressed the position of the authorities. It was possible to withstand this pressure, only deeply related to the idea of a thing that was more and more different from other works of Soviet literature and more and more threatening the well-being of the author, up to arrest and prosecution.
Why are the characters of the Bolsheviks less attractive in The Quiet Don than the characters of the Cossacks?
(Sholokhov in his novel proceeded from the truth of life. When he created the characters of the same Podtelkov or Mishka Koshevoy, he painted them not as some kind of “ideal heroes”, but as people who were just groping for a new life path. Each of them has their own share of guilt and responsibility to the people - more for Shtokman and Mishka Koshevoy, less for Ivan Alekseevich. Behind the complexity of Sholokhov's attitude to these figures is the complexity of his attitude to the revolution and the Civil War, which was initially not unambiguous).
Do you agree with Sholokhov's statement that the civil war did not end in 1920?
(“The civil war ... among other things, is so dirty that there are no victories or winners in it ...,” Sholokhov said.
After all, the troubles of the Civil War on the Don for Sholokhov are not an abstraction, but a bitter personal experience who passed like a plow through their large family. Three cousins of Sholokhov - Ivan, Valentin and Vladimir Sergin - died in the Civil War. He grew up with them on the farm Kruzhilin, where the sister of Alexander Mikhailovich Sholokhov, Olga Mikhailovna Sergina, after the death of her husband, moved with her four children and settled in the same kuren with Sholokhov. The death of the brothers could not but deeply affect the writer.
According to the writer, the Civil War, which brought people so much grief and trouble, did not end in 1920. After the “reconciliation”, “then all those who survived came to their broken kurens and broken families. Both winners and losers. And a peaceful life began: “They live from gate to gate, they drink water from one well, how many times a day they call each other's eyes ... What is it like? Enough imagination? Here, in my opinion, even the poorest will be enough to get frost on the skin. ” This rift that the war had brought continued long years, feeding mutual hatred and suspicion ...
“When did the civil war end there, according to your textbooks? In the 20th? No, my dear, she is still on her way. The means are just different. And don't think it's over soon...)
Conclusion: This characterization by Sholokhov of the time of the revolution and the Civil War at the very end of his life helps better. Sholokhov's bitter words about the break in the life of the people, which determined their troubles and suffering for many decades, reveal the very essence of this great work that called the people to national unity.
The events of the civil war on the Don, reflected on the pages of the novel by M. Sholokhov "The Quiet Don" ( historical commentary)
In late 1917 - early 1918, the Cossack "governments" of the Don and Kuban, under the leadership of atamans A. M. Kaledin and A. P. Filimonov, declared non-recognition of the Soviet government and began a war against Soviet power. Then the Soviet government sent Red Guard detachments and detachments of Baltic sailors from the central provinces of Russia to fight them, uniting them on the Don under the general command of the famous Bolshevik V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko. fighting at this stage the Civil War was fought on both sides mainly along railways a few separate detachments (from several hundred to several thousand people) and received the name "echelon warfare". The Red Guard detachments of R. F. Sievers, Yu. V. Sablin and G. K. Petrov in January 1918 drove the units of General Kaledin and the White Guard Volunteer Army from the northern part of the Don region. The congress of the Don front-line Cossacks in the village of Kamenskaya on January 10-11 (23-24), 1918 formed the Donrevkom headed by F. G. Podtelkov and M. V. Krivoshlykov and formed revolutionary Cossack detachments, which a few days later defeated the officer volunteer detachment of Yesaul V. M. Chernetsova. Chernetsov and more than 40 officers who were captured, by order of F.G. Podtelkov, were executed without trial or investigation. On February 24, the Red Guard detachments occupied Rostov, on February 25 - Novocherkassk. General Kaledin shot himself, and the remnants of his troops fled to the Sal steppes. The volunteer army (3-4 thousand people) retreated with battles to the territory of the Kuban ...
Episode analysis "The scene of the massacre of Chernetsovites" (part 5, ch.12)
(Viewing film fragments of the movie "Quiet Don" (2nd series)
Twisting his wahmister's upraised mustaches, Golubov shouted hoarsely:
Melekhov, well done! You're hurt, aren't you? Damn it! Is the bone intact? - And,
without waiting for an answer, he smiled: - Head on! Head-smashed!..
The officer detachment was so dispersed that it was impossible to assemble. Got them in the tail!
Gregory asked for a smoke. Cossacks flocked all over the field and
red guards. A riding Cossack trotted from the crowd, far blackening ahead.
Forty people have been taken, Golubov! .. - he shouted from a distance. - Forty officers
and Chernetsov himself.
Are you lying?! - Golubov spun in fright in the saddle and galloped, mercilessly
chopping a tall white-legged horse with a whip.
Grigory, after waiting a little, followed him at a trot.
A dense crowd of captured officers was accompanied by a ring engulfing them,
a convoy of thirty Cossacks - the 44th regiment and one of the hundreds of the 27th. ahead
all went Chernetsov. Fleeing from persecution, he threw off his sheepskin coat and now
walked in a light leather jacket. The epaulette on his left shoulder was
cut off. There was a fresh abrasion on the face near the left eye. He was walking
quickly without breaking your feet. The papakha, worn on one side, gave him the appearance
carefree and youthful. And there was no shadow of fright on his pink face: he,
apparently, he had not shaved for several days - the blond growth was golden on his cheeks and
chin. Chernetsov looked sternly and quickly at the Cossacks who ran up to him;
a bitter, hateful crease loomed between her brows. He lit on the go
a match, lit a cigarette, squeezing a cigarette at the corner of pink hard lips.
Most of the officers were young, only a few had white frost.
gray hair One, wounded in the leg, lagged behind, he was pushed with a butt in the back
small big-headed and pockmarked Cossack. Almost next to Chernetsov walked
tall brave captain. Two arm in arm (one is a cornet, the other is a centurion)
walked smiling; behind them, without a hat, curly-haired and broad-shouldered, walked the cadet. On
one had a soldier's overcoat thrown wide open with epaulettes sewn
to death. Another walked without a hat, pulling his beautiful black eyes
red officer's cap; the wind carried the ends of the hood over his shoulders.
Golubov rode behind.
Leaving behind, he shouted to the Cossacks:
Listen here!.. You are responsible for the safety of the prisoners to the fullest extent.
military revolutionary time! To be delivered to the headquarters in one piece!
He called one of the mounted Cossacks, sketched, sitting on the saddle, a note:
rolling it up, handed it over to the Cossack:
Download! Give it to Podtelkov.
Turning to Gregory, he asked:
Are you going there, Melekhov?
Having received an affirmative answer, Golubov caught up with Grigory and said:
Tell Podtelkov that I am bailing Chernetsov! Understood? .. Well, so
pass. Ride.
Grigory, ahead of the crowd of prisoners, galloped to the headquarters of the Revolutionary Committee, which was standing in
field near a farm. Near a wide Tachanka tachanka, with
Podtelkov walked around with frozen wheels and a machine gun covered with a green case.
Right there, tapping their heels, the staff, orderlies, several
officers and Cossack orderlies. Minaev only recently, like Podtelkov,
returned from the chain. Sitting on the goats, he bit the white, frozen bread,
chewed crunchy.
Podtelkov! Gregory stepped aside. - Now they will bring the prisoners.
Did you read Golubov's note?
Podtelkov waved his whip forcefully; dropping low-drooping pupils,
bleeding, shouted:
I don't give a damn about Golubov!.. You never know what he wants! On bail to him
Chernetsov, this robber and counter-revolutionary?.. I won’t let you!.. Shoot
all of them - and that's it!
Golubov said he was taking him on bail.
I won't give it!.. It is said: I won't give it! Well, that's all! The revolutionary court to judge him
and punish without delay. So that it was disgraceful to others! .. You know -
he spoke more calmly, peering sharply at the approaching crowd
prisoners - do you know how much blood he released into the world? Sea!..
How many miners did he transfer? .. - and again, boiling with rage, fiercely
rolled his eyes: - I will not give! ..
There is nothing to shout here! - Grigory also raised his voice: everything was trembling in him
inside, Podtelkov's rage seemed to take root in him. - There are many of you
judges! You go there! - trembling nostrils, he pointed back ... - And above
captured you a lot of stewards!
Podtelkov walked away, his whip crumpling in his hands. From a distance he shouted:
I was there! Do not think that you escaped on a cart. And you, Melekhov, shut up
Take it!.. Got it?.. Who are you talking to?
clean up! The Revolutionary Committee judges, and not everyone ...
Grigory touched his horse to him, jumped, forgetting about the wound, from the saddle and,
shot through with pain, he fell backwards... From the wound, burning, blood sloshed.
He got up without outside help, somehow hobbled to the cart,
leaned sideways against the rear spring.
The prisoners arrived. Part of the foot escorts mixed with the orderlies and
Cossacks who were guarding the headquarters. The Cossacks have not yet cooled down from the battle,
their eyes gleamed hotly and angrily, exchanged remarks about
details and outcome of the battle.
Podtelkov, stepping heavily on the falling snow, approached the prisoners.
Chernetsov, who stood in front of them all, looked at him, screwing up his sly eyes contemptuously.
desperate eyes; freely setting aside his left leg, shaking it, crushed his white
a pink lip seized from the inside by a horseshoe of the upper teeth. Podtelkov
walked straight up to him. He was trembling all over, his unblinking eyes crawled over
pitted snow, having risen, crossed with the fearless, despising
Chernetsov's glance and broke him off with the weight of hatred.
Gotcha... bastard! - Podtelkov said in a bubbling low voice and stepped
step back; His cheeks were slashed with a crooked smile.
Traitor of the Cossacks! Scoundrel! Traitor! - through clenched teeth
Chernetsov rang.
Podtelkov shook his head, as if dodging slaps in the face, - he turned black in
cheekbones, with an open mouth flimsy sucked in air.
What happened next played out with astonishing speed. bared,
Chernetsov, who had turned pale, pressed his fists to his chest, leaning forward all over, walked
on Podtelkova. From his convulsed lips, slurred
words mixed with obscene swearing. What he said - heard one
slowly backing Podtelkov.
You'll have to... you know? Chernetsov raised his voice sharply.
These words were heard by the captured officers, and the convoy, and staff.
But-oh-oh-oh ... - as if strangled, Podtelkov wheezed, throwing his hand on the hilt
checkers.
It immediately became quiet. The snow creaked distinctly under Minaev's boots,
Krivoshlykov and several other people who rushed to Podtelkov. But he
ahead of them; with the whole body turning to the right, crouching, pulled out of the scabbard
saber and, lunging forward, slashed Chernetsov with terrible force
head.
Grigory saw how Chernetsov, trembling, raised left hand,
managed to shield himself from the blow; I saw how a cut brush broke at an angle
and the saber soundlessly fell on Chernetsov's thrown back head. At first
a hat fell off, and then, like an ear broken in the stalk, slowly
fell Chernetsov, with a strangely twisted mouth and painfully screwed up,
wrinkled, as from lightning, eyes.
Podtelkov slashed him again, walked away with an aged, heavy gait,
on the move, wiping the sloping valleys of the checkers, blackened with blood.
Knocking against the cart, he turned to the guards, shouted exhausted,
Cut-and-and them... such a mother!! Everyone! .. Now there are no prisoners ... in the blood, in the heart !!
Shots fired furiously. The officers, colliding, rushed
scattered. A lieutenant with beautiful female eyes, in a red officer's
hat, ran, clutching his head with his hands. The bullet got him high
as if through a barrier, jump. He fell and didn't get up. high,
the brave captain was cut down by two. He grabbed the blades of the checkers, from the cut
blood poured from his palms on his sleeves; he screamed like a child - fell on
on his knees, on his back, rolled his head in the snow; alone were seen on the face
bloodshot eyes and a black mouth drilled with a continuous scream. By face
his flying checkers slashed across his black mouth, and he was still screaming
torn off the strap, finished him off with a shot. The curly-haired junker almost
broke through the chain - he was overtaken and killed by some
ataman. The same ataman drove a bullet between the shoulder blades of the centurion, who fled to
overcoat opened from the wind. The centurion sat down and until then scraped
fingers chest until he died. The gray-haired podsaul was killed on the spot;
parting with his life, he knocked out a deep hole in the snow with his feet and still beat,
like a good horse on a leash, if the pitiful Cossacks had not finished it.
Gregory at the first moment, as soon as the massacre began, broke away from
carts - without taking their eyes filled with dregs from Podtelkov, limping, quickly
hobbled towards him. From behind, Minaev grabbed him across, - breaking, twisting
hands, took away the revolver and, looking into the eyes with faded eyes, gasping for breath,
asked:
And you thought - how? Or they us, or we them! There is no middle!
1. What motivates the behavior of the characters?
2. How are Podtelkov and Chernetsov depicted in this scene?
3. Why does Sholokhov give detailed description the appearance of executed white officers?
4. How does Gregory feel after the massacre of white officers?
Analysis of the episode "Execution of Podtelkov and his detachment" (part 5, ch.30)
The analyzed episode is one of the key ones for understanding the ideological content of M. Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Don". The most important problem is connected with this episode - the problem of humanism, the problem of a person's moral responsibility for his actions.
Grigory Melekhov, squeezing through the ragged crowd, went to the farm and came face to face with Podtelkov. He stepped back and frowned.
- And are you here, Melekhov?
A bluish pallor washed over Grigory's cheeks, and he stopped:
- Here. As you see…
- I see ... - Podtelkov smiled sideways, looking at his whitened face with a flash of hatred. - What, you shoot brothers? Turned around? .. What are you like ... - He, moving close to Grigory, whispered: - Do you serve both ours and yours? Who will give more? Oh you!..
Grigory caught him by the sleeve and gasped:
- Do you remember under Deep Fight? Do you remember how the officers were shot... They shot at your order! A? Now you're burping! Well, don't worry! You are not the only one to tan other people's skins! You, grebe, sold the Cossacks to the Jews! It's clear? Isho say?
Embracing Christonya, he took the enraged Gregory aside.
- Come on, let's go to the horses. Go! We have nothing to do with you. Lord God, what is happening to people! ..
They went, then stopped, hearing the voice of Podtelkov. Surrounded by front-line soldiers and old men, he shouted out in a high, passionate voice:
- You are dark... blind! You are blind! Officers lured you, forced blood brothers to kill! Do you think if you beat us, it will end like this? No! Today is your top, and tomorrow you will be shot! Soviet power will be established throughout Russia. Here, mark my words! In vain you pour someone else's blood! You people are stupid!
1. How does Grigory perceive the execution of Podtelkov?
2. Why does Grigory leave the square where Podtelkov is being executed?
3. What is the similarity of this scene with the scene of the massacre of Chernetsovites?
4. What is the point of mirroring scenes like this?
(In the scene of the massacre of the Podtelkovites over the Chernetsovites near Glubokaya Balka, the force of class enmity and hatred that divided the Cossacks on the Don is clearly shown. Grigory carefully peers into the faces of the officers who are being shot (for him they are, first of all, not enemies, but living people). The execution of Podtelkov perceives, as a just punishment of God for all the evil that he caused others. (“Remember how the officers were shot in the beam? They shot at your order! Eh? Now you get revenge!”) But he leaves the square because the massacre of unarmed people is disgusting, contrary to his nature. Gregory is lost, crushed psychologically. Everywhere - whether the whites, whether the reds - deceit, savagery, cruelty, which has no justification. War corrupts people, provokes them to such actions that in a normal state a person would never have committed From episode to episode, an internal tragic discrepancy between Grigory's aspirations and the life around him grows. flattery and must make a choice for himself, decide his own fate. The hero of the novel, having committed seemingly monstrous murders and atrocities, ultimately remains a man in the full sense of the word. He is still capable of doing good, disinterested, noble deeds).
Conclusion:“When did the civil war end there, according to your textbooks? In the 20th? No, my dear, she is still on her way. The means are just different. And don’t think that it will end soon”… This characterization by Sholokhov of the time of the revolution and the Civil War at the very end of his life helps to better understand the deep intention of “The Quiet Flows the Don”. Sholokhov's bitter words about the break in the life of the people, which determined their troubles and suffering for many decades, reveal the very essence of this great work that called the people to national unity.
I. Talkov's song "Former podesaul" sounds
Exercise: while it sounds song by I. Talkov, write a sequence on the theme "War"
(Sequence - a short literary work, characterizing the subject (topic), consisting of five lines, which is written according to a certain plan:
1 line - one word. The title of the poem, usually a noun.
Line 2 - two words (adjectives or participles). Description of the topic.
Line 3 - three words (verbs). Actions related to the topic.
4 line - four words - a sentence. A phrase that shows the author's attitude to the topic.
Line 5 is one word. As a rule, this is an association that repeats the essence of the topic, usually a noun.)
Execution by Chekists of captured Cossack officers on the Don
They were given shovels, they were ordered to dig graves.
Chilling from the cold, the convoy was trampling nearby.
The young officers were blindfolded with a bandage.
The young Chekist read out the verdict to the doomed.
Crosses were torn from them, shoulder straps were cut off with knives.
The machine gun belt was gobbled up by a machine gun in a minute.
And the Latvian arrows, finishing off, no longer spared cartridges.
Proletarian lead killed both the stomach and the temple.
And the golden shoulder straps remained lying on the ground,
The officer's crosses are trampled into the mud with boots.
And the hot cartridge cases have not yet cooled down,
But life is over, there is a connection between the past and the future.
And the courage and glory of Russia remained in the grave,
Jesus children of the great, crucified country,
Young, beautiful, brave, smart, strong,
Blinded by the fury of the Russian civil war.
And in the morning from heaven blue stars fell bright,
And above the mass grave, wormwood was already breaking through,
Hungry dogs barked, black crows croaked.
The bloody Crimean blue was washed with dew ...
An excerpt from the autobiographical story of R.B. Gul "The Ice Campaign with Kornilov"
Chapter. Massacre of the prisoners.
“Prisoners.
They are overtaken by Lieutenant Colonel Nezhintsev, galloping towards us, stopped - a mouse-colored mare is dancing under him.
"Wishing for reprisal!" he shouts.
"What is it? - I think. - Execution? Really?" Yes, I understood: execution, these 50-60 people, with their heads and hands down.
I looked back at my officers.
"Suddenly no one will go?" - passed me.
No, they are out of line. Some are smiling shyly, some with fierce faces.
Fifteen people came out. They go to strangers standing in a bunch and click the shutters.
A minute has passed.
Arrived: plee! ... Dry crackling of shots, screams, groans ...
People fell on each other, and from ten paces, tightly pressed into their rifles and legs apart, they were fired at, hastily clicking bolts. All fell. Silent groans. The shots ceased. Some of the shooters retreated.
Some, on the contrary, approached and finished off the still alive with bayonets and rifle butts.
Here it is, a real civil war ...
Near me is a staff captain, his face is like a beaten one. "Well, if we shoot like that, everyone will stand on us," he mutters softly.
The shooting officers approached.
Their faces are pale. Many have unnatural smiles wandering around, as if asking: well, how do you look at us after that?
"But how do I know! Maybe this bastard shot my relatives in Rostov!" - says, answering someone, the officer who shot.
In a poem by M. Voloshin, written in 1918, there are such lines: “I stand alone between them in a roaring flame and smoke, And with all my strength I pray for both of them.” On whose side, in your opinion, is the sympathy of the author of the poem "Execution"? Justify your answer.
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From the review of the poet Alexei Surkov about the novel by M. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don":
“...Here Sasha Busygin quite thoroughly questioned whether the proletarian or non-proletarian work The Quiet Don ... It seems to me that Sholokhov wanted to make The Quiet Don undoubtedly our proletarian work, but objectively, regardless of Sholokhov’s subjective desire , the work turned out to be non-proletarian ... The poor Cossack part, represented by Mishka Koshev, is so poor internally that you immediately feel from which bell tower the author is looking at the Don steppe. This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the entire prosperous part of this very Don Cossacks, that most of the White Guard heroes, most of the officers, in one way or another affected by Sholokhov, they look, despite the fact that they are hostile to us, they look, from the point of view of of the author with crystal-clear ideological, pure people ... It turns out that Sholokhov, in a romantic form, as Shulgin does, is trying to present the White Guard guards ... "Quiet Don" has not yet ended. But Bunchuk, whom Sholokhov put on high romantic stilts, he had already killed along with Podtyolkov. The entire poor part of the village fell out of the sphere of attention of Sholokhov ... Sholokhov does not represent either the aspirations of the middle peasants of the Don, or the aspirations of the weak Cossacks. This is a representative of a full-blooded owner, a strong, prosperous Cossacks.
Why is the poet A. Surkov convinced that M. Sholokhov's novel "Quiet Flows the Don" is not a proletarian work?
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Sections: Literature
The purpose of the lesson: to show the inevitability of the tragic fate of Grigory Melekhov, the connection of this tragedy with the fate of the country.
Equipment: technological map of the lesson, textbooks, notebooks, the text of the epic novel "Quiet Don" by M.A. Sholokhov, episodes from the film by S.A. Gerasimov "Quiet Flows the Don", color reproductions of the Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George.
Lesson plan:
1. Organizational moment.
2. Conversation on questions (repetition of the material covered).
3. Learning new material.
4. Summing up.
5. Grading.
6. Homework with an explanation.
DURING THE CLASSES
teacher's word. Announcement of the topic of the lesson.
Students are asked to answer the following questions:
1. Name the genre of the work "Quiet Flows the Don" (Epic novel).
2. List historical events depicted in the novel (The First World War, the Civil War, the uprising of the Cossacks on the Don).
3. Indicate the name of the village where the events of the novel mainly unfold (Khutor Tatarsky).
4. In what year did Sholokhov receive the Nobel Prize for the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" (1965)
5. What does "Cossack" mean in translation from Turkic? (brave, daring)
6. Why does the author use dialectisms? (To create color)
Learning new material
Teacher's word. Heroes of Sholokhov are simple people, but bright, strong, strong-willed. Grigory Melekhov - main character Romana is a brave, honest, conscientious and truly talented person. He is the Cavalier of St. George, which speaks of the courage and heroism of Melekhov the warrior.
Student message(History of the Imperial Military Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George).
(Demonstration of color illustrations of the order).
The insignia of the military order, commonly called the "George Cross" was established in 1807 Russian emperor Alexander I. It was intended to reward the lower ranks of the army and navy for feats and courage in wartime. To deserve "Egoriy" was possible only by real courage and fearlessness in battle. It was worn on the chest in front of all medals on a ribbon with equal orange and black stripes in the colors of the Order of St. George. On the front side of the medallion, Saint George was depicted striking a snake with a spear, and on the other side of the medallion, intertwined monograms S. and G.
Among the lower ranks, this was the most honorable and respected award, which was not removed from the chest even with further promotion to the officer rank and, being already in officer rank proudly worn on the chest with other officer awards. The insignia of the military order was the most democratic award for the lower ranks, because. could be awarded regardless of rank, class, and in some cases the recipients were chosen by decision of a meeting of a company or battalion. The lower ranks, awarded the distinction, received a lifetime pension and were exempted from corporal punishment, and also enjoyed a number of benefits due to the status of the order.
Initially, only the lower ranks of the Orthodox faith could receive a distinction, while the rest were awarded medals for courage and zeal. This caused dissatisfaction on the part of the lower ranks, representatives of other faiths, because. any soldier dreamed of having a cross with the image of a warrior on his chest. Since 1844, the insignia of the military order began to be awarded to the lower ranks - non-Christian denominations. Such signs were distinguished by the fact that on the front and back sides in the central medallion was placed the state emblem of Russia - a double-headed eagle.
1st degree - a golden cross on a St. George ribbon with a bow.
2 degree - a golden cross on a St. George ribbon without a bow.
3rd degree - a silver cross on a St. George ribbon with a bow.
4th degree - a silver cross on a St. George ribbon without a bow.
Special rights and benefits of persons awarded the St. George Cross:
- The George Cross has never been removed.
- The widow of the recipient after his death used the money due to him on the cross for another year.
- Cash distributions during the service were carried out as an increase in salary, and after dismissal from active service, as a pension.
- When awarding the St. George Cross of the 4th degree, the next rank complained at the same time.
- Having the St. George Cross, both employees and reserve and retired lower ranks who fell into a crime, were deprived of the St. George Cross only as a matter of court.
- In case of loss or unintentional loss of the St. George Cross by any of the lower ranks, even if it is a reserve or retired, a new cross is issued to him, at the request of the subject authorities, free of charge.
Teacher's word. Grigory is a full cavalier of the Order of St. George's Cross, received an officer's rank. Cossack troops are one of the most combat-ready units of the regular Russian army.
Student's report on the participation of Cossack troops in hostilities.
For the first time, the Don Cossacks began to act jointly with the Russian army during the reign of Ivan 1U. Having mastered the tactical art of the Russian army, the Cossacks developed their own methods of cavalry fighting in battles with the Turks and nomadic peoples. After the suppression of the Bulavin uprising, the tsarist government deprived the Cossacks of many privileges.
During the First World War, the Cossack formations were among the most combat-ready units of the Russian army. Among the Cossacks there were the smallest losses of manpower, for the entire time of hostilities only one banner was lost. The Cossacks were well versed in all types of weapons, they were excellent at dzhigitovka. During the First World War, there was a great shortage of funds, and the government collected donations to the Fatherland Defense Fund. One of these collections was the collection of awards from precious metals to the state fund. Everywhere in the army and navy, lower ranks and officers surrendered their awards of silver and gold. Documents confirming these facts have been preserved in the archives.
teacher's word. Let's see how the hero reacted to military service. A Cossack nicknamed Chubaty teaches Gregory the famous blow that cuts a man in two. Gregory cannot master the technique of this terrible blow in any way.
Question. Why can't Melekhov master this blow?
Episode No. 1. Conversation between Grigory and Chubatoy (book 1, part 3, chapter 12)
- You are strong, but you are a fool to cut. That's how it should be, Chubaty taught, and his saber in an oblique flight hit the target with monstrous force. - Chop the man boldly. He is a soft man, like dough, Chubaty taught, laughing with his eyes. - Don't think how or what. You are a Cossack, your job is to chop without asking, Foul, he is a man ... Evil spirits, stinks on the ground, lives like a toadstool mushroom. You have a liquid heart, but I have a solid one.
“You have a wolf heart, or maybe you don’t have any,” Grigory objected.
Conclusion. Sholokhov uses the antithesis. Chubaty imposes on Grigory his understanding of the war, where there is no mercy, no feeling of compassion. The whole nature of Gregory opposes the cruelty that is behind this blow, the hero feels pain for a person (these are the words of Sholokhov).
teacher's word. Grigory proposes to send the captured officer to headquarters. Chubaty volunteered to escort the prisoner.
Episode No. 2. The capture of an officer (book 1, part 3, chapter 12)
A few minutes later, a horse's head appeared from behind a pine tree. Chubaty rode back.
- Well? .. - the constable jumped in fright. - Missed it?
Waving his whip, Chubaty rode up, dismounted, stretched. - He escaped ... I thought to run away. I cut him down.
"You're lying," shouted Gregory. - Killed for nothing!
- What are you making noise? Do you care? Don't go where you don't have to! Understood? Don't climb! Chubaty repeated sternly.
Pulling the rifle by the belt, Grigory swiftly threw it to his shoulder. His finger jumped, not falling on the trigger, his brown face looked strangely sideways.
- But! the constable shouted menacingly, running up to Grigory.
The shock preceded the shot, and the bullet, upholstering the needles from the pines, sang viscously and loudly. The constable, shoving Grigory in the chest, snatched the rifle from him, only Chubaty did not change his position: he still stood with his leg aside, holding his belt with his left hand.
“I’ll kill you!” Grigory rushed towards him.
- Yes, what are you? Like this? Do you want to go to court, to be shot? Lay down your weapons, the officer yelled, and, pushing Grigory aside, stood between them, swearing his hands with a crucifix.
Question. What is this episode about? Why does Grigory want to kill Chubaty?
Answer. Grigory's attempt to kill Chubaty is an attempt to punish evil.
Conclusion. War as mass murder is not Grigory Melekhov's element. By nature, he is a peaceful person. The tragedy of a man in war is forced murder. Gregory dreams of a house. He says to his brother: “I would have been at home now, I would have flown if I had wings.”
Teacher's word. After the October Revolution, the country split. Many yesterday's friends, fellow soldiers, relatives became on different sides, turned out to be enemies. Each side has its own position, its own, though. But Gregory does not share any of the positions. If the heroes of the novel evaluate what is happening only from the point of view of their own truth, then Grigory thinks on a large scale, in his mind there are other categories: war and peace, life and death. That's why Gregory is sometimes with whites, sometimes with reds. He does not find his truth anywhere.
Episode No. 3 The execution of Chernetsov (book 2, part 5, chapter 12),
Podtelkov, stepping heavily on the fallen snow, approached the prisoners. Chernetsov, who stood in front, looked at him, screwing up his bright, desperate eyes contemptuously. Podtelkov approached him point-blank. He was trembling all over, his unblinking eyes crawling over the pitted snow.
- Gotcha, bastard! - Podtelkov said in a bubbling low voice and took a step back; His cheeks were slashed with a black smile.
- A traitor to the Cossacks! Scoundrel! Traitor! Chernetsov rang through clenched teeth.
Podtelkov shook his head as if dodging slaps. What happened next played out with astonishing speed. It became quiet. The snow creaked distinctly under the boots of Minaev, Krivoshlykov and several other people, who rushed to Podtelkov. But he got ahead of them; he slashed Chernetsov on the head with terrible force. Grigory saw how Chernetsov, trembling, raised his left hand above his head, saw how a severed wrist broke at an angle and the saber soundlessly fell on Chernetsov's thrown back head.
Podtelkov, already lying down, hacked him again, walked away as an aged, overweight marching soldier, wiping the sloping valleys of his checkers, black with blood, as he went.
Grigory tore himself away from the cart, keeping his bloodshot eyes on Podtelkov, quickly hobbled towards him, Minaev grabbed him from behind, wringing his arms, twisting his arms, and took away the revolver.
Question. Why did Gregory want to stand up for the enemies with whom he fought to the death a few hours ago?
Student response. Gregory is against the killing of unarmed prisoners, because. considers it a crime.
teacher's word. Grigory Melekhov decides to leave the Reds and join the Whites.
Episode No. 4. The execution of Podtelkov. Watching an episode from the film by S.A. Gerasimov "Quiet Flows the Don"
Question. Why do you think M.A. Sholokhov placed these two episodes side by side in the novel?
Student response. These two episodes are placed side by side by the author to show wrongness and lawlessness both on the part of the Reds and on the part of the Whites.
Conclusion. Evil begets evil, the flow of violence cannot be stopped.
teacher's word. Gregory's throwing between the Reds and the Whites testifies to the contradiction of his character. When describing the hero, Sholokhov very often uses the technique - antithesis. Peaceful consciousness is opposed to the consciousness of war. The hero wants peace and silence, and all around is war and violence. And this is the tragedy of man, the tragedy of a generation, the tragedy of a people who was drawn into a fratricidal civil war, where there is no place for the observance of the law, there is no place for mercy, where there are no prisoners. It is not the hero who is split in his mind, but the world is torn apart. Guys! Remember the works about the civil war that we studied.
Students response. I. Babel "Letter", "Crossing the Zbruch", M.A. Sholokhov "Mole".
Episode No. 5. A conversation between Grigory and Mikhail Koshevoy in the Melikhovs' house. Viewing frames from the film by S.A. Gerasimov "Quiet Flows the Don"
Mikhail is a friend of Melikhov, they grew up and served together. Michael is married to Gregory's sister.
Question. What cannot Michael forgive a friend of his youth?
Answer. Mikhail cannot forgive Gregory for serving with the Whites.
Question. What thought sounds in the words of Gregory: "If you remember everything, you have to live like wolves."
Student response. A very important thought sounds - reconciliation, unity is necessary.
Conclusion. To live on, you need to forgive each other. But this is also the tragedy of Grigory Melekhov and the hundreds of thousands of Russian people who could not find this reconciliation. Each of the opposing sides had its own truth. Therefore, the ending is tragic: Grigory's family is scattered, his beloved woman dies, the house is devastated, after long ordeals the hero returns home. The whole horror of the civil war lies in the fact that honest, worthy people who passionately love Russia spoke on both sides, but no one wanted to hear the other side, to find common ground for unity and understanding. The tragedy of Gregory lies in the need for truth and the impossibility of achieving it.
Episode No. 6. The death of Aksinya (book 4, part 8, chapter 17)
Aksinya pulled on the reins and, throwing herself back, fell on her side. Grigory managed to support her, otherwise she would have fallen.
- Were you hurt? Where did it go?! Speak now!.. – Grigory asked hoarsely.
She was silent and leaned harder and harder on his arm. As he galloped, clutching her to himself, Grigory gasped and whispered:
- For God's sake! At least a word! Yes, what are you?!
Aksinya died in Grigory's arms shortly before dawn. Consciousness never returned to her. He silently kissed her lips, cold and salty with blood, carefully lowered her onto the grass, stood up. An unknown force pushed him in the chest, and he backed away, fell on his back, but immediately jumped to his feet in fright. And once again he fell, painfully hitting his bare head on a stone. Then, without rising from his knees, he took out a saber from its scabbard and began to dig a grave. The earth was moist and pliable. He was in a hurry, but choking was pressing on his throat, and to make it easier to breathe, he tore his shirt.
He buried his Aksinya in the bright morning light. Already in the grave, he crossed her dead, whitened, swarthy hands on his chest, covered his face with a head scarf so that the earth would not fall asleep her half-open, motionlessly directed to the sky and already beginning to fade eyes, He said goodbye to her, firmly believing that they would part for a short time. …
Question. How does Gregory survive the death of his beloved woman?
Answer. Personal life the protagonist is tragic. With the death of Aksinya comes the realization that the worst tragedy in his life has happened.
Question. What remains for Gregory? Find the answer in the text of the novel.
Student response (Book 4, Part 8, Chapter 17).
Gregory finally returns home, to his father's house, to his native land, takes his son in his arms. Life goes on.
Final word from the teacher. Author's position lies in the fact that it is impossible to achieve the ideal, but this does not mean that one should not strive for it, because we must be responsible to future generations. And when we leave, this heavy burden will fall on your shoulders.
Summarizing, grading.
Homework. Prepare for an essay based on the novel by M.A. Sholokhov "Quiet Don". (Themes for preparation for the composition are announced).
The protagonist of the novel by M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don" Grigory Melekhov, looking for the truth of life, gets confused a lot, makes mistakes, suffers, because he does not find the moral truth he aspires to in any of the warring parties.
Gregory is faithful to the Cossack traditions, instilled in him from birth. But at the same time, he surrenders to the power of violent passion, capable of violating generally accepted norms and rules. Neither the formidable father, nor dirty rumors and ridicule can stop Gregory in his passionate outburst.
Melekhov distinguishes amazing ability be in love. Unwittingly, at the same time, he causes pain to loved ones. Grigory himself suffers, suffers no less than Natalya, Aksinya, and his parents. The hero finds himself as if between two poles: love-duty and love-passion. Committing bad deeds from the point of view of public morality and meeting with a married woman, Gregory remains honest and sincere to the end. “And it’s a pity for you,” he says to Natalia, “to go to sleep, for these days we became related, but there is nothing in my heart ... Empty.”
Stormy historical events swirled Gregory in their whirlwind. But the more he goes into military operations, the more he is drawn to the land, to work. He often dreams of the steppe. His heart is always with my beloved, distant woman, with his native farm, kuren.
A new turn in history brings Melekhov back to the earth, to his beloved, to his family. Grigory meets with the house, with the farm after a long separation. The bosom of the family returns him to the world of shaken habitual ideas about the meaning of life, about the Cossack duty.
While fighting, “Grigory firmly protected the Cossack honor, seized the opportunity to show selfless courage, took risks, went wild, went disguised to the rear of the Austrians, removed outposts without blood.” Over time, the hero changes. He feels that “that pain over a person that crushed him in the first days of the war has irrevocably gone. Hardened heart, hardened ... ". The initial portrait of Gregory is also changing: "... his eyes are hollow and his cheekbones are sharply sticking out."
The tragic upheaval that split the world of the Cossacks into friends and foes poses numerous difficult and acute questions for Grigory. The hero is faced with a choice. Where to go? With whom? For what? Where is the truth? Melekhov, on his path of search, encounters different people, each of whom has his own point of view on what is happening. So the centurion Efim Izvarin does not believe in the universal equality declared by the Bolsheviks, he is convinced of the special fate and destiny of the Cossacks and stands for an independent, autonomous life of the Don region. He is a separatist. Grigory, delving into the essence of his speeches, tries to argue with him, but he is illiterate and loses in an argument with a well-educated centurion who knows how to consistently and logically express his thoughts. “Izvarin easily defeated him in verbal battles,” the author reports, and therefore Grigory falls under strong influence outrageous ideas.
Other truths are instilled in Melekhov by Podtelkov, who believes that the Cossacks have common interests with all Russian peasants and workers, with the entire proletariat. Podtelkov is convinced of the need for elected people's power. He speaks so competently, convincingly and passionately about his ideas that this makes Gregory listen to him and even believe. After a conversation with Podtelkov, the hero "painfully tried to sort out the confusion of thoughts, think over something, decide." In Gregory, an illiterate and politically unsophisticated person, despite various suggestions, the desire to find his truth, his place in life, something that is really worth serving is still actively pulsating. Those around him offer him different ways, but Grigory firmly answers them: "I myself am looking for an entrance."
There comes a moment when Melekhov wholeheartedly takes the side of the new system. But this system, with its cruelty to the Cossacks, injustice, once again pushes Gregory onto the warpath. Melekhov is shocked by the behavior of Chernetsov and Podtelkov in the scene of the massacre of Chernetsovites. It burns with blind hatred and enmity. Gregory, unlike them, is trying to protect an unarmed enemy from a merciless bloody race. Gregory does not stand up for the enemy - in each of the enemies he sees first of all a person.
But in war as in war. Fatigue and anger lead the hero to cruelty. This is eloquently evidenced by the episode of the murder of sailors. However, Gregory is not easily given such inhumanity. It is after this scene that Melekhov is deeply tormented by the realization of a terrible truth: he has gone far from what he was born for and what he fought for. “The wrong course in life, and maybe I’m to blame for this,” he understands.
An unrelenting truth, an unshakable value, always remains for the hero a native nest. In the most difficult moments of life, he turns to thoughts about home, about native nature, about labor. These memories give Gregory a sense of harmony and peace of mind.
Gregory becomes one of the leaders of the Veshensky uprising. This is a new round in his path. But gradually he becomes disillusioned and realizes that the uprising did not bring the expected results: the Cossacks suffer from the Whites in the same way that they suffered from the Reds before. Well-fed officers - the nobles contemptuously and arrogantly treat the ordinary Cossack and only dream of achieving success with his help in their new campaigns; the Cossacks are only a reliable means of achieving their goals. The boorish attitude of General Fitskhelaurov towards him is outrageous for Grigory, foreign invaders are hated and disgusting.
Painfully enduring everything that is happening in the country, Melekhov nevertheless refuses to evacuate. “Whatever the mother, she is someone else’s kindred,” he argues. And such a position deserves all respect.
The next transitional stage, salvation for Gregory again becomes a return to the earth, to Aksi-nye, to the children. He is suddenly imbued with extraordinary warmth and love for children, he realizes that they are the meaning of his existence. The habitual way of life, the atmosphere of his native home give rise in the hero to the desire to get away from the struggle. Gregory, after going through a long and hard way, loses faith in both whites and reds. Home and family are true values, real support. Violence, repeatedly seen and known, evokes disgust in him. More than once he does noble deeds under the influence of hatred towards him. Grigory releases the relatives of the Red Cossacks from prison, drives a horse to death in order to have time to save Ivan Alekseevich and Mishka Koshevoy from death, leaves the square, not wanting to be a witness to the execution of the underdogs.
Quick to reprisal and unjustifiably cruel, Mishka Koshevoy pushes Gregory to run away from home. He is forced to wander around the farms and, as a result, joins Fomin's gang. Love for life, for children does not allow Gregory to give up. He understands that if he does not act, he will be shot. Melekhov has no choice, and he joins the gang. A new stage of Gregory's spiritual quest begins.
Little remains with Gregory by the end of the novel. Children, native land and love for Aksinya. But the hero is waiting for new losses. He deeply and grievously experiences the death of his beloved woman, but finds the strength to search for himself further: “Everything was taken away from him, everything was destroyed by ruthless death. Only the children remained. But he himself still convulsively clung to the ground, as if, in fact, his broken life represented some kind of value for him and for others.
Gregory spends most of his life in captivity of hatred tearing the world, death, becoming hardened and falling into despair. Stopping on the way, he discovers with disgust that, hating violence, he does not set death. He is the head and support of the family, but he has no time to be at home, among people who love him.
All the attempts of the hero to find himself are the path of going through the torment. Melekhov goes forward with an open to everything, "tossed" heart. He is looking for wholeness, genuine and undeniable truths, in everything he wants to get to the very essence. His searches are passionate, his soul burns. He is tormented by an unsatisfied moral hunger. Gregory longs for self-determination, he is not without self-condemnation. Melekhov is looking for the root of mistakes, including in himself, in his deeds. But about the hero who went through many thorns, one can say with confidence that his soul, in spite of everything, is alive, it has not been ruined by the most difficult life circumstances. Evidence of this is Gregory's desire for peace, for peace, for the land, the desire to return home. Without waiting for an amnesty, Melekhov returns home. He has only one desire - the desire for peace. His goal is to raise his son, a generous reward for all the pains of life. Mishatka is Gregory's hope for the future, in him is the possibility of continuing the Melekhov family. These thoughts of Gregory are confirmation that he is broken by the war, but not broken by it.
The path of Grigory Melekhov to the truth is a tragic path of human wanderings, gains, mistakes and losses, evidence of a close connection between personality and history. This difficult path was traversed by the Russian people in the 20th century.
Critic Yu. Lukin wrote about the novel: “The meaning of the figure of Grigory Melekhov ... expands, going beyond the scope and specifics of the Cossack environment of the Don in 1921 and grows to a typical image of a person who did not find his way during the years of the revolution.”
