Nestor Aleksandres dze Kalandarishvili (; 1876–1922) was a Georgian

revolutionary socialist Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolu ...

and

military commander The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

. Born into the lesser Georgian nobility, Kalandarishvili studied at a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

, where he joined the

Socialist Revolutionary Party The Socialist Revolutionary Party (SR; ,, ) was a major socialist political party in the late Russian Empire, during both phases of the Russian Revolution, and in early Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Soviet Russia. The party memb ...

. During the

1905 Revolution The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

, he led an uprising of the

Georgian Socialist-Federalist Revolutionary Party The Georgian Socialist-Federalist Revolutionary Party () was a Georgian nationalist party, founded in April 1904. The party's program demanded the national autonomy of Georgia, within the framework of a Russian federal state, and advocated for a ...

and later became an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

. He then participated in the

Gurian Republic The Gurian Republic was an insurgent community that existed between 1902 and 1906 in the western Georgian region of Guria (known at the time as the Ozurget Uyezd) in the Russian Empire. It rose from a revolt over land grazing rights in 1902. Seve ...

and was exiled to

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

after it was crushed. Following the outbreak of the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

, he fought an anarchist

guerrilla war Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

against the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

in Siberia. By 1919, he had joined the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, within which he led the defeat of the

Russian State Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

. He then renounced anarchism, joined the

Russian Communist Party Communist Party of Russia might refer to: * Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, founded in 1898 – the forerunner of the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks) * Communist Party of the Soviet Union, formally established in 1912 and known origina ...

and put down anarchist independent guerrillas in Siberia. He was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

while fighting a counterinsurgency against a White uprising.

Biography

Early life and activism

Kalandarishvili was born on in the Georgian village of Shemokmedi, in the

Kutaisi Governorate The Kutaisi or Kutais Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. It roughly corresponded to most of western Georgia throughout most of its existence, and most of the Artvin Province (except t ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. He was from a family of lesser Georgian nobility, and he had four siblings. He began school in his village in 1884, before going on to study at a gymnasium in

Kutaisi Kutaisi ( ; ka, ქუთაისი ) is a city in the Imereti region of the Georgia (country), Republic of Georgia. One of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, it is the List o ...

and later a

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. From 1895 to 1897, he was conscripted into

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer military, volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Few nations, such ...

for the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. After completing his military service, he returned to his studies at the seminary, where he came into contact with members of the

(PSR) in 1900. He was expelled in 1903 for distributing revolutionary propaganda, and subsequently joined up with the

SR Combat Organization The Combat Organization (, BO) was the Terrorism, terrorist wing of the Socialist Revolutionary Party (PSR) in the Russian Empire, active from 1902 to 1907. Established by the PSR Central Committee, its primary purpose was to carry out political a ...

. He moved to

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

, where, in 1904, he left the PSR and joined the

. During the

Revolution of 1905 The Russian Revolution of 1905, also known as the First Russian Revolution, was a revolution in the Russian Empire which began on 22 January 1905 and led to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under the Russian Constitution of 1906, t ...

, he participated in a socialist-federalist uprising in Batumi. When the uprising was crushed, he fled into hiding in Kutaisi, where he began working as an

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, became an

and established a Georgian Anarchist Federation. He took part in several guerrilla attacks and robberies against the Russian authorities and nobility, and was arrested numerous times. When the revolutionary

was defeated, Kalandarishvili was exiled to the

Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...

. There he continued working as an actor and organised with other exiled Georgian anarchists in Cheremkhovo. He was arrested again on suspicion of plotting to assassinate the governor of Irkutsk, but he was released due to a lack of evidence.

Civil War

Following the

1917 Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social change in Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government following two successive revolutions and a civil war. It ...

, Kalandarishvili organised a squadron of Caucasian anarchists to fight back against the

Junker mutiny The Junker mutiny () was a Russian counterrevolutionary mutiny of military school cadets in Petrograd against the Bolsheviks in October 1917. On October 29 (November 11 ( N.S.)) of 1917, students of junker schools in Petrograd rose up agains ...

. In February 1918, the Central Executive Committee of Siberian Soviets appointed him as commander-in-chief of their forces; he took personal command of the 1st Irkutsk Cavalry Division of Communist-Anarchists, which was made up anarchists, international volunteers and miners from Cheremkhovo. He led his division into battle on the

Eastern Front of the Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War spread to the east in May 1918, with a series of revolts along the route of the Trans-Siberian Railway, on the part of the Czechoslovak Legion and officers of the Russian Army. Provisional anti-Bolshevik local governmen ...

, where they fought against the counter-revolutionary

Baikal Cossacks Baikal Cossacks were Cossacks of the Transbaikal Cossack Host (); a Cossack host formed in 1851 in the areas beyond Lake Baikal (hence, Transbaikal). Organisation The Transbaikal Cossack Host was one of those created during the 19th century as t ...

commanded by Grigory Semyonov. Over time, Kalandarishvili's division was reinforced by volunteers and grew in size. Russian poet and was one of those who volunteered to fight under Kalandarishvili's command. During his guerrilla campaign against the

, Kalandarishvili was given the title of "

Grandpa Grandparents, individually known as grandmother and grandfather, or Grandma and Grandpa, are the parents of a person's father or mother – paternal or maternal. Every sexually reproducing living organism who is not a genetic chimera has a maxi ...

" (), owing to his long beard. In July 1918, the Siberian Soviet reorganised Kalandarishvili's division into the 3rd Soviet Verkhneudinsk Division, which he retained command of and which was integrated into the 2nd Siberian Rifle Corps of the

. The following month, the Baikal Front collapsed and the 3rd Division fell back to

Kyakhta Kyakhta (, ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Kyakhtinsky District in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located on the Kyakhta River near the Mongolia–Russia border. The town stands directly opposite the Mongolian border to ...

. In September 1918, Kalandarishvili's forces were defeated in battle by the Baikal Cossacks. Together with a

Red Guard The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

detachment led by , he led a retreat along the

Dzhida river The Dzhida () is a river in the south of Buryatia, Russia, a left tributary of the Selenga. It is long, and has a drainage basin of . Geography One of the largest rivers of Buryatia originates in the extreme west of the Khangarul ridge, 3&nb ...

into

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. Between 800 and 1,500 soldiers went with him. He took the detachment to Khatgal and encamped for 2 weeks on the east bank of

Lake Khövsgöl Lake Khövsgöl () is a lake in Khövsgöl Province, Mongolia. It is the largest freshwater lake in the country by volume and second largest by area after Uvs Lake. It is nicknamed the "Younger sister" of those two "sister lakes". The lake's na ...

. He then crossed back over the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

at Sanaga, in

Buryatia Buryatia, officially the Republic of Buryatia, is a republic of Russia located in the Russian Far East. Formerly part of the Siberian Federal District, it has been administered as part of the Far Eastern Federal District since 2018. To its nort ...

, and crossed over the

Sayan Mountains The Sayan Mountains (, ; ) are a mountain range in southern Siberia spanning southeastern Russia (Buryatia, Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Tuva and Khakassia) and northern Mongolia. Before the rapid expansion of the Tsardom of Russia, the mou ...

to continue their guerrilla war against the Whites. In March 1919, the Siberian leadership of the

(RCP) proposed an alliance with Kalandarishvili. He initially rejected the offer, but agreed after the party pledged to supply him with arms, funds and soldiers. Later that year, Kalandarishvili led guerrilla attacks against the

in the area around Irkutsk, leading to

Alexander Kolchak Admiral Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak (; – 7 February 1920) was a Russian navy officer and polar explorer who led the White movement in the Russian Civil War. As he assumed the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia in 1918, Kolchak headed a mili ...

putting a bounty on him. During this period, Kalandarishvili's guerrilla forces were joined by the Buryat anarchist Pavel Baltakhinov, who came to head its Buryat detachment. By January 1920, Kalandarishvili's guerrilla campaign had culminated with the Soviet capture of Irkutsk.

Counter-insurgent operations and death

In 1921, Kalandarishvili went to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and met with

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

, who convinced him to renounce

anarchist communism Anarchist communism is a far-left political ideology and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private real property but retention of personal property and collectively-owned items, goods, and ser ...

and join the Bolshevik Communist Party. Kalandarishvili was awarded the

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner () was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. It was the highest award of S ...

and Lenin appointed him as commander-in-chief of the Soviet forces in the

Far Eastern Republic The Far Eastern Republic ( rus, Дальневосточная Республика, Dal'nevostochnaya Respublika, p=dəlʲnʲɪvɐˈstotɕnəjə rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə, links=yes; ), sometimes called the Chita Republic (, ), was a nominally indep ...

, which gave him the power to appoint and dismiss officers. Using this power, Kalandarishvili took a turn towards

authoritarianism Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in democracy, separation of powers, civil liberties, and ...

and sought to suppress the independent action of anarchist guerrilla groups in Siberia, as well as the continuing White insurgency. In March 1921, the

Irkutsk Irkutsk ( ; rus, Иркутск, p=ɪrˈkutsk; Buryat language, Buryat and , ''Erhüü'', ) is the largest city and administrative center of Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. With a population of 587,891 Irkutsk is the List of cities and towns in Russ ...

branch of the Korean Communist Party (KCP) gave Kalandarishvili command of its newly-established Korean Revolutionary Military Council. With support from

Boris Shumyatsky Boris Zakharovich Shumyatsky (; – 29 July 1938) was a Soviet politician, diplomat and the ''de facto'' executive producer for the Soviet film monopolies Soyuzkino and GUKF from 1930 to 1937. He was executed as a traitor in 1938, following a ...

, the Irkutsk KCP attempted to monopolise control of the Korean guerrilla movement in the Far Eastern Republic, despite their influence being challenged by

Georgy Chicherin Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin (or Tchitcherin; ; 24 November 1872 – 7 July 1936) was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and a Soviet politician who served as the first People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs in the Soviet government from March 1918 ...

. On 28 June 1921, Kalandarishvili attempted to compel the submission Ilya Pak's Sakhalin Detachment (made up of

Korean anarchists Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

) in the

Amur Oblast Amur Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located on the banks of the Amur and Zeya rivers in the Russian Far East. The oblast borders Heilongjiang province of the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the south. The administrati ...

. But Pak refused to recognise Kalandarishvili's authority, as he answered to a different Korean military council. Between 118 and 400 people were killed in the subsequent clash between the two partisan forces, which ended with the disarmament and dissolution of the Sakhalin Regiment.

Vasily Blyukher Vasily Konstantinovich Blyukher (; 1 December 1889 – 9 November 1938) was a Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. In 1938, Blyukher was arrested during the period of military purges under Joseph Stalin. He was tortured an ...

blamed the violence on the Korean guerrillas for not submitting to Kalandarishvili. In January 1922, Kalandarishvili led 300 soldiers to

Yakutia Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...

to put down an White uprising. There, on 6 March, Kalandarishvili was killed in an ambush; the exact circumstances are unclear, with the official story being that he was killed by White rebels, while some historians believe he was assassinated by the Bolsheviks. His body was buried in

Yakutsk Yakutsk ( ) is the capital and largest city of Sakha, Russia, located about south of the Arctic Circle. Fueled by the mining industry, Yakutsk has become one of Russia's most rapidly growing regional cities, with a population of 355,443 at the ...

on 2 April, then exhumed and reinterred in Irkutsk on 17 September.

Legacy

After the establishment of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, Kalandarishvili was recognised as a revolutionary icon by the new government and his name was given to streets and

collective farms Collective farming and communal farming are various types of "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member-o ...

around the country. From a story Kalandarishvili told him about a Mongol partisan in his detachment who claimed to be a direct descendant of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

, the writer wrote a novel titled ''The Descendant of Genghis Khan''. In 1928, the novel was adapted by

Vsevolod Pudovkin Vsevolod Illarionovich Pudovkin ( rus, Всеволод Илларионович Пудовкин, p=ˈfsʲevələt ɪl(ː)ərʲɪˈonəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈdofkʲɪn; 28 February 1893 – 30 June 1953) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter and acto ...

into the film '' Storm over Asia''. Anarchist historians have contrasted Kalandarishvili with

Nestor Makhno Nestor Ivanovych Makhno (, ; 7 November 1888 – 25 July 1934), also known as Bat'ko Makhno ( , ), was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary and the commander of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine during the Ukrainian War o ...

, a Ukrainian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

with the same given name who led an anarchist guerrilla movement on the

Southern Front of the Russian Civil War The Southern Front was a military theater of the Russian Civil War. Don revolts and formation of the Volunteer Army In the aftermath of the October Revolution, politicians and army officers hostile to the Bolsheviks gravitated to the Don Cossac ...

. Charlie Allison described Kalandarishvili as an "anti-Makhno".

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kalandarishvili, Nestor 1876 births 1922 deaths 20th-century anarchists 20th-century male actors from Georgia (country) Anarchists from Georgia (country) Anarchists from the Russian Empire Anarcho-communists Bolsheviks Death conspiracy theories Expatriates from Georgia (country) in Russia Georgian Socialist-Federalist Revolutionary Party politicians People from Imereti People from Kutais Governorate Prisoners and detainees of the Russian Empire Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Socialist Revolutionary Party politicians Soviet military personnel of the Russian Civil War