Bolsheviks And Their Opponents For The First Years Of Soviet Power

The article deals with the complex and contradictory relationship between the Bolsheviks and representatives of the Muslim clergy. Specific facts are given from the history of Dagestan during the Civil War and the first years of Soviet power, when the Bolsheviks gradually began to deviate from the promises that they made to authoritative representatives of Islam, in particular Ali-Haji Akushinsky, Uzun-Haji Saltinsky, and others. The article contains separate excerpts from the letters of Ali-Haji Akushinsky, which he addressed to Denikin. They vividly show the manifestation of the scale and strength of the famous Muslim sheikh. During the years of the Civil War, the Bolsheviks made compromises with representatives of Islam, as they understood that without their help they would not be able to stay in power. They entered into various agreements with other political forces, among which the most influential were representatives of the Muslim clergy. The authors, however, also notice how in the first years of Soviet power the paths of yesterday's allies finally parted. This was reflected in the adoption of legislative acts by the Bolsheviks, which removed the authoritative Muslim Ulama from state affairs and the possibility of cooperation. The paper shows not only the compromises of the Bolsheviks with Muslim ideologists but also their outright deception in the early years of the Soviet Union. Facts are given that testify that in Dagestan the Soviet power was established not by the Bolsheviks, but by representatives of the so-called “Socialist group”.