General Kornilov was a native, so he enthusiastically accepted the February Revolution of 1917, as well as the coming to power of the Provisional Government. In addition, he sincerely believed that Russia could win the war. Therefore, in July and August, the Provisional Government entrusted him with the post of Supreme Commander. But after two months he was declared a rebel and imprisoned. Why it happened and what goals General Kornilov pursued, later in this article.
General biography
Lavr Georgievich was born on August 18 (in a new style - August 30) in 1870 in the Semipalatinsk region, in the village of Karkalinskaya. He was a hereditary Cossack. In 1989, he became a graduate of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff, which he graduated with a gold medal. Then he served in Turkestan, in staff posts. In addition, he also engaged in intelligence and research activities at the destination, in Persia, Afghanistan and India, studied the languages of local peoples.
After the February Revolution of 1917 , the biography of General Lavr Kornilov, which can be briefly described, in a word, as heroic, was extremely rich. In this short period of time, he became the founder of the white movement in Russia. And, as already mentioned above, in July and August he held the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Kornilov rebellion
Kornilov was supposed to take part in a state meeting in Moscow from August 12 to 15. But he was late and arrived in the city only on the second day after its opening. He was met at the station and, in the literal sense of the word, carried out in his arms. I must say that he was politically inexperienced and was more influenced by his closest adventurous environment. He greatly exaggerated his popularity, which he enjoyed in the country, as well as the willingness of the people to accept positively his proposal to introduce a military dictatorship.
Kornilov conducted his negotiations with Kerensky through the mediation of Savinkov and Lvov. Their theme was the establishment of strong power in the country. About the goals pursued by General Kornilov, Kerensky conveyed in words Lvov. But, apparently, something was said wrong, because they seemed to the head of the Provisional Government not only an ultimatum, but also a threat not only to himself, but to the entire current government.
Frightened by the influence of the general, he demanded that the latter leave the post of Glavkoverkh and immediately return to Petrograd. But Kornilov did not comply with the order. That is why he was put on a par with the rebels.
On August 28, General L.G. Kornilov delivered a speech in which he announced his goals. After that, he moved General Krymov’s corps to Petrograd. But it all ended in failure. Krymov shot himself, and Denikin and other like-minded Kornilov, including himself, were arrested and sent to Bykhov prison.
So what could Kerensky hear and what goals did General Kornilov pursue in making his statement? And there were only two. The first of them is the convocation of the Constituent Assembly, and the second is the demand not to give up and to wage war until the victorious end.
Program
Given that the prison regime, to put it mildly, was not very strict, the participants in the speech were able to compose the so-called Bykhovskaya program, or, as it is also called, the Kornilov program. But some historians are leaning towards a different version. It consists in the fact that the general himself managed to compose it alone.
Requirements
Further details about what goals General Kornilov pursued.
● Establishment of a military dictatorship with the aim of exerting pressure on the decisions of the Provisional Government in the case of the expulsion of ministers who, according to Kornilov, are traitors to the motherland.
● To rebuild the Provisional Government in such a way that firm and strong power operates in the country.
● Create a modern combat-ready army with good discipline, which would not be influenced by politics, various committees and commissars.
● The war with the help of reliable allies and the conclusion of peace that would be in the interests of Russia.
● Establish reliable livelihoods for the entire country and the army, as well as streamline transport and restore the work of factories.
That's what General Kornilov wanted. It turned out that there was no one to continue the Kornilov case.
General's death
Having already approached Yekaterinodar (now Krasnodar) with his Volunteer Army, Kornilov learned that the city was captured by the Reds, who managed to organize a fairly strong defense. Despite this, the general attempted to storm. As you know, the attack was unsuccessful due to the small number of its soldiers. But Kornilov did not want to be greeted, so on April 12 another attempt was made to drive the Reds out of this settlement.
On the morning of the next day, the general was killed by the explosion of a shell that pierced the wall of the building in which he was. The cause of death was a splinter that hit him right in the temple.
The retreating troops brought the coffin with the body of Kornilov to the village of Elizavetpolskaya, where the priest buried him. And on April 15, he was buried in the German colony of Gnachbau. But even after death, he could not find peace. The next day, the Bolshevik troops captured the settlement, opened the grave, and the body of the general was taken back to Yekaterinodar. There it was mocked and subsequently burned.