The first wave of Russian emigration is a consequence of the Civil War, which began in 1917 and lasted almost six years. The homeland was left by nobles, military, manufacturers, intelligentsia, clergy and civil servants. More than two million people left Russia from 1917-1922.
Reasons for the first wave of Russian emigration
People leave their homeland for economic, political, social reasons. Migration is a process that has occurred to varying degrees at all times. But it is characteristic primarily for the era of wars and revolutions.
The first wave of Russian emigration is a phenomenon that has no analogue in world history. The steamers were crowded. People were ready to endure unbearable conditions, if only to leave the country in which the Bolsheviks won.
After the revolution, members of noble families were repressed. Those who did not have time to escape abroad died. There were, of course, exceptions, for example, Alexei Tolstoy, who managed to adapt to the new regime. The nobles who did not have time or did not want to leave Russia changed their surnames and hid. One managed to live under a false name for many years. Others, being exposed, fell into the Stalinist camps.
Beginning in 1917, writers, entrepreneurs, and artists left Russia. There is an opinion that European art of the 20th century is unthinkable without Russian emigrants. The fates of people torn from their native land were tragic. Among the representatives of the first wave of Russian emigration there are many world famous writers, poets, scientists. But recognition does not always bring happiness.
What is the reason for the first wave of Russian emigration? The new government, which showed sympathy for the proletariat and hated the intelligentsia.
Among the representatives of the first wave of Russian emigration are not only creative people, but also entrepreneurs who managed to make fortunes with their own labor. Among the manufacturers there were also those who at first enjoyed the revolution. But not for long. Soon they realized that they had no place in the new state. Factories, enterprises, factories were nationalized in Soviet Russia.
In the era of the first wave of Russian emigration, the fate of ordinary people was of little interest. The so-called brain drain was not worried about the new government. People who were at the helm believed that in order to create a new one, everything old should be destroyed. The Soviet state did not need talented writers, poets, artists, musicians. New masters of the word appeared, ready to convey new ideals to the people.
Let us consider in more detail the causes and characteristics of the first wave of Russian emigration. Brief biographies presented below will create a complete picture of the phenomenon, which had terrible consequences both for the fate of individuals and for the whole country.
Famous emigrants
Russian writers of the first wave of emigration - Vladimir Nabokov, Ivan Bunin, Ivan Shmelev, Leonid Andreev, Arkady Averchenko, Alexander Kuprin, Sasha Cherny, Teffi, Nina Berberova, Vladislav Khodasevich. Nostalgia permeated the works of many of them.
After the Revolution, such outstanding artists as Fedor Chaliapin, Sergey Rachmaninov, Vasily Kandinsky, Igor Stravinsky, Marc Chagall left their homeland. Representatives of the first wave of Russian emigration are also aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky, engineer Vladimir Zvorykin, chemist Vladimir Ipatiev, hydraulic scientist Nikolai Fedorov.
Ivan Bunin
When it comes to Russian writers of the first wave of emigration, his name is remembered first. Ivan Bunin met the October events in Moscow. Until 1920, he kept a diary, which he later published under the name "Cursed Days." The writer did not accept Soviet power. In relation to the revolutionary events, Bunin is often opposed to Blok. In his autobiographical work, the last Russian classic, namely the author of The Cursed Days is called so, argued with the creator of the poem Twelve. Critic Igor Sukhikh said: "If Blok heard the music of the revolution in the events of 1917, then Bunin is the cacophony of rebellion."
Before emigration, the writer spent some time with his wife in Odessa. In January 1920, they boarded the ship "Sparta", which sailed to Constantinople. In March, Bunin was already in Paris - in the city where many representatives of the first wave of Russian emigration spent their last years.
The writer's fate cannot be called tragic. He worked a lot in Paris, and it was here that he wrote a work for which he received the Nobel Prize. But Bunin's most famous cycle, Dark Alleys, is riddled with longing for Russia. Nevertheless, he did not accept the proposal to return to his homeland, which many Russian emigrants received after the Second World War. The last Russian classic died in 1953.
Ivan Shmelev
Not all representatives of the intelligentsia heard "the cacophony of rebellion" in the days of the October events. Many perceived the revolution as a victory of justice, of good. At first, Ivan Shmelev rejoiced at the October events . However, he quickly became disappointed in those who were in power. And in 1920, an event occurred after which the writer could no longer believe in the ideals of the revolution. The only son of Shmelev - an officer of the tsarist army - was shot by the Bolsheviks.
In 1922, the writer and his wife left Russia. By that time, Bunin was already in Paris and in his correspondence more than once promised to help him. Shmelev spent several months in Berlin, then left for France, where he spent the rest of his life.
In recent years, one of the greatest Russian writers spent in poverty. He died at the age of 77. He was buried, like Bunin, on Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. Famous writers, poets - Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Zinaida Gippius, Taffy found the last refuge at this Paris cemetery.
Leonid Andreev
This writer first accepted the revolution, but later changed his views. Recent works of Andreev are imbued with hatred of the Bolsheviks. He ended up in exile after the separation of Finland from Russia. But he did not live abroad long. In 1919, Leonid Andreev died of a heart attack.
The grave of the writer is located in St. Petersburg, at the Volkovsky cemetery. Andreev's ashes were reburied thirty years after his death.
Vladimir Nabokov
The writer came from a wealthy aristocratic family. In 1919, shortly before the capture of the Crimea by the Bolsheviks, the Nabokovs left Russia forever. They managed to bring out part of the family jewels, which saved from poverty and hunger, which many Russian emigrants were doomed to.
Vladimir Nabokov graduated from Cambridge University. In 1922 he moved to Berlin, here he made his living with English lessons. Sometimes he published his stories in local newspapers. Among the heroes of Nabokov are many Russian emigrants ("Luzhin Defense", "Mashenka").
In 1925, Nabokov married a girl from a Jewish-Russian family. She worked as an editor. In 1936 she was fired - the anti-Semitic campaign began. The Nabokovs left for France, settled in the capital, and often visited Menton and Cannes. In 1940, they managed to escape from Paris, which a few weeks after their departure was occupied by German troops. On the Champlain airliner, Russian emigrants reached the shores of the New World.
In the United States, Nabokov lectured. He wrote both in Russian and in English. In 1960 he returned to Europe, settled in Switzerland. The Russian writer died in 1977. The grave of Vladimir Nabokov is in the cemetery in Klaran, located in Montreux.
Alexander Kuprin
After the end of World War II, a wave of re-emigration began. Those who left Russia in the early twenties were promised Soviet passports, work, housing, and other benefits. However, many emigrants who returned to their homeland became victims of Stalinist repressions. Kuprin returned before the war. Fortunately, he did not suffer the fate of most emigrants of the first wave.
Alexander Kuprin left immediately after the October Revolution. In France, at first he was mainly engaged in translations. He returned to Russia in 1937. Kuprin was known in Europe, the Soviet authorities could not do with him what they did with the majority of white emigrants. However, the writer, being a sick and old man by that time, had become a tool in the hands of propagandists. The image of a repentant writer who returned to sing the happy Soviet life was made of him.
Alexander Kuprin died in 1938 from cancer. He was buried at Volkovsky cemetery.
Arkady Averchenko
Before the revolution, the life of the writer was wonderful. He was the chief editor of a humorous magazine, which was very popular. But in 1918, everything changed dramatically. The publishing house was closed. Averchenko took a negative position in relation to the new government. With difficulty he managed to get to Sevastopol - the city in which he was born and spent his early years. The writer sailed to Constantinople on one of the last ships a few days before the Crimea was taken by the Reds.
First Averchenko lived in Sofia, then in Belgorod. In 1922 he left for Prague. Living away from Russia was difficult for him. Most of the works written in exile are permeated by the longing of a person who is forced to live away from his homeland and only occasionally hear native speech. However, in the Czech Republic he quickly gained popularity.
In 1925, Arkady Averchenko fell ill. He spent several weeks in the Prague City Hospital. He died on March 12, 1925.
Teffi
The Russian writer of the first wave of emigration left her homeland in 1919. In Novorossiysk, she boarded a ship that was leaving for Turkey. From there I got to Paris. Three years Nadezhda Lokhvitskaya (this is the real name of the writer and poetess) lived in Germany. Abroad, it was published, already in 1920 organized a literary salon. Teffy died in 1952 in Paris.
Nina Berberova
In 1922, with her husband, poet Vladislav Khodasevich, the writer left Soviet Russia for Germany. Here they spent three months. They lived in Czechoslovakia, in Italy and since 1925 in Paris. Berberova was published in the expat edition of Russian Thought. In 1932, the writer divorced Khodasevich. After 18 years, she left for the USA. She lived in New York, where she published the Commonwealth almanac. Since 1958, Berberova taught at Yale University. She died in 1993.
Sasha Black
The real name of the poet, one of the representatives of the Silver Age is Alexander Glikberg. He emigrated in 1920. He lived in Lithuania, Rome, Berlin. In 1924, Sasha Cherny left for France, where he spent the last years. In the town of La Faviere, he had a house, which often brought together Russian artists, writers, musicians. Sasha Cherny died of a heart attack in 1932.
Fedor Chaliapin
The famous opera singer left Russia, one might say, not of his own free will. In 1922 he was on tour, which, as it seemed to the authorities, dragged on. Long appearances in Europe and the US have raised suspicion. Vladimir Mayakovsky reacted immediately, writing an angry poem in which there were such words: "I will first shout - roll back!".
In 1927, the singer donated fees from one of the concerts in favor of the children of Russian emigrants. In Soviet Russia, this was perceived as support for the White Guards. In August 1927, Chaliapin was deprived of Soviet citizenship.
In exile, he performed a lot, even starred in the film. But in 1937 he was diagnosed with leukemia. On April 12 of that year, the famous Russian opera singer passed away. He was buried in the Paris cemetery of Batignolles.