A civil war is a war that goes on inside the country, forcing a father to kill his son, and a brother to kill his brother. This war brings only destruction and suffering. Why is she needed? What causes it? What is the purpose? Two works are devoted to the topic of the Civil War, about the difficult formation of a new life: “The Defeat” by A. Fadeev and “ Quiet Don» M. Sholokhov.

In the epic novel by M. Sholokhov "Quiet Don" you can see the whole tragedy of the bloody civil war. The book is about the fierce struggle for the victory of Soviet power on the Don, about the life and way of life of the Don Cossacks. They lived freely on the Don: they worked on the land, were a reliable support for the Russian tsars, fought for them and for the state. All families lived at the expense of their work, in prosperity and respect. But this calm, normal life was crossed out by the war.

A very difficult time has come in the life of Russia, which brought great social and moral upheavals. Talking about the fate of Grigory Melikhov and his family, the writer shows these events not only as a misfortune for one family, but also as a tragedy for the whole people. This disaster brought with it pain, devastation and poverty. After the First World War, the Cossacks were drawn into the Civil War. Among all these events, the author especially focuses on the fate of the protagonist of the novel, Grigory Melikhov. The war hardened the peace-loving Cossack, she forced him to kill. After his first murder, when he hacked an Austrian in battle, Gregory could not recover for a long time. He was tortured sleepless nights and conscience. The war changed Gregory's life. His fluctuations between whites and reds speak of the infirmity of character, that he is looking for the truth in life, rushing about and does not know “whom to lean against?”. But Grigory does not find the truth either among the Bolsheviks or the White Guards. He wants a peaceful life: "My hands need to work, not fight." But the war took that away from him. The war also brought discord into the Melikhovs' family relations. She broke the habitual way of life of these people. The grief and horrors of the war affected all the heroes of the novel.

Another work, A. Fadeev's novel "The Defeat", also covers the theme of the civil war. Shows people who fell into the partisan detachment. There were many truly dedicated people among them, but there were also those who got into the detachment by accident. In fact, both of them are experiencing a tragedy. Some are disappointed in their ideals, others give their lives for these ideals. Fadeev said that in a civil war “there is a selection of human material, everything that is not capable of a real revolutionary struggle is eliminated, and everything that has risen from the true roots of the revolution grows and develops in this struggle. There is a huge transformation of people." All people in the detachment are connected by the events that happen to them. Against the background of these events, the true character of the heroes is revealed. Testing a person is a choice between life and death. Frost, at the cost of his own life, warns the detachment of an ambush, and Sword, sent on patrol, saves his life in this situation: he abandons and betrays his comrades. He did not realize his place in life, and unlike him, Morozka appears to us at the end as a mature, responsible person, aware of his duty to people.

Drawing a conclusion, we can say that a civil war is a cruel and merciless war. It destroys families and destinies of people. This is the tragedy of the country and its people.

Updated: 2018-05-21

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Civil war as a tragedy of the people

The civil war, in my opinion, is the most cruel and bloody war, because sometimes close people fight in it, who once lived in one whole, united country, who believed in one God and adhered to the same ideals. How does it happen that relatives stand on opposite sides of the barricades and how such wars end, we can trace on the pages of the novel - the epic of M. A. Sholokhov "Quiet Flows the Don".

In his novel, the author tells us how the Cossacks lived freely on the Don: they worked on the land, were a reliable support for the Russian tsars, fought for them and for the state. Their families lived by their own labor, in prosperity and respect. Cheerful, joyful, full of work and pleasant worries, the life of the Cossacks is interrupted by the revolution. And people faced a hitherto unfamiliar problem of choice: whose side to take, whom to believe - the Reds, who promise equality in everything, but deny faith in the Lord God; or white, those whom their grandfathers and great-grandfathers served faithfully. But does the people need this revolution and war? Knowing what sacrifices would have to be made, what difficulties would have to be overcome, the people would probably answer in the negative. It seems to me that no revolutionary necessity justifies all the victims, broken lives, destroyed families. And so, as Sholokhov writes, “in a mortal fight, brother goes against brother, son against father.” Even Grigory Melekhov, main character novel, previously opposed to bloodshed, he easily decides the fate of others. Of course, the first murder of a person strikes him deeply and painfully, makes him spend many sleepless nights, but war makes him cruel. “I became terrible to myself ... Look into my soul, and there is blackness, like in an empty well,” Grigory admits. Everyone became cruel, even women. Recall at least the scene when Daria Melekhova without hesitation kills Kotlyarov, considering him the murderer of her husband Peter. However, not everyone thinks about what blood is shed for, what is the meaning of war. Is it possible that “the rich are driven to death for the needs”? Or to defend the rights common to all, the meaning of which is not very clear to the people. A simple Cossack can only see that this war is becoming meaningless, because you can’t fight for those who rob and kill, rape women and set fire to houses. And such cases were both on the part of the whites and on the part of the reds. "They are all the same ... they are all a yoke around the neck of the Cossacks," says the main character.

In my opinion, main reason Sholokhov sees the tragedy of the Russian people, which affected literally everyone in those days, in the drama of the transition from the old, centuries-old way of life, to a new way of life. Two worlds are colliding: everything that used to be an integral part of people's lives, the basis of their existence, suddenly collapses, and the new one still needs to be accepted and used to it.

1. War is a tragedy for peaceful people.
2. The enthusiasm of the troops of the first draft.
3. “Today is a brother, and tomorrow is an enemy.”

Any war is a great tragedy for the people in whose country it comes. Sholokhov in the novel "Quiet Don" masterfully describes this national disaster. First World War preceded the civil And many Cossack villages have already fully felt the hardships of wartime. Each of them has already gathered and sent its army of the first call. Many families have already realized that they will have to run their household without peasants. And some even managed to get a funeral.

The Cossacks were drawn into a new conflict. Instead of ending, the war unfolded - in new territories, in their own fields, which the women did not have time to cultivate well, in their villages, where small children were left without protection. Historically, the Cossack settlements were military, but for many years of peaceful life they taught people to decide contentious issues without weapons. And the Cossacks of the times of the civil war described by Sholokhov are no longer those harsh warriors who were the first to organize these settlements. After the war, they yearned for a plow and a measured home way. But the war did not stop and constantly demanded new injections: people, food, uniforms. Cossack villages became poorer day by day. In every house they greeted the new day with horror: Either a funeral will come, or hungry marauders will attack, or the wounded will wander from a broken regiment, or the last cow will be taken from the yard to feed the army, or an order will come urgently to equip and put ready for battle another military corps. Many farms were completely ruined and houses burned down. There were families where the mother received a funeral for each son and, having accompanied her heartbroken husband there, she died on the bench from despair.

The first troops of the village were equipped as for a parade of troops. Happy conscripts of the first stage vied with each other to bargain for the best military uniform, the most beautiful decorations for horses. Dressed up, on shiny combatant horses, the guys pranced in front of the whole farm and in front of each other. Childish prowess shone in every face. The news of the war was perceived as good news, as an opportunity to take a break from the routine village life, to show oneself, one's valiant prowess.

The first "military actions" brought bitter disappointment. Instead of fun fights and violent attacks, which the boys so dreamed of, the regiments went and went, then forward, then back. Then the enemy suddenly attacked and smashed the unsuspecting ranks. Faced with death for the first time, not everyone was ready to see her terrible face. Frightened, many after the first battles did not want to return to duty. The violent temper of the militant Cossacks remained only in their memories, but in the tales of the old people.

Those who were able to overcome their fear and managed to uphold the honor of their people turned out to be unprepared for professional military operations. The annual fees that were held for the training of soldiers, in fact, turned out to be only a formality. Without training and military knowledge, the boys became easy targets for the regular German army. On this, in fact, the Bolsheviks had to play, raising a civil war during a terrible national tragedy. And the calculation turned out to be correct. Most of the soldiers, exhausted and tired, believed the promises of a quick end to the war, and in addition to gaining all power.

At that moment, the tragedy of the war was greatly intensified by the fact that the people, who yesterday still stood shoulder to shoulder in the trenches, dispersed to different sides of the front. The tired soldiers dropped their weapons, as the Bolshevik leaders called for, and went home. They brought home the ideas of a free society, the overthrow of the tsar and power, told their fathers and younger brothers about it in order to raise them to the defense of the new system. But the old people who lived their lives were not so gullible. Although the life of the home front was not easy, it was firmly supported by tradition. Everyone knew their place in society, their capabilities. And how to live under the new government is still unknown. It is impossible to live without power - the old people know this for sure. And if the new government starts with a war, then no good can be expected from it.

So the fathers did not support their sons. The younger brothers faced a difficult choice: to become an enemy of their father or brother. Father gave life, taught everything he knows. Live with your brother. In a difficult moment, who will help, except for the father and brother? But this split did not bring more grief to anyone than to mothers. Yesterday, a still strong family, brothers who delighted their mother with their Strength, youth, look at each other as enemies. Everything is good for a mother that her child is good, but how can you put two truths in one chest? And there is no joy for mothers: children returned, but strangers.

This trouble came from homes and into the army. Brothers, yesterday's playmates, neighbors have become enemies. However, this was not the most terrible grief, but the fact that the majority of those who stood up new way did not think about its essence. Only a few made it to the core of the idea. Others simply believed in the possibility of a happy peaceful life. The promised land and horses rejoiced. These simple peasant muzhiks, who had never studied politics, without looking back believed the theoreticians, who spoke passionately and convincingly. The fact is that these boys did not want anything bad for their comrades. But they did not want to notice that their ideas contradicted the science that had developed among the people. The science by which their ancestors lived for centuries, by which they themselves grew up.

But this time the tradition has receded. Tired, exhausted people accepted new law. And the new government fully began its journey across the country. In the novel "Quiet Flows the Don" Sholokhov does not describe the structure of the new society. However, the first steps no longer promise anything good. The country is destroyed, the economy is ruined. The poorest peasants before the war lost even the crumbs they had. The new citizens of the new country had to be clothed and fed. And the riots began again - food requisitions. Military power does not know how to live in peace - those who promised peace and happiness after the defeat of the "class enemy" began to look for a new "class enemy". Misfortunes never come alone. Like a snowball, it rolls and, gaining weight and speed, sweeps away more and more victims in its path.

>Compositions based on the work Quiet Flows the Don

Civil war as a tragedy of the people

Any war brings destruction and suffering. A civil war is especially cruel, when people who only yesterday were relatives to each other are at enmity. In his epic novel The Quiet Don, M. A. Sholokhov described the suffering of the Don Cossacks during the civil war in the first half of the 20th century. He skillfully showed the negative consequences and the senselessness of this war, which did not spare a single family, did not pass by. If before the military and revolutionary events, the Cossacks lived freely in prosperity and respect, then with their beginning they were drawn into a global conflict. People faced an unfamiliar and previously unseen problem, which side to take. They were not ready for this.

Knowing how many victims the war would bring, the people were against it, but they were purposefully drawn into the conflict that had already erupted, in which "brother goes against brother, and son against father." Even Grigory Melekhov, who was not cruel by nature, had to be killed more than once. Of course, this was a great test for him. After his first murder, when he hacked an Austrian in battle, Gregory could not recover for a long time. He was tormented by sleepless nights and conscience. But the war hardened everyone. Even women participated in it in their own way. Daria, the wife of Pyotr Melekhov, killed Kotlyarov without hesitation in revenge for her husband. She also supplied the soldiers with ammunition. Dunyasha, knowing that her lover was a brutal killer, married him anyway.

In this cruel bloody war few people thought about its true causes and meaning. Not disdaining anything, many began to engage in looting, drunkenness and violence. In contrast to them, Grigory Melekhov from the beginning to the end of the novel seeks the truth, thinks about the meaning of everything that happens. His mother, Ilyinichna, being a wise woman, immediately understands the futility of this war. There are no "reds" or "whites" for her. They are all her children. The author himself sees the main cause of the tragedy in the painful transition from the old way of life, formed over the centuries, to a new way of life. In the civil war there was a clash of two worlds. Everything that had become an integral part of existence collapsed and a new one was built - something that had to be used to.

GENERAL EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL

Study the texts and determine which images of "red" and "white" are present in mass consciousness descendants - participants in the Civil War in Russia.

In the mass consciousness of the descendants - participants in the Civil War in Russia, there are opposite images of the "Reds" and "Whites": the Reds are good, brave, honest heroes, and the Whites are insidious, cruel, stupid people. And exactly the opposite: whites are noble, honest heroes, and reds are negative, rude, cruel.

In what ways do you think they contradict each other? What question might arise from this contradiction?

Who are the heroes in the Civil War?

Formulate your own version of the educational problem, and then compare it with the author's.

Who is right in the Civil War

REPEATING THE REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE

Explain the meaning of the term Civil War.

Civil War - large-scale armed confrontation between organized groups within a state or, more rarely, between nations that were part of a previously single unified state. The goal of the parties, as a rule, is to seize power in the country or in a separate region.

Signs of civil war are the involvement of the civilian population and the significant losses caused by this.

Ways of waging civil wars often differ from traditional ones. Along with the use of regular troops by the warring parties, the partisan movement, as well as various spontaneous uprisings of the population, and the like, are becoming widespread.

Remember in the history of which countries there were civil wars (10th grade).

Civil wars happened in the history of the USA, Italy, Spain.

What are the events of the revolution of 1917-1918. led Russia to the Civil War?

The events of the revolution of 1917-1918 led Russia to the Civil War:

dispersal of the Constituent Assembly,

The signing of the Brest peace with Germany,

The activities of the Bolshevik food detachments and commanders in the countryside (confiscation of bread from wealthy peasants)

Decree on land that caused the economic crisis

Prohibition of free trade in bread

Analyze the composition of the opposing forces.

Make a conclusion: on whose side was the truth in the Civil War?

Three opposing forces:

Reds, Bolsheviks (most of the workers, the poorest peasantry, part of the intelligentsia);

- « democratic counterrevolution”, Socialist-Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, anarchists (part of the workers, the middle peasantry);

Whites, KaDets and monarchists (Cossacks, former landowners, capitalists, officials, officers, a significant part of the intelligentsia)

Conclusion: in the Civil War it is difficult to determine the right. The "whites" defended the rule of law and statehood, the "reds" fought for something new, for changes, but with dictatorial, violent methods.

The White movement began to take shape at the beginning of 1918, when generals M. Alekseev, L. Kornilov and A. Kaledin gathered volunteer units in Novocherkassk. The volunteer army was headed by General A. Denikin. In the east of the country, Admiral A. Kolchak became the leader of the Whites, in the north-west - General N. Yudenich, in the south - A. Denikin, in the north - E. Miller. The white generals failed to connect the fronts.

The Whites, like the Reds, used the peasantry for constant requisitions - the armies had to be fed. This angered the peasants.

Analyze the text and draw a conclusion on the problem of the lesson "Which side was the truth in the Civil War?"

In the Civil War, whites fought for legal order and the preservation of a country with a thousand-year history. The Reds are for the idea of ​​building a new, just socialist society. "Greens" (peasant detachments) - for the right to live on their own land, without paying taxes to anyone and without state intervention. The share of guilt of each party, any citizen of Russia must determine for himself. Only the desire not to repeat the tragedy of the Civil War, to avoid violence and learn to negotiate with each other can unite us in this matter.

Moscow: Left Socialist-Revolutionary rebellion suppressed - the formation of a one-party Bolshevik dictatorship in Soviet Russia.

Highlight 3-4 main events that, on the one hand, predetermined the victory of the Reds, and on the other, the defeat of their opponents

Armed suppression of opponents of Soviet power by the Bolshevik-Left SR detachments of the Red Guard. The formation of anti-Bolshevik governments in the Ukraine, the Don, the Transcaucasus and other outskirts of the former empire.

Soviet Russia: the announcement of the "Red Terror" (September 5, 1918) - the taking of hostages from the "former propertied strata" and their execution for each attempt on Soviet leaders. Formation of the Republican Revolutionary Military Council headed by L.D. Trotsky (a supporter of strengthening discipline by executions for desertion), the abolition of the election of commanders, the involvement of military experts - former tsarist officers, control of the army through communist commissars.

Moscow: 10th Congress of the RCP (b) (March 1920): rejection of "war communism" (surplus appraisal, prohibition of trade) and transition to the NEP (tax in kind, freedom of trade), but confirmation of the dictatorship of the proletariat led by the communist party.

PROFILE MATERIAL

Complete your solution to the problem of the general educational level by considering it in a new aspect: "Why did the Reds win the Civil War?"

Conduct a critical analysis of the sources and draw a conclusion on the problem of the lesson "Why did the Reds win the Civil War?"

The Reds won the Civil War because their actions were clearly organized, centralized, and tough. In addition, they announced the transition to a new economic policy than attracted the peasants to their side. The Whites did not have such centralization, on the contrary, the commanders of their troops competed with each other and they acted more cruelly than the Reds, restoring the pre-revolutionary order.

Conduct text analysis. What reasons for the victory of the Reds are highlighted in each of them?

Each of these texts gives similar reasons:

Unity and centralization of the Bolsheviks

Attracting military specialists of the tsarist army to the side of the Bolsheviks

Make a conclusion on the problem of the lesson "Why did the Reds win the Civil War?"

The Reds won the Civil War because their actions were clearly organized, centralized, and tough. In addition, they announced the transition to a new economic policy, which attracted the peasants to their side. The Whites did not have such centralization, on the contrary, the commanders of their troops competed with each other and they acted more cruelly than the Reds, restoring the pre-revolutionary order.