Russian emigre political organizations in China in the 1920-1940s

The paper considers the eventful political and public life of the Eastern branch of the Russian emigre in China. The political spectrum of Russian emigrants includes the far-right wing (monarchists), centrists (Constitutional Democrats), and the far-left wing (anarchists, SR Maximalists). The programs and guidelines of the political organizations and movements of the Russian diaspora are analyzed. Monarchism was one of the main branches of the Russian emigrants in the 1920-1940s that insisted on the overthrow of the Soviet regime by armed opposition forces. The paper studies history, goals and ideology of monarchist organizations having different impact on the society. They include the Union of Russian Legitimist Monarchists, the Russian All-Military Union, the Union of Musketeers (emigrant youth association), the National Organization of Russian Scouts. The disparate pro-monarchist organizations attempted to create a unified monarchic movement opposed to the Soviet regime. The research describes social and political movements trying to find new ways of interaction with the Russian power in the above-mentioned period, i.e. the Eurasianists, the Smenovekhovtsy, the Mladorossi, the Solidarists, and the Constitutional Democrats. The authors concluded that all emigre leading political parties regarded the Bolshevik coup as a national tragedy of Russia. Each political party offered its vision of Russia’s national revival as a one true approach but none of such concepts had been implemented.