The socio-political attitudes of the Don Cossacks in the first half of the 1920s

The study of socio-political attitudes of the Don Cossacks in the early 1920s is of large importance for understanding the socio-political processes in the south of Russia at that time. After the Soviet power was established in the Don region, relations of mutual distrust formed between the Cossacks and the new power. The Soviet authorities viewed the Cossacks as a potentially counter-revolutionary force, though actual economic collapse and repressions from the state authorities considerably undermined the counter-revolutionary enthusiasm and brought social apathy among the Cossacks. Generally the sociopolitical attitudes of the Don Cossacks in 1920- 1922 can be described as follows. These were sporadic acts of disloyalty provoked primarily by the economic crisis and general social disruption in Cossack villages. By 1923 the situation had gradually changed. The economic growth contributed to a more positive attitude among Cossacks and peasants. The strengthening of the Soviet power, along with the policy of attention to peasants’ and Cossacks’ needs, made the Cossacks more loyal. They gradually got involved in the process of Soviet construction, took part in organization of the use of land, in elections to Soviet bodies, and so on. The article reveals the Don Cossacks’ attitudes in 1920-1924 and determines their causes, characteristics and changes under various factors.