Table Of ContentUniversity of Iowa
Iowa Research Online
Theses and Dissertations
2009
Children of Chapaev: the Russian Civil War cult
and the creation of Soviet identity, 1918-1941
Justus Grant Hartzok
University of Iowa
Copyright 2009 Justus Grant Hartzok
This dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1227
Recommended Citation
Hartzok, Justus Grant. "Children of Chapaev: the Russian Civil War cult and the creation of Soviet identity, 1918-1941." PhD (Doctor
of Philosophy) thesis, University of Iowa, 2009.
http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/1227.
Follow this and additional works at:http://ir.uiowa.edu/etd
Part of theHistory Commons
CHILDREN OF CHAPAEV: THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR CULT AND
THE CREATION OF SOVIET IDENTITY, 1918-1941
by
Justus Grant Hartzok
An Abstract
Of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of
Philosophy degree in History in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa
July 2009
Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Paula A. Michaels
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ABSTRACT
This dissertation examines the formation and ramifications of the Russian Civil
War cult, a system of signs, codes, and meanings that instructed Soviet citizens how
properly to be socialist and how to thrive under the regime. By analyzing public rituals
of the 1920s and 1930s designed to commemorate the Civil War and its heroes, this
project demonstrates the numerous ways in which the state attempted to inculcate Soviet
values and a willingness to sacrifice one’s life for the state. However, Soviet citizens
often responded to war imagery in ways that the regime did not expect, co-opting cult
values to suit their own everyday circumstances or to lobby the state for changes in their
local regions. Examining the story of the cult of the Civil War through the traumatic
years of industrialization, collectivization, and terror recasts how the Soviet state and
society came to terms with these dramatic transformations.
A central focus of the dissertation concerns the construction of Civil War heroes
in literature and film, the most prominent of them being the famed commander Chapaev.
The 1934 film Chapaev represented a critical mode of contact between the state and
everyday citizens, in which people acted not only as spectators, but as active participants,
allowing them to “play out” the Civil War in their own lives through celebratory fanfare,
artistic expression like theater and poetry, and a shared cinematic experience. In this
way, the state successfully transmitted images of unity and heroism to the population.
The film became a cultural phenomenon, providing people with an outlet for feelings of
powerlessness. Watching Chapaev was a method of coping with the dilemmas of
everyday life. Built on a varied source base, using published literature and archival
documents, including letters from citizens, official memoranda, stenograms, newspapers,
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and journals, this dissertation explores various public forms of Civil War pageantry, such
as monument building, exhibitions in Moscow’s Red Army Museum, Maxim Gorky’s
collected war history, and the twentieth anniversary celebrations of the Red Army in
1938. Finally, the dissertation addresses the cult’s disintegration in the late 1930s during
the chaos and uncertainty of the Great Terror.
Abstract Approved:
______________________________________________________
Thesis Supervisor
______________________________________________________
Title and Department
______________________________________________________
Date
CHILDREN OF CHAPAEV: THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR CULT AND
THE CREATION OF SOVIET IDENTITY, 1918-1941
by
Justus Grant Hartzok
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy
degree in History in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa
July 2009
Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Paula A. Michaels
Copyright by
JUSTUS GRANT HARTZOK
2009
All Rights Reserved
Graduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
__________________________
PH.D. THESIS
____________
This is to certify that the PH. D. thesis of
Justus Grant Hartzok
has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement
for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in History at the July 2009 graduation.
Thesis Committee: ________________________________________________
Paula A. Michaels, Thesis Supervisor
________________________________________________
Elizabeth Heineman
________________________________________________
H. Glenn Penny
________________________________________________
Marshall Poe
________________________________________________
Margaret Mills
To the memory of my grandparents, Gladys Jones Hartzok and John Allan Hartzok, who
always believed in me
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research and writing of a dissertation requires not only commitment and
determination, but also the critical, moral, and financial support of numerous friends,
colleagues, and institutions. I would first like to thank the faculty and staff of the history
department at the University of Iowa, for their professionalism, guidance, and patience
throughout the course of my program. My advisor, Paula A. Michaels, offered me
constant advice and mentorship, from the first conversations about the topic, through
seemingly endless drafts and revisions, to the very end of the defense. I would also like
to thank the members of my doctoral committee, Lisa Heineman, Glenn Penny, Marshall
Poe, and Peggy Mills, for their constructive criticism and helpful suggestions. Thanks
also to Stephen Vlastos, Sarah Hanley, Jeff Cox, Kathleen Kamerick, Irina Kostina, and
Charles Steinwedel, among others, for their help and encouragement. I must also thank
two of my friends at Iowa—John McKerley, for his indispensable aid in helping me
format the dissertation, and Angela Thomas-Winkler, for her thoughtful suggestions on
one of the earliest drafts of my work. And as always, my dissertation would not have
been possible without the continual support of the departmental staff, Jean Aiken, Pat
Goodwin, and Mary Strottman. They are the backbone of the history department.
During my early academic career at Shippensburg University, many people
helped shape the historian that I would become, among them George Snow, Paul Gill,
and Jack Morrison. To my friend and mentor, George Snow, I would like to extend
special thanks. He not only helped me find my initial footing in the rigorous field of
Russian history, but he always stayed in touch, reading my work and lending his insight
on how to stay sane in Russia and make it through the writing process. George is one
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member of my informal writing circle in Pennsylvania, where I also benefited from the
careful eye and expertise of Signe Kelker and Katy Clay. George, Signe, and Katy read
all parts of my dissertation and helped to steer my path through the choppiest of
intellectual waters.
A number of institutions helped fund my scholarly pursuits in Russia and the
United States. Research for this dissertation was supported in part by the Title VIII
Combined Research and Language Training Program, which is funded by the U.S. State
Department, Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent
States of the Former Soviet Union and administered by the American Council for
International Education: ACTR/ACCELS. I also received valuable financial support in
the form of a Seashore Dissertation Year Fellowship from the Graduate College at the
University of Iowa, the William O. Aydolotte and Gordon Prange Dissertation
Fellowships from the Department of History, and the T. Anne Cleary Dissertation
Fellowship. I would also like to thank the archivists at the Russian state archives and
libraries in Moscow, for answering my many questions and providing me with essential
files and materials for my work.
During my years of research abroad, several scholars helped shape my thinking
on my topic and on Soviet history in general. I am indebted to Karen Petrone, who
graciously answered my emails from Russia and gave me critical advice on which
archives to pursue in Moscow. Karen has become a good friend and colleague during the
past two years, and has joined me at conference panels to critique my work. I would also
like to thank Betsy Hemenway, who gave me much-needed advice and moral support in
Moscow, and provided me with helpful feedback. Along with Karen and Betsy, I must
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