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Vasily Shulgin | |
|---|---|
Василий Шульгин | |
 Shulgin in 1913 | |
| Born | (1878-01-13)13 January 1878 Kiev, Russian Empire |
| Died | 15 February 1976(1976-02-15) (aged 98) Vladimir,Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Resting place | Baygushi Cemetery,Vladimir |
| Citizenship | Russian (until 1917) Stateless (from 1917) |
| Alma mater | Saint Vladimir Imperial University |
| Occupation(s) | Politician,essayist |
| Political party | All-Russian National Union |
| Part ofa series on |
| Conservatism in Russia |
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Politicians |
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Vasily Vitalyevich Shulgin (Russian:Васи́лий Вита́льевич Шульги́н; 13 January 1878 – 15 February 1976), also known asBasil Shulgin, was a Russianconservative politician, monarchist and member of theWhite movement.
Shulgin was born inKiev. His father was a Professor of history,monarchist and editor of a monarchist newspaper. Shulgin studied at theLawfaculty ofKiev University and was disgusted with the constant students' protests. At that time he became an ardent opponent of revolution and supported the monarchy. He began to write articles in his father's newspaper. He also heldantisemitic views but opposed open violence such as the notoriouspogroms which were common in Kiev at the time.
In 1907 Shulgin became a member of theDuma. He advocated right-wing views, supported the government ofPyotr Stolypin, including introduction ofcourts-martial, and other controversial changes. In 1913, he heavily criticised the government for theBeilis trial. Shulgin understood that participation in or turning a blind eye on the most odious manifestation of antisemitism was detrimental to the government. When theFirst World War broke out, Shulgin joined the army. In 1915 he was wounded and returned home. Shulgin was shocked by the inefficient organization and supply of the Russian army. Together with members of theOctobrists, theCadets, and other right-wing or centrist politicians he established theProgressive Bloc. The aim of the Bloc was to provide the army with everything necessary since the government failed to do it.
Shulgin opposed the revolution, though it was evident thatabsolute monarchy in Russia would no longer exist. Together withAlexander Guchkov he persuadedNicholas II to abdicate the throne since he believed that aconstitutional monarchy withMichael Alexandrovich being the monarch was possible, and that this or even a republic, if a strong government was established, would be a remedy for Russia. For the same reason he supported theProvisional Government andKornilov's coup.
When all hope was lost he moved to Kiev, and then theKuban, where he participated in theWhite movement.[1][2] During his time in Kiev, he published a newspaper,Kievlyanin, which supported the Whites and spreadanti-Semitic conspiracies about theBolsheviks, leading to apogrom in Kiev.[3] In 1920 Shulgin emigrated toYugoslavia. In 1925-26 he secretly visited the Soviet Union. He described this visit and his impression of theNew Economic Policy in the book calledThe Three Capitals (Три столицы). While in emigration Shulgin continued keeping in touch with other leaders of the White movement until 1937 when he ceased his political activity.
In 1944 the Soviet army enteredYugoslavia. Shulgin was arrested and sentenced to 25 years for his "hostile to communismantisoviet activity". After twelve years in prison he was released in 1956 under theamnesty. Since then he lived inVladimir. In his later books he argued that communism was no more a disaster for Russia since formerBolsheviks turned into patriots of Russia. In 1961, Shulgin was among the guests at the XXII Congress of the CPSU. In 1965 Shulgin was the main character ofFridrikh Ermler'sdocumentary filmThe Verdict of History[4] in which he told his story to a Soviet historian (the real historian could not be found, and the role was entrusted to the actor and intelligence officer Sergei Svistunov). Shulgin did not make any concessions, and the goal of the film - to show that the leaders of the white emigration themselves admitted that their struggle was lost and the cause of the “builders of communism” was victorious - was not achieved; the film was shown in Moscow and Leningrad cinemas for only three days: despite the interest of the audience, the film was immediately withdrawn from distribution.[5] According to KGB General Philip Bobkov, who supervised the creation of the film from the department and communicated closely with the entire creative team, “Shulgin looked great on the screen and, importantly, remained himself all the time. He did not play along with his interlocutor. He was a man who resigned himself to circumstances, but was not broken and did not give up his convictions. Shulgin's venerable age did not affect his work of thought or temperament, and did not diminish his sarcasm. His young opponent, whom Shulgin caustically and angrily ridiculed, looked very pale next to him.”
All this - trips around the country, published books, an invitation to the party congress and the release of a film - were signs of Khrushchev’s “thaw”. But as soon as N.S. Khrushchev was removed and new leaders came to power in the USSR, ideological policy changed, censorship in the USSR was tightened. Shulgin's involvement in public life was recognized as a mistake at a meeting of the Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee[6]
Vasily Shulgin died inVladimir on February 15, 1976, on the feast of thePresentation of the Lord, at the ninety-ninth year of his life, from an angina complications. As Lyudmila Marinina, his guardian, who lived with him in recent years and cared for the old man, recalled:
... he felt good all the time, but in January he had the flu... on the night of February 15 he felt pain in his chest and took pills from angina pectoris, then in the morning at half an hour past seven he went to bed, as usual he sat at night and slept during the day, and I went to the store... I come, and he is already lying dead...
There was a burial service in the cemetery church next to theVladimir prison, where he spent 12 years. He was buried at the Baygushi cemetery (Russian:Кладбище «Байгуши»). There were 10-12 people at the funeral, among themAndrei Golitsyn andIlya Glazunov.KGB officers watched the funeral from a GAZ car. He was buried next to his wife.[8] Both graves have survived. A strict black cross is erected above them, mounted on a small pedestal, on which names and dates of life are engraved
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