Fedor Raskolnikov
Encyclopedia
Fyodor Fyodorovich Raskolnikov ' onMouseout='HidePop("70717")' href="/topics/Saint_Petersburg">Saint Petersburg
, Russia
– 12 September 1939, Nice, France
), real name Fyodor Ilyin , was a Bolshevik
, participant in the October Revolution
, commander of Red fleets on the Caspian
and the Baltic during the Russian Civil War
, and later a Soviet diplomat. The pseudonym
Raskolnikov most probably came from Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
, the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment
, the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky
.
Fyodor Raskolnikov was born out of wedlock to a general's daughter, A. V. Ilyina, and an Orthodox
priest F.A. Petrov (according to other sources, archpriest
Sergushenkov). He graduated from Prince Oldenburgsky Orphanage, studied at Saint Petersburg Polytechnical Institute, and then at the Midshipman
(gardemarin) School in Saint Petersburg.
In 1910 he entered the Bolshevik
faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
. In 1917 he received the Naval rank of Midshipman
(michman) but he never participated in World War I
. In March 1917 he was sent to the sea fortress of Kronstadt
, where he edited the newspaper Golos Pravdy (Voice of Truth): an incarnation of the forbidden at that time Pravda
newspaper. He was one of the organizers of the Kronstadt Mutiny
in July 1917. He was arrested by troops loyal to the Russian Provisional Government
but released on October 11, 1917, a few weeks before the October Revolution
.
In November 1917 Raskolnikov with a group of Kronstadt seamen was sent to fight anti-Bolshevik insurgents in Moscow
. He was elected to the Russian Constituent Assembly
. On 29 January 1918 he became the deputy Narkom of "Naval Affairs". In July 1918, he was sent to the Eastern Front, as the Commissar
(member of Revvoeyensovet) of the Eastern Front.
On the Eastern Front, he commanded (since August 1918) the Red Volga Flotilla, which participated in the Kazan Operation
.
Raskolnikov was promoted to membership of the Revvoeyensovet of RSFSR on (September 2, 1918). At the end of 1918 he became the deputy commander of the 7th Army and the Commissar of the Baltic Fleet
.
While commanding a fleet consisting of a battleship
, cruiser
and two destroyer
s that was supposed to counter the British fleet, he became a prisoner of war when his destroyer Spartak was captured by the Royal Navy
in the beginning of 1919. On May 27, 1919 he was exchanged for 17 British prisoners of war and became the commander of the Caspian Flotilla
.
Under his command the flotilla attacked the British base at Enzeli
, on the 18th of May 1920.
During the Trade Union debate (1920) Raskolnikov supported Leon Trotsky
. In June 1920 – January 1921 Raskolnikov commanded the Baltic Fleet
. During his tenure relations between the commanding officers and seamen deteriorated and ended with the Kronstadt Rebellion
. A month later Raskolnikov was removed from that command.
During 1921–1923 Raskolnikov was the ambassador to Afghanistan
(the first country that established diplomatic relations with RSFSR). Raskolnikov's actions caused a diplomatic rift with Great Britain
and the British government insisted on his removal. Eventually he was replaced..
During 1924–1930 Raskolnikov was the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine "Molodaya Gvardiya" (later also publishing house Moskovsky Rabochy). From 1928 he was the chairman of the Repertory Committee, the de facto main censor
of theatre and cinematography. He also wrote his own play Robespierre
which even servile critics labelled "dry and boring".
From 1930 Raskolnikov was the plenipotentiary representative to Estonia
, then Denmark
, then Bulgaria
.
In March 1938 he was recalled to the USSR.
On April 1, 1938 he refused to return. In 1939 he published his famous Open Letter to Stalin, and promptly died from "falling out of a window." According to historian Roy Medvedev
he might have been assassinated by NKVD
agents. There are theories that the assassin might have been Sergey Efron, husband of the poet Marina Tsvetayeva.
Raskolnikov was posthumously rehabilitated in 1963.
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
– 12 September 1939, Nice, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), real name Fyodor Ilyin , was a Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
, participant in the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, commander of Red fleets on the Caspian
Caspian Flotilla
The Caspian Flotilla is the oldest Russian military flotilla, stationed in the Caspian Sea. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1945.-Establishment:...
and the Baltic during the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, and later a Soviet diplomat. The pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Raskolnikov most probably came from Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky. The name Raskolnikov derives from the Russian raskolnik meaning "schismatic"...
, the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
, the novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
.
Fyodor Raskolnikov was born out of wedlock to a general's daughter, A. V. Ilyina, and an Orthodox
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
priest F.A. Petrov (according to other sources, archpriest
Archpriest
An archpriest is a priest with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches, although it may be used in the Latin rite of the Roman Catholic Church instead of dean or vicar forane.In the 16th and 17th centuries, during...
Sergushenkov). He graduated from Prince Oldenburgsky Orphanage, studied at Saint Petersburg Polytechnical Institute, and then at the Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
(gardemarin) School in Saint Petersburg.
In 1910 he entered the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party , also known as Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or Russian Social Democratic Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organizations into one party...
. In 1917 he received the Naval rank of Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
(michman) but he never participated in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. In March 1917 he was sent to the sea fortress of Kronstadt
Kronstadt
Kronstadt , also spelled Kronshtadt, Cronstadt |crown]]" and Stadt for "city"); is a municipal town in Kronshtadtsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, located on Kotlin Island, west of Saint Petersburg proper near the head of the Gulf of Finland. Population: It is also...
, where he edited the newspaper Golos Pravdy (Voice of Truth): an incarnation of the forbidden at that time Pravda
Pravda
Pravda was a leading newspaper of the Soviet Union and an official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1912 and 1991....
newspaper. He was one of the organizers of the Kronstadt Mutiny
Kronstadt Mutiny
The Kronstadt Mutiny refers to the uprising of Russian sailors against their officers at the Baltic fortress of Kronstadt on Kotlin Island in March, 1917, which sparked an abortive insurrection against the Russian Provisional Government....
in July 1917. He was arrested by troops loyal to the Russian Provisional Government
Russian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government was the short-lived administrative body which sought to govern Russia immediately following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II . On September 14, the State Duma of the Russian Empire was officially dissolved by the newly created Directorate, and the country was...
but released on October 11, 1917, a few weeks before the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
.
In November 1917 Raskolnikov with a group of Kronstadt seamen was sent to fight anti-Bolshevik insurgents in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He was elected to the Russian Constituent Assembly
Russian Constituent Assembly
The All Russian Constituent Assembly was a constitutional body convened in Russia after the October Revolution of 1917. It is generally reckoned as the first democratically elected legislative body of any kind in Russian history. It met for 13 hours, from 4 p.m...
. On 29 January 1918 he became the deputy Narkom of "Naval Affairs". In July 1918, he was sent to the Eastern Front, as the Commissar
Commissar
Commissar is the English transliteration of an official title used in Russia from the time of Peter the Great.The title was used during the Provisional Government for regional heads of administration, but it is mostly associated with a number of Cheka and military functions in Bolshevik and Soviet...
(member of Revvoeyensovet) of the Eastern Front.
On the Eastern Front, he commanded (since August 1918) the Red Volga Flotilla, which participated in the Kazan Operation
Kazan Operation
Kazan Operation was the Red Army's offensive against the Czechoslovak Legion and the People Army of Komuch during the Russian Civil War.- Background :...
.
Raskolnikov was promoted to membership of the Revvoeyensovet of RSFSR on (September 2, 1918). At the end of 1918 he became the deputy commander of the 7th Army and the Commissar of the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
.
While commanding a fleet consisting of a battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
, cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
and two destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s that was supposed to counter the British fleet, he became a prisoner of war when his destroyer Spartak was captured by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
in the beginning of 1919. On May 27, 1919 he was exchanged for 17 British prisoners of war and became the commander of the Caspian Flotilla
Caspian Flotilla
The Caspian Flotilla is the oldest Russian military flotilla, stationed in the Caspian Sea. It was awarded the Order of the Red Banner in 1945.-Establishment:...
.
Under his command the flotilla attacked the British base at Enzeli
Bandar-e Anzali
Bandar-e Anzali , also Romanized as Bandar-e Pahlavī, Bandar Pahlavi, and Bandar Pahlevi, or simply as Pahlavī, Pahlevī, and Pehlevi; earlier, Enceli and Enzeli) is a city in and the capital of Bandar-e Anzali County, Gilan Province, Iran...
, on the 18th of May 1920.
During the Trade Union debate (1920) Raskolnikov supported Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
. In June 1920 – January 1921 Raskolnikov commanded the Baltic Fleet
Baltic Fleet
The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...
. During his tenure relations between the commanding officers and seamen deteriorated and ended with the Kronstadt Rebellion
Kronstadt rebellion
The Kronstadt rebellion was one of many major unsuccessful left-wing uprisings against the Bolsheviks in the aftermath of the Russian Civil War...
. A month later Raskolnikov was removed from that command.
During 1921–1923 Raskolnikov was the ambassador to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
(the first country that established diplomatic relations with RSFSR). Raskolnikov's actions caused a diplomatic rift with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and the British government insisted on his removal. Eventually he was replaced..
During 1924–1930 Raskolnikov was the editor-in-chief of the literary magazine "Molodaya Gvardiya" (later also publishing house Moskovsky Rabochy). From 1928 he was the chairman of the Repertory Committee, the de facto main censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
of theatre and cinematography. He also wrote his own play Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre is one of the best-known and most influential figures of the French Revolution. He largely dominated the Committee of Public Safety and was instrumental in the period of the Revolution commonly known as the Reign of Terror, which ended with his...
which even servile critics labelled "dry and boring".
From 1930 Raskolnikov was the plenipotentiary representative to Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, then Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, then Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
.
In March 1938 he was recalled to the USSR.
On April 1, 1938 he refused to return. In 1939 he published his famous Open Letter to Stalin, and promptly died from "falling out of a window." According to historian Roy Medvedev
Roy Medvedev
Roy Aleksandrovich Medvedev |Georgia]]) is a Russian historian renowned as the author of the dissident history of Stalinism, Let History Judge , first published in English in 1972...
he might have been assassinated by NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
agents. There are theories that the assassin might have been Sergey Efron, husband of the poet Marina Tsvetayeva.
Raskolnikov was posthumously rehabilitated in 1963.