Pitchfork Uprising
Encyclopedia
The Pitchfork Uprising of 1920, also known as Black Eagle uprising, was a peasant uprising against the Soviet policy of the war communism
in what is today Eastern Tatarstan
and Western Bashkortostan
.
It started in the village of Yanga Yelan, Menzelinsky Uyezd, Ufa Governorate
on February 4, 1920, where local peasants tried to resist confiscation of their food
. When they refused to give up their produce, the leader of the military confiscation unit ("prodotryad") arrested some of them. Peasants asked him to free the hostages, but he refused. Peasant killed the members of prodotryad and circulated the appeal to rise.
On February 9 the chairman of Menzelinsk
committee and the chief of Zainsk
militia were killed in Yanga Yelan. On February 10 the peasants killed the Soviet representative in Zainsk
. The uprising spread to the Belebey
sky, Birsk
y uyezd
s of the Ufa Governorate
, Chistopolsky Uyezd of the Kazan Governorate
, Bugulminsky Uyezd of the Samara Governorate. The staff of the uprising was found under I. Milovanov. Their slogans were Down with the communist and the Civil War, long live the Constituent Assembly
!
The peasant army known as "Black Eagle" counted 50,000 rebels. However, they were armed only with pitchforks, axes, and spades, which gave the name to the uprising.
Troops for the Internal Defense of the Republic (Cheka
) used heavy machine guns and artillery against them. In a few days (mid-March 1920) thousands of rebels were killed and hundreds of villages burned. The casualty count was approximately 800 Reds
and more than 3,000 peasant rebels.
War communism
War communism or military communism was the economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War, from 1918 to 1921...
in what is today Eastern Tatarstan
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject of Russia located in the Volga Federal District. Its capital is the city of Kazan, which is one of Russia's largest and most prosperous cities. The republic borders with Kirov, Ulyanovsk, Samara, and Orenburg Oblasts, and with the Mari El, Udmurt,...
and Western Bashkortostan
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan , also known as Bashkiria is a federal subject of Russia . It is located between the Volga River and the Ural Mountains. Its capital is the city of Ufa...
.
It started in the village of Yanga Yelan, Menzelinsky Uyezd, Ufa Governorate
Ufa Governorate
Ufa Governorate was a governorate of Russian Empire with its capital in city Ufa. Was created in 1865 by separation from Orenburg Governorate. March 23, 1919 the governorate was transformed to Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic...
on February 4, 1920, where local peasants tried to resist confiscation of their food
Prodrazvyorstka
Prodrazvyorstka , translated as food apportionment or surplus appropriation system, was a governmental program in Russia which obliged peasantry to surrender the surpluses of almost any kind of agricultural produce for a fixed price...
. When they refused to give up their produce, the leader of the military confiscation unit ("prodotryad") arrested some of them. Peasants asked him to free the hostages, but he refused. Peasant killed the members of prodotryad and circulated the appeal to rise.
On February 9 the chairman of Menzelinsk
Menzelinsk
Menzelinsk , also spelled Minzala or Minzele, is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Menzelya River , east of Kazan. Population: 15,800 . Russians account for 49.3% of the town's population, while Tatars comprise 46.8%.It was founded in 1584–1586 and was granted status of...
committee and the chief of Zainsk
Zainsk
Zainsk is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Stepnoy Zay River , east of Kazan. It serves as the administrative center of Zainsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population:...
militia were killed in Yanga Yelan. On February 10 the peasants killed the Soviet representative in Zainsk
Zainsk
Zainsk is a town in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, located on the Stepnoy Zay River , east of Kazan. It serves as the administrative center of Zainsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it. Population:...
. The uprising spread to the Belebey
Belebey
Belebey is a town in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, located on the bank of the Usen River, from Ufa. Population: .-Demographics:Ethnic composition: Russian people: 46.9%; Tatar people: 23.6%; Chuvash people: 12%; Bashkir people: 11%....
sky, Birsk
Birsk
Birsk is a town the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, located on the right bank of the Belaya River, from Ufa. It serves as the administrative center of Birsky District, although it is not administratively a part of it...
y uyezd
Uyezd
Uyezd or uezd was an administrative subdivision of Rus', Muscovy, Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR which was in use from the 13th century. Uyezds for most of the history in Russia were a secondary-level of administrative division...
s of the Ufa Governorate
Ufa Governorate
Ufa Governorate was a governorate of Russian Empire with its capital in city Ufa. Was created in 1865 by separation from Orenburg Governorate. March 23, 1919 the governorate was transformed to Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic...
, Chistopolsky Uyezd of the Kazan Governorate
Kazan Governorate
The Kazan Governorate or Government of Kazan was a governorate of Imperial Russia from 1708–1920, with the city of Kazan as its capital.-History:...
, Bugulminsky Uyezd of the Samara Governorate. The staff of the uprising was found under I. Milovanov. Their slogans were Down with the communist and the Civil War, long live the Constituent Assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
!
The peasant army known as "Black Eagle" counted 50,000 rebels. However, they were armed only with pitchforks, axes, and spades, which gave the name to the uprising.
Troops for the Internal Defense of the Republic (Cheka
Cheka
Cheka was the first of a succession of Soviet state security organizations. It was created by a decree issued on December 20, 1917, by Vladimir Lenin and subsequently led by aristocrat-turned-communist Felix Dzerzhinsky...
) used heavy machine guns and artillery against them. In a few days (mid-March 1920) thousands of rebels were killed and hundreds of villages burned. The casualty count was approximately 800 Reds
Reds
Reds is a 1981 American epic film that was co-written, produced, directed by and starred Warren Beatty. It centers on the life and career of John Reed, the revolutionary communist, journalist, and writer who chronicled the Russian Revolution in his book Ten Days that Shook the World...
and more than 3,000 peasant rebels.