Vasily Chapayev
Encyclopedia
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...
n soldier and Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
commander 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...
.
Biography
Chapayev was born into a poor peasant family in a village called Budayka, now part of CheboksaryCheboksary
-Twin towns/sister cities:Cheboksary is twinned with: Eger in Hungary Antalya in Turkey Santa Clara in CubaAlso Partnerships are shown with: Rundu in Namibia -External links:****...
. During 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...
, he fought as a non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
and was awarded the Cross of St. George
Cross of St. George
thumb|Original Cross of St. George.Ist and 2nd class were in gold.The Cross of St. George ', or simply the George's Cross, was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George....
three times. In September 1917, he joined 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...
(Bolsheviks). In December was elected commander of the 138 Infantry Regiment by a vote of the regiment's soldiers. He later commanded the 2nd Nikolaev Division and the 25th Rifle Division.
On September 5, 1919, the divisional headquarters near Lbishchensk (now renamed Chapayev
Chapaev, Kazakhstan
Chapaev is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Akzhaik District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 6000 ....
in his honour) were ambushed by White Army
White movement
The White movement and its military arm the White Army - known as the White Guard or the Whites - was a loose confederation of Anti-Communist forces.The movement comprised one of the politico-military Russian forces who fought...
forces. According to official sources, Chapayev tried to escape by swimming across the Ural River
Ural River
The Ural or Jayıq/Zhayyq , known as Yaik before 1775, is a river flowing through Russia and Kazakhstan. It arises in the southern Ural Mountains and ends at the Caspian Sea. Its total length is 1,511 mi making it the third longest river in Europe after the Volga and the Danube...
, but was never again seen alive. His body was never recovered, but the town where he died was later renamed Chapaev
Chapaev, Kazakhstan
Chapaev is a small town in north-western Kazakhstan. It is the seat of Akzhaik District in West Kazakhstan Province. Population 6000 ....
, and a museum was established in 1927.
After the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
had been established, Chapayev was immortalized as a hero of the Bolshevik Revolution in a popular book by Dmitri Furmanov
Dmitri Furmanov
Dmitry Andreyevich Furmanov was a Russian writer. During the Russian Civil War he joined the Red Army and served as a Bolshevik commissar. He is well-known for his novel Chapayev about Vasily Chapayev, a Red Army officer and a hero of the Civil War. The novel is available in English translation.In...
and a 1934 movie. The famous German actor and singer Ernst Busch
Ernst Busch (actor)
Ernst Busch was a German singer and actor.Busch first rose to prominence as an interpreter of political songs, particularly those of Kurt Tucholsky, in the Berlin Kabarett scene of the 1920s...
also recorded the song Tschapajews Tod, which talks about his death in the Ural. In later years Chapayev became a recurring character in numerous Russian jokes. More recently, he became one of the central characters in the novel Chapayev and Void
Chapayev and Void
"Chapayev and Void" , known in the US as "Buddha's Little Finger" and in the UK as "Clay Machine Gun", is a novel by Victor Pelevin first published in 1996.-Plot summary:...
by modern Russian writer Viktor Pelevin.
Private life
In 1908 Chapayev became acquainted with Pelageya Metelina, who was 16. Although his father didn't approve of their relations, Vasily Ivanovich married her. They lived together for 6 years, and had three children. Though there was no official divorce, in 1917 Chapayev started living with the widow of his deceased fellow-soldier Petr Kishkertsev. Curiously enough, her name was also Pelageya. Chapayev adopted both of her children.Chapaev in Russian culture
In 1923 a Russian writer, Dmitriy FurmanovDmitri Furmanov
Dmitry Andreyevich Furmanov was a Russian writer. During the Russian Civil War he joined the Red Army and served as a Bolshevik commissar. He is well-known for his novel Chapayev about Vasily Chapayev, a Red Army officer and a hero of the Civil War. The novel is available in English translation.In...
, who served as a commissar in Chapayev's division wrote a popular novel entitled Chapaev. Later, in 1934, it was made into a film by the Vasilyev brothers
Vasilyev brothers
Georgi Vasilyev and Sergei Vasilyev , usually credited as Vasilyev brothers were two namesake Russian Soviet film directors and screenwriters...
. The movie became highly popular in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The movie turned its main characters (Vasiliy Ivanovich Chapayev, his adjutant Pet'ka and machine-gunner Anka), into some of the most popular heroes of Russian anecdotes
Russian jokes
Russian jokes |transcribed]] anekdoty), literally anecdotes), the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line....
.
See also
- Chapayev, the book by Dmitri FurmanovDmitri FurmanovDmitry Andreyevich Furmanov was a Russian writer. During the Russian Civil War he joined the Red Army and served as a Bolshevik commissar. He is well-known for his novel Chapayev about Vasily Chapayev, a Red Army officer and a hero of the Civil War. The novel is available in English translation.In...
. - Chapayev, the 1934 movie.
- ChapayevChapayev (game)Chapayev is a game played on a checkerboard, a unique hybrid of checkers and billiards which is played throughout the territory of the former USSR. The aim is to knock the opponent's pieces off the board. The game is named after the Russian Civil War hero, Vasily Chapayev...
, a board game named after Chapayev. - Jokes about Chapayev
- ChapayevskChapayevskChapayevsk is a town in Samara Oblast, Russia, located from the city of Samara, on the right bank of the Chapayevka River . Population:...
- Chapayev class cruiserChapayev class cruiserThe Chapayev class were a group of cruisers built for the Soviet Navy during and after World War II. Seventeen ships were planned but only seven were actually started before the German invasion...
, a group of cruisers built for the Soviet Navy - Chapayev and VoidChapayev and Void"Chapayev and Void" , known in the US as "Buddha's Little Finger" and in the UK as "Clay Machine Gun", is a novel by Victor Pelevin first published in 1996.-Plot summary:...