The Western Crimea
Infighting, accusations, betrayals while the opposition solidifies their grasp on power
When I look at the right, I see Crimea. No, not Russians taking control through a suspicious election, I’m talking about Crimea, 100 years ago. Crimea was the last bastion in Russia of anti-Bolshevist forces. It served as the main region for the White army forces under general Wrangel. And for a short time, it gave hope to the Russian people that ‘the yoke of Bolshevism could be lifted’.
The White Russians had no unifying principles, no abstract ideas which bound them, only mutual interests in opposing the existential threat of Bolshevism and a mutual respect for the Russian empire. The old aristocracy wanted to preserve their lives, their traditions, and what little property they had left in the Southern region. The Army wanted to redeem themselves and their dignity, and save the country from disaster. The peasants wanted to avoid the awful stories of the terror which flowed from the Bolshevik territories. This last faction was the primary target of Bolshevist subversion and agitation. All of them understood that the purpose of their struggle was survival, that the enemy was coming to wipe them out, and some of them understood that after they were wiped out, the Bolsheviks would set their sights on the rest of the world.
By the time the White army reached the Crimea, they had already lost the civil war. General Denikin of the Volunteer army had put all his hopes on a three-pronged assault on Moscow to end the war, but the Bolshevik commanders intelligently repelled the flanks and focused their efforts on crushing the core of their opponents by concentrating their forces on the strongest part of the enemy. In this maneuver, the tide was turned. The Bolsheviks succeeded, and the Volunteer army crumbled. This forced the rest of the Whites to the sea, where they prepared to make their last stand, or escape by any means. General Wrangel, who had commanded a section of the Volunteer army, returned from Constantinople to command the remnants, and to attempt to solidify their hold on the region. Wrangel’s efforts brought outsized successes for a time, where the White army were able to accomplish daring feats across the Dnieper, but tragically his luck could not last. Firstly, because they had lost the fertile lands of southern Russia, the Crimean forces were entirely dependent on foreign aid to both feed their people and supply their troops. Secondly, after the Polish signed an armistice with the Bolsheviks, their front went cold and so the reds were left free to bring their full force against the Southern rebels, reinforcing their lines with vast quantities of soldiers beyond anything the White Russians could muster. With the combination of these two circumstances, as well as internal friction caused by enemies from within, it was merely a matter of time before the Bolsheviks overran the Crimea and forced them out. Wrangel knew this, and made plans for an evacuation months in advance, which almost certainly saved countless lives. But more than the Crimea was at stake here, for Wrangel knew that the Soviet state was a threat to the rest of Europe, and eventually, the rest of the world. Indeed, in the coming decades, the Bolsheviks would wage war against the rest of Europe, clandestinely backed by American corporations.
For the White Russians, with the help of their European allies, they were able to evacuate the Crimea and escape to Europe, but the shadow of the Soviet Union soon grew over these areas during and after World War II, and the White Russians were once again pursued by the hand of Bolshevism. General Wrangel didn’t live to see it, but he knew that the Bolsheviks wouldn’t be satisfied with controlling only 1/6th of the globe, he knew what monster had been unleashed, and that it would not stop until it had total control of every human on the planet.
To me, it is all too clear that another conflict is brewing, between the forces of Bolshevism and their opposition, whoever they may be. But where will this struggle take place? That much is not obvious. There are several candidates, America for one, is ripe with division and tension, which already boiled over during the election. But there are other places too which are not being focused on quite so much, but exhibit similar patterns of discontent: the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Canada just to name a few. Lots of people in lots of places are pissed off. Some of them are on your side, some of them aren’t. How will these conflicts play out? It is almost impossible to say. But at the present rate, it may well be over before it even begins.
When I look at the West, the specter of Bolshevism still lives, stronger than ever. This much is obvious to those who are paying attention. But it is not obvious that there is a Wrangel out there to unite opposition and marshal forces to oppose them. Many have simply lost the will to fight, others are turncoats and cowards, simply not willing to put themselves out there. I know there is irony in what I write, for I am sitting here behind an anonymous account living a normal life, but the hour of decision is approaching, and soon we will all be called to action. Perhaps this is the true ‘based draft’.
‘Always With Honor’ is available from Mystery Grove publishing on Amazon