Vacietis: the enigma of the Red Army's first commander

Swain, G. (2003) Vacietis: the enigma of the Red Army's first commander. Revolutionary Russia, 16(1), pp. 68-86. (doi: 10.1080/09546540308575765)

Abstract

In many ways, the Red Army was the creation of its first commander, Ioakim Vacietis of the Latvian Riflemen, yet remarkably little is known about either his career or his character. Dismissed from his post as Red Army Commander in the summer of 1919, and sidelined into the Frunze Military Academy, he eventually fell victim to Stalin's purges. This article assembles what little is known of his early life and influences and explores what motivated him to back the Bolsheviks so decisively during the summer of 1918.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Swain, Professor Geoffrey
• Authors: Swain, G.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DK Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Central and East European Studies
• Journal Name: Revolutionary Russia
• ISSN: 0954-6545
• ISSN (Online): 1743-7873