Historical Fate of Cossaks-Reemigrants in Soviet Russia in 1920–1930ies of the 20th Century (on the Don and Kuban Materials)

This article provides the new archival data on the Cossack emigration after the Civil war end in the South of Russia, remigration and repatriation processes of the part of the Cossacks – the participants of the "White movement" – into the Soviet Russia in 1921–1925, their resonant, diplomatic relevance and consequences.
The relationship of the Cossacks-reemigrants of the South-East of Russia with the Soviet authorities are shown. The problem of their inclusion into the Soviet society during the period of new economic policy of 1922–1928 and the agriculture collectivization time are considered. The causes of mistrust to them by the Soviet and party activists, non-Cossak peasants and workers from other cities as to active participants of the counterrevolutionary movement were identified. There determined the reasons of dense custody and prosecution, preventive measures against the Cossacks-reemigrants from the law enforcement and repressive bodies of the OGPUNKVD (Unified State Political Department of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs) in the critical periods of the so called “forced socialist modernization" of the 1926–1928 and 1930–1933, against the backdrop of a new policy “For the Soviet Cossacks!", as well as during the years of the "Great terror" of 1937–1939. The conclusion about the necessity of continuing studies of the current perspective not only on the materials of the South (the Terek and Astrakhan Cossacks, the Cossacks-Kalmyks), but also on all the Cossack armies at the eastern outskirts of Russia is drawn.