CYIL vol. 9 (2018)

CYIL 9 ȍ2018Ȏ CZECHOSLOVAKIA: CERTIFICATES AND PASSPORTS OF REFUGEES of Interior delegated discretionary powers to political authorities of the first degree to grant residency permits to former Russian war prisoners, as derived from the letter ( přípis ) between the Presidium of the Ministry of Interior and the Presidium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These prisoners of war had to meet the requirements of integrity: to be absolutely reliable and politically safe. 4 Upon being granted a residency permit, they were mostly employed in agriculture which suffered from a lack of manpower. Another portion of Russian refugees arrived along with transports of legionaries that were equipped with Czechoslovak documents. They typically returned with passport books or letters issued by the Czechoslovak consulate in Vladivostok or by the office of confidants of the Czechoslovak government in Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Tomsk, and other towns from 1918 to 1920. 5 Principally, passport books or letters were being issued based on the oral testimony of individuals or service records in Russian legions. The testimonies have later proven to be grossly unreliable. Many of these former prisoners of war were of Hungarian origin without Czechoslovak nationality. The largest inflow of Russian refugees came after the defeat of the White Army 6 on the southern front. 7 Armed groups of the White Army were pushed back to the Black Sea coast area. Anti-Bolshevik soldiers took refuge in ports of Feodisia, Yalta, Kerch, or Sevastopol. Members of the so-called voluntary army were evacuated therefrom into Turkey with the support of France and Great Britain during November 1920. 8 The anti-Soviet armed movement was defeated in Russia. Members of the White Guards and their families spent the winter in refugee camps. 9 Members of theWhite Army were accompanied by civil refugees of various social backgrounds and status, including a significant number of children. These Russian citizens felt an imminent threat from the Soviet government. Gradually, the war and post-war prisoners dispersed across European countries. According to the opinion of European nations, especially Slavic states should have been more accommodating towards Russian and Ukrainian refugees. Despite this political assumption, the largest sum of refugees were taken in by Germany and France. The Russian diaspora was divided into two main streams: the northern and southern branch. Czechoslovakia organized the arrival of refugees from the south, even though some Russians crossed the northern border. 4 Archives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, II section, no. 339, 11 February 1921. At that time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was provisionally organised into sections (political, legal, administrative, national-economic or intelligence). 5 Passports were issued by the Czechoslovak consulate in Vladivostok. Circular of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs no. 46.824/II, 28 December 1921. Official gazette of the Ministry of Interior of the Czechoslovak Republic , Praha: Rolnické tiskárny, 1922, ročník IV, p. 9. 6 This army was also called voluntary. 7 In the Russian civil war, armed forces were identified by colour. The Red Army represented Bolsheviks, while the White Army (White Guards) joined the anti-Bolshevik armed forces that did not have a unified command (chain of command). The Black Army was associated with anarchist forces. The Green Army promoted the interests of Ukrainian separatists. 8 The evacuation took place from 11 to 14 November. The last ship, General Kornilov, left the Sevastopol port on 14 November 1920. General Wrangel, who commanded the defeated White Army, was also on board of the ship. 9 MACARTNEY, C. A. Refugees. The Work of the League . London: League of Nations Union, 1931, p. 14: “The remainder were concentrated in concentration camps, the largest of which, containing over 20,000 refugees, was in Gallipoli.”

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