Background
Antonov, Aleksandr was born in 1885.
Anti-Bolshevik guerilla leader
Antonov, Aleksandr was born in 1885.
Took part in the 1905 Revolution. Member of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. Arrested by Tsarist police and sentenced to 8 years exile.
After the revolution became head of the local militia in Kirsanov, Tambov
province 1917-1918. Went underground in August 1920, and started a peasant revolt in the Tambov region (Antonovshchina). The revolt gained strength because of the dissatisfaction of the peasants with the Bolshevik government’s measures concerning the confiscation of grain (prodrazverstka).
In January 1921, his army consisted of some 50,000 men, mainly peasants and deserters from the Red Army. They killed in action some 2000 Bolshevik officials. After a year of fighting, regular Red Army detachments under Tukhachevskii and Uborevich defeated them.
Survived for another year with a small group of followers.