The Military Writings of
Leon Trotsky

Volume 2, 1919

How the Revolution Armed

The Southern Front

II. Denikin’s Offensive (May 15-August 1919)

ORDER No.129

By the Chairman of the Revolutionary War Council of the Republic and People’s Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs to the Red Army, July 21, 1919, No. 129, Kremenchug

Transcribed and HTML markup for the Trotsky Internet Archive by David Walters

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The Council of People’s Commissars has undertaken to supply the families of Red Army men with the most necessary articles of consumption, and therefore, instead of increasing pay in terms of money, which under present economic conditions would by no means always produce the desired result, it has arranged for the Red Army men’s families to be provided for in kind. However, the decree by which Red Army men’s families are to be supplied with rations, together with the decree obliging local Soviets to help Red Army men’s families with their farm work, are far from everywhere being complied with. [57] In those places where kulaks are at the head of the village and volost soviets, Red Army men’s families are left without help. It also happens that in town soviets, too, proper care is not taken of Red Army men’s families. This situation must be ended. The families of Red Army men must be looked after.This can be achieved by persistent checking in the localities on the way the decrees are being observed, and calling to account those soviet institutions which are not showing proper concern for the families of Red Army men. I hereby order:

• The Revolutionary War Councils of the armies, through orders issued to their respective armies, to call on all Red Army men who have had news from home that their families are dissatisfied to hand over such letters, or authenticated copies thereof, to the commissar of their unit, for passing up to the Revolutionary War Council of the given army.
• The Revolutionary War Councils immediately to make known to the military commissar of the uyezd concerned, whose responsibility this is, to investigate the complaint, strictly, on the spot, and to ensure that those at fault fulfil their duty to satisfy the legitimate demands of the Red Army men’s families.

Endnotes

57. Both of the decrees mentioned were of great importance in helping the families of men called up into the Red Army. The first decree by the Council of People’s Commissars, On ploughing and sowing on the holdings of Red Army conscripts, was issued on March 20, 1919, and ordered all Land Departments and rural Soviets to take all measures necessary to ensure the ploughing of the fields in question, giving extensive aid and conscripting labour. Subsequently, the People’s Commissar for Military Affairs was asked to agree to giving Red Army men leave during those periods when they were needed for work in the fields. The decision of the Defence Council on ensuring that Red Army men’s families were adequately fed was taken on August 20, 1919. By this decision, the families of Red Army men were to receive an additional ration on production of their ‘Red Star’ food-cards

Last updated on: 22.12.2006