ON HISTORY OF POLITICAL TERROR IN ODESSA (MAY 1920)

Abstract

The article investigates the implementation of political terror by the Odessa Hubernia Extraordinary Commission (OHEC) in May 1920. During March-April, the OHEC headed by Stanislav Redens, among other decisions, has ordered to shoot 113 people and imprison 110 people in the concentration camp. In May, during 9 meetings of the OHNK Board, the decision was made to shoot 163 people and to imprison in the concentration camp 187 people. In 1990s 42 individuals from this list, who had been shot, were rehabilitated. The intensification of terror in May was a consequence of a significant deterioration in the economic situation, in particular food supplies. This, in turn, led to the spread of speculation, especially for currency. Accordingly, speculators and counterfeiters supplemented the list of those who were accused of «counter-revolutionary activity». The offensive of Ukrainian and Polish troops on Kiev led to the beginning of «the disclosure of underground organizations that aimed at overthrowing the Soviet power.» The disclosure of the «underground Petliura organization» was a demonstration of the transition to «merciless extermination of the kurkul-Petliura elements as vicious enemies of Soviet power.» The availability of newspaper material only and the absence of archival and investigative cases require a critical attitude to the accusations against those accused of involvement in these organizations. A significant number of rehabilitated individuals, according to the available personal cases, confirms the thesis that OHNK did not attach much importance to finding evidence of guilt of a particular individual.