HISTORICAL DICTIONARY A–Z - Russia: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present - page 123

Soviet Cossack guards attack in the Crimea, ca. 1940 (Library of Congress)

cavalry units of the Russian army, who were
often used for police purposes.
Cossack communities responded to the FEBRU -
ARY REVOLUTION by forming small autonomous
republics with elected atamans, and in the spirit
of the times, by establishing the All-Russian Cos-
sack Union. Most Cossacks were hostile to the
Bolshevik seizure of power, taking an active part
in the civil war on the White side, and in the
Kuban region, for example, continuing guerrilla
warfare until 1924. Soviet rule impacted heavily
on Cossack life. After 1920, richer Cossacks were
deprived of their wealth, traditional forms of
local administration were abolished, Cossack sol-
diers were relieved of their special military and
police duties, and Cossack cavalry units were
abolished. Cossacks were forced to engage in col-
lective farming, and resistance to collectivization
was fierce, especially in the Kuban region during
1932-33. As a result, many were deported from
their lands and resettled in Kazakhstan or Siberia,
even though in 1936 they were officially “for-
given” and some cavalry units were given the
appellation of Cossack. During World War II,
Cossack units fought in both the Soviet and Ger-
man armies; those of the latter who had taken

part in the Italian campaign were compulsorily
repatriated by the British, and many were ban-
ished to the labor camps of the GULAG . Neverthe-
less, despite the turmoil of the early Soviet era,
some Cossack customs and traditions survived,
most notably the distinctive Caucasian-derived
dress and the fine horsemanship, especially in
the areas of the Don and Kuban Rivers. Cossack
organizations experienced a sudden revival in
the final years of the Soviet Union, with the for-
mation of Cossack associations in the Russian
south, the north Caucasus, and the Ural Moun-
tains. In 1990, various Cossack associations came
together in a national union, and by 1992 Cos-
sack associations had appeared not only in tradi-
tional Cossack lands, but in various northern
cities, such as St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Costakis, George (1912-1990)
(Georgii Dionisovich Costakis)
art collector
A famous art collector, Costakis almost single-
handedly preserved the legacy of the Russian
avant-garde from neglect and destruction
through his savvy and dedication. He was born