The Creation and Development of the Library System in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War (1918-1920): A Historical Introduction

To the best of my knowledge, this article is the first historical examination, in English, of the development of the Red Army's library system during the Russian Civil War, making accessible a selection of previously unused Russian primary source materials. The focus of the article is the examination of the main trends in the development of the Red Army's library system during 1918-20, outlining the interrelationship, as well as the independence, of the work of the Red Army's local political and cultural-educational apparatus from that of the center (the All-Russian Bureau of Military Commissars and the Political Administration of the Revolutionary Military Soviet of the Republic). In general, cultural-educational work in the Red Army was carried out with the specific aim of politically educating the Red Army soldiers; thus, the work of the Red Army's library system was geared to improving the political consciousness of the soldiers, as well as improving their cultural awareness. Libraries were as much a part of the Red Army's political apparatus as were its political departments.