10.29025/1994-7720-2023-4-39-43

Abstract

The article is devoted to the organization of self-defense of the city of Vladikavkaz in 1918, during a period of political turmoil, rampant crime and the impending Civil War. The reasons for self-defense and its organizational structure are analyzed. Based on identified documents and other sources, it was concluded that the creation of urban self-defense was a very effective solution that the townspeople developed in the face of rising crime. The self-defense organization of Vladikavkaz consolidated professional and semi-professional military personnel into a single paramilitary structure. In this way, self-defense filled the niche created after the weakening of law enforcement agencies. The experience of organizing self-defense in Vladikavkaz and analysis of its activities is necessary for a full understanding of the city’s past. In the history of Vladikavkaz, although this is a small period, it is the least studied period. To write this work, materials from the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF) and newspaper publications of that time were used.