Dmitri Alexejewitsch Milyutin
Count Dmitry Milyutin ( Russian Дмитрий Алексеевич Милютин ., Scientific transliteration Dmitrij Alekseevic Miliutin * June 28 . Jul / 10. July 1816 greg. In Moscow , † January 25 jul. / 7. February 1912 greg. In Yalta ( simeiz )) was a Russian minister of war , field marshal general and military writer .
Military career
He was an officer from 1833 and from 1839 participated in the Caucasian campaigns under Generals Grabbe and Baryatinsky . After an injury, he took a position as a lecturer at the Imperial War Academy in 1845. In 1847 he was promoted to colonel. In 1848 he was temporarily assigned to the War Ministry, where he got to know the shortcomings of the Russian army . 1854 promoted to major general.
Prince Baryatinsky appointed him Chief of Staff of the Caucasus Army in 1856. The backwardness of the Russian army had become apparent during the Crimean War . As chief of staff, Milyutin carried out military reforms in the Caucasus Army. In doing so, he drew on experiences from the Crimean War and on the suggestions of the Prussian-Russian General von Rüdiger . According to his plan, the line of command was simplified by giving commanders on the ground greater control over the resources available. In addition, they were given more freedom of choice and were able to form their own opinion based on local conditions. This idea presupposed general officer training.
The reform of the Caucasus Army was a complete success - in the Caucasus War the leader of the Chechen Shamil had to surrender to the Russian troops under Baryatinski's command in 1859. This success strengthened the case for reforming the Russian army as a whole. In September 1860 Milyutin became adjutant general and deputy minister of war and on February 19, 1861 presented the plan for a radical reform of the army to the emperor Alexander II .
Minister of War
The Emperor Alexander II appointed him Minister of War on November 9, 1861. This was done on Baryatinski's recommendation. Milyutin's war ministry saw the renewal of the army as a major sociopolitical project in order to maintain Russia's status as a great power.
Military reforms
Two months after his appointment, Miljutin presented another comprehensive reform plan on January 15, 1862, which he carried out himself. The reform plan had two main goals: to reduce military spending in peacetime and at the same time to increase army strength in times of war.
His plan provided for the abolition of the standing professional army and the introduction of a conscript army . He introduced conscription in 1874. For this purpose, military districts were formed across the country . The draft age was set at 20 years. The mostly peasant recruits were given the opportunity to catch up on primary school education.
The reorganization did show some shortcomings in the Turkish War of 1877–1878, especially in the catering system; but the reinforcement and completion of the army was easy and quick. In recognition of his services, Milyutin was raised to the rank of count in September 1878 .
Foreign policy
Miljutin's followers viewed the Polish January uprising of 1863 as evidence of weaknesses in the defense of the empire. These weaknesses should be addressed more aggressively and without regard to foreign policy reservations, according to their calculation. They thought in larger, strategically important contexts and thus inevitably affected the competencies of other departments.
A confidante of Milyutin was the director of the chancellery in the war ministry Konstantin Petrovich von Kaufmann . In 1867, Kaufmann also became a commander in the newly created military district of Turkestan , where he pursued a determined expansion policy against neighboring emirates and khanates. In addition, the war minister was able to convince the emperor to appoint another confidante, Alexander Bezak, to an exposed post in the zones of importance for foreign policy. In this way Milyutin tried to gain influence in foreign policy issues.
In the German Wars of Unification , Russia and its army behaved neutrally under his leadership. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71, the Russian army was ready to invade Galicia when Austria-Hungary fell to the French Emperor Napoleon III. rushes to help by attacking the North German Confederation . Napoleon III fell into disrepute in Russia for the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War and its support for the January Polish uprising. During the Battle of Sedan in 1870, he was deposed as Emperor of France, which Russia noted with relief.
In November 1878, British troops stationed in British India marched into the emirate of Afghanistan . The Second Anglo-Afghan War began . Milyutin had already asked the Foreign Minister, Prince Gorchakov, to reach out to Central Asia in order to moderate the pressure of the European powers on Russia's western periphery. Miljutin was critical of the cooperation between Gorchakov and British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli , and viewed Afghanistan as a buffer zone between the Russian Empire and British India.
Miljutin negotiated for Russia in the dispute with China over the Ili region . In contrast to Alexander II, he viewed this region as part of the Russian Empire and was determined to defend it. These negotiations led to the Treaty of Livadia on October 2, 1879. However, Beijing refused to ratify the treaty. Instead, China threatened war. In the Treaty of St. Petersburg in 1881, Milyutin suffered a defeat because a large part of Ilis had ceded to China. After Gorchakov went on tour, Milyutin took over the full management of Russian foreign policy. There was a low point in German-Russian relations due to the war-in-sight crisis and the Berlin Congress . Miljutin sought a compromise with Germany and thus paved the way to the three emperor's union , which was formed in 1881 between Russia, the German Empire and Austria-Hungary.
After discharge
From Tsar Alexander III. he was dismissed because, as a moderate liberal, he did not approve of the strictly absolutist May Laws of 1881. In 1898 he was appointed Field Marshal General.
He wrote a large number of military science and war history writings, including a history of Suvorov's campaign in 1799. His younger brother Nikolai became known as the authoritative author of the reform laws of 1861, with which serfdom was repealed.
Web links
- Article Dmitri Alexejewitsch Miljutin in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE) , 3rd edition 1969–1978 (Russian)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Orlando Figes, Bernd Rullkötter: Crimean War. The last crusade. Berlin Verlag 2011.
- ↑ a b c d Michael Epkenhans, Gerhard P. Gross, Nikolaus Katzer: The military and the departure into modernity, 1860 to 1890. Oldenbourg 2003, p. 61f
- ↑ Michael Epkenhans, Gerhard P. Gross, Nikolaus Katzer: The military and the departure into modernity, 1860 to 1890. Oldenbourg 2003, p. 55
- ↑ Michael Epkenhans, Gerhard P. Gross, Winfried Baumgart: The military and the departure in the modern age, 1860 to 1890. Oldenbourg 2003, p. 6
- ↑ Gerald Morgan: Anglo-Russian Rivalry in Central Asia: 1810-1895. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group 1981, p. 161
- ^ Christoph Baumer: The History of Central Asia. The Age of Decline and Revival. Volume 4, IB Tauris & Co Ltd. 2018, p. 147
- ↑ Ulrich Lappenküper: Otto von Bismarck and << the long 19th century >>. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn 2017, p. 286
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Miljutin, Dmitri Alexejewitsch |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Милютин, Дмитрий Алексеевич (Russian); Miljutin, Dmitrij Alekseevič |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Russian minister of war, field marshal and military writer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 10, 1816 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Moscow |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 1912 |
| Place of death | Yalta |