Leaders + Figureheads of the Russian Revolution and Civil War

 Anton Denikin was born in 1872 in Wlocklawek, near Warsaw. His father was a peasant farmer who had served in the army. In 1869, he had married to a Polish seamstress. 

Anton was an able linguist, being able to speak Russian, French and Polish. Anton joined the army seeing his first active service in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. He became a colonel in the same year. By 1910, he had been appointed Commander of the 17th Infantry Regiment. 

A week before the outbreak of WWI, Denikin became a major-general. 

In August 1914, Denikin was Chief of Staff of the Kiev Military District. He was transferred to the 4th Rifle Brigade as General. 

In 1916, he was appointed to command the Russian VIII Corps and led troops in Romania during the Brusilov Offensive.

Following the February Revolution 1917, he became chief of staff to Mikhail Alekseev, then Aleksei Brusilov. 

Anton then became the PA of Lavr Kornilov. Following the October Revolution, they escaped to Novocherkassk in Northern Caucasus, forming the Anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army, initially commanded by Alekseev. Kornilov was killed in April 1918 and the entire Anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army became under Denikin's command. 

Denikin's regime carried out mass executions and plunder in what is known as 'White Terror'. In the town of Fastov, 1500 Jews were massacred by Anton Denikin. 

Denikin resigned in April 1920 in favour of General Baron Pyotr Wrangel. He then left Crimea to Istanbul and then to London. 

From 1926, Denikin lived in France. Secretly, writing propaganda and political novels. With the fall of France in 1940, Denikin left Paris and was captured by the Nazis, whilst trying to escape, however, was kept in rural exile. 

From 1945 -7, Denikin lived in the United States of America, in New York. He died of a heart attack, whilst holidaying in Michigan. He was buried in Detroit Military Cemetery. His remains were transferred to New Jersey. 

On October 3rd, 2005, his daughter and Vladimir Putin requested that his remains may be transferred to Moscow, where they lie today.