Abstract EN:

On the 18th of november, 1918, prominent constitutional-democrats (kadets) as well as numerous cossack atamans (warlords) and monarchist officers overthrew the provisional russian government which had been established in ufa as a result of a compromise between non-bolshevik political parties. Admiral kolchak was chosen for his firmness and proclaimed himself the "supreme ruler" of russia. Propelled by the events to lead the armies of the whites, he posed himself a task to overthrow the bolshevik power. Torn apart by the divergent interests, kolchak's regime failed to stay in power for more than thirteen months. During his entire rule, alexander kolchak remained devoted to the traditional comprehension of the state. In addition to the elimination of the bolsheviks, the priority of his policy was to restore the russian empire in its borders before the war. He was not interested in the day-to-day matters of government of siberia and even less was he interested in the hunger which was present in the villages and towns. Convinced that any war -even the civil war- can only be won in the artillery duels, admiral kolchak concentrated on the military operations at the front and ignored what lenin called the "internal front". Kolchak quickly lost the advantage he had in military operations as well as at the political front. As a result, kolchak submitted himself to the course of the events and adopted increasingly a defensive policy. The causes for the defeat of admiral kolchak can be found to a great extent in his worldview of an officer who considered searching for a compromise as a sign of cowardice. It was an exalted worldview which confused the destiny of the nation with his own destiny. Based on numerous documents from the russian archives, this thesis attempts to offer clues for understanding this enigmatic personality.