Provisional Siberian Government (Omsk)

The Provisional Siberian Government (Omsk), also known as the Omsk Government or Kolchak Government, was an anti-Bolshevik government established in Omsk, Siberia, during the Russian Civil War in 1918. It emerged from a coup d'état that overthrew the earlier Provisional Siberian Government established in Tomsk.

Initially, the Omsk Government was composed of a Directorate of five Socialist Revolutionaries. However, it quickly came under the influence of military officers, particularly Admiral Alexander Kolchak, the Minister of War. On November 18, 1918, Kolchak was proclaimed Supreme Ruler of Russia by a group of officers, effectively establishing a military dictatorship. The Directorate was disbanded, and its members were arrested or forced into exile.

The Omsk Government, under Kolchak's leadership, became the primary anti-Bolshevik force in Siberia. It aimed to overthrow the Bolshevik regime and restore a unified Russia. The government received support from the Allied powers, who provided supplies and military advisors. It fielded a significant army, known as the White Army, which engaged in intense fighting against the Red Army across Siberia and the Ural region.

Kolchak's government was characterized by its authoritarian nature, suppression of dissent, and reliance on military force. While it initially achieved some military successes, the White Army ultimately suffered a series of defeats due to factors such as internal divisions, logistical problems, and popular resentment of Kolchak's rule.

The Omsk Government collapsed in late 1919 and early 1920 as the Red Army advanced eastward. Omsk was captured by the Bolsheviks in November 1919. Kolchak was captured in January 1920 and executed in Irkutsk in February 1920, marking the end of the Omsk Government and the White movement in Siberia. The remnants of the White Army retreated further east, eventually finding refuge in Manchuria. The fall of the Omsk Government was a significant turning point in the Russian Civil War, paving the way for the Bolshevik consolidation of power across Russia.