The Last White Victory: Aleksandr Guchkov and the Conradi-Polunin Process of 1923

Abstract

Aleksandr Guchkov is a well-known figure of Russian politics from the first two decades of the 20th century. However, his activities in exile have not been thoroughly studied. Among the myriad of engagements against the Soviet regime in the 1920s–1930s that Guchkov planned, the Conradi-Polunin Process (May–November 1923) in Lausanne stands out. Through previously unpublished documents and other sources, this article analyses two developments. First, the crucial role that Guchkov played in the absolution of both men, who conspired and killed Soviet diplomat Vatslav Vorovsky, as the main compiler of evidence against the prosecution, turning the trial into a denunciation of communism. Second, the way in which Guchkov’s efforts in the Process engaged with the creation of Théodore Aubert’s Entente Internationale Anticommuniste (1924–1950), the most ambitious anticommunist organization within the transnational Right in the interwar period.