Russian Civil War

What was the Russian Civil War?

A civil war was triggered by opposition to the Bolsheviks from various groups, including monarchists who wanted the tsar back in power, anti-communists, groups angered by Brest-Litovsk and different nationalities who wanted their independence.

When was the Russian Civil War?

The Russian Civil War took place from 1918 to 1921.

Who fought in the Russian Civil War?

The Russian Civil War was fought between communist (Red) and anti-communist (White) forces. In addition, a number of countries, including Britain and the USA, sent troops to support the Whites. The Reds won.

What were the different armies involved in the Russian Civil War?

There were 3 main groups involved:

• ❖ The Red Army, who were the Bolsheviks or communists.
• ❖ The White Army, made up of nationalists and monarchists.
• ❖ The Green Army was formed by the peasants.

What were the causes of the Russian Civil War?

There were 5 key reasons why the Russian Civil War happened:

• ❖ The Russian Empire had collapsed because many nationalities wanted independence and the Bolshevik Decree on Nationalities allowed this. People who were pro-Empire wanted to re-conquer these areas.
• ❖ Political opposition had grown towards the Bolsheviks from the Social Revolutionaries, the Mensheviks, the Constituent Assembly, and the anti-Bolshevik alliance to form the Whites. People objected to the fact the Bolsheviks had seized power undemocratically.
• ❖ The Allies were opposed to the Bolsheviks pulling out of the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. They hoped that by supporting the Whites, the Bolsheviks would be defeated and Russia would re-enter the war.
• ❖ Law and order had broken down.
• ❖ Food requisitioning by the Bolsheviks angered the peasants and so they formed the Green Army to defend their homes.

What were the consequences of the Russian Civil War on international relations?

The Russian Civil War had 3 main consequences for international relations:

• ❖ It increased the Soviet Union's suspicion that the capitalist West would always seek to overthrow communism.
• ❖ In order to protect the USSR from future foreign interference, Lenin, the leader of the USSR, pursued a policy of worldwide communist revolution.
• ❖ This in turn caused a 'Red Scare' in 1920s America as many feared the worldwide spread of communism.

Who fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War?

There were 3 main groups that opposed the Bolsheviks:

• ❖ The Whites consisted of lots of different groups such as Socialist Revolutionaries, tsarists/monarchists, Liberals, ultra-conservatives, and army officers against the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
• ❖ The Greens consisted of peasants and deserters from other armies.
• ❖ Foreign countries also intervened in the civil war against the Bolsheviks. Britain, Japan and USA all interfered.

What were the key events of the Russian Civil war?

There were 9 key events during the Russian Civil War:

• ❖ Trotsky became the Commissar for War for the Bolsheviks and took charge of the Red Army on 13th March, 1918.
• ❖ In May 1918, the Czech Legion rebelled against the Red Army. They were leaving Russia when Trotsky demanded their weapons. They responded by allying with the Socialist Revolutionaries and taking over parts of the Trans-Siberian Railway.
• ❖ On 17th July, 1918, Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed in Yekaterinburg to prevent the Whites and the Czech Legion from rescuing them and using them as a rallying point in the Civil War.
• ❖ In August 1918, Trotsky increased the harsh discipline in the Red Army so that one in every ten soldiers was shot if he retreated.
• ❖ The Bolsheviks suffered a major set-back during the Eastern Front Offensive led by one of the White's leaders, Admiral Kolchak. He attacked in June 1918. However, the Red Army managed to force the Whites to retreat by June 1919.
• ❖ By October 1919, the Red Army had managed to stop General Yudenich's advance on Petrograd and General Denikin's advance on Moscow.
• ❖ Between April and October 1920, the Bolsheviks were also at war with Poland until they signed the Treaty of Riga in October.
• ❖ The Whites were finally defeated at the Battle of Perekop between 7th and 15th November, 1920.
• ❖ In 1921, the Green Army, led by General Makhno, was finally defeated in the Ukraine and by General Antonov in Tambov where about 50,000 peasants had led an uprising against the Bolsheviks.

Why did the Bolsheviks win the Russian Civil War?

There are 6 main reasons why the Bolsheviks won:

• ❖ The Bolsheviks had control of the industrial heartlands and transport links, which gave them a great advantage over their enemies. They had control over factories which made munitions.
• ❖ The Bolsheviks had a strong, well-organised propaganda machine and used art, posters and entertainment to spread their message.
• ❖ They introduced conscription into the Red Army so they had five million soldiers by 1921.
• ❖ As commissar for war, Trotsky introduced harsh military discipline, recruited tsarist officers for their experience and used the agitprop trains to spread propaganda. He turned the Red Army into an effective force and his harsh discipline ensured loyalty to the Reds.
• ❖ The Red Terror undermined opposition to the Bolsheviks as the Cheka, or secret police, executed 50,000 of their enemies in 1918 including the tsar and his family.
• ❖ Lenin's economic policy of War Communism took control of food production and manufacturing, which ensured the army was supplied.

Why did the Whites lose the Russian Civil War?

There were 6 key reasons why the Whites lost the civil war:

• ❖ They were reliant on foreign assistance for supplies and money, so the Whites were portrayed as the invading army.
• ❖ There was a severe lack of planning because they did not have one single leader as it was not a unified group.
• ❖ There were problems with communication, geographical distances and rivalry between the leaders.
• ❖ They were not united by a single goal as some wanted a return to tsarism, others favoured a military dictatorship and others preferred the Constituent Assembly.
• ❖ The Whites did not control the major areas of industry, population or transport links because they tended to be on the outer edges of Russia.
• ❖ As a result their army was smaller and not as well supplied.

What were the consequences of the Russian Civil War?

There were 5 main consequences of the civil war.

• ❖ The Bolsheviks consolidated their control over the country, economically with the policy of War Communism and politically as they destroyed their opposition using the Red Terror and by winning the civil war.
• ❖ The policy of War Communism left the country economically ruined as food production and manufacturing collapsed.
• ❖ There was unrest with strikes and several different peasant uprisings, including the Tambov Uprising from 1920 to 1921, and the Kronstadt Uprising in 1921.
• ❖ Around eight million people died.
• ❖ The leaders of the Bolshevik Party centralised control over their party as well as the country. All decisions were made by seven to nine key members of the Politburo and orders were passed down to the rank and file.