2.2 Civil War

Question 1

Who did the Reds in the Civil War consist of?

Answer 1

The Reds consisted of the Bolsheviks

Question 2

Who did the Whites in the Civil War consist of?

Answer 2

The Whites consisted of the Russian Nationalists and monarchists

Question 3

Who did the Greens in the Civil War consist of?

Answer 3

The Greens consisted of armed peasants and anarchists who used to fight for the Reds and the Whites

Question 4

Define Monarchists

Answer 4

Monarchists are those who believe the country should be run by a king or queen

Question 5

Why were nationalists and conservatives determined to overthrow the Bolsheviks?

Answer 5

They were opposed to the Bolsheviks sighning the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and opposed their plans for social change and workers’ influence as well as peasant siezure of land from landlords

Question 6

What was the main fear of middle-class Russians?

Answer 6

They feared losing their wealth and influence

Question 7

Why did left-wing groups like the Mensheviks resent the Bolsheviks?

Answer 7

They resented them because the Bolsheviks abolished the Constituent Assembly

Question 8

What was the Czech Legion?

Answer 8

The Czech Legion was about 40,000 Czech soldiers from the Austrian Hungarian army who were captured in WW1.

Question 9

What did the Czech Legion do?

Answer 9

The Czech Legion switched sides to fight with the Russians in the hopes of becoming a independent state

Question 10

What did the Bolsheviks try and do to the Czechs?

Answer 10

The Bolsheviks tried to take their weapons away as they did not trust them.

Question 11

What happened when the Czechs fought back against the Bolsheviks?

Answer 11

The Czechs now controlled the Trans-Siberian Railway and many other non Bolsheviks joined them

Question 12

Where were the three main White armies?

Answer 12

The Ural mountains and Siberia, southern Russia and Estonia

Question 13

What happened to the White army in the Ural mountains and Siberia?

Answer 13

The army had some successes against the Reds but in the summer of 1919 a counter attack broke its power

Question 14

What happened to the White army in southern Russia?

Answer 14

The army was very succesful as it had advanced within 240km within Moscow. However the Reds fought it off and the General Denikin resigned

Question 15

What happened to the White army in Estonia?

Answer 15

The army was veery close to capturing Petrograd but was defeated in October 1919 by the Red Army which was led by Trotsky

Question 16

Which countries were successful in breaking away from Russia?

Answer 16

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Question 17

What was the Red Army presented as?

Answer 17

The Red Army became noted for its discipline and its unity. The leader Trotsky was also shown as effective

Question 18

What things did the Red Army control and how did this help them?

Answer 18

They controlled most of Russias industry as well as all the railways connected to Moscow. This allowed them to produce and move weapons

Question 19

How did the Reds use propaganda to win supporters?

Answer 19

They presented themselves as the only force that would improve the lives of regular Russians

Question 20

Which group spread the Reds’ propaganda?

Answer 20

A group called Agitpprop spread the messages through films, plays and posters

Question 21

How did the Reds manipulate their enemies to ensure they were not fighting all of them at the same time?

Answer 21

They made and broke alliances with the Greens and the anarchists

Question 22

What were the strengths of the Bolsheviks?

Answer 22

They controlled central Russia, They formed their own powerful fighting force (Red Army) and the Trotsky as the leader

Question 23

What was Trotsky like as commander of the Red Army?

Answer 23

Trotsky organised the mass organisation of workers and peasants in 1918. He had a lot of energy and enthusiasm

Question 24

How did Trotsky improve the effectiveness of the Red Army?

Answer 24

Trotsky employed ex-Tsarist officers and made sure of their loyalty by holding their families hostage

Question 25

How did Trotsky introduce discipline in the Red Army?

Answer 25

Trotsky made sure that all deserters were shot and if any unit retreated one in ten men were shot (decimated). He also introduced education

Question 26

What were the weaknesses of the Whites?

Answer 26

They were geographically too spread out, they cntrolled few insdustrial areas, they were outnumbered, there was no one leader and they had no plan for Russia

Question 27

Why did the Whites receive foreign help?

Answer 27

The Whites were helped by western countries who encouraged the Whites and tried to prevent donated weapons and ammo from getting into Bolshevik hands

Question 28

What were the effects of the civil war?

Answer 28

It made the Bolsheviks sure that their view of the world was right, and they now relied more on force and terror to gain control, Cheka members were now in every Red controlled area and they shot anyone who was considered a enemy. It made the Bolsheviks more organised

Question 29

What were the negative effects of the war?

Answer 29

It exhausted Russian, the economy was bad, there were protests due to the brutal behaviour of the Bolsheviks