Civil war 1918-20 Flashcards
Trotsky’s role
He was the commissar to war, took command of the Red Army in March 1918 by recruiting thousands of officers from the army and he attached a political commissar to each officer to share command and ensure loyalty
What did Trotsky do?
He conscripted peasants, hostages were taken and frequently shot. He toured the battles lies in a special train which inspired the army to fight due to revolutionary fervour and a fear of execution.
What was the goal of the Bolsheviks
to extend the authority of the regime across the rest of Russia, reconquering areas
Who was the Whites’ Army
They were assorted liberals, monarchists, socialists and ex-officers. They were aided by foreign power, groups of partisans and a collection of 40 000 ex-prisoners of war
General Denikin
The Volunteer Army headed the anti-communist cause and wanted an eventual re-election of a Constituent Assembly
Admiral Kolchak
set up a rival government at Omsk and declared himself Supreme Ruler in November 1918
General Yudenich
moved out from Estonia to threaten Petrograd
Mensheviks
retreated to their stronghold and ran a democratic national government successfully
What support did Britain and France give the Whites’?
Britain + France: concerned the preservation of the Eastern front in the war against Germany. When it was clear that the Bolsheviks couldn’t uphold it, British troops were sent north and France troops were sent south. The reason given was the protection of large quantities of war supplies that had been sent to the Allies prior
What support did the Japanese give the Whites’
they moved in the far Eastern territories
What support did the Americans give the Whites’
they sent in forces to keep an eye on the Japanese
Why did the French not support the Reds’
The Bolshevik Government repudiated all foreign debts incurred by their predecessors and to freeze all foreign assets in Russia. This was resented by the French since they had made extensive loans to the Tsar’s government. The defeat of the Bolsheviks would restore financial normality
What happened during the Civil War?
1919: Kolchak had deeply retreated and then was caught and executed in Feb 1920. Denikin had been defeated and handed command over to General Wrangel. Yudenich had been defeated. Thus, Bolshevik victory was assured.
1921: The Soviet government had reconquered most of the territories that had previously constituted the Russian Empire.
1922: Japanese intervention ended
Why were the Whites’ unsuccessful
All they could offer was a return of the past. The rights of the landlord and the church were reinstated and the benefits of the agrarian reform brought by the Soviets were denied to the peasants. The Whites’ had their own divisions, with differing objectives of the leaders and massive distances which separated their forces.
Why were the Reds’ successful
The Bolsheviks held the industrial heartland of the nation with the country’s major producers of war supplies, the largest pool of potential conscripts and the major rail and transport networks
Who did the foreign powers help?
The foreign intervention was more of an advantage to the Bolsheviks since Lenin used it to appeal to nationalism showing that the Bolsheviks were the only ones that could remove the foreign forces
What led to Bolshevik victory
There was no White leader or combination of leaders who could match the determination and ruthless ability of Lenin and Trotsky
