Civil War Victory Flashcards
What were the overarching reasons for the victory of the Reds in the Russian Civil War?
- Divisions between the whites
- Lack of appeal of the whites
- Strengths of Red Army
- Use of Force and Terror
- Bolshevik Leadership
- Weak foreign involvement
Why did Komuch and Omsk have to link up?
The Reds took Samara in October 1918 which forced the SRs to flee from there and join the Omsk government
How did division between Komuch and Omsk unfold?
- The officers of Omsk organised a coup and arrested SR ministers. Placed Kolchak as “supreme ruler”
- Kolchak executed many SR activists, including 10 members of the former CA
- SRs retaliated by staging revolts against Kolchak throughout his campaign
Where were the various armies located? (not united)
Kolchak - north-east
Denikin- south
Yudenich- west
Who was Petlyura hostile to? (Petlyura was an SR who headed the force with the Galicians against the Bolsheviks in Ukraine)
Denikin - who retook Ukraine in August 1919
Who did the Galicians prefer out of Petlyura and Denikin?
Denikin
Why did many members of the Czech legion want to return home?
Because Czech independence was granted in November 1918 and hence the Czechs had less reason to keep fighting
Why did Denikin lose support from the Don Cossacks despite their initial cooperation?
Since with operations such as the Moscow Offensive, he was getting the Cossacks to fight outside of their own region which mattered less to them. They had already secured autonomy in the southern region.
Why were the Kadets less supported by the Ukrainians and Caucus regions?
Since they still believed in the Russian empire and hence their politics went against the national determination which these areas strived for
What white policy was not favoured by many peasants? What proportion of them deserted Kolchak over the course of his campaign?
Conscription
80%
Which faction within Denikin’s army carried out pillaging, raping, stealing and Jewish pogroms which forced non-Cossack peasants to turn to the Reds?
The Cossacks
What other policy by Denikin turned peasants against the Whites (especially after the Decree on Land by the Bolsheviks)?
He returned land he overtook to the landowners
What did the Generals in the White army remind many of?
Those from the tsarist army which they had wanted to get rid of
Complete the quote by Denikin regarding indiscipline. “I can do nothing with my army…”
“I can do nothing with my army. I am glad when it carries out my combat orders”
What were some examples of indiscipline noted in the army at Omsk?
- Weapons were sold on the black market, including those provided by foreign powers
- Officers were often to be found drunk and doing drugs in brothels
For which move was Denikin disliked by Wrangel?
Denkin tried to take Moscow (July 1919 launched) whilst still expanding the territorial base in the Don region which made his troops more thinly spread. It also didn’t fit in with the aims of the Don Cossacks which were fighting with the Southern volunteer army
What move ultimately ended the threat of the Whites in the civil war?
The evacuation of them all during 1920, specifically from Crimea
How many soldiers died from typhoid and typhus in 1920?
1m
When was the Red army of Workers and Peasants set up?
January 1918
How did Trotsky overcome the lack of experienced officers in the Red Army?
50,000 Former high-ranking officers from the time of the Tsar and leading party members were appointed to lead the army
What was assigned to each regiment to ensure commanders carried out duties in line with Bolshevik expectations?
A loyal military commissar
How large was the Bolshevik army by Spring 1918 (although all weren’t combat ready)?
300,000 men
How large was the Red army by 1920? What proportion of these had volunteered? Were party members?
5m men. 1/6 had volunteered. 300,000 were party members.
How man men failed to answer their call up to the red army?
2m
What was a major organisational advantage of the Red army over the Whites?
It was centrally organised under one command instead of several. This meant troop movements and attacks could be coordinated.
What policy eventually caused green army opposition to fizzle out?
NEP
What were the main messages of propaganda from the Bolsheviks? What brutal policy did this help make seem of less brutality?
• The whites would take away land from the peasants
• Foreign invaders were supporting the Whites
• Reds offered a new society favourable to the peasants and workers
This made War Communism seem like a lesser evil
Who were given priority of rations with War Communism?
Workers and soldiers
How many communist party members were there by March 1920?
612,000
Which green army leader played a key role in the defeat of Denikin in the Crimea?
Makhno
When was military conscription introduced?
29th May 1918
What was war communism?
Policy measures introduced by Lenin to help Red victory in the Civil War
- Banned private trade and the money economy
- Nationalised industry under the control of Vesenkha
- Enforced grain requsitioning
- Introduced internal passports to factories and fines for absenteeism and lateness.
- Prioritised food resources for workers and soldiers
What were the major drawbacks to War Communism?
- It didn’t stop the migration out the cities
- Grain requsitioning made the party unpopular and encouraged subsistence farming
- The banning of private trade and nationalisation of industry brought shortages and inefficient and uneven supply. A black market emerged.
What violent and repressive methods did Trotsky use to ensure loyalty?
Trotsky held families of soldiers hostage; he placed machine guns on the front so deserting soldiers would be shot; he reintroduced the death penalty for some offences
Where did Trotsky use decimation to encourage a rebellious regiment to fight?
Svyazhsk
Despite War communism, how much did the urban proletariat decrease by between 1917 and 1919?
Decrease from 3.6m to 1.4m
Which group arrested large numbers of SRs, anarchists, Mensheviks and Kadets?
The Cheka
When was the tsar and his family killed? Why was this important?
July 1918
This prevented the advancing White armies reaching them and using Nicholas as their legitimate and unifying leader. This would give the White movement more purpose which they had often lacked (e.g. Kolchak and Yudenich didn’t have political aims)
How many are estimated to have been killed by the Cheka 1918-1920?
300,000
What was the name for the actions of the Cheka, who tried to arrest and identify all hostile social groups? What were set up to house these hostile social groups?
The Red Terror
Concentration and Labour Camps
How did Lenin try to ignite class warfare in the countryside? What happened when this failed?
He encouraged (through the Red army and Cheka) the attacking of richer Kulak peasants. When this failed, thousands of peasants were arrested. Along with grain requisitioning, this encouraged peasants to hide their grain and stop planting for the next season.
How was the greater population density in Bolshevik controlled areas an advantage for them?
It meant they had greater numbers of workers for the industrial side of the war effort and that they could obtain more conscripts for the Red Army
What two key things did Bolsheviks have control of?
The major cities and the railway system
Where did the Bolsheviks move the capital to? Why?
Moscow - since it was located further away from Yudenich’s front and hence had less chance of being overrun
How did the separated White armies communicate with each other?
Via horseback which was slow and inefficient
What did Trotsky set up in April 1918 as War Commissar?
He set up military commissariats in April 1918 to train the male population who were aged 18-40. Old military colleges were reopened and re-staffed.
Which victory is attributed to the personal organisation of Trotsky in August 1918? Which major offensive did he also manage to counter?
The Seizure of Kazan
Moscow Offensive
How did Trotsky boost morale amongst soldiers?
Trotsky used propaganda to boost the morale of soldiers. He also attached small, loyal, enthusiastic fighters onto less inspired units
During the course of the war, how many miles Is Trotsky said to have travelled?
65,000
Who recounts a time when Trotsky’s dedication inspired the last available forces in Petrograd to defend the city from the advances of Yudenich?
V. Serge
What key city did Stalin reclaim off the Whites in January 1920 which forced them into retreat in the Crimean peninsula?
Tsaritsyn
Which key figure supported Trotsky and was respected enough to keep Trotsky at the helm and direct the victory in the civil war?
Lenin
How many soldiers did the allied military forces send to help the whites?
Only 200,000
When did France withdraw its forces from Ukraine? What occurred in its fleets in the Black sea?
March and April 1919
Fleets in the Black sea mutinies
Where were the British forces located? Why was the conflict they engaged in there less important?
Archangelsk and Murmansk
It was located away from the key strategic points held by the Bolsheviks and away from the other White armies too.
When were British troops withdrawn from Arkhangelsk and Murmansk?
September 1919
What was the main intention of the sizable Japanese force sent to Siberia? Which country’s troops were focussed to counter this rather than help the Whites?
To acquire territory.
USA
Which countries provided the ships for Denikin and Wrangel to evacuate?
France and Britain
What was the main form of support from abroad? Why was this less useful?
Financial support and support in munitions. This was less useful as it relied on the Whites to use the finances wisely and distribute the munitions fairly. This did not however work and it did not help with the fact that the Red Army greatly outnumbered that of the Whites.