Civil War Victory

Question 1

What were the overarching reasons for the victory of the Reds in the Russian Civil War?

Answer 1

• Divisions between the whites
• Lack of appeal of the whites
• Strengths of Red Army
• Use of Force and Terror
• Bolshevik Leadership
• Weak foreign involvement

Question 2

Where were the various armies located? (not united)

Answer 2

Kolchak - north-east
Denikin- south
Yudenich- west

Question 3

Why did many members of the Czech legion want to return home?

Answer 3

Because Czech independence was granted in November 1918 and hence the Czechs had less reason to keep fighting

Question 4

Why were the Kadets less supported by the Ukrainians and Caucus regions?

Answer 4

Since they still believed in the Russian empire and hence their politics went against the national determination which these areas strived for

Question 5

What white policy was not favoured by many peasants? What proportion of them deserted Kolchak over the course of his campaign?

Answer 5

Conscription

80%

Question 6

Which faction within Denikin’s army carried out pillaging, raping, stealing and Jewish pogroms which forced non-Cossack peasants to turn to the Reds?

Answer 6

The Cossacks

Question 7

What other policy by Denikin turned peasants against the Whites (especially after the Decree on Land by the Bolsheviks)?

Answer 7

He returned land he overtook to the landowners

Question 8

What did the Generals in the White army remind many of?

Answer 8

Those from the tsarist army which they had wanted to get rid of

Question 9

What were some examples of indiscipline noted in the army at Omsk?

Answer 9

• 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

Question 10

What move ultimately ended the threat of the Whites in the civil war?

Answer 10

The evacuation of them all during 1920, specifically from Crimea

Question 11

How many soldiers died from typhoid and typhus in 1920?

Answer 11

1m

Question 12

When was the Red army of Workers and Peasants set up?

Answer 12

January 1918

Question 13

How did Trotsky overcome the lack of experienced officers in the Red Army?

Answer 13

50,000 Former high-ranking officers from the time of the Tsar and leading party members were appointed to lead the army

Question 14

What was assigned to each regiment to ensure commanders carried out duties in line with Bolshevik expectations?

Answer 14

A loyal military commissar

Question 15

How large was the Red army by 1920? What proportion of these had volunteered? Were party members?

Answer 15

5m men. 1/6 had volunteered. 300,000 were party members.

Question 16

How many men failed to answer their call up to the red army?

Answer 16

2m

Question 17

What was a major organisational advantage of the Red army over the Whites?

Answer 17

It was centrally organised under one command instead of several. This meant troop movements and attacks could be coordinated.

Question 18

What policy eventually caused green army opposition to fizzle out?

Answer 18

NEP

Question 19

What were the main messages of propaganda from the Bolsheviks? What brutal policy did this help make seem of less brutality?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

Who were given priority of rations with War Communism?

Answer 20

Workers and soldiers

Question 21

When was military conscription introduced?

Answer 21

29th May 1918

Question 22

What was war communism?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

What were the major drawbacks to War Communism?

Answer 23

• 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.

Question 24

Despite War communism, how much did the urban proletariat decrease by between 1917 and 1919?

Answer 24

Decrease from 3.6m to 1.4m

Question 25

Which group arrested large numbers of SRs, anarchists, Mensheviks and Kadets?

Answer 25

The Cheka

Question 26

When was the tsar and his family killed? Why was this important?

Answer 26

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)

Question 27

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?

Answer 27

The Red Terror

Concentration and Labour Camps

Question 28

How was the greater population density in Bolshevik controlled areas an advantage for them?

Answer 28

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

Question 29

What two key things did Bolsheviks have control of?

Answer 29

The major cities and the railway system

Question 30

Where did the Bolsheviks move the capital to? Why?

Answer 30

Moscow - since it was located further away from Yudenich’s front and hence had less chance of being overrun

Question 31

How did the separated White armies communicate with each other?

Answer 31

Via horseback which was slow and inefficient

Question 32

How did Trotsky boost morale amongst soldiers?

Answer 32

Trotsky used propaganda to boost the morale of soldiers. He also attached small, loyal, enthusiastic fighters onto less inspired units

Question 33

How many soldiers did the allied military forces send to help the whites?

Answer 33

Only 200,000

Question 34

When did France withdraw its forces from Ukraine? What occurred in its fleets in the Black sea?

Answer 34

March and April 1919

Fleets in the Black sea mutinies

Question 35

When were British troops withdrawn from Arkhangelsk and Murmansk?

Answer 35

September 1919

Question 36

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?

Answer 36

To acquire territory.

USA