Defeat of domestic enemies Flashcards
The Whites were weak, mainly due to their…
strategic position.
Why were the Whites weak because of their strategic position?
They were spread out over a large area:
- Admiral Alexander Kolchak led reactionary forces in Siberia
- General Nikolai Yudenich led White forces in the north-east
- General Anton Denikin and Petr Wrangel’s forces were based in the south
As a result of being spread out over a large area, the Whites…
This led to…
- often failed to co-ordinate attacks -e.g., General Deniken’s forces were concentrated in the south-east of Russia; he failed to co-ordinate his attacks with Kolchak effectively and his forces were defeated
- lacked a unified command structure and strategy
- This led to the failure of major White military initiatives, such as a united attack on the Reds in March 1919
Why did the Whites lack popular support?
- Many Russians identified them with Tsarism
- Some Russians believed the Whites were unpatriotic as they worked with foreign invaders
- They Whites fought to keep the Empire together - but they were based outside Russia’s heartland
- Therefore they didn’t have the support of the local non-Russian populations, who wanted independence from the Russian Empire
- Leading White generals fought to end democracy, which was unpopular with most workers and peasants
- Leading Whites promised to take land away from the peasants, which was unpopular with the majority of the population - as they were peasants
When was Tsar Nicholas II executed? What was its significance?
July 1918 - weakened the Whites. His death meant that the Whites no longer had a figurehead to unite around. Equally, the execution of the royal family clearly ended the possibility of restoring Tsarist.
Having won the election of the Constituent Assembly, the SRs attempted to…
set up their own government in Samara, an area that was outside Communist control in 1918.
What was the name of the SR government?
Komuch.
Komuch had the support of…as well as
the Czech Legion which comprised of 50,000 men. The - SRs also had the aid of General Vladimir Kappel, a Tsarist military leader who was prepared to work with any group in order to defeat the Red Army.
In September 1918, the Red Army…
As a result…
began to attack the SRs - they were unable to defend themselves
- As a result, Komuch and SR attempts to create a democratic socialist republic failed.
In 1922 Dezerzhinsky organised…
What was the result?
the trial of Socialist Revolutionary leaders - they were accused of treason, sabotage and plotting to overthrow the Soviet state - all the defendants were sentenced to death - but most were imprisoned and executed a decade later.
What did Lenin publish immediately following the October Revolution?
The Declaration of the Rights of the People of Russia, guaranteeing all of national minorities in the former Russian Empire the right to self-determination.
What was the problem with Lenin’s Declaration of the Right of the People of Russia?
Therefore…
He didn’t go through with his promises
- Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania gained independence with German help
- Poland defeated the Communists in war, and in doing so won its freedom
- The government of the Georgian Mensheviks, however, was defeated by the Red Army in 1921
