Foreign intervention in Russia Flashcards
In addition to fighting the Whites and the Greens, the new government was forced to fight…
a range of foreign enemies - capitalist countries such as the US, France and Britain.
Why, in general terms, did Russia’s former allies invade?
In order to:
- try to change the government, hoping that a new government would re-enter the war
- ensure that the munitions that they had sent to Russia were not captured by the Germans
Why, specifically, did France invade?
In order to put pressure on the Russian government to pay back its debts.
Why, specifically, did Britain invade?
For ideological reasons - Winston Churchill, who was in the British cabinet at the time, wanted to stop the spread of Communism.
Why did the Japanese invade?
They recognised Russia’s weakness, occupied parts of Siberia in order to extent the Japanese Empire.
What strategic ports did allied troops (Britain, France, US) occupy?
- Murmansk in the Artic
- Archangel on the White Sea
- Odessa on the Black Sea
- In 1918, British troops occupied part of central Asia
What port did Japanese troops capture in April 1918?
The port of Vladivostok.
How many foreign troops were there in Russia in 1918?
200,000.
What kind of role did the Allied troops tend to play?
Defensive - they defended supply depots and ports from Red attacks, but they rarely engaged in attacks on Red Territory.
What foreign economic aid did the Whites receive?
- The British sent around £100 millions’ worth of supplies to the Whites
- The French agreed to give loans of money and equipment to Wrangel on condition that the Whites would pay back existing French loans if they won the Civil War
- The US gave more than $50 million of interest-free loans, and the US president authorised shipments of over 250,000 rifles, clothing and food to aid the Whites - The US sent approximately $77 millions’ worth of aid to the Whites in 1919
What was the impact of war weariness on foreign intervention?
- Western intervention was hampered by war weariness of the public and the soldiers
- At the end of the First World War there was little British, American or French support for another, potentially lengthy military campaign
- Allied troops were also unwilling to fight in Russia
- First, many working-class troops had some sympathy with the goals of the Communists
- They certainly could see no reason to support landowners, and Tsarists
What was the impact of foreign intervention on the Communists?
- It didn’t present a major military problem for Lenin’s new government
- The vast majority of British, French and US troops withdrew in mid to late 1919
- Once the First World War was over Allied government stopped sending aid to the Whites
- With the war over there was no incentive for the western powers to install a new government that was willing to fight Germany
How were the Communists able to turn foreign intervention to their advantage?
- Communist propaganda portrayed foreign intervention as an attack on the Russian motherland
- They were able to argue that the Whites were unpatriotic as they were allied to Russia’s foreign enemies
When did Lenin die, and what was his legacy?
- He died in January 1924
- Having promised peace, land and bread, he had led Russia into a brutal civil war and his policies had created a famine
- Soviet democracy had been usurped by the party
- Nonetheless, Lenin had succeeded in his prime goal: the Communists had seized and retained power
- Lenin hoped, that in the fullness if time, the party would lead Russia and the world to Communism
