Lenin And The Civil War Flashcards
What was the Red Guard and who was it created by?
Bolshevik militia, Trotsky
Who were the Reds?
The Bolsheviks and their supporters
Who were the whites?
Monarchists and other outlawed parties
Who were the greens?
National minorities struggling for independence
What were the causes of the Civil War?
Bolsheviks banning and silencing other parties, Lenin’s seizure of power was similar to a Tsarist regime, SRs who won the public mandate had little control, some saw the retreat from the war as shameful, food shortages and extremism.
What were the Red’s strengths?
Controlled a concentrated area of central Russia, controlled Moscow and Petrograd, control over railway, control over industry, organisation skills of Trotsky. White’s reliance on foreign supplies allowed the Reds to be champions of Russia.
What were some of the Red’s main tactics?
Brutality: offered enemy troops enlistment or execution
White terror was used as propaganda.
High morale due to leadership by Trotsky.
What were some of the White’s weaknesses?
Lack of leadership, lack of common purposes with divided opinions. Internal disputes.
What was war communism?
Aimed to abolish private trade, control labour, nationalise large scale industry, replace money system with state rationing.
What was the grain monopoly?
All the peasants harvest’s surplus became state property, armed brigades were sent to requisition the grain, when no grain was found they assumed it was being hidden by “Kulaks”, peasants were tortured and beaten until the required amount was given.
What impact did war communism have on other areas?
Industry output halved from 1913 to 1921.
There was a famine in 1921, it was used as an opportunity to destroy the orthodox church, with priests being shot in 1922
What was the NEP?
The New Economic Policy: relaxation of central economic control, abandonment of grain requisitioning to be replaced by tax, peasants could keep for surpluses and sell them for profit, public markets restored.
What was the main problem with the NEP for Bolsheviks?
Went against communist ideology as it allowed some capitalist ideas.
Was the NEP economically successful?
Yes, it increased the wages, grain harvests, electricity and the value of factory outputs by nearly 50%, Nepmen benefitted as well.
What and when was the Kronstadt rising?
1921: caused by inequality between the sailors and the Bs, and the bread and food rationing. Demanded equal rations, freedom for peasants, speech, press and food. 15,000 (may have risen to 50,000) soldiers met in anchor square to declare revolution. Gov holds their families hostage.
