Russia 5: Civil War Flashcards
1
Q
Causes of Civil War
A
Opposition within Russia
* Political opposition such as SRs
* Anger at Brest-Litovsk
* These became the whites
* Wanted a western style government
Opposition abroad
* Allies were angry about Brest-Litovsk
* Worried about communism spreading
* Sent troops to support whites
2
Q
Division among whites
Reasons for red victory
A
- Made up of several groups on several fronts with no clear goal
- Each general wanted control personally
- Mutual mistrust
- Reds were a tightly unified force
3
Q
Reds controlled central area
Reasons for red victory
A
- Central area had more railways, population, industry, weapons etc.
- Red army was 5 million men from central russia
- Whites never had more than 250,000 together
- 2.2m rifles from Tsarist stores
4
Q
Trotskys military genuis
Reasons for red victory
A
- Brilliant organiser
- Used 50,000 former Tsarist officers
- Harsh military discipline
- Used an armoured train for mobile leadership
5
Q
Reasons for War Communism
A
- Industry was 60% of 1913
- 40% of industrial areas lost in Brest-Litovsk
- Ideologically close to perfect communism
- Peasants only had enough food for themselves, workers in cities were starving
6
Q
Effects on Peasants
War Communism
A
- Grain requisitioning
- Peasants refused to grow excess as it was taken (Production was 47% of what it was in 1913)
- Famine of 1921
- 5 million died
7
Q
Effects on workers
War Communism
A
- Black market supplied 70% of food
- 70% of Petrograds population fled
- Strikes meant execution
8
Q
Kronstadt Revolt
A
- Sailors previously called “reddest of the red” turned against Bolshies
- February 1921 mutiny on Petrpavlovsk which spread to whole naval base
- 15,000 mutinied
9
Q
Kronstadt Revolt effects
A
- Put down with 50,000 soldiers
- Majority of rebels killed or exiled
- Made Lenin realise War Communism was not working
- Led to NEP
