Russian Civil War Flashcards
who was the war fought between?
Reds (Bolsheviks) and Whites (anyone who opposed Bolshevik rule)
why did white opposition emerge?
-people were angry at the terms of the treat of Brest Litovsk
-contained SRs, ex-tsarists, conservatives, nationalist groups etc
who did Britain, France and America support in the civil war and why?
-the whites
-they were ideologically opposed to communism
-they wanted to protect their interests in Russia because the Bolsheviks hadn’t paid back Tsarist loans, and foreign-owned industries had been seized by the new government
what was the Polithburo?
-was the executive committee of the party
-it helped to centralise the party
-created in 1919
-it became the real centre for party policy
what was the Orgburo?
-created to supervise the work of local party committees
intention vs reality of polithburo and Orgburo:
-it created the illusion of a democratic bureaucracy, whereas in reality the central committee still had the most authority
describe the role of the central committee during the war:
-responsible for actual policies and decisions
-after Lenin banned factions in 1921, any decision taken by the central committee had to be accepted by the whole party
-overall it gained a lot of power during the civil war
what extra role was created in 1922?
-general secretary
-intended to control the workings of the party
-also could decide who becomes a party member
-post filled by Stalin
who were the nomenklatura?
-category of people who held key administrative posts, and whose positions were granted only with the approval of the communist party in their region
-this measure was to ensure that the people in those posts were trustworthy, which created a loyal party elite
reasons for Bolshevik victory:
-cheka took out political opponents
-had the strong leadership of lenin and good coordination of Trotsky, who organised the red army and utilized the railways efficiently
-unified command structure
-widespread hostility to foreign involvement gave the reds a propaganda victory
reasons for White loss:
-lacked a strong leader and good coordinator
-white armies were dispersed over large and less developed areas
-white generals fought independently as they were pursuing their own objectives
-poor discipline and mostly incompetent commanders
-association with traditional tsarist policy meant they didn’t have much support from workers/peasants
-limited foreign support, any they did have withdrew early 1919 when peace was declared with the west
what was their economic policy during the civil war called?
War Communism
describe war communism related to agriculture:
-after a grain crisis in spring 1918 lenin began requisitioning grain, which was often done by force
-they categorised the peasants into poor, moderately poor and kulaks. they considered the kulaks as enemies of the people, with the cheka using them to make an example of them
-demonising the kulaks was their way of legitimising the grain requisitioning - SEIGE MENTALITY
describe war communism related to industry:
-‘commanding heights’ of industry were nationalised e.g. Putilov iron works
-state managers were employed to supervise factories and maintain output, which completely went against their initial decree on workers control!
-all private trade was banned, which arguably created a socialist economy as barter/trade replaced money
did Lenin intend to revolutionise the economy this quickly?
NO - his actions were dictate by circumstance, trotsky was even opposed to war communism
