Russian Civil War Flashcards
1
Q
Reasons for Bolshevik Involvement in the Civil War
A
- The Bolsheviks’ political opponents were not prepared to accept their absolute rule
- Lenin wanted a conflict to destroy his opponents in a short war rather than be challenged by them throughout Bolshevik rule
2
Q
Reasons for Allied Involvement in the Civil War
A
- Russia’s withdrawal from WWI initially caused resentment
- The cancelling of the Tsar’s debt to the Allies
3
Q
Reasons for Opposition (Within Russia) in the Civil War
A
- The Bolsheviks had seized control by force and opponents could claim they had no real right to rule
- Some wanted the return of the old Tsarist regime
- Certain regions still wanted independence from Russia and had not been granted it
- The signing of the The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the shutting down of the Constituent Assembly had caused political resentment
- Many social and economic problems had still not been solved. The loss of Ukraine had in fact increased food shortages
4
Q
Phase One - Early Resistance
A
- Kerensky’s attempts to rally an army after the Bolshevik takeover fail
- Spring 1918 – Bolshevik forces crush resistance from Cossack armies in the Urals and the Don
5
Q
Phase Two - War With the SRs - the Czech Legion
A
- May 1918 - the Czech Legion (Austria-Hungarian prisoners) rebel on the journey to Vladivostok
- A few are arrested after a brawl and become a focus for opponents of the Bolshevik regime
- Komuch, a government made up of ex-members of the Constituent Assembly, is set up in Samara
6
Q
Phase Two - War With the SRs
A
- Jul 17 1918 – Nicholas Romanov (Nicholas II) is shot at Yekaterinburg alongside the rest of the royal family
- Aug - Trotsky arrives by train at Svyazshk – retreating Officers and one in ten soldiers are shot on his orders
- The Directory government is created in September and ends by November
7
Q
Phase Three - War With the Whites - (January - December 1919) - The Red Army
A
Begins Dec 19 1918 - lasts until the removal of Baron Wrangel from the Crimea
- Aug - The Red Army is forced to abandon Kiev, the capital of Ukraine
- Winter - The Red Army advances on all fronts
8
Q
Phase Three - War With the Whites - (January - December 1919) - Denikin and Yudenich
A
- May – General Denikin with an army of Cossacks begin to advance on Moscow from the south
- Oct - Defeated at Orel and forced to retreat
- Oct - Yudenich also begins to advance on Petrograd from Estonia, but is defeated outside Petrograd. Lenin optimistically says that the war may be over
9
Q
Phase Three - War With the Whites - Kolchak
A
Mar 1919 - Kolchak’s army begin to advance west along the Trans-Siberian railway
Apr - Driven back by Trotsky’s forces
Jan 1920 - Kolchak abdicates from the Directory
10
Q
Phase Three - War With the Whites - (April - December 1920) - END
A
- Feb - Estonia signs a peace agreement with the Sovnarkom
- Mar - Red Army counter-attack the Poles and head towards Western Europe. Denikin’s successor, Baron Wrangel, advances in the south but is quickly pushed back to the Crimea
- Oct - The Treaty of Riga ends the Russo-Polish war
- Nov - The late White forces leave Southern Russia pursued and shelled by Red forces
11
Q
Phase Four - War With the Greens
A
- The Greens were a movement of peasants that were unhappy with Bolshevik policies
- Some were led by Anarchists, like Makhno in Ukraine and Antonov in Tambov
- This period began before the Whites were defeated and ended in 1921. Overlapping all these were movements for international independence
12
Q
Failure of Opposing Foreign Intervention
A
- The allies were exhausted after WW1
- There was very little effective communication between the countries
- By the end of 1920 all foreign intervention had left
13
Q
Opposing Foreign Intervention
A
- Britain managed to maintain the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
- British warships entered Russian Baltic Waters
- In 1919 Japanese and US troops occupied parts of Siberia
- France established a major land base around the Black Sea port of Odessa
14
Q
Use of the Cheka
A
- Tools of terror - approximately killed 150,000 people during the Civil War
- Seized grain and other forms of food from peasants without payment
- Enforced discipline inside the Red Army and were authorised to shoot deserters
15
Q
Government Control During the Civil War
A
- Moscow replaced Petrograd as Russia’s capital
- The Politburo became the new main centre for party policy and its members included Lenin, Stalin and Trotsky
- The Politburo assumed increasing control of state affairs and Sovnarkom met less frequently
16
Q
Beginnings of War Communism
A
- The government decides to take direct control of all aspects of economic life
- War Communism is designed to ensure high levels of industrial and food production to feed soldiers and workers
- Rationing is introduced, with the largest rations going to workers and soldiers
- Conscription is introduced so workers are assigned either to work in factories or in the army
17
Q
Industrial Impact of War Communism
A
- The only advantage is that the Red Army remains well-fed
- Coal production is at 27% of its 1913 figure
- Large factories produce only 13% of their 1913 figure
- 1913-1920 - Overall industrial output drops by 80%
18
Q
Agricultural Impact of War Communism
A
- Between 1916 and 1920 the cities in Northern and Central Russia lost up to 33% of their population to the countryside
- Cotton production drops by 87% as most land is soon used to grow food
19
Q
Prodrazverstka
A
Mandatory deliveries of grain, expropriation of almost all peasants’ produce
20
Q
Grain and Food Requisitioning
A
- By 1933, 25 million tons of grain had been collected from peasants, though this was only just enough to reach demands
- Any peasants found to be hoarding grain could be beaten or killed
- The middle class either had their home seized or were made to share food with workers - they would be imprisoned if they refused and were not allowed to work
- 4 to 5 million people die of starvation
21
Q
Reasons for Communist Success
A
- Ideologically united
- The Cheka enforced harsh discipline and opposition was dealt with brutally
- Maintained control over the majority of the railway network
- Trotsky had a clear strategy: prevent too many Whites gathering in one area and cut off their supplies, whilst also defending internal lines of communication
- Effective use of propaganda against the “bourgeois” Whites (eg. Pravda)
22
Q
Reasons for White Failure
A
- Many separate armies spread out over Russia - little co-ordination or united attacks
- Many generals returned land to the original landowners, angering the peasants
- The Whites were not bound together by a single aim - many of the separate groups hated each other
- The White Army killed over 100,000 Jews and many other civilians, making most support the Reds instead (Kolchak was especially ruthless)
- The separate groups were unable to put aside personal differences long enough to make a united strike against the Reds
- The Directory meant that opposing parts of the White army constantly clashed over tactics and plans - the Communists had no such factions and could pass plans much more easily
23
Q
Phase Two - War with the SRs - The Directory Government
A
- Sep 1919 - The Directory government is set up at Ufa, backed by Czechs, SRs and other anti-Bolshevik groups
- Nov - Kolchak makes himself military dictator – The Directory is ended
24
Q
Economic Impact of War Communism
A
- 70- 90% of wages paid for with things other than money
- Monetary circulation results in hyperinflation
