The causes of the Civil War (6) Flashcards
When did the fight brake out?
In the summer of 1918.
What was the civil war complicated by?
The involvement of several other countries. whose governments had their own agendas for fighting.
Why did other countries want to fight the Bolsheviks?
Russia’s withdrawal from the war against Germany, a fear that the Bolsheviks avowed aim of spreading international revolution and opposition to the Bolsheviks repudiation of tsarist debts together with their nationalisation of foreign-owned industries.
What was the main reason for this war?
A substantial section of the Russian population, on both the right and the left, had turned against the Bolsheviks by early moths of 1918.
State one of the reason for the civil war which relates to opponents.
The Bolsheviks had seized power by force in Moscow and Petrograd in October/November 1917. Opponents on the right could claim the Bolsheviks had no right to rule Russia; those in the centre said that they had not submitted to popular elections; and those on the left, that they had largely ignored the soviet which had helped them to place in power.
State one of the reason for the civil war which relates to ideology.
Bolshevik ideology alienated some groups. This was particularly true of the aristocrats and bourgeoisie who stood to lose the most but also true of some on the left, such as the Mensheviks.
State one of the reason for the civil war which related to national minorities.
There were national minorities, such as the Georgians, who had been part of the old Russian Empire, who were uncertain that Bolshevik promises to give self-determination were to be believed. These groups saw an opportunity in the prevailing chaos and uncertainty to fight for their independence.
State one of the reason for the civil war which related to economic unrest?
Some Russians were alienated by the Bolsheviks seeming inability to solve Russia’s economic problems. The loss of the Ukraine in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of March 1918 threatened to add to the food shortages in Russia. There was severe rationing of essentials.
What created a force of “Whites” in the course of 1918?
Anger at the concessions of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk merged with factors to create a force of “Whites”.
What did a number of Bolshevik opponents do?
Organised themselves into armed groups with the semblance of being an organised force.
Name the 3 key leaders of the White Army and state where they were based?
1) General Denikin- Based in the South
2) Admiral Kolchak- Based in Siberia
3) General Yudenich- Based in Estonia
4) Baron Wrangel- Based in the Crimea who replaced Denikin.
What happened in the spring of 1918 in the south?
An anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army had been created in the south of the country, partly financed by Germany.
When did the spark to war com about?
When members of the Czech legion began attacking Bolsheviks in Western Siberia in May.
Why was it hard to for the Whites to coordinate a war?
Because of the lack of a single command and the vast geographical distances.
Where were the Bolsheviks based and who threatened this area?
They were held in the central area of European Russia, this included Petrograd and Moscow although Petrograd was threatened by Yudenich’s forces in October 1919.
