The civil war Flashcards
causes and course; the role of Trotsky; the murder of the Tsar; the reasons for the Red victory; government and control in wartime
Causes of the civil war - removal of opposition
Lenin wanted a civil war to remove enemies and thought it was better to have a quick war then struggle against opponents for years.
Causes of the civil war - opposition to Bolsheviks
National minorities wanted to assert their independence. Bourgeoisie were treated badly under the Bolshevik rule
Causes of the civil war - political opposition
Right wing - no right to rule, Lenin forced Kadets out of gov. Some wanted return of a tsar
Centre - not submitted to popular elections
Left wing - Bolsheviks ignored the soviet and the constituent assembly and expelled SRs from gov
Causes of the civil war - Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Worsened food shortages and many peopled were angered by it as it lost so much land and money
when did the civil war break out
spring 1918
reasons for red victory - geography
reds commanded the hubs of communications with armament factories and most densely populated regions including Moscow and Petrograd
whites in less developed parts e.g. Kolchak in Siberia
reasons for red victory unity and organisation
red aims were united e.g. peace, land and bread and protection of the revolution
whites operated separately with different aims e.g. omsk gov with Kolchak was right wing while komuch was SRs
white didnt coordinate e.g. 1919 Denikins advance occurred as Kolchak retreated
reasons for red victory - leadership
under Trotsky’s leadership the red army was a well-disciplined fighting force
recruited 50,000 former tsarist officers for experience and training of new recruits
conscription drafted 1000s of peasants into the army
boosted moral travelling to fronts in armoured train meeting commanders and troops
discipline and control - officers found guilty of cowardice or treachery executed, men who showed initiative and courage promoted
political commissars to spread socialist ideas and maintain loyalty to Bolsheviks
successfully stopped Denikin from advancing to Moscow in Oct 1919
when was the Tsar murdered
July 1918
was the murder of the Tsar significant
not really
but removed a figurehead for some of the white armies
how did bureaucracy increase during the civil war
needed more people for government to function efficiently
officials outnumbered workers 2:1
how did centralisation increase during the civil war
politburo created in 1919 took over control of state affairs from Sovnarkom
