The Civil War Flashcards
Why was Lenin’s peace with Germany resented?
The harsh terms he agreed to
Why had the left had turned against Bolsheviks?
Kadets and SRs kciekd out of government
Constituent assembly closing
Bolsheviks didn’t include soviets and imposed one-party dictatorship
Who were alienated by Bolshevik ideology?
Aristocrats and Bourgeoisie, those with land, money and businesses started to lose what they had
Who predominatnly wanted the old tsarist regime?
Army officers - objected peace with Germany
Who were the Reds?
the Bolshevik red army - led by Trotsky
Who were the Whites?
Various armies and groups of Bolshevik enemies - led by former tsarist officers
Who were the Greens?
a largely peassant army fighting for independence.
Mostly in Ukraine - swapped sides depending on who’d help
What started the Civil War?
The Czech Legion seizing trans-siberian railway
Who made rapid advances in August 1918?
General Denikin - SW and Kolchak - E
Who declared himself ‘Supreme Ruler’ of Russia in Nov 1918?
Kolchak - Whites seemed to be successful however Red Counter-attacks prevented them linking up
How many miles to Moskow did Denikin’s army get to?
200 miles
Who’s army advanced to outskirts of Petrograd with 15,000 men in Oct 1919
Yudenich
When was Kolchak captured and shot?
Feb 1920
Who retreated to the Crimea in March 1920
Denikin’s army
When did the Russo-Polish War begin?
May 1920
Who took over after Denikin in the Crimea?
Baron Wrangel - defeated by Green army
When was the Treaty of Riga signed?
March 1921
What was the Treaty of Riga?
Granted independence to Poland, Estonia, Latvia and other states.
How did Trotsky travel around the war fronts?
On a special train, meeting commanders and troops
What was in Trotsky’s special train?
Food, equipment and Propaganda - boosting morale
How did the Red Army have enough food?
Requisitioning grain from peasants
How many former tsarist officers were recruited to train troops?
50,000
What did Trotsky insist on in the Red Army?
Strict discipline - units retreating without orders would be have commissars shot
What was reintroduced into the army to make it a professional force?
Traditional ranks and practices, no longer elected officers
When was the Tsar Murdered?
July 1918
Where was the Tsar Murdered?
Yekaterinburg
How could Geography be seen as a reason for Red Victory?
Reds commanded cummications, armaments factories
densely populated areas in central russia
How were the Reds United?
united in ideological aim - whites fought for independent objectives
How was the Leadership of the Red Army better than the whites?
The Red army was well-disciplined under Trotsky,
Whites had few competent and were ill disciplined
How was peasant support a positive for the Red Army/
they generally agreed with the Red’s land policies - Whites association with Tsarist regime
How did foreign involvement help the Reds?
Didn’t help the Whites that much - propaganda platform for Reds
What happened to Government during wartime?
Increased centralisation of government
How many party members fought for the army?
500,000
How did the Soviet Bureaucracy grow?
more Bureaucrats than workers
How did the way in which orders were given change?
quicker from the centre outward
What was formed in 1919 that overrode the government?
The Politburo
What could be said about eh Bolsheviks mentality?
adopted a seige mentality - defence rather than attack
What was officially established at the end of 1922?
USSR - Soviet Union
