The Civil War Flashcards
What name was given to the collective ‘anti-Bolshevik’ forces in the Civil War?
The Whites
Why did some national minorities fight against the Bolsheviks?
They were fighting for independence and did not trust Lenin to follow through with his Nationalities Decree.
What grievances did members of the Left, such as the Mensheviks and SRs, have with the Bolsheviks?
They resented the Bolsheviks for seizing power without their consultation and arresting leading members.
Who were the Greens?
A peasant army led by the anarchist Nestor Makhno with no affiliation to Reds or Whites.
Name three leaders of the Whites.
- General Denikin
- General Yudenich
- Admiral Kolchak
- Baron Wrangel
What did the Bolsheviks do to their capital city in March 1918?
They moved it from Petrograd to Moscow.
Who attacked the Bolsheviks in Western Siberia in May 1918?
The Czech Legion.
Why did the Czech Legion attack the Bolsheviks?
They were traveling eastwards to return to Europe to fight the Germans after Russia left WWI.
Geographically, why did the Reds have the advantage in the civil war?
They controlled the central area of European Russia, the center of transport, communication, and industrial production.
What did Admiral Kolchak declare himself in November 1918?
Supreme Leader.
Which city did General Denikin reach within 200 miles of by October 1919?
Moscow.
When was Kolchak captured and shot by the Bolsheviks?
February 1920.
Petrograd came close to being invaded by which White general in October 1919?
General Yudenich.
Who helped evacuate the remaining White forces from the Crimea by the end of 1920?
The British and French.
The Poles who invaded western Ukraine in 1921 were driven back by which Red General?
General Tukhachevsky.
How many miles did Trotsky’s armoured train cover during the civil war?
65,000 miles.
How many former Tsarist officers did Trotsky recruit into the Red Army?
50,000.
Who did Trotsky appoint to each army unit and why?
Political commissars to countersign orders and instill ideological principles.
In what ways did Trotsky deal with the problem of desertion within the Red Army?
He reinstated the death penalty and used the Cheka to shoot deserters.
When was the Tsar and his family murdered in Yekaterinburg?
July 1918.
Why were the Bolsheviks generally more popular with the peasants than the Whites?
The Whites threatened to return land to landowners and terrorized peasant populations.
In what ways did foreign help for the Whites benefit the Bolsheviks?
It allowed the Reds to portray themselves as a nationalist army defending Russia.
How many Party members fought for the Bolsheviks during the civil war?
Over half a million.
By the end of the civil war, how many men were in the Red Army?
Five million.
