Topic 5: Civil War 1918-21 Flashcards
Why was there a civil war?
- Opposition to Bolsheviks within Russia
- Opposition to Bolsheviks abroad
Who said that the Bolsheviks had no right to rule?
Mensheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries and supporters of the Tsar
Why did former army officers fight against the Bolsheviks?
They were angry about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
What were the main opponents of the Bolsheviks known as?
The Whites
What were the Bolsheviks known as during the civil war?
The Reds
How united were the Whites?
Not very - they all had different goals
Which countries sent troops to help the Whites?
Britain, France, the USA, and Japan
Why did the Allies send troops to help the Whites?
They were angry that Lenin had made peace with Germany
They feared Communism
What job did Trotsky have during the civil war?
Commissar for War
What did Trotsky create?
The Red Army
Who did Trotsky recruit from for the Red Army?
The Tsar’s old army
How did Trotsky ensure loyalty from his troops?
He told officers their families would suffer if they betrayed the Red Army
What was the punishment for Red Army deserters?
Execution
By 1921, how many men were in the Red Army?
5.4 million
Who were the four main armies in the Whites?
Siberia - led by Admiral Kolchak
Estonia - led by General Yudenich
South - led by General Denikin (taken over by General Wrangel in 1920)
Samara - the People’s Army of Komuch
Who were the Greens?
Peasant armies who joined together to control their own areas
Who was the best known leader of the Greens?
Nesto Makhno, a Ukrainian anarchist
How much did Britain send to the Whites?
£100 million
How many troops did Japan send to eastern Siberia to take land?
70,000
Where did the US send troops?
To eastern Siberia to stop Japan
Czechoslovakia and Slovenia sent how many troops?
50,000
What were the troops from Czechoslovakia and Slovenia called?
The Czech Legion
What did the Czech Legion try to control?
The Trans-Siberian Railway
What were the key events of the Civil War?
3rd March 1918: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
13th March 1918: Trotsky becomes Commissar for War
May 1918: Involvement of the Czech Legion
July 1918: Execution of the Romanovs
August 1918: Fanya Kaplan shoots Lenin
November 1918: Eastern Russia Offensive
October 1919: Yudenich and Denikin advance on Petrograd and Moscow
1920-22: Tambov Uprisings
November 1920: Battle of Prekop
What was signed on the 3rd March 1918?
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Who became the Commissar for War on the 13th March 1918?
Trotsky
How did the Czech Legion get involved in May 1918?
They refused to give up their weapons and took large sections of the Trans-Siberian railroad
They joined with the SRs
Where were the Tsar and his family being held?
Ekaterinburg
Who were the Tsar and his family executed by?
Cheka
When were the Tsar and his family executed?
July 1918
Why were the Tsar and his family executed?
To prevent them from being rescued by the Whites
When were the Romanov bodies found?
Not until the fall of the USSR.
1991.
Who was Fanya Kaplan?
A Socialist Revolutionary
What did the shooting of Lenin lead to?
The Red Terror
What was the Red Terror?
The Cheka arrested suspected opponents and executed them without trial
When did Fanya Kaplan shoot Lenin?
30th August 1918
Who led the Eastern Russia Offensive?
Kolchak
When was the Eastern Russia Offensive?
November 1918
By June 1919, how many km from Moscow were Kolchak’s army?
800km
Why did Kolchak’s army not succeed with the Eastern Russia Offensive?
His army was split by disagreements and the Red Army pushed it back
Who advanced on Moscow and Petrograd in October 1919?
Yudenich and Denikin
Whose forces nearly reached Petrograd in October 1919?
Yudenich
Whose forces got within 520km of Moscow in October 1919?
Denikin