Topic 6, 7 and 8 Flashcards
Name the 3 groups in the Russian Civil War
and explain and breakdown the groups
Reds - the Bolsheviks, made up of kronstadt sailors and red guards
Whites - Former Tsarists, nationalists, sparists and socialist revolutionists
Greens - Peasant armies and deserters of other armies
What were each of the group’s motives?
- Reds (the bolsheviks) were really just concerned about preserving the power they already have
- Whites were very broad, and deeply divided. Only thing they had in common was removing the bolsheviks from power
- Greens just wanted to protect their lands
Name 3 reasons why the strength of the (Reds) Bolsheviks was the reason for their success in the Civil War
- (Geographic advantages) the reds controlled key areas such as petrograd and moscow,
- This was where most of Russia industry and raw materials were
located, allowing them to supply their troops
- These areas were populous, providing fresh recruits for the Reds
- Most of Russia’s railways were in the capital, allowing
communication to occur much easier - (Propaganda) The Reds were able to use propaganda to make it seem as though they were defending russia against foreign countries
- because the whites used used foreign aid such as the UK, Japan
and the US,and some Russian people feared in the events of a
Whites win, there’d be no Russian independence - (Quality in leadership) The reds were fortunate to have the quality leadership in Lenin and Trotsky
- Trotsky was great leader, being able to inspire and rally men by
using discipline such as capital punishment
- Lenin was great at inspiring and motivating, taking trains (with
propaganda all over them) to the frontline.
- The Reds had a clear, singular, unified command structure.
Compared to the whites who had various conflicting interests
Name 3 reasons why the weakness of the Whites was the reason for the success of the Reds
- (Unorganized leadership) Due to the deeply divided Whites, their army had various conflicting aims
- It was very common for the Whites to fight each other
- They didn’t have a clear aim - (Little support from the people) Due to bring feared
- The whites were brutal towards locals areas, stealing crops and
torturing civilians
- The propaganda by the reds made the whites’ foreign aid back fire
against them as people felt as if the aiding countries will take over
Russia - (Geographical disadvantages) No control over key areas in Russia made it difficult for the whites to compete
- The sheer size of Russia worked against the white army, having to
travel long distances to supply forces, making it difficult to maintain
control
- The reds had all the key cities which was important for supplying
What was ‘War Communism’?
The economic and political system that existed in Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1921 that meant the economy war only geared for war.
Why did ‘War Communism’ occur?
The Soviet regime needed to reorganize the economy in order to survive the Russian Civil War. To meet the needs of the war economy, the government had to ensure there were high levels of industrial and food production to feed everyone
Name the 5 main features of War Communism
and briefly explain them
- (Grain requisitioning) The Bolsheviks sent red guard units to the country side to find grain for the cities, they established the forcible requisitioning of grain as a policy
- (Banning of private trade) All private trade was banned, creating black markets
- (Nationalization of industry) All industry was under state control
- (Labour discipline) More discipline was introduced like fines for lateness
- (Rationing) Foods seized by the Cheka were rationed, most given to workers and soldier and little given to the bourgeoisie
What was the ‘Red Terror’?
a campaign of political repression and executions carried out by the Bolsheviks, through the Cheka.
What was the ‘The Tambov Revolt’?
Peasant rebellions challenging the Bolshevik government’s war communism during the Russian Civil War
What was the ‘Kronstadt rising’?
The Kronstadt uprising was a rebellion by sailors against the Bolshevik government due to widespread dissatisfaction with the policies of the Bolsheviks, (NEP)
- Comrimising away form the soviet ideals and going towards capitilism
What was the ‘NEP’?
Economic reforms implemented by the Soviet Union in 1921 to revive its economy, recognizing the need for a more market-oriented approach to stimulate economic growth
Summarize the impact of NEP on agriculture
Free market nature of the NEP incentivised the peasantry to grow more food, ending the famine of 1921
Summarize the impact of NEP on industry
Although industrialisation was slow, the industry recovered from civil war times. Factory output doubled and average wages doubled
Summarize the impact of NEP on politics
Lenin banned factions in 1921 and brought the principle of ‘democratic centralism’.
Name 2 reasons for foreign intervention
- To keep Russia fighting in WW1
- Protect the armaments sent to Russia by the allies
- Allies were anti Bolshevik
