AS FP2 : Course of the Civil War Flashcards
(10 cards)
Problems facing the Bolsheviks
Who was General Kolchak, where was he situated?
Kolchak in the East. Army of 140,000, had built upon the success of the Czech legion by linking with it. Initially very successful in taking Kazan and Samara by June 1918 but their advance fell through due to counter attacks by the Red Army ; Power struggled with the socialist revolutionaries who staged revolts which weakened the army ; and internal quarrals and apathy amongst the Czech Legion.
By Autumn on 1919, Kolchak had begun his retreat, in 1920 he was captured and shot.
Problems facing the Bolsheviks
Who and where was Yudenich?
Yudenich in the West, smallest army some 15000 men but it reached the outskirts of Petrograd in October 1919 before being turned back by larger Bolshevik forces.
Problems facing the Bolsheviks
Who and where were Denikin and Wrangel?
Denikin’s southern army of 150,000 had the largest contingent of Don Cossacks, by the Summer of 1918 he was besieging Tsarityn (defended by Stalin), however it was successfully defended, preventing the southern and eastern white armies from linking up and disrupting vital grain supplies.
- Denikin’s second offensive in the summer of 1919 came into 320km of Moscow, however Trotsky’s counter attack caused a hasty retreat.
- Denikin was replaced by Wrangel, eventually evacuated in 1920.
Tsaritsyn later renamed Stalingrad.
What was Makhno’s insurgent army?
The most dangerous of the Green Armies was Makhno’s Insurgent Army, which had successfully used guerilla warfare against the Whites and Reds and was strongly supported by the Ukrainian peasant population.
- Encouraged the growth of peasant communes, challenging the Bolsheviks’ centralised state.
- Makhno’s army fought as an irregular division for the reds, however as soon as the war was won the Bolsheviks crushed the movement and Makhno fled to Romania.
Key events
Describe the firs stage of the Civil War.
- Civil War was characterised by fluid campaigns, battles and skirmishes.
- Bolsheviks held central areas of European Russia, including Moscow and Petrograd.
- Mainly fought in the East and South of Russia.
- By the end of 1920, due to primarily the Bolsheviks’ superior geographical position, and the superior organisation in the face of the Whites, most of the former Russian Empire was in Communist hands.
How many died in the Civil War?
Nealy 10 million, as a result of hunger, epidemic disease and military action.
Describe the Second Stage of the Civil War.
The War continued more as a nationalist struggle against Polish Armies into 1921. The Poles invaded Western Ukraine but were driven back by General Tukhachevsky. After the second rising was crushed, the Treaty of Riga was signed which granted Polish self0rule along with Galicia and parts of ByeloRussia. The Independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was also confirmed.
Provide a timeline of all the key events in the Civil War.
- Jan 1918 : Red Army is Establihsed
- March 1918 : Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, British troops land at Murmansk.
- May 1918, Czech legion rebels
- June 1918, Murder of the Tsar
- August 1918, Anti-Bolshevik government established by Americans at Archangel.
1919 turning point, Yudenich defeated, Denikin pushed back. - February 1920, Kolchak executed
- April 1920, Denikin is succeeded by Wrangel being pushed back to Crimea
- May 1920, Polish Army invades Russia and occupies Kiev
- July 1920 Tukhachevsky mounts Red Army Counter Offensive against Poles.
- August 1920 Red Army defeated by Poles, Miricale on the Vistula.
- Novemver 1920, Wrangel Defeated
- March 1921, Treaty of Riga.
Why did the Bolsheviks murder the Tsarist family?
Bolsheviks feared that the Tsar would be rescued by the Whites and used as a figurehead. In practice, it is extremely unlikely that Lenin did not authorise the assassination. Despite the Whites not specifically figthing to restore Nicholas, there was still fear that he may become a focus of resistence.
Murder, July 1918.
What were the consequences of the murder of the Tsar?
The murders were covered up to avoid a scandal for the government. While the death of the ex-Tsar was a personal tragedy, it made little real difference to the subsequent events. The most that can be said is that it removed a potential figurehead for the White Armies. However, since so few wanted the Tsar back in power, his loss cannot be considered important to the White’s failure to win the war.
