The Civil War Flashcards
When did fighting break out?
The summer of 1918
Causes of the Civil War
Domestic opposition
Global opposition
Lack of food
Explain domestic opposition as a cause of the civil war?
Political opposition had been attacked by Lenin - dissolved CA when he lost, had Kadets, Mensheviks and SRs rounded up and arrested
Opposition about B-L - Bukharin had set up ‘revolutionary war group’
Landlords/bourgeoisie who lost land were angry (look at decrees)
Explain world opposition as a cause of the civil war
Bolsheviks set up the Comintern in March 1919 - threat to other countries
Anger at Russia for withdrawing from WW1
Anger at Bolsheviks for writing off old Tsarist debts
Explain lack of food as a cause of the civil war?
Ukraine had been lost in Brest-Litovsk - ‘bread basket’ of the Soviet Union
Food shortages as a continued legacy of WW1
Why was the Bolshevik position precarious before the civil war?
Those on the right could claim that they had no right to power (true - they had seized power by force and then disregarded election results)
Why did national minorities get involved in the civil war?
There were national minorities, such as the Georgians, who did not trust Bolshevik promises of self-determination.
They saw an opportunity for independence.
Who comprised the Whites?
Anybody who opposed the Bolsheviks - those who wanted the tsarist regime back, those who did not see the Bolsheviks as legitimate/able to cope with economic problems, those on the left who felt that the soviets had been sidelined etc…
Who took over leadership of the whites?
Old tsarist officers: Deniken, Kolchak, Yudenich, Wrangel
Who led the Whites in the South?
General Deniken
Who led the Whites in Siberia?
Admiral Kolchak
Who led the Whites in Estonia?
General Yudenich
Who replaced Deniken in Crimea?
Wrangel
What had amassed by the spring of 1918?
An anti-Bolshevik volunteer army, partly financed by Germany
What did the Bolsheviks do in anticipation of the growing threat?
Moved the capital from Petrograd to Moscow in March 1918
What sparked the outbreak of war?
Members of the Czech legion began attacking Bolsheviks in Western Siberia in May
Examples of fundamental differences in the White army
Old tsarist officers wanted to preserve the Russian empire, but national minorities wanted self-determination
What was the expected outcome of the Civil War at the start?
Nobody expected the Bolsheviks to win - geographically, they were surrounded by Whites on all sides
How much of Russia did the Red Army occupy at the start of the war?
Only 1/5
Advantages of the places the Red Army occupied?
In control of the most densely populated, industrialised and connected (due to railway connections) parts of Russia
Activities of Denikin’s forces?
In the summer of 1918, Denikin (whose army included many Cossacks) attacked the Don region, threatening a city called Tsaritsyn. Successful Red resistance prevented Denikin from linking up with White armies in the East.
By the summer of 1919, Denikin began another offensive which got dangerously close to Moscow by October, but Trotsky forced Denikin’s army south towards Crimea.
When were Denikin’s operations?
Summer of 1918 (Don region)
Summer of 1919 (Moscow)
Activities of Kolchak’s forces?
In the summer of 1918, Kolchak’s forces captured the cities of Kazan and Samara but was halted by Red Army counter-attacks.
By the autumn of 1919, Kolchak was in retreat.
In 1920, he was captured and shot.
When were Kolchak’s operations?
Summer of 1918 (Kazan, Samara)
Autumn of 1919 (retreat)
1920 (shot)
Activities of Yudenich’s forces?
Got close to Petrograd with a small army of 15,000 men in October 1919, but he was forced back by Red troops
When were Yudenich’s operations?
October of 1919 (Petrograd)
Activities of Wrangel’s forces?
In 1920, he replaced Denikin in Crimea. His White army held out for several months, but the Green army fought against them.
