Russian Civil War

Overview

very complex

many forces operating over a large territory

confusing

sides were not clearly defined

White forces made substantial gains in late 1918 and autumn 1919

put the Bolsheviks in a crisis situation

by October 1919, the Bolsheviks began to beat the Whites (one army by one army)

Oct 1919 onwards the pushed the Whites back continuously until their final defeat at the end of 1920

Reds in a stronger

centred and concentrated

stronger position geographically

better organisation, communication and clear command structure

still had problems - high desertion rate

Weakness of Whites

lacked good leadership, unity and coordination

Trotsky was good at organising Red Army - he had energy and bravery

lacked support from peasants and minorities (they preferred policies of Bolsheviks)

War communism

adopted by Lenin to meet the needs of the army and conduct a civil war on the internal front

Communists saw this as the route towards a Socialist state

most people's experience of War Communism - a terrible time of privations and chaos

Terror essential component of this internal civil war to defeat counter-revolution

The Civil War

by Spring 1918, armed opposition to the Bolsheviks was developing in many parts of Russia

most army commanders were anti-communist

now they were pulled out of the war, they could overthrow the Bolsheviks

General Kornilov and General Denikin led an anti-Bolshevik army in the South

Admiral Kolchak commanded the White army in Western Siberia - became the most important White General

General Yudenich led a White army in Estonia

White Army

a diverse group

ex-tsarist commanders, Kadets, some SRs and right-wing political organisations

often clashed with each other

e.g. in June 1918, Victor Chernov set up an SR government in Samara. Admiral Kolchak clashed with Chernov

Nov 1918 - communists relaxed their treatment of Mensheviks and SRs and joined forces with them

Green army fought whites and reds

they were a nationalist peasant group - e.g. Ukraine

Use of Terror

Causes

Consequences

Why did Bolsheviks War

Weaknesses of Whites

Strengths of Reds

Trotsky

lacked political unity or unified leadership

never co-ordinated their attacks

some wanted to restore the Tsar

others wanted to set up a Republic or Military dictatorship

White commanders had their forces spread over thousands of miles- they filed to link up

the nearer they got to Moscow, the more strained communication became

more unified

better leadership

united behind Lenin

Lenin

shared Lenin's ideology

Trotsky

were ruthless and pragmatic

able to push through controversial but necessary politics

e.g. reintroducing one-man management in the factories

employing ex-Tsarist officers into the Red army

controlled a more coherent and compact area

communists were defending a central region

which was well served by railways

used by Reds and Whites

Red Terror

began September 1918

but had existed since July

during Civil War, Cheka executed at least 50,000 suspected counter revolutionaries

Czech Legion

dates of civil war tricky - usually said to be when the Czech Legion revolted in May 1918

Czech Legion consisted of Austro-Hungarian prisoners

who were returning via the trans-siberian railway to Wester Europe to fight against the Central Powers

with the hope of being awarded an independent Czech state

clashed with the Bolshevik forces in May

joined the White troop to overthrow Bolsheviks

ended in end of 1920

Foreign Intervention

Whites

USA

France

Britain

Italy

Japan

help was half-hearted and soon withdrawn

Interventionist powers were:

worried about the possibility of a communist revolution spreading to their own countries

angry that the Bolsheviks refused to pay back foreign loans

initially hoped that, if they helped overthrow the Bolsheviks, Russia might rejoin the war against Germany

British intervention helped to ensure that the Baltic states were able to break away from Russia and become independent

little more was achieved through this foreign aid

Communist Party had won the Civil War

brutality of War Communism had made it deeply unpopular

economic and social programme

enabled them to attract and keep mass (if not majority) support

powerful instruments of force

Red Army

Cheka

the heartland of the Russian state - around Petrograd and Moscow

their opposition were restricted to the periphery amidst competing political and ethnic interests

Britain and France

severely short of troops to spare

requested that President Wilson provide American soldiers for the campaign

July 1918, Wilson agreed to the limited participation of 5,000 US Army troops in the campaign

against the advice of the US Department of War,

knowns at the 'American North Russia Expeditionary Force (AKA the Polar Bear Expedition)

a further 8,000 soldiers were in the American Expeditionary Force Siberia

sent to Arkhangelsk

shipped to Vladivostok from the Philippines and from Camp Fremont in California

when Lenin planned the 1917 revolution, he believed it would be impossible to create a socialist state in Russia

due to its lack of industry

unless help from more advanced countries was achieved

Lenin assumed that Communism would spread to other areas of Europe

bu 1921, Lenin realised Russia was going to be the only Communist country for a while

Communist revolutions had failed in Germany and Hungary (1919-1920)

Lenin knew a strong army and secret police were necessary to defend his government from internal and external threats

dictatorship would have to continue indefinitely

War Communism

Events

internal passports introduced

to stop industrial workers from moving to the countryside

discipline reasserted into factories - abolishing 1917 decree

Trotsky wanted to tighten control and even create a labour army under military discipline

Lenin overruled him

nationalism of industry saw a return to one-man management in place of worker's councils

after 1918 (onwards)

food

rationing introduced

Zinoviev: they were given 'just enough bread so as to not forget the smell of it'

biggest rations went to Red Army soldiers and worker in heavy industry

next were the civil servants and workers in light industry

then were the capitalists, landlords and middle classes (at the bottom)

requisitioned from peasantry by the state

in practice, requisitioning meant the straightforward theft of grain

Food brigades sent out from towns to extract grain from the peasantry

where necessary, the Red Army and Cheka were also used

nationalised industries operated under the overall supervision of the Supreme council of National Economy (Vesenkha)

Vesenkha had been formed in December 1917

in the course of 1918, industry was brought under state control

Results

brutality of war communism made Communist Party deeply unpopular

GDP, industry and exports decreased

war communism ensured that the Red Army was fed and equipped

took the majority of resources

70% of shoes

60% of food

War communism did not prevent the continuing fall in industrial and agricultural output

economic crisis was equally as bad in white controlled areas

by 1921

industrial production had fallen to 20% of the 1913 level

grain harvest was 50% of the 1913 level

peasants decided it was not worth growing food to have it taken

therefore, they reduced their sowing

led to a terrible food shortage

led to large-scale migration from the cities

1917-1920, urban population fell by 33%

Key Features

Old inflation ridden country was abandoned

trade was by barter

instead wages were paid in food and fuel

food and grain seized from peasants by Red Guards to feed the workers and troops

military discipline was applied to the factories

middle class managers, accountants and engineers brought back to run the factories

most had been placed under workers' control in the months after the revolution (usually with disastrous results)

all factories of any size were nationalised

War with Poland (1920-21)

In January 1920, the Reds recaptured Ukraine

Poland then invaded Ukraine to expand its borders

Red Army then pushed them out and invaded Poland

Lenin anticipated Communist revolt in Poland - it did not happen

Red Army withdrew and the Treaty of Riga was signed in March 1921