rationing and forced the peasants to give food to the government. In the Battle of Warsaw alone, the Poles captured 66,000 prisoners of war, along with 231 artillery pieces and 1,023 machine guns. A White propaganda poster of the Russian Civil War, depicting the Bolsheviks as a red dragon. WATCH NOW What Caused the Russian Revolution? The Industrial Revolution gained a foothold in Russia much later than in Western Europe and the United States. Russian Revolution: Causes, Timeline & Bolsheviks | HISTORY Sabaah Gulbar LV2 Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? For the territory around Lake Baikal and east of it, from the spring of 1920, the fiction of a Far Eastern Republic, independent of Soviet Russia, was maintained. The Bolshevik propaganda campaign was also more successful. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The reign of Peter I (the Great; 16891725), The reign of Catherine II (the Great; 176296), Government administration under Catherine, Education and social change in the 18th century, The Civil War and War Communism (191821), The Gorbachev era: perestroika and glasnost, Ethnic relations and Russias near-abroad, Consolidation of power, Syria, and campaign against the West, Putins fourth term as president, novichok attacks, and military action against Ukraine, Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz. Publisher: Alpha History won the Civil War. In March 1918 the Bolshevik government agreed to let these units leave Russia by the Far East, but in May violent incidents took place during the evacuation, and on May 29 Leon Trotsky, commissar for war, ordered them to surrender their arms. Two of these first White governments were formed by Socialist-Revolutionaries: the Provisional Siberian Government, based in Vladivostok, and the Committee of Constituent Assembly Members, formed in Samara. What made this certain was the effectiveness of their own diplomacy, organisation and military strategy (80). In comparison to the lack of support of the whites, it was a lost cause because they had only 65600 men. reason was Trotsky, who was a brilliant war leader and strategist, so the Red To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! James Millar. the Bolsheviks by introducing War Communism. Enough supplies for the military force creates a huge advantage for the Reds compared to the Whites with a weak arm force. The slogan Russia One and Indivisible did little to keep the minorities fighting for the Whites. Russia lost control of the Baltic states and Finland, however. Finally, the Bolsheviks had what they This Russian Revolution site contains articles, sources and perspectives on events in Russia between 1891 and 1927. The comrade who imposed Russian dominance was, ironically, Stalin. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. As commissar for nationalities, he sought to ensure that Moscow rule prevailed. privacy policy Another reason why the Bolsheviks won the civil war was that they were a very strong party. This new government, the Ufa Directorate, was led by a five-man committee, three of whom were Socialist-Revolutionaries. The size, strength and leadership of these White armies varied considerably. Western New England College. The Bolsheviks found that this principle applied to themselves after October, when they expected to disengage quickly from World War I. Whereas the The Red Army eventually battered Wrangels forces, whose rearguards held out long enough to ensure the evacuation of 150,000 soldiers and civilians by sea from Crimea. The White armies fought as separate units and were unable or unwilling to coordinate their strategy or offensives. The Bolshevik mission was to establish a soviet socialist republic across Russia. The Bolsheviks, commonly known as the Reds, had one aim: to take over the current government and create a socialist Russia. Habeck, Mary R. White Army. Encyclopedia of Russian History. Others hated foreigners invading Russia. The idea that almost everyone has is that the Soviet state was founded in the year 1917, which was the year of the Bolshevik revolution; the truth is that the state has risen only after the end of the civil war in which the Bolsheviks were the ultimate victorious side. A Soviet movement around his left flank had assumed alarming proportions and had to be stopped. The Cheka helps the reds for more successful in returning deserters to keep their armed supplies enough. Omissions? A further factor was the Czechoslovak Legion, composed of Czech and Slovak deserters from the Austro-Hungarian army, whom previous Russian governments had allowed to form their own units. On April 28 the Red Armys counteroffensive began. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. World War I and the decline of the Russian Empire Russian Empire The Polish army group under the elderly Stanisaw Szeptycki, comprising 12 infantry divisions and one cavalry brigade (about 120,000 combatants), started a general retreat. New York, NY: Macmillan Reference-Thomson/Gale, 2004. The Whites also lost important generals at critical times, such as Kornilov (killed in battle in March 1918) and Kolchak (executed in January 1920). the Bolshevik soldiers were enthusiastic. Overall, the Bolsheviks tried everything to maintain in power. Russia signalled her withdrawal from World War One soon after the October Revolution of 1917, and the country turned in on itself with a bloody civil war . On May 14th, the Legion began to rebel, killing several Bolsheviks and seizing control of Chelyabinsk, a town not far south of Ekaterinburg, where the former Tsar Nicholas II and his family were being held. The initial impetus behind the interventions was to secure munitions and supply depots from falling into the German Empire's hands, particularly after the Bolsheviks signed the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, and to rescue the Allied forces that had become trapped within . By attacking Poland, he said in a secret party congress, we are attacking also the Allies. His view, which was strongly supported by many Polish communists who were on the Russian side, was that the Russians would be greeted as revolutionary liberators. Even after the signing of the armistice in October 1920, the Soviets delayed for over six months in the hopes of gaining more advantageous terms. It allowed all production to be concentrated on the war effort. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Russia's disastrous performance in World War I was one of the primary causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which swept aside the Romanov dynasty and installed a government . Some foreign powers were chiefly interested in protecting resources previously lent to Russia. Dedicated to your worth and value as a human being! Russian war commissar Leon Trotsky was against pushing on, but Lenin allowed political considerations to outweigh the opinions of the military experts. The Civil War and War Communism (1918-21) - Encyclopedia Britannica It never came, and the Bolsheviks found themselves at the Germans mercy. As before, Moscow was the capital, and it dominated the union. It soon became the primary instrument in the workers paradise for strike-breaking and ideological enforcement in the Red Army. In April 1920 the Azerbaijan government surrendered to the double threat of invasion by the Red Army and rebellion in Baku. Among the targets of the Cheka were Russian nationalists who objected strongly to the bolshevization of Russia. The story was the same in the countryside. Lenin had seen the war against Poland as a necessary response to the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The Reds recruited many ex-tsarist officers but also produced many of their own. One of the greatest advantages enjoyed by the Reds was strategic: their possession of a centrally located and compact territory. The idea that almost everyone has is that the Soviet state was founded in the year 1917, which was the year of the Bolshevik revolution; the truth is that the state has risen only after the end of the civil war in which the Bolsheviks were the ultimate victorious side. By the end of summer the retreat had become a rout. Russian Civil War, (191820), conflict in which the Red Army successfully defended the newly formed Bolshevik government led by Vladimir I. Lenin against various Russian and interventionist anti-Bolshevik armies. Petrograd lost 75% of their population while Moscow lost 50 %. The identification with the Tsarists isolated both workers and peasants also created a drawback to the whites. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Food had to be requisitioned in order to feed the cities and the Red Army. (Western New England College). In the weeks that followed, the Czech Legion continued its revolt against Bolshevik authority, seizing control of towns and stations along the Trans-Siberian Railway. The Bolsheviks nationalised the factories, and introduced military By October the Bolsheviks had majorities in the Petrograd (St. Petersburg) and Moscow Soviets; and when they overthrew the Provisional Government, the second Congress of Soviets (devoid of peasant deputies) approved the action and formally took control of the government. The political system that emerged victorious from the civil war bore the name Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. Lenins death in January 1924 set off a succession struggle that lasted until the end of the decade. Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, and his children had been moved in August 1917 to Tobolsk and in the spring of 1918 to Yekaterinburg. Matters were not helped by the officers reluctance to involve themselves in political matters, leaving chaos and banditry to reign in much of their territory. No plagiarism, guaranteed! was belief. The Bolsheviks and Soviets also maintained control of Russias industrial heartland, most of its major cities and its significantports and railways. This they did at the end of October 1922. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. During the subsequent Russian Civil War, the Bolsheviks successfully held onto power. Even if the White Army managed to control certain regions, for limited periods of time, such as the Ukraine, the Kuban region, Omsk, and Gatchina, and even though it succeeded in winning some battles, such as those at Simbirsk and Kazan, their ultimate fate was defeat. The catalyst for the outbreak of civil war was an uprising by Czech Legion. Treadgold, Donald W. Twentieth Century Russia. By the end of June 1918, counter-revolutionaries controlled most of the railway and with it, all of Siberia. At the same time, Gen. Nikolay N. Yudenich advanced from Estonia to the outskirts of Petrograd (St. Petersburg). White disorganisation and disunity was another factor. the Bolshevik soldiers were enthusiastic. The Allies (Britain, the United States, Italy, and a host of other states) intervened on the White side and provided much matriel and finance. Firstly, the Whites were disunited. The Whites, in contrast, were not sure what they wanted to create. The First World War was still actively being fought as the coup d'tat took place. At the beginning of 1919 the French and Italian governments favoured strong support (in the form of munitions and supplies rather than in men) to the Whites (as the anti-Communist forces now came to be called), while the British and U.S. governments were more cautious and even hoped to reconcile the warring Russian parties. Of the three points of their effective sloganPeace, land, and breadthe first proved to be the most difficult to realize. Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, Tsarists, army officers angry at Brest Litovsk, and Lenins nationality policy was based on the assumption that nations would choose to stay in a close relationship with Russia, but this proved not to be the case. Nevertheless, the Bolsheviks became increasingly popular among urban workers and soldiers in Russia after the February Revolution (1917), particularly after April, when Lenin returned to the country, demanding immediate peace and that the workers councils, or Soviets, assume power. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Trotsky proved to be an inspirational figure as he toured the front in his famous headquarters train. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. Cossack responsible for ethnic cleansing of Russians and Ukrainians. Some other researcher, however, contend that the Reds won the war not because of their exceptional and ingenious handling of the war, but because of reasons related to the mishandling of the war, and its various phases and stages, by the White army and its military chiefs. The Allied governments now had to decide on their policy in the confused Russian situation. At Omsk, which became the centre of the anti-Communists, a new army was hastily trained under the command of Adm. Aleksandr V. Kolchak, with the assistance of British and U.S. military missions. The issue of peace or war tore the Bolsheviks apart. On April 5 Japanese forces landed at Vladivostok, without any approval. Forced requisitioning led to peasant revolts, and the Tambov province revolt of 1920 in particular forced Lenin to change his War Communism policy. The Civil War One side can start a war, but it takes two to end one. The Russia, alone of the U.S.S.R.s 15 republics, did not have its own communist party. Russo-Polish War, also called Polish-Soviet War, (1919-20), military conflict between Soviet Russia and Poland. On December 20, 1917, after seizing power in Russia, Vladimir Lenin created the Cheka, the Soviet Unions secret police. However, without the great leadership, discipline and organisation, the Red Army mightve been worse. It helped the communists classes from exploitation. Poland formally annexed Vilnius and the surrounding area in 1922, a claim that was never recognized by Lithuania. blatant populism for everyone without any intent or even remote possibility to fulfill the promise. reason was that the Whites were disunited. Many were keen Communists, fighting for a better world. It deals with anti-regime conspiracies and keeping watch on groups whose loyalty was suspect. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and other Nazi leaders used it in reference to the worldwide political movement coordinated by the Comintern. - Quora Answer (1 of 6): Simple really. Nikolay Bukharin, a left-wing Bolshevik in the early Soviet period, wanted revolutionary war, while Trotsky wanted neither war nor peace. One is that the Bolsheviks, for all their problems, fought with a clear political objective and unity of purpose. Throughout the. Ultimately, the political divisions and military problems of the White movement, along with the Bolsheviks maintaining control of European Russia and its industrial centres, allowed the Bolsheviks to secure victory in 1921. The Far Eastern Republic had now served its purpose, and its assembly in November formally voted it out of existence and united it to Soviet Russia. were a coalition of different enemies of the Bolsheviks who hated each other! Most of their enemies were fighting only because they were paid to. the Cheka murdered more than 7000 Whites. Second only to Lenin was Trotsky, who as commissar for war not only had supreme command of the armed forces but was also largely responsible for organizing supplies and for the mobilization of manpower. They also had internal lines of communication that helps them to use the rail and move troops quickly. Army had good tactics. At this point, Tukhachevsky was still advancing westward, with the bold plan of crossing the Vistula at Pock so as to be able to attack Warsaws defenders from the rear. The Russian forces in the south made no concerted move and appeared to have no inkling of the attack to come. From February to April 1921 the Red Army invaded and conquered Georgia. Kolchaks coup dtat coincided with the collapse of Germany and the end of the European war. For example: General Yudenich in the north west and Admiral Kolchak based in Siberia. The Russian Civil War. Opposition began to grow and intensify into a fully-fledged counter-revolutionary movement. Victory for the Reds. This site is created and maintained by Alpha History. It was also imposed in the Caucasus, where Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan were tied to Bolshevik Russia by 1921. This In fact the soviets were of small importance. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! Many Russians If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Copyright 2023 History Today Ltd. Company no. Between 1914 and 1920 the number of working locomotives in Russia declined from more than 17,000 to fewer than 4,000, and the railway system, which spent much of the war under the control of White Armies, was devastated. Freelance writer on contemporary history. In the late summer the Communists hastily reorganized armed forces, the Red Army, recovered most of eastern European Russia. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. We can observe from this case that the Bolsheviks reacted quickly with an appropriate change unlike the Whites who has no organization and solution over most of the problems. The Red Army was formed in February 1918, and Trotsky became its leader. The war was a disaster for the nascent Soviet Union. In 1920 there was still an organized White force in Crimea, under Gen. Pyotr N. Wrangel, who struck northward at the Red Army and, for a time, occupied part of Ukraine and Kuban. Russia (1881-1921) Revise Test 1 2 3 4 5 6 Leadership of the Reds The Bolsheviks were extremely fortunate in the quality of their leadership, particularly in Lenin and Trotsky. It drew in many disparate political and military groups, nationalist movements and social classes. Bolsheviks - Wikipedia Poland and Lithuania would remain in a state of frozen conflict until 1938. Philips, Steve. The Polish Fourth Army averaged 25 miles (40 km) a day in their advance. The Russian Civil War - Alpha History Gen.Wadysaw Sikorskis Fifth Army in the north was the first to advance. These events caused the Moscow government to crack down heavily on non-Bolshevik socialists. This The Communists had been driven out, and the Ukrainian nationalists were divided in their attitude to Denikin, Petlyura being hostile to him, but the Galicians preferring him to the Poles, whom they considered their main enemy. Strikes were made Also the weak opponent and all the disadvantages help the Reds to win more easily. It also pulled back on the unpopular War Communism. The Whites controlled borderlands and extremities, where communications were very difficult. The Soviet Union was one of the worlds two super powers during the second half of the twentieth century. Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. Stalin eventually outwitted Trotsky, Lenins natural successor, and various other contenders. Moscow lived in fear of an attack during the 1920s and concluded a number of peace treaties and nonaggression pacts with neighbouring and other countries. The almost complete breakdown of transportation made it impossible to distribute even those inadequate supplies that the government made available. The Civil War caused the Bolsheviks to adopt a more severe economic policy known as War Communism, characterized chiefly by the expropriation of private business and industry and the forced requisition of grain and other food products from the peasants. And even though all the fractions of the Whites agreed on that final goal, they did not agree on practically anything else. This was an enormous drawback for the White army that found itself alone and weak. Thirdly, They were disunited and their armies were thousands of miles apart Generals Yudenich and Deniken attacked Russia How did the Bolsheviks win the civil war? Chapter 6 History Hit 19 Aug 2020 On the 11 August 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour party met for their Second Party Congress. They Stalin, who had become general secretary of the party in 1922, used the party as a power base. As a result, the Whites failed to win support from the people or present themselves as an alternative to the Soviet regime. All Communist Party members agreed that the goal was socialism, and this meant the dominance of the industrial economy. He thought that he had time on his side. The key sectors of the economyheavy industry, communications, and transportremained in state hands, but light and consumer-goods industries were open to the entrepreneur.
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