Power-point 10: 1918-1921: Area of Study 2 – Creating a new society

Chapter 13: Civil War

The Civil War begins

Bolshevik support outside of European Russia was very weak.

This lead to the ‘White’ forces taking control under different ex-Army leaders surrounding the Bolshevik forces around Moscow and Petrograd.

Opposition to the new Bolshevik government

Political: Bolsheviks were not willing to share power with other left wing socialist parties, like the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries, seen with the closing of the Constituent Assembly

Local and Regional Interests: Some saw the Bolshevik grab for power just as bad as the Tsar’s hold over Russia. Some minorities were interested in independence.

Opposition to the new Bolshevik government

Economic Problems: Lost the wheat fields of the Ukraine from the treaty. The Bolsheviks lacked the power to bring about any sweeping changes and had to resort to State Capitalism.

Foreign Opposition: The WW1 Allies of France, Britain, USA and Japan sent aid to the anti-Bolshevik forces (the ‘Whites’) to get Russia back in the war against Germany and Russia’s 80 billion debt paid back. The Allies were also capitalist and were opposed to communism

Internal threat – White Army

Consisted of the traditional conservative forces in Russia and ousted political groups like the SR’s. Included:

General Denikin’s southern threat from the Ukraine. Liked Tsars regime with 150,000 soldiers

Admiral Kolchak’s eastern threat included 100,000 men, an anti-Bolshevik govt in Siberia and external support

Internal threats General Miller’s northern threat

came from a SR govt set up by Miller. This was overthrown by General Wrangel

General Yudenich’s NW threat included 14,400 released Russian POW’s that nearly captured Petrograd

Green Armies came from the ethnic peasants who either wanted autonomy or independence from Russia.

Timeline of the War May 1918: Czech Legions capture the Trans-

Siberian Railway 1919: Commander of the White Forces, Admiral

Kolchak pushes the Red Army back close to Moscow, before being defeated.

October 1919: General Denikin captures Kiev before being defeated

April 1920: Poland invades Russia for more territory

October 1920: White armies admit defeat and are evacuated by the British Navy

1921: Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijan Nationalists are defeated, ending the war for good.

Clockwise from top: Soldiers of the Don Army in 1919; a White Russian infantry division in March 1920; soldiers of the 1st Cavalry Army; Leon Trotsky in 1918; hanging of Bolsheviks by the Czechoslovak Corps.

Soldiers pose over the Bolsheviks killed at Vladivostok

Why the Communists won the war

Geography: Red control of railways White army being scattered Most of the Russian population living in the

Red area and conscription of men into the Red army, creating a unity of purpose

Red Control of industry and arsenal

Leadership: Trotsky as a brilliant military leader White generals mistrusted each other

Why the Communists won the war

Military, political unity and organisation: White forces were divided along political

lines Communists (or Reds) were a united political

force

Support: Poor foreign support for the Whites Good propaganda for the Reds The peasants didn’t want landlords to return War Communism to control the economy

The use of Terror to win the war

Lenin and the Bolsheviks had to consolidate power by means of repression through the Cheka (secret police) and the Red Army.

Lenin and the Cheka Commander Dzerzhinsky believed the survival

of the revolution depended on stopping a counter revolution.

Trotsky the fighter

Leon Trotsky was the Bolshevik Commissar for War who followed a strategy of defending all lines of transport and communication, moving Red troops quickly by rail.

The Whites were unable to maintain consistent supplies and concentrate their forces in a single location.

POSITIVE VIEW

1918 Bolshevik propaganda poster depicting Trotsky as Saint George slaying the reactionary dragon of counter revolution (Trotsky was People's Commissar of War, and organizer of the Red Army). Note the dragon is wearing a top hat, which the Soviets associated with capitalism.

NEGATIVE VIEW

White Army propaganda poster depicting Trotsky as a "Red devil" sabotaging Soviet society by disposing of good communists. It attempts to appeal to anti-Semitism. The text above the picture reads, "Peace and Liberty in Sovdepiya"

Murder of the Royal Family

On their way back to Moscow for trial, the Romanov family, their 4 servants and the family dog were intercepted by a local Bolshevik group in a town called Ekaterinburg in July 1918.

At 10.30pm they were told to dress, go down to a cellar where the some Red Guards and the local chief of the Cheka shot and bayoneted them all. Brutal!!

Motives for the murder

Was a statement of permanent rejection of the old regime

White soldiers were close Didn’t want the anti-Bolsheviks

motivated by the rescue of the family Difficulties in communication at a

local level, led to them locals taking the initiative

Impact of Civil War the Bolshevik Party

Psychologically: created survival mentality, self belief and fight against the odds

Politically: shaped militaristic character of communism & tradition of loyalty & discipline

Organisation: war developed a strong central govt lead by authoritative leadership

Socially: Justified strict justice on perceived counter-revolutionary threats

Homework Tasks

Analysis Activity 2 (pg. 142) Analysis Activity 3 (pg. 143) Focus questions page 144 Analysing historians perspectives

and pick an essay question from page 146