Carl Watts The Russian Civil War Did the Reds Win or the Whites Lose the War? Why did the Bolshevik Revolution generate a civil war and fe Rain Gi War san Trieste itn ae apeaton rt oe the wat ave bra led ye elt Wes Svehitrngnpy Sv ro sete at yar nae fn retin bein with tela he Gara Lag Westen hry, lovee, pd Gt ting he ore of he wa fm he some 18 tac to mc agra in inte vention and wrongly suggests a peaceful start to Botte pve sel ty dence tint ct a sade be keri Rell en yar he 6 why was the Red Army victorious? ‘A Bacsan pester from 1920, ‘The tet road ‘Stort mowing tne’ course of the war, and lastly explain why the Red ‘Army was victorious Foreign intervention ‘The Bolsheviks were convinced that the policy of the Allies in 1918 was drected towards the estruetion of the works fst worker state and the prevention of revolutinary socialism from spreading across Europe. Soviet historians, patticulany those ofthe Slinist era, tended to pottray the revolt ofthe Czchoslovak Legion a a calealated antiBolshevie act. But, as WH. Chamberlin argued, evidence to support this assertion is lacking. ‘The rue nature of Aled policy toward Russia as, initially atleast, anti German rather than anti Bolshevik. The Ales wanted to reestablish an eastern front in 1918 to ease the pressure exerted by the German Spring Offensive. It was recognised, however, that the Treaty of Brest Litovsk, concluded in March 1918, effectively precluded sucha possibilty, Consequently, Alliod objectives were limited to preventing the Germans fom capturing muritions and supplies at Archangel and Murmansk ‘Actions on the part of the Bolsheviks, however, led tothe sof fulfiment oftheir susp ions concerning the motives being Alle inter- vention. The repudiation of foreign debits by the Soviet governmentin January 1918 and the estab lishment of the Third Communist International (Comintern in March 1919 antagonized the Allis. ring the Paris peace negotiations there was some pressure fora concerted campaign against Bolshevism. Een go, of the three main Allied Statesmen — Lloyd George, Clemenceau and Wilson — only the French premier was rally anticommunist the other two were more flexible in their apprcach tothe problems posed by Soviet Russia. The tiny number of combat fatalities ‘suffered by Allied forces in Russi betrays the fact thatthe Russian Civil War was primarily a fraticidal contlit The inception of military conflict (Civil war began withthe October Revolution. The ‘Bolshevik sezure of power was an illegitimate act fon the part af a small minority of the Russian people and, a8 [FIN Bradley as acknowledged, ‘Teas clear that if this resolute faction came to power through the uprising it was organising, i would necessarily lash withthe vast majarity of the people and, iit persisted in clinging to power, civil war seemed inevitable. ‘There were many elements in Russian society that hod survived the overthrow of tsarism in |Fobruary 197, or had even benefited from, but ‘were unlikely to escape unscathed from the ravages of revolutionary socialism, ‘Those ‘ements — politica, social and national — were almost guarantee the means by which to resist the Bolsheviks through Rossia's armies in the field. The prospect of eivil war was thus made likely by the existence on the one hand of a faction determined to hang on to power, and on the other, faction resolved to take it rom them. Lenin went to the Second All-Ruseian Congress of Soviets on 25 October 1917 scking to confer legitimacy on the new government, A. Bolshevik majority was assured due to the suppor ofthe Left Socialist Revolutionaries, and the congress thus approved the Soonarkom (Council of Pop's Commissar) of which Lenin ‘was chairman, The Mensheviks and the rest of the Socialist Revolutionaries walked out of the Modem History Reviewcongress, taunted by Trotsky. The right wing of the Socialist Revolutionaries, including Chernor, Gots and Avksentey, fomed @ counter govern ‘ment known as te ‘Commitee forthe Salvation ofthe Motierand, [At the end of October, under the military adership of Colonel Poko, they attempted to take control of Petroprad and arrest the Bolshevik Revoltonary Commit. This proved ‘quite a challenge tothe Bolsheviks because it crincided with General Krasnov's advance on Petrograd, and the Reds had to divide their axtlry to repel the simultaneous threats. The assault by Krasnov's Third (Cossack) Cavalry (Cons was ercestrated by Kerensky, who lf the Provisional Government inthe capital on 25 (October and sought help fom the Northern Front seneral headquarters at Pskov. The Krasnov aalvance succeeded in capturing Gatchina and ‘Tearsce Selo but was chesked by the Ress tthe Batte of Pulkovo Heights. The civil war had therefore clearly began within a few days ofthe cioter Reauton, ‘The failure to dislodge the Bolsheviks from Petrograd led the antiBolshevik forces to the ‘Steoka Supreme Headquarters) at Mogier. The Staoka was prepared to issue a proclamation condemning the Bolshevik seizure of power, The Rossian generals and Allied representatives, weve, were unreceptve to props Ue Socialist Revolutionaries to march on Petr- sad and setup a non-Bolshevk government. ‘Thisefusal to ac allowed the Reds to estab- lish eotrl over the Stak Bat many generals were not prepared to serve the Bolshevik rege; they knew it signal the death of th old Russi in which they still believed. One ofthe first actions taken by the Bolsheviks was the abolition.» cfalranks tiles and ‘scl estas. rl Secil status was determined by ‘anindivduas use to society, theworkerwassupreme =~ ‘The Rusion Git War ondits consequences 8 (Bh onsina of ent Basho foros, ated 1920-24 GUD Aries seckr to desir Boleviem TE Esti Russian otis, 1924-39 Te Boer tea gover Bushes, November 1918 ‘AA Futastadvanee of rts Boh fora, 1918-19 ‘xpi 2000 ‘The philosophical opposition of the Whites is revedle inthe elitist cxmmens of General Ale sane Lakers Where dos the salvation come fom in ines lke these? Certainly not from the masses, ‘which ae always gry, colourless and small. minded but from the heroic deds ofthe best and chosen men... People, aot the sass, make history. General Mikal Alekseev, 2 fomer ce of tall, and General Aleksei Kalein, aiaman (leader) of the Don Cossacks, began to organise resistance to the Bolsheviks in the Dan region, They were soon joined at their headquarter in Novocherkassk by ‘several generels who escaped from Bykov, where they bad been imprisoned follonng the Kernilov revel, Kalen found it dificult to convince the Don Cossacks to enlist in the newly formed Russian Voluneer Amy. The Cossacks thought Civil war in Russia: the beginning 4917 October Beahovk Revotion od toring around Petrograd within a few case December: Aeksoe ts Vohrteor sey ot Novoshorasskn Dn rin. 1848 January: Soviet goverment repudiates Russian cet. Lenin dissolves Constituent Assembly. February: olunteer Aan baglns Ice “Maret fem Don to Kuban, ‘Merch Testy of Brestorsk ends Fussen involvement in Firs World War. Ap: Koro kl; Donkin assumes ‘command of Volunteer Amy end ‘scbsequently captures Ekaterina, LUpising in Don; Volunteer Army recaptures Novocherkassk and stv, ‘May Revolt of Czechoslovak elon. that they could gain ther autonomy by remaining oan a 4neutral, and their support for Kalan wavered ‘when Lenin ordered a Bolshevik force against ther, Kati in despair, commited suicide. ‘The Whites then set out on their famous ‘oe ‘Maret to the steppes ofthe Kuban, In April 1918 the Volunteer Army suffered a blow when General Kornilov was killed by artillery fire General Anton Denikn assumed command and subsequently succeeded in capturing Ekaterin- (dar. Meanie the Don Cossacks, unimpressed after 3 months of Bolshevik foe requisitioning, ecided to rebel, The Bolsheviks wore expelled from the area and in early May Uhe Volunteer ‘Army recaptured Novocherkassk and Rostov. The Russian Civil War was therefore well under way in the Cossack lands before foreign inter vention began. While the crisis in southor Rossin wa unfolding, political consolidation was teking Dace. The convocation of the Constituent Assem ‘bly was the last hope for politcal opponents of the Bolsheviks. ection to the assembly, which convened in January 1818, gave the Socialist Revolutionaries a clear majority of $70 seats to the Bolsheviks’ 175 (heiralls, the Loft Socialist Revolutionaries, won 40 seats) The assembly was antiBolshevik in its proceedings and Lenin responded by closing it down with Red Guards on the second day of business, His refusal to rapromise ascored military resistant the Bolsheviks once canventinal pltcal channels had been closed, Lenin not only expect this he ‘welcomed it civil war was the foundation of Bolshevik strategy The course of the war ‘The war was fought inthe south, east and north. ‘westof Russi, There were thre main pice, Ia the first phase resistance to the Bolsheviks was established in the Don region, Following the Czechostovale revolt two anté-Belshevik govern ‘ments were alo established in Samara and Omsk, each with a military force at its disposal. The fighting daring this phase was limited in sal, and it was not until September 1918 that the Red Azzy was forme under Trolsky’sdtection, ‘The second phase which laste frm March to Novembar 1919, was the meet deisve stage of the war. The White armies of Admiral Kolchak in ‘the east, General Denn inthe sth and General Tudenich inthe north ntally met with consider able sucess against the Red Army. From June 1819, however, the Reds gained the upper hand, and by mid-November the Whites were largely broken as an effective fighting force. During the final phase of the war, what resin of Denkin's army fortified itself in the (Crimea, Richard Pipes cuggests that these forces ‘would have heen swiftly overwhelmed bad it nat een fr the outbreak of war with Poland, which 8 strated the Red Army. In April 1920 Denikin resigned his command in favour of General ‘Wirangel, whose remaining forces were evacuated frm the Crimea by the Brtsh and Prench navies in November 1920, Pines has commented that “This marced the close ofthe Russian Civil War in the military sense ofthe term in the politcal and socal senses, it woul never really end Social and national aspects ‘The civil war was, of couse, more than just a poliico:ilitary conflict it‘lso had a social dimension, Lenin's revolutionary slogan ‘Peace, Bread and Land’ was intended to appeal to all disafecte sections of Russian society. The peas: any had for centres dreamed of owing the land, The October Revolution offered them an cpportuity to seize contra of what they thought belonged rightly to then, Although this was cotrary to his wishes, Lenin recognised that witout the cooperation of the peasantry the industrial workers could not be fed and the Bolsheviks would not survive, Toe Bolsevispragmatically endorsed the agrarian policy ofthe Left Socialist evoltionarizs a the ‘Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets. Evens, theamount of grain being red fll dramatically between the time of the Folshevik Revolution Storage of gran 1917-18, Month Grain stored (tons) ‘November 1917 641,000 December 1917 136,000 January 1918: 46,000 api 1938, 38,000, May 1918 3,000 June 1918 2,000 Source Halle, M. and Norio A (1885) Utot in Power Hist ofthe Sant rion fan 19270 the Present, Sion & Soh. and the summer of 1915 (2 table below le. Lenin's response to this “peasant sabotage’ which was starving the cities, was the policy of ‘war communism’. A system of surplus food appropriation, or gran equstioning (brodmaner: sta), was applied from May 1918: pooree peas ants were turned against the richer Aulaks and seized the stores of grain that they were delber ately withholding. The pasants were compallad to sell their grain tothe state ata fixed price; private trade was banned, Modern History Revlowie ~~ A composi made sn 1920 of Trott a8 Commissar ofthe Red Ama. generated popular supprt by compromising their palicies when necessary. The coooession tothe Left Sosalit Revolutionaries on tei agrarian policy is «good example of political expediency. The ‘Whites were a smal elitist group identified either with taariam or the diseredited Provisional answers and explanations. ‘You can use the questions to test your own knowledge and understanding and then see how first-rate answers are put together. In this way you will learn how to improve your exam technique and maximise your marks. The Guides will help you to. © understand what examiners are looking for ¢ improve your exam technique © revise core topics practise exam-style questions © be more confident © improve your gradest Government; In contas: to the Bolsheviss, the Whites refused to accommodate the reality of changing circumstances within their politcal plilosopiy. They persised with outmoded and unpopular policies such as russification, proclaimed in the slogan ‘Russia, One and [ndivisible. The Eolsheviea were abet capitalise onthe ideological weakness of thei enemies by portraying the Whites 2s puppets of foreign powers Conclusion civil wartotheclash between Cae an Bolshevik forces would be to suggest that foreign ‘was notte case. The cufreacof the war was a direct consequence of te Bolshevik seizure of ‘ower in Oetober 1917, Certain that Russia cout ‘ot accommodate both Red and White together, and having no recourse to means of politcal opposition ober than armed fore, anti Bolsevie factions banded themselves together with Russia's tears generals to igh the Res ‘The national and social aspects ofthe confi, combined with foreign intrventin, complicated and prolonged the civil wa so that wien tended, Russia had not known peace for 7 years. The Reds won the war primarily as a result of strato sic avantages, ut also partly through effective leadership, ideology, organisation and discipline However, the fact that the Whites were able to continue fr so long against sach overwhelming odds and with so many insurmountable hand capa suggests that Bolshevik superiority was ‘only marginal Further reading Bradley, JPN. (1975) Gil War in Russia, 1917-1920, Martins CChambertin, WH, (195) The Russian Revolution, Vol. 2, Macmillan Helle M.and Nelsch . (1986) Utopia in omer: A History of the USSR from 1917 to the Present, Hutchinson. Lineal, WE, (1989) Red Victory: A History of the assian Gl War, Son. € Schuster. Pipes, (804) Rusia Under the Bole Rie, HarperCotns Carl Waits is « George Henry Marshall Scholar in Historical Studies at the Uni- versity of Birmingham, where he teaches history and war studies. Fyn Success Guidas Improve your A-level grades with our popular guides! @@ E° of our Exam Success Guides contains a carefully selected range of questions in the style and format of the examination boards, together with fully worked