The Civil War was born of anti-Bolshevik activity following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the closure of the Constituent Assembly and the revolt of the Czech Legion. One of the reasons the reds won is because their army was so much stronger than the whites. Soviet Russia gave way to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.) in 1922, but this did not mean that Russia gave up its hegemony within the new state. Firstly, the Whites were disunited. Why did the Bolsheviks Win the Russian Civil War? The Communists proclaimed the right of self-determination, but in practice they imposed the dictatorship of the Russian Communist Party on them. It ended on March 21, 1921 with the beginning of the NEP. The Whites had lacked coordination, and were plagued by personal rivalries among their leaders. All power belonged to the Communist Party, members of which occupied all the posts in the Soviet of Peoples Commissars and the key posts at all lower levels of the machinery of government. The above mentioned point of view is presented also by Phillips. There were also the Greens and the anarchists, who fought the Reds and were strongest in Ukraine; the anarchists most talented leader was Nestor Makhno. 300,000 men, very strict army discipline, and internal lines of communication civil war - 1002 Words | Studymode There were 9 key events during the Russian Civil War: Trotsky became the Commissar for War for the Bolsheviks and took charge of the Red Army on 13th March, 1918. The most significant groups involved in the Civil War were the Bolsheviks and their Red Army, and a loose coalition of anti-Bolshevikgroups known as the Whites or White armies. second reason was Trotsky, who was a brilliant war leader and strategist. Bolshevik, (Russian: "One of the Majority") , plural Bolsheviks, or Bolsheviki, member of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party, which, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized control of the government in Russia (October 1917) and became the dominant political power. Victory for the Reds. 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 . Corrections? Laver, John. Study for free with our range of university lectures! The Essay Writing ExpertsUK Essay Experts. Their half-hearted efforts against Sikorskis left had little effect, and it was not until August 20 that Tukhachevskys order for a general retreat reached them. 1987. needed to win the war. 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 . the Bolsheviks had what they needed to win the war control of Moscow and nationalised the factories and made strikes illegal. nobles whose land had been given to the peasants). Updates? With the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, the Bolsheviks became not just traitors to the war but a political threat to democratic-capitalist nations. The Bolsheviks nationalised the factories, and introduced military Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Leaders couldnt trust each other and afraid to lose their own power. But both cities were saved by Red Army counterattacks. Russo-Polish War | History, Facts, & Significance | Britannica In Lenin and Trotsky, the Bolsheviks had strong leaders. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. Only part of RussiaMoscow, Petrograd, and much of the industrial heartlandwas under Bolshevik control. Russia lost control of the Baltic states and Finland, however. Laver summarises the reasons by stating that the Reds had many advantages; such as the unified leadership of the communists under Lenin, the skills of Trotsky, and the control of industrial centres which were highly populated areas. Only the outbreak of the Kronshtadt Rebellion in March 1921 and the threat of a wider uprising against the Bolsheviks would force the Soviets to conclude a final peace agreement. It helped the communists classes from exploitation. It was the result of the German defeat in World War I, Polish nationalism sparked by the re-creation of an independent Polish state, and the Bolsheviks' determination to carry the gains they had achieved during the Russian Civil War to central Europe. It allowed all production to be concentrated on the war effort. The remnants of the forces of the Socialist Revolutionaries, headed by Symon Petlyura, retreated westward, where they joined forces with Ukrainian nationalist forces from formerly Austrian Galicia. meant that Trotsky could co-ordinate his forces much better, and fight his Fifthly, Furthermore the Cheka was a terror united all the Bolsheviks and made them keen to win the war. Rarely did foreign units directly engage the Bolsheviks on their own. Vilnius, which had changed hands several times since the end of World War I, remained a point of contention. The size, strength and leadership of these White armies varied considerably. With the development of anti-Bolshevik forces in Siberia, the local soviet feared that Nicholas might be liberated. The French in Ukraine were bewildered by the confused struggle between Russian Communists, Russian Whites, and Ukrainian nationalists, and they withdrew their forces during March and April 1919, having hardly fired a shot. For what concerns the foreign powers, it must be noted that their abandonment of the Whites when the Reds began winning some of the battles was crucial in determining the outcome of that conflict. As I have mention they were are scattered all around Russia. Oxford, UK: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 2002. The end of World War I and the Polish advance, The Russian counterattack and Allied intervention, The Battle of Warsaw and the Miracle on the Vistula, https://www.britannica.com/event/Russo-Polish-War-1919-1920, 1914-1918 online - International Encyclopedia of the First World War - Polish-Soviet War 1920-1921, GlobalSecurity.org - 1919-1920 - Russo-Polish War. Indeed, Moscow under the Georgian Joseph Stalin, the commissar for nationalities, regarded imperial Russias territory as its natural patrimony. The Bolsheviks subsequently clashed with the labour force, which understood socialism as industrial self-management. They Bolshevik, (Russian: One of the Majority) , plural Bolsheviks, or Bolsheviki, member of a wing of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers Party, which, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized control of the government in Russia (October 1917) and became the dominant political power. Nikolay Bukharin, a left-wing Bolshevik in the early Soviet period, wanted revolutionary war, while Trotsky wanted neither war nor peace. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and other Nazi leaders used it in reference to the worldwide political movement coordinated by the Comintern. Revolutionaries, Mensheviks, Tsarists, army officers angry at Brest Litovsk, and On May 7 Kyiv was occupied by a Polish army under Gen. Edward migy-Rydz, while between the Dnieper and Dniester rivers Polish-Ukrainian forces held a line that stretched through central Ukraine, from Bila Tserkva in the north to Yampil in the south. The Cheka helps the reds for more successful in returning deserters to keep their armed supplies enough. 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. Corruption was one of the factors; another one was the total dependence on vodka and cocaine among the White soldiers. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Poland and Lithuania would remain in a state of frozen conflict until 1938. Ed. The defeat of Germany had also opened the Black Sea to the Allies, and in mid-December 1918 some mixed forces under French command were landed at Odessa and Sevastopol, and in the next months at Kherson and Nikolayev. Of the three points of their effective slogan"Peace, land, and bread"the first proved to be the most difficult to realize. By June 7 Budenny had occupied Zhytomyr and Berdychiv in migy-Rydzs rear; migy-Rydz was therefore ordered to evacuate Kyiv (June 12) and to retreat westward. Why Did The Bolsheviks Won The Civil War - 725 Words | Studymode 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. History Buff Quiz By general consent the decisive event in the history of the provisional government was Kerensky's conflict with Kornilov, which broke into the open in August (September, New Style). Lenin favoured peace at any price, believing that it was purely an interim settlement before inevitable revolution. 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. Their slogan: A united and indivisible Russia alienated national minorities, and played into Bolshevik hands. The Allied governments now had to decide on their policy in the confused Russian situation. the Cheka murdered more than 7000 Whites. Trotskys leadership led the communists to a closer step of succeeding in the civil war. White generals made military blunders, but their political mistakes and disunity proved decisive. were a coalition of different enemies of the Bolsheviks who hated each other! He reintroduced the ranks and pay differentials and tough discipline-death penalty frequently used. When did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? - Quora For more information, visit our FAQ page or Terms of Use. In April 1920 the Azerbaijan government surrendered to the double threat of invasion by the Red Army and rebellion in Baku. 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. Omissions? This united the soldiers and encouraged support and co-operation. Behind the White armies emerged a political movement, a loose coalition comprised ofmonarchists, liberals, non-Bolshevik socialists and disgruntled peasants. Many historians and researchers studied the Russian civil war, and the reasons for the defeat of the Whites they all agreed on were not always identical. This ban was needed to prevent local party groups from overturning the decisions of the congress. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). By 1920, the Red army of 5 millions was 75% peasant in composition. It was a brutal conflict that produced terror, war crimes and human suffering on catastrophic levels. Dedicated to your worth and value as a human being! BBC - History - World Wars: War and Revolution in Russia 1914 - 1921 Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Get Help With Your Essay Their armies were thousands of miles apart, so Trotsky could defeat them one at a time. The victory of the Communists in the civil war is indeed mainly due to this simple fact of military superiority, reinforced by the fact that, holding the central core of European Russia throughout the war, they could plan operations and move men more easily than their enemies, whose bases were on the periphery and cut off from one another. Ufa fell in June, and Kolchaks armies retreated through Siberia, harassed by partisans. They were disunited and their armies were thousands of miles apart Generals Yudenich and Deniken attacked Russia This gave the Bolshevik armies the supplies they The Moscow government did not intend to respect Transcaucasian independence for long. 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. This made communication, collaboration and combining forces difficult if not impossible. The first Why did the Bolsheviks Win the Civil War? - UK Essays From August 1625, the lead units of the Polish Second Army had covered some 200 miles (320 km). Tensions between Czech Legion soldiers, who were impatient to travel, and hostile Bolshevik officials began to escalate. Many historians and researchers studied the Russian civil war, and the reasons for the defeat of the Whites they all agreed on were not always identical. 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. 1556332. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. For more information on usage, please refer to our Terms of Use. Brainscape Find Flashcards Why It Works Educators Teachers & professors Content partnerships Meanwhile the British forces at Murmansk were at war with the Communists. The Bolsheviks, however, pressed ahead, using coercion as necessary. needed to win the war. flashcards from Shona Little's The Nelson Thomlinson School class online, or in Brainscape's iPhone or Android app. Yevgeny Prigozhin: Wagner insurrection plunges Russia into - CNN War There were also significant White forces in Siberia and the east (Kolchak) and in Russias north-west (Yudenich). Against the drive and ruthless energy of the Bolsheviks, their . The First World War was still actively being fought as the coup d'tat took place. Its sole purpose was to win the war. James Millar. *You can also browse our support articles here >. 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. Given the Bolshevik desire to dominate the whole of Russia and the rest of the former tsarist empire, civil war was inevitable. It never came, and the Bolsheviks found themselves at the Germans mercy. 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. The Russian Civil War - Alpha History Buy Online AccessBuy Print & Archive Subscription. http://mars.wnec.edu/~grempel/courses/russia/lectures/28civilwar.html>. Why did bolsheviks win civil war - A-Level History - Marked by Teachers.com During the war, the Bolshevik army was known as The Reds, who, lead by a fierce and organised Trotsky, had one clear aim; to remain in power. After the establishment of Lenins government in 1917, opposition members, especially those who had military positions under the Tsar regime, started to appear. Foreign military intervention was lukewarm at best. Others fought for them because they hated foreign (British, American and As a result of the brutality of the Whites antagonized peasants e.g. The Polish Fourth Army averaged 25 miles (40 km) a day in their advance. The New Economic Policy (NEP) was inaugurated at the 10th Party Congress in March 1921. Throughout the. Geographical position also contributed to the Reds victory in the Russian Civil War. 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. Finally, the Bolsheviks had what they By mid-1920 the Reds had consolidated their hold on the country. Kolchaks arrest and execution in February 1920 was an important turning point, while the retreat of Wrangels army from southern Russia in November 1920 marked the Bolshevik victory in European Russia. Lenin had seen the war against Poland as a necessary response to the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Although the tide of war had seemingly turned against him, Pisudski never lost his nerve. 5. Kolchak set up an administration in November at Irkutsk, but it was overthrown in December by Socialist Revolutionaries. They used ruthless tactics and propaganda to great effect. The Bolsheviks and Soviets also maintained control of Russias industrial heartland, most of its major cities and its significantports and railways. WATCH NOW What Caused the Russian Revolution? The Reds informed the peasants that it was in their best interests to supply food, because if the landlords came back the peasants would lose everything. Kolchak advanced in the Urals and had attained his greatest success by April. won the Civil War. Trotsky organized effective counter attack against Denikin who had come within 320 km. Kolchak and his officers disliked the left-wing views of the politicians and found it difficult to distinguish between Socialist Revolutionaries and Communists, lumping together all Reds as enemies. Almost without making an effort to attack, they passed ignominiously over the East Prussian border to internment. Kolchaks coup dtat coincided with the collapse of Germany and the end of the European war. Thirdly, The Bolsheviks were ruthless in their pursuit of victory. Sabaah Gulbar LV2 Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? The decisive Polish victory resulted in the establishment of the Russo-Polish border that existed until 1939. In April 1920 an alliance between Petlyura and Polish leader Jzef Pisudski led to a joint offensive that overran much of Ukraine and sparked the Russo-Polish War. 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! If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Yet this widespread opposition and apparently vulnerable position both worked in the favour of the Bolsheviks, making it possible for them to secure eventual victory. 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 Russian Civil War began with growing resistance to the Bolshevik regime that seized control of Russia in October 1917. His determination reaped its reward, and the Russians gave way in front of him. In less than a month, the Poles had lost virtually all of the gains they had made in the previous year. One side can start a war, but it takes two to end one. Victory for the Reds - October Revolution - BBC Russian Revolution: Causes, Timeline & Bolsheviks | HISTORY Had the Soviets continued to aggressively press their attack even then, they might have succeeded, but they hesitated and were lost. The nature of the civil war was, just as any war, cruel and brutal, the White army was responsible for many crimes: White troops were allowed to commit atrocities during the war, such as pogroms against the Jews who lived in White-occupied lands (Habeck 1665). whites were disunited, the Bolsheviks maintained absolute unity through Terror. 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. 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. History Hit 19 Aug 2020 On the 11 August 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour party met for their Second Party Congress. War and Revolution in Russia 1914 - 1921. The identification with the Tsarists isolated both workers and peasants also created a drawback to the whites. The dictatorship of the Bolsheviks was relying to this threat of force. needed. He himself was handed over to the Communists in January 1920 and was shot on February 7. the Bolsheviks by introducing War Communism. This How did the Bolsheviks win the civil war? Chapter 6 Bolsheviks revolt in Russia - HISTORY The greatness of the Red Army was the reason of why did the communist win the Civil War. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Stalin, who had become general secretary of the party in 1922, used the party as a power base. murdered any Whites they found more than 7000 people were executed, and Red Army had good tactics. The Reds were opposed by the Whites, anticommunists led by former imperial officers. 1. [The Bolsheviks were] outflanked to the east by . Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. The Russian Civil War was a three-year struggle for control of Russia, fought by the Bolshevik Red Army, counter-revolutionary White armies and other non-aligned forces. 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. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Russian war commissar Leon Trotsky was against pushing on, but Lenin allowed political considerations to outweigh the opinions of the military experts. Direct intervention by Allied military forces was, however, on a very small scale, involving a total of perhaps 200,000 soldiers. Western New England College. They refused, defeated attempts of the local soviets to disarm them, and took control of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. 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. The White armies fought as separate units and were unable or unwilling to coordinate their strategy or offensives. They were well organized, keeping strict control on their resources. 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. The Reds focused on industrial centers and cities e.g. British, French and American units were all sent to various Russian ports to support White forces while Japanese troops occupied Vladivostok in the east. Soviet Russia adopted its first constitution in July 1918 and fashioned treaties with other republics such as Ukraine. 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. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. The Whites, in contrast, were not sure what they wanted to create. On the other hand, the Whites wouldnt allow it. Russias 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 that was eager to end the fighting. This was an enormous drawback for the White army that found itself alone and weak. To tsarists, liberals, Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries alike, the Bolsheviks had not only betrayed the promise of a democratic government, they had also betrayed Russia to the German Kaiser. The Bolsheviks had practically one the civil war and even had non-bolsheviks supporting them. 4. They also had internal lines of communication that helps them to use the rail and move troops quickly. Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems. Title: The Russian Civil War 1918-21 Russia itself had been an empire with many non-Russian citizens, and the emergence of numerous national elites was a trend of considerable concern to Stalin and his leadership. Their retreat rapidly devolved into a rout. As a consequence, foreign troops began withdrawing from Russia in 1919. The Whites, on the other hand, were divided, they lacked a common strategy, and they did not have popular support. Treadgold, Donald W. Twentieth Century Russia. Generals Yudenich and Deniken attacked Russian from the west, Admiral Kolchak from the east. Sikorski persisted in his attacks all through August 1516, his men fighting with determination. The feat of winning the Civil War and the organizational methods adopted to do so made a deep impact on Bolshevik thinking. Lee, Stephen J. Lenin and Revolutionary Russia. Trotsky introduced war communism at the right time to insure the winning of the Bolsheviks. Opposition began to grow and intensify into a fully-fledged counter-revolutionary movement. There was little in common between the Tsarist groups and socialist groups like the Mensheviks. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. They were leaving Russia when Trotsky demanded their weapons. An armistice was signed at Riga on October 12, 1920, and military operations ceased six days later. The Polish advance had of course been helped by the fact that the Red Army was also engaged against White armies in the Russian Civil War. thewar).Thiswashumiliatingintermsoflossoflandandresources,but LeninrecognisedthatitwasessentialiftheBolsheviksweretobeableto focusalltheirattentiononwinningthecivilwar No outstanding Russian Social Democrats joined Lenin in 1912. The Civil War One side can start a war, but it takes two to end one. Pisudski expected a powerful Soviet offensive in the spring of 1920, but on January 28, 1920, the Soviet government offered an armistice based on the existing front line and proposed a peace conference. However, as the Civil War developed, the White Armies began to face major problems and difficulties in organising their campaigns. It drew in many disparate political and military groups, nationalist movements and social classes. In April 1920 an alliance between Petlyura and Polish leader Jzef Pisudski led to a joint offensive that overran much of Ukraine and sparked the Russo-Polish War. In county with 80% illiteracy common population was rather gullable and not able to question it but simply believed as a faith. Some foreign powers were chiefly interested in protecting resources previously lent to Russia. Many communists regarded Russia as acquiring imperialist ambitions. They assumed the name Bolsheviks and dubbed their opponents the Mensheviks (Those of the Minority). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This put the whole nation on a war footing, and gave 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. This was a position which was much stronger than that of the whites and it enabled the Bolsheviks to be able to put lots of men into battle quickly. Among the early victims of the civil war, which may be considered to have begun in earnest in June 1918, were the former imperial family. Pisudski divined this intention and, after discussions with Rozwadowski and Weygand, wrote on the night of August 56, 1920, his historic order of the day prescribing (1) that in the south the enemy should be stopped east of Lviv (now in Ukraine); (2) that in the north the left flank of the Polish forces should be covered and the right bank of the Vistula should be held for the defense of Warsaw; and (3) that in the centre an army of five divisions should be concentrated on the Wieprz River for a strategic maneuver designed to disrupt the rear of the Soviet armies as they approached Warsaw.

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