The Russian Civil War 19181921

Causes
Bolshevik Actions:
Many of the actions taken by the Bolsheviks and by Lenin in the build-up to the Russian revolution
can be seen as important factors in causing it. All these actions were primarily motivated by their
attempts to consolidate their power in Russia.
One of the most significant actions of the Bolsheviks in causing opposition was the the dissolution
of the Constituent Assembly. This was because the Bolsheviks were in the minority in the
assembly, meaning that they angered many people, especially the Social Revolutionaries. Many
people had also seen the Constituent Assembly as one of the most important bodies of the
government that had to be made in order for Russia to progress.
Lenin also did not want to share power in a coalition with the other parties as he did not want to
give them power. They were in the minority in comparison to the other parties, like the SRs, so they
would be unable to govern. The hold of the Bolsheviks on power meant that they ostracized these
other, larger parties, breeding resentment towards them.
Another action of the Bolsheviks which angered many and brought resentment was their
agreement to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. Many saw this as large, demoralising defeat, and bread
opposition to the position of the Bolsheviks. It also caused resentment because of its very harsh,
dire terms, such as the loss of large portions of land and people.
Actions of the Social Revolutionaries and other anti-Bolshevik groups:
The increasingly violent actions of the SRs in their attempt at gaining control over the government
can be seen as an important factor in causing the Russian civil war. It arguably set a precedent for
violence to be used in such an open way as the attempted coup in Moscow.
External Factors:
A large factor in causing the Russian civil war was the dire conditions of Russia at that time. The
break down of food supplies during the Second World War meant that many people had no food, a

problem that had as of yet been unresolved by the Bolsheviks. The loss of Ukraine to Germany in
the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk exacerbated the conditions as this was an important area in growing
wheat. Workers began deserting factories, and resentment and anger grew due to the hunger and
poverty.
The war was also a large factor in causing the Russian civil war. It is arguable that many of the
actions that the Bolsheviks had to take, and their ensuing consequences were caused by the war.
Because of the war, Russia saw millions dead, its economy in collapse, its people hungry, and its
government forced to bow down in order to bring about some stability.

Sides
The Reds:
The Reds consisted of the Bolsheviks and their followers, lead by Trotsky and Lenin. They had the
Workers and Peasants Red Army as their forces. This was made up of Kronstadt sailors and Red
Guards, along with workers who volunteered and soldiers from the old tsarist army.
The Whites:
These were anti-Bolshevik groups that were barely united. They consisted of liberals, former
tsarists, nationals and separatists, Social Revolutionaries, and moderate socialists. Moderate
socialists and liberals wanted a military dictatorship until the Bolsheviks were defeated and order
was established. Others, mostly the SRs, wanted the Constituent Assembly to run Russia. This
faction was severely divided and often fought against each other. There were many White armies
which formed, but there are four significant armies.
The Omsk government was a Rightist reactionary government under the leadership of Admiral
Kolchak. It controlled most of Siberia and was very pro-monarchist
Yudenichs army controlled north-west Russia. It was a small forced and attacked the Red army
from Estonia.

The Southern Volunteer Army was led by General Kornilov and Alekseev. It was based on the river
Don and was made up of escaped Kadets, army officers, and other liberals. It was taken over by
General Anton Denikin when both generals died in 1918.
The Committee of the Members of the Constituent Assembly (Komuch) was made up mainly of
Social Revolutionaries. They claimed to be the legitimate elected government, and they were
based in Samara on the river Volga.
The Greens:
The Greens were fractured peasant armies, often with deserters from other armies, whose loyalties
varied from Green army to army. Their main motives were of self preservation, protecting land and
food from other armies, or independence, rather than gaining control of Russia. Some Greens were
simply bandits who looted helpless peasants. The most significant Green army was that of Nestor
Makhno, and Ukrainian anarchist. He was a guerrilla leader who fought the Reds, Whites, and
Germans, before becoming a Red ally. His army was a Ukrainian army that was fighting for its
independence.

The Course of the War:

January, 1918 Red Army is established
March, 1918 Treaty of Brest Litovsk
March, 1918 First British troops land at Murmansk
May, 1918 Czech Legion rebels and captures a large section of the Trans-Siberian Railway
May, 1918 Conscription into Red Army is introduced
June, 1918 Socialist Revolutionary government is established at Samara
June, 1918 Murder of the Tsar and his family
August, 1918 Americans arrive in northern Russia and in the east. British land at Archangel and
establish an anti-Bolshevik government
November, 1918 Kolchak assumes control in Omsk
December, 1918 French land at Odessa
February, 1919 Denikin assumes supreme command in the south-east

February, 1919 Red Army occupies Kiev

March, 1919 Kolchaks forces cross the Urals but are repulsed by the Red Army
March, 1919 Growing discontent in French and British forces
April, 1919 French evacuate Odessa
June, 1919 Denikin and southern army take Kharkov
July, 1919 Denikin advances from the Caucasus and captures Tsaritsyn
July, 1919 Loss of Kharkov and Tsaritsyn leads to criticism of Trotsky
July, 1919 He resigns but his resignation is refused
September, 1919 Allies evacuate Archangel
October, 1919 Denikin takes Orel but is forced back later in the month
November, 1919 Yudenich is defeated
November, 1919 Denikin is pushed back
February, 1920 Kolchak (captured in January) is executed by the Bolsheviks
February, 1920 Red Army invades Georgia
April, 1920 Denikin, having been pursued to the Crimea, is succeeded by Wrangel
May, 1920 Polish army invades RUssia and occupies Kiev
July, 1920 Tukhachevsky mounts Red Army counter-offensive against Poles
August, 1920 Red Army defeated by Poles outside Warsaw
November, 1920 Wrangel, last surviving White general, is defeated in the Crimea
March, 1921 Treaty of Riga: peace between Poland and Soviet Russia

Reasons for Bolshevik Victory

Red strength

White weakness

 They remained in control of central area of

western Russia; maintained inner com,
and transport
Two major cities: Petrograd, and Moscow,
as well as the majority of the railways
The central was also heavily populated
Access to the industrial centers of Russia;
access to more munitions, and resources
compared to whites
White reliance on foreign aid confirmed red
accusations
Peasants were inclined to support the reds
Discipline; use of the death penalty
Better use of propaganda
The red army was united under one goal,
and the leadership of Trotsky

Fought as separate detachments

They were not bound together by single
aim (Anti B aside)
Unwilling to sacrifice their individual
aims to form a united front
Widely scattered Geographically; unable
to bring sufficient pressure on the
enemy
Lack of trust between the white leaders
Leaders were not like by their men, they
were treated poorly
Lack support from the minorities
Too reliant on supplies from abroad;
insufficient quantities, inconvenient
times and places
Lacked in leadership

Other things to consider

The red terror

The Red Terror was carried out in post-revolutionary Russia by the Cheka headed
by Felix Dzerzhinsky along with units of the Red Army. The Red Terror started as
a result of an attempt to kill Vladimir Lenin by Fanni Kaplin in August 1918 and
the murder of the Cheka leader in St. Petersburg. This failed assassination
attempt on Lenin was used as a rationale for the secret police and the army to
round up and deal with anyone suspected of counter-revolutionary activities.
From his hospital bed Lenin instructed the Cheka to prepare for terror.

War on
communism

Production should be run by the state. Private ownership should be kept to the
minimum. Private houses were to be confiscated by the state.
State control was to be granted over the labour of every citizen. Once a military
army had served its purpose, it would become a labour army.
The state should produce everything in its own undertakings. The state tried to
control the activities of millions of peasants.
Extreme centralisation was introduced. The economic life of the area controlled by
the Bolsheviks was put into the hands of just a few organisations. The most
important one was the Supreme Economic Council. This had the right to
confiscate and requisition. The speciality of the SEC was the management of
industry. Over 40 head departments (known as glavki) were set up to accomplish
this.
The state attempted to become the soul distributor as well as the sole producer. The
Commissariats took what they needed to meet demands. The people were
divided into four categories manual workers in harmful trades, workers who
performed hard physical labour, workers in light tasks/housewives and
professional people
War Communism attempted to abolish money as a means of exchange

Effects of the War

Economic

Social

All major industrial

Eyeing Russias

enterprises in Russia
instability, the Poles decided
became centralised
to attack Russia as well,
Hyperinflation from the
eventually gaining large

parts of Ukraine and White

scarcity of food and the
Russia
government printing so many
Sympathy of the
notes

No economic growth
peasants for the Reds was

lost by the end of the war,

despite the Bolsheviks
due to their grain
greatly increasing their
acquisitions, the terrorization
control of the
and exploitation of its
peasants, and the ending of
private ownership
The horrors of the war,

and the military aspect of

the early Bolshevik
government made them
more willing to use force to
rule
The government began

a campaign of grainrequisitioning from

peasants, causing large
amounts of famine
1 in 5 of the population

was starving by 1921, a fact

printed in Pravda
10 million died during

the Civil war, with over half

dying of starvation
Many priests were

killed as Lenin wanted the

destruction of the Orthodox
Church
Due to the economic

and social situation of

Russia, anti-Bolshevik
uprising began to appear,
the most serious of which
being the Kronstadt uprising

Political
Central authority
disappeared and local areas
were left to fend for
themselves
The war gave the

Bolshevik party experience

in governing that made them
obedient, loyal, and able to
work in the worst conditions
possible.