how did the bolsheviks win the civil war

nationalised the factories and made strikes illegal. On the other hand, the Whites wouldnt allow it. Eventually, in September, the government proclaimed a campaign of Red terror, including shooting hostages and giving increased powers to the Cheka (political police) of summary arrest, trial, and execution of suspects. The Bolsheviks were a communist political party in Russia. On April 28 the Red Armys counteroffensive began. Study How did the Bolsheviks win the civil war? Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Updates? Compare to the lack of commitment in Whites, the Cheka made an important contribution to the Bolsheviks victory in the Civil War. The Tsar and his family were put to death, which removed a focal point reason was that the Whites were disunited. It was much easier for them to the Whites to transport food and arm from the outside. 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 . 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. On the other side, the Whites were scattered around the edges from the central. the Bolshevik soldiers were enthusiastic. Date published: August 15, 2019 Victory for the Reds - October Revolution - BBC The Red Army prevailed and the Soviet state was finally established. 1. Ever-present hunger exacerbated the poor labour relations, and strikes became endemic, especially in Petrograd. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Corrections? 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. By destroying the Polish army we are destroying the Versailles settlement. In the end a Soviet-sponsored government for liberated Poland, headed by Julian Marchlewski, Feliks Dzerzhinsky, and Feliks Kon, which had already established itself at Biaystok, had to flee back to Moscow. 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. for the whites. 4. Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels, and other Nazi leaders used it in reference to the worldwide political movement coordinated by the Comintern. Habeck, Mary R. White Army. Encyclopedia of Russian History. 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 pace of the Polish pursuit was remarkable. How did the Bolsheviks win the civil war? Chapter 6 Tukhachevskys attempt to make a stand along the Sejny-Grodno-Volkovysk line ended in another defeat (September 2028). Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. 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. In contrast, the Red Army, though not without its own problems, contained five million soldiers at its peak and was tightly disciplined. As a result of the brutality of the Whites antagonized peasants e.g. In county with 80% illiteracy common population was rather gullable and not able to question it but simply believed as a faith. 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. In March 1918 a small British force was landed at Murmansk with the consent of the local soviet. Study for free with our range of university lectures! By attacking Poland, he said in a secret party congress, we are attacking also the Allies. 20th-century international relations: Bolshevik diplomacy. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Russians now found themselves in a position to invade Poland. The issue of peace or war tore the Bolsheviks apart. Russo-Polish War, also called Polish-Soviet War, (1919-20), military conflict between Soviet Russia and Poland. The slogan Russia One and Indivisible did little to keep the minorities fighting for the Whites. Finally, the Bolsheviks had what they It never came, and the Bolsheviks found themselves at the Germans mercy. The Moscow government did not intend to respect Transcaucasian independence for long. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. Army had good tactics. 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 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. Trotsky recruited 50000 former Tsarist officers to combat with the plenty experience owed by the Whites. murdered any Whites they found more than 7000 people were executed, and Red Free resources to assist you with your university studies! The First World War was still actively being fought as the coup d'tat took place. War communism was the economic and political system that existed in the Soviet Russia during the Russian Civil War, from 1918 to 1921. The author suggests that the Allied leaders may have had no taste for communism but neither did they desire to carry on fighting. It is also known that the Whites did receive money and military equipment from the Allies although not enough to have an impact on the course of the war (43). motivated the Bolshevik soldiers they were fervent and enthusiastic. Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War - Wikipedia Why did bolsheviks win civil war - A-Level History - Marked by Teachers.com An armistice was signed at Riga on October 12, 1920, and military operations ceased six days later. The Whites did not succeed in presenting a clear vision of what should come after the desired defeat of the Bolsheviks. For more information, visit our FAQ page or Terms of Use. The Bolsheviks, commonly known as the Reds, had one aim: to take over the current government and create a socialist Russia. All work is written to order. Kolchaks coup dtat coincided with the collapse of Germany and the end of the European war. In November, a group of Cossack officers, encouraged and backed by the British, arrested the Ufa executive and forced them into exile. World War I and the decline of the Russian Empire Russian Empire 1987. This gave them better access to infrastructure, communications and supply lines. The Whites were an amalgam of different groups united only by their desire to get rid of the Bolsheviks. The first Crimea 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. needed. It soon became the primary instrument in the workers paradise for strike-breaking and ideological enforcement in the Red Army. As before, Moscow was the capital, and it dominated the union. One is that the Bolsheviks, for all their problems, fought with a clear political objective and unity of purpose. General Lavr Kornilov, who was the Supreme Commander of the Russian Army under the Tsar, created an army of volunteers that reached approximately three thousand men in 1918, and that army was the core of what later became the White Army that fought against the Reds (the Bolsheviks). 2000. French) armies invading Russia. Trotsky organized effective counter attack against Denikin who had come within 320 km. Bolsheviks were united and disciplined towards a single end winning the war. Corruption was one of the factors; another one was the total dependence on vodka and cocaine among the White soldiers. Some wanted a return to the Tsarist regime; others a democratic republic. After this the Allies ceased trying to come to terms with the Communists and gave increased assistance to Kolchak and Denikin. Why did the Bolsheviks Win the Russian Civil War? In September the White forces moved northward from Ukraine and from the lower Volga toward Moscow. Corrections? 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. By mid-1920 the Reds had consolidated their hold on the country. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The Bolsheviks had successfully negotiated peace with Germany, and Russia's role in the First World War had come to an end when the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed in March 1917. Although both factions participated together in the Russian Revolution of 1905 and went through periods of apparent reconciliation (about 1906 and 1910), their differences increased. With the development of anti-Bolshevik forces in Siberia, the local soviet feared that Nicholas might be liberated. By the end of the Civil War in 1921 the Bolsheviks had succeeded in securing their grip on power in Russia. According to Lee, the reason of victory laid in the effective handling of the war by the Bolsheviks themselves, [The Bolsheviks were] outflanked to the east by Socialist Revolutionary regimes and surrounded by White military offensives. The blow against the left flank of the Soviet Sixteenth Army came as a complete surprise, and they offered little resistance. It helped the communists classes from exploitation. This Russian Revolution site contains articles, sources and perspectives on events in Russia between 1891 and 1927. He himself was handed over to the Communists in January 1920 and was shot on February 7. Updates? Why did the Reds win the Civil War? - A-Level History - Marked by The decisive Polish victory resulted in the establishment of the Russo-Polish border that existed until 1939. This article was most recently revised and updated by, Assassination of the tsar and the battle for Ukraine. Russian Revolution memory quiz events 1907-1916, Russian Revolution memory quiz events 1917, Russian Revolution memory quiz events 1918-1924, Russian Revolution memory quiz revolutionaries, Russian Revolution memory quiz tsarists, Russian Revolution memory quiz: concepts (I), Russian Revolution memory quiz: concepts (II), Russian Revolution memory quiz: events 1906 to 1913, Russian Revolution memory quiz: events 1914 to 1916, Russian Revolution memory quiz: events to 1905. This The Russian Civil War was a pervasive and often intense conflict. whites were disunited, the Bolsheviks maintained absolute unity through Terror. At one point during the Civil War, Leon Trotsky, the leader of the Communist Red Army, became so amused by the black market trading of weapons by his opponents, the Whites, that he sent a letter to his enemies thanking them for their help in supplying the Red Army. Laver, John. By the end of the Civil War the Cheka had become a powerful force. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Enough supplies for the military force creates a huge advantage for the Reds compared to the Whites with a weak arm force. The Russian forces in the south made no concerted move and appeared to have no inkling of the attack to come. When it finally did, around the turn. 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. The Forgotten Story of the American Troops Who Got Caught Up in the 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. Also the weak opponent and all the disadvantages help the Reds to win more easily. What must be stated here is that while the Red army was a unified military force under one Bolshevik (communist) leadership, the White army was composed of different groups which had different political views and, most importantly, which did not agree on what concerned the future they wanted for the new Russian state. privacy policy Another reason why the Bolsheviks won the civil war was that they were a very strong party. The countryside belonged to the Socialist Revolutionaries. Among the targets of the Cheka were Russian nationalists who objected strongly to the bolshevization of Russia. Terror united all the Bolsheviks and made them keen to win the war. In the meantime, however, the Soviet supreme commander, Sergei S. Kamenev, had ordered Semyon Budenny to march northward with four cavalry divisions. What treaty brought a settlement with the Russo- Polish war of 1919 . War Although they faced some major problems throughout the war e.g. The Reds were opposed by the Whites, anticommunists led by former imperial officers. Their slogan: A united and indivisible Russia alienated national minorities, and played into Bolshevik hands. Why did the Bolsheviks Win the Russian Civil War. The Communists accepted, but the Whites refused. The only interventionists who represented a real danger were the Japanese, who established themselves systematically in the Far Eastern provinces. Those of the Whites, who were dispersed all the way to the Pacific, were long. Bolsheviks took over the factories in Moscow and also Petrograd so they were able to supply their armies with weapons, ammunition. The ousting of the Tsarist regime, which also became known as Red October as a part of the greater Russian Revolution of 1917, took place on October 25th 1917 with an armed revolt. By this point Soviet resistance was so completely broken that there was little fear of counterattack and the Polish units had ample time in which to reorganize. Sabaah Gulbar LV2 Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. blatant populism for everyone without any intent or even remote possibility to fulfill the promise. We pretty much can conclude that hot phase was over and no White armies units controlled and ruled any Russian territory since then. In the next months there was a marked drawing together of two main groups of Russian opponents of Lenin: (1) the non-Bolshevik left, who had been finally alienated from Lenin by his dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and (2) the rightist whites, whose main asset was the Volunteer Army in the Kuban steppes. Oxford, UK: Heinemann Educational Publishers, 2002. The Russian Civil War (1918-21) was a long struggle for the control of Russia. Russia lost control of the Baltic states and Finland, however. Poland and Lithuania would remain in a state of frozen conflict until 1938. 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 Civil War One side can start a war, but it takes two to end one. And this is why the Communists had the chance and did win the Civil War. However, without the great leadership, discipline and organisation, the Red Army mightve been worse. giving them the advantage in the war. (Philips 42), Another factor that worked in the favour of the Reds was the foreign aid that the Whites were receiving. Leaders couldnt trust each other and afraid to lose their own power. were a coalition of different enemies of the Bolsheviks who hated each other! Lenin did not favour moving toward a socialist economy after October, because the Bolsheviks lacked the necessary economic skills. He was to reveal great leadership and military skill, fashioning a rabble into a formidable fighting force. When did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? - Quora 21 October 2006. In the vacuum created by this action, two anti-Bolshevik authorities appeared: the West Siberian Commissariat, of predominantly liberal complexion, based at Omsk; and the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly, composed of Socialist Revolutionaries, based at Samara. Looking for a flexible role? Summary There were SIX reasons why the Bolsheviks won the Civil War. Rarely did foreign units directly engage the Bolsheviks on their own. The Communist victory was at the same time a defeat for the various nationalist movements of the non-Russian peoples. This put the whole nation on a war footing, and gave The group originated at the partys second congress (1903) when Lenins followers, insisting that party membership be restricted to professional revolutionaries, won a temporary majority on the partys central committee and on the editorial board of its newspaper Iskra. However, a Franco-British diplomatic and military mission, led by Gen. Maxime Weygand, was sent to Warsaw. They assumed the name Bolsheviks and dubbed their opponents the Mensheviks (Those of the Minority). 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. Russian Revolution: Causes, Timeline & Bolsheviks | HISTORY No outstanding Russian Social Democrats joined Lenin in 1912. The political system that emerged victorious from the civil war bore the name Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic. 3. The Civil War was fought on several fronts by different leaders and groups, each with different political ideals and objectives. Get Help With Your Essay Had the Soviets continued to aggressively press their attack even then, they might have succeeded, but they hesitated and were lost. By the beginning of October, Polish forces had reconquered the major part of the territory occupied during 1919. Lenin and the Russian Revolution. Their armies were thousands of miles apart, so Trotsky could defeat them one at a time. reason was Trotsky, who was a brilliant war leader and strategist, so the Red The decisive battles started north of the Pripet Marshes. 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. 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. The Allies (Britain, the United States, Italy, and a host of other states) intervened on the White side and provided much matriel and finance. 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. Petrograd (with their factories), control of the railways, and an army of The party itself was governed by its Central Committee, which Lenin dominated. Denikin and Kolchak were moderates, who lacked effective political or economic programs. Evacuation of the former Russian lands by German forces had to be completed by the beginning of February 1919. Petrograd (with their factories), control of the railways (vital), an army of 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. 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. They the Cheka murdered more than 7000 Whites. Lee, Stephen J. Lenin and Revolutionary Russia. And these showed that the treatment toward the peasant was successfully done and was a key point that leads them to win the war. How did the Bolsheviks win the Russian Civil War (1918-22)? Born Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov in 1870, Lenin was drawn to the revolutionary . If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you arelogged in. In September 1918, these two bodies merged and relocated to the city of Ufa. This even reached a more serious level when an official of the White army stated that his army was composed of members who were ignorant and incompetent (Anderson 22). 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. from the west, Admiral Kolchak from the east. Lenin introduced it when the Civil War was decastated the economy, bringing the industry almost to a standstill and emptying the towns. Trotsky introduced war communism at the right time to insure the winning of the Bolsheviks. On August 14 he pressed forward from his defensive position at Modlin Fortress, north of Warsaw, and at once encountered the Soviet Fifteenth Army. Polish morale was high, and the Weygand mission had helped restore service of supplies to the front lines. The Red Army was formed in February 1918, and Trotsky became its leader. The Communists proclaimed the right of self-determination, but in practice they imposed the dictatorship of the Russian Communist Party on them. They introduced His determination to keep his own faction strictly organized, however, had also alienated many of his Bolshevik colleagues, who had wished to undertake nonrevolutionary activities or who had disagreed with Lenin on political tactics and on the infallibility of orthodox Marxism. In the southern volunteer army, they could not gain any support of the Don Cossacks in the South, as they were only interested in gaining independence for themselves. 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. Pisudski decided that it was vital to rejectthe forces aiming at imposing a foreign form of government on Poland. The Polish offensive began on February 9, 1919. The latter was vital for the economic viability of Russia, and Bolshevik will was imposed. Russian Revolution, also called Russian Revolution of 1917, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style ), overthrew the imperial government and the second of which, in October (November), placed the Bolsheviks in power. thewar).Thiswashumiliatingintermsoflossoflandandresources,but LeninrecognisedthatitwasessentialiftheBolsheviksweretobeableto focusalltheirattentiononwinningthecivilwar How did the Bolsheviks win the Russian Civil War (1918-22)? The Bolsheviks controlled the industrial heartland of Russia, and their lines of communication were short. Geographic factors also helped the Bolsheviks found themselves in a better position than the White. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bolshevik, GlobalSecurity.org - Communist Party (Bolsheviks), The History Learning Site - The Bolsheviks. A tactical retreat from enforced socialism was deemed necessary, a move that was deeply unpopular with the Bolshevik rank and file. This policy was aim to keep the town and the Red Armies supplied with weapons and food. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. By May 1918, the Legion was distributed along the Trans-Siberian Railway but found itself unable to move due to transport shortages and Bolshevik red tape. Ufa fell in June, and Kolchaks armies retreated through Siberia, harassed by partisans. In less than a month, the Poles had lost virtually all of the gains they had made in the previous year. 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. ARussian Imperial Army unit that served in World War I, the Czech Legion contained volunteers of Czech and Slovak heritage who enlisted to defend their homeland. Russian Civil War - The White Army - October Revolution - BBC This gave the Bolshevik armies the supplies they By 1917, the Reds owned 2.5 million rifles and the left wing rail workers diverted whole trainloads from Whites to Reds. Lenin negotiated. They controlled the cities and major population areas. 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. The Bolsheviks had practically one the civil war and even had non-bolsheviks supporting them. Finally, the Bolsheviks had what they The Polish Fourth Army averaged 25 miles (40 km) a day in their advance. The almost complete breakdown of transportation made it impossible to distribute even those inadequate supplies that the government made available. Russian war commissar Leon Trotsky was against pushing on, but Lenin allowed political considerations to outweigh the opinions of the military experts. were Communists, who believed they were fighting for a better world. 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. Lenin helped illegal. Why did the Bolsheviks Win the Civil War? - UK Essays The economic debate was won by those who favoured rapid industrialization and forced collectivization. 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). He thought that he had time on his side. They also had internal lines of communication that helps them to use the rail and move troops quickly. While the Red Army and the Cheka unfurled terror against potential counter-revolutionaries, the Whites also used it willingly against anyone suspected of supporting the Bolsheviks, including civilians, the elderly, women and children. On July 2, 1920, Tukhachevsky issued an order of the day proclaiming to his armies that the fate of the general revolution will be decided in the west and that the road to world conflagration leads over Polands corpse. Two days later, on a front stretching about 300 miles (roughly 500 km), he attacked with 21 infantry divisions and with Gai Khans cavalry corps on his right flank (about 220,000 combatants).

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