Russian Civil War

The Russian Civil War was fought between 1918 and 1922. Following the success of the Russian Revolution, the new Russian (Bolshevik) government made peace with Germany at the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ratified on March 6 1918. This negotiated peace was the only option because the Russian army was in a chaotic and undisciplined state when the Germans advanced in February 1918, although the old Russian army had been re-organized in January into the "Workers' and Peasants' Red Army".

Course of events

The very first attempt to seize the power from Bolsheviks was made by the Kerensky-Krasnov uprising as early as in October, 1917. It was supported by the Junker mutiny in Petrograd, but quickly put down by the Red Guards.

Related Topics:
Bolsheviks - Kerensky-Krasnov uprising - Junker mutiny - Petrograd - Red Guards

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Britain, France, Canada, the United States and seventeen other powers intervened in Russia, initially hoping recreate the Russian front against Germany. After the Allies defeated the Central Powers in November 1918, most withdrew. Japan remained in the Far East, hoping to annex these regions. Only the United Kingdom, under the influence of Winston Churchill, continued significant military aid during the crucial battles in 1919. This mainly in the form of supplies. On the other hand, without this support the White armies would have lost the war much earlier due to the lack of weapons {{ref|Pipes63-75}}.

Related Topics:
Britain - France - Canada - United States - Allies - Central Powers - 1918 - Japan - Winston Churchill

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Lenin was surprised by the outbreak of civil war and initially underestimated the extent of the forces that rose against his new country. Early successes in the Don region made him overconfident.

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The initial groups that stood against the Communists were mainly counter-revolutionary generals and local Cossack armies that had declared their loyalty to the Provisional Government. Prominent among them were Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin (Don Cossacks), Alexander Dutov (Orenburg Cossacks), and Grigory Mikhailovich Semenov (Baikal Cossacks).

Related Topics:
Cossack - Provisional Government - Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin - Don Cossacks - Alexander Dutov - Orenburg Cossacks - Grigory Mikhailovich Semenov - Baikal Cossacks

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In November, General Mikhail Vasilevich Alekseev, the old tsarist Commander-in-Chief, began to organise a Volunteer Army (??????????????? ?????, Dobrovolcheskaya Armiya) in Novocherkassk; he was joined in December by Lavr Georgevich Kornilov, Denikin and a number of others. Aided by Kaledin, they took Rostov in December.

Related Topics:
Mikhail Vasilevich Alekseev - Tsar - Novocherkassk - Lavr Georgevich Kornilov - Rostov

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However, the Cossacks were unwilling to fight, and when the Soviet counter-offensive began in January under Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko the Cossacks quickly deserted Kaledin, who committed suicide. Antonov's forces quickly recovered Rostov and by the end of March 1918 the Don Soviet Republic was declared. The Volunteer Army was evacuated in February and escaped to the Kuban, where they joined with the Kuban Cossacks to mount an abortive assault on Ekaterinodar. Kornilov was killed on April 13 and command passed to Denikin, who retreated back to the Don. There, the Soviets had alienated the local population and the Volunteer Army found many new recruits.

Related Topics:
Soviet - Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko - Don Soviet Republic - Kuban - Kuban Cossacks - Ekaterinodar - April 13

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It was not until the spring of 1918 that the Mensheviks and SRs joined the armed struggle. Initially they had been opposed to the armed overthrow of the Bolsheviks but the peace treaty and the establishment of some harsh dictatorial measures changed their outlook.

Related Topics:
Menshevik - SRs - Dictator

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Potentially they could have been a serious threat as they had some popular support and the authority of their election victory on the Russian Constituent Assembly in 1918. However, they needed armed support. An early attempt by the SRs to recruit Latvian troops in July 1918 was a disaster. Fortunately, the Czecho-Slovak legion proved to be a more reliable group to aid their "democratic counter-revolution".

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The Czech Legion had been part of the old Russian army and by October 1917 numbered around 30,000 men, mostly ex-prisoners of war and deserters from the Austro-Hungarian army. Encouraged by Tomá? Masaryk, the legion was renamed the Czecho-Slovak Army Corps and hoped to continue fighting the Germans.

Related Topics:
Czech Legion - Prisoners of war - Austro-Hungarian army - Tomá? Masaryk

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An agreement with the Soviet government to pass by sea through Vladivostok collapsed over an attempt to largely disarm the Corps, and the force rebelled in June 1918 in Cheliabinsk. Within a month the Czecho-Slovaks controlled much of western Siberia, and parts of the Volga and Ural Mountains regions. By August they had extended their control even farther, cutting off Siberia (and its precious grain supplies) from the rest of Russia.

Related Topics:
Vladivostok - Cheliabinsk - Volga - Ural Mountains

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The Mensheviks and SRs supported peasant action against Soviet control of food supplies. In May 1918, with the support of the Czecho-Slovaks they took Samara and Saratov, establishing the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly (?????, Komuch). By July the authority of Komuch extended over much of the area controlled by the Czecho-Slovaks. They intended to resume anti-German operations and began to form their own People's Army. They also implemented a socialist reform programme but without the unpopular economic changes the Soviets were pursuing.

Related Topics:
Peasant - Saratov - Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly

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There were also conservative and nationalist "governments" being formed by the Bashkirs, the Kirghiz and the Tatars (see Idel-Ural State) as well as a Siberian Regional Government in Omsk. In September 1918 all the anti-Soviet governments met in Ufa and agreed to form a new Russian Provisional Government in Omsk, headed by a Directory of five: three SRs (Avksentiev, Boldyrev and Zenzinov) and two Kadets (Vinogradov and Volgogodskii).

Related Topics:
Bashkir - Kirghiz - Tatars - Idel-Ural State - Omsk - Ufa - Avksentiev - Boldyrev - Zenzinov - Kadet - Vinogradov - Volgogodskii

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The new government quickly came under the influence of the Siberian Regional Government and their new War Minister, Rear-Admiral Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak. On November 18 a coup d'état established Kolchak as dictator. The members of the Directory were arrested and Kolchak promoted himself to admiral and proclaimed himself "Supreme Ruler".

Related Topics:
Rear-Admiral - Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak - November 18 - Coup d'état - Admiral

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To the Soviets this change of control was a military problem but a political victory because it confirmed their opponents as anti-democratic reactionaries. But as the Soviets feared, Kolchak initially proved himself an able commander. Following a reorganisation of the People's Army, his forces captured Perm and extended their control into Soviet territory.

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In Soviet territory, following the Fifth Congress of Soviets in July, two Left SRs — Yakov Blyumkin and Nikolay Andreyev — assassinated the German ambassador in Moscow, Count Mirbach, in an attempt to provoke the Germans into renewing hostilities. Other Left SRs captured a number of prominent Bolsheviks and attempted to rouse Red Army troops against the regime.

Related Topics:
Congress of Soviets - Mirbach

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The Soviets managed to put down local uprisings organised by the SRs and Anarchists. Lenin personally apologised to the Germans for the assassination, although German reprisals were unlikely due to the state of the Western Front. There were mass arrests of Left SRs and following two further terrorist acts on August 30 — the assassination of the Chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, Moisei Uritsky, and the wounding of Lenin — the "Red Terror" was unleashed in response: the Mensheviks and SRs were expelled from the Soviets and anyone suspected of counter-revolutionary activity could be imprisoned or executed without trial.

Related Topics:
Western Front - August 30 - Petrograd - Cheka - Moisei Uritsky - Red Terror - Menshevik

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