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Russian Civil War. What Caused the Civil War?. The civil war lasted for 3 years, 1918-1921. After November 1917, rise of Lenin, many groups formed that opposed Lenin and the Bolsheviks and how they worked for the peasants and the workers.
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What Caused the Civil War? • The civil war lasted for 3 years, 1918-1921. • After November 1917, rise of Lenin, many groups formed that opposed Lenin and the Bolsheviks and how they worked for the peasants and the workers. • These groups included monarchists, militarists, and for a short time, some foreign nations. • In January 1918, General Kornilov organized an anti-bolshevik movement and his army was known as the White army. • Together, these groups were known as the White Army while the Bolsheviks were known as the Red Army. • The groups were led by general Yudenitch, Denikin and Kolchak. • The Treaty of Riga brought to an end the Russian Civil War.
Nikolai Yudenich He posed the greatest threat to the Bolsheviks, as he reached Gatchina, a place 50 km from Petrograd, in October 1918 Trotsky soon arrived to defend the capital Industrial workers were recruited and the railway from Moscow was used to bring backup and soon Yudenitch was outnumbered He then ordered his troops to surrender and escaped to Estonia
Anton Denikin • Together with general Peter Wrangel, he took control of the Kuban Region in October, 1918 and Wrangel continued to advance along Volga • He retreated to Crimea when general Mikhail Frunze went to clear Turkestan of anti-bolsheviks • He then retreated to Novorossiysk and was forced to leave Russia when faced by Mikhail Tukachevsky in April 1920
Alexander Kolchak • He set up an anti-bolshevik dictatorship in Omsk (Siberia) • In March 1919 he captured Ufa • The Red Army, led by Mikhail Frunze entered Omsk in November 1919 • Kolchak tried to escape but was captured by the Czechs who handed him over to the Bolsheviks • Executed on 7th February 1920
Why did the Bolsheviks win the Civil War? • The Bolsheviks were united under Lenin and Trotsky whilst the Whites were divided. • They had a common cause, Marxism. The Whites had different agendas, their slogan, “Russia: one and indivisible” wasn’t true as they depended on foreign aid.
Bolsheviks had a good geographical position as they were situated in the industrial heartlands of Russia. • The Whites were 10500 kilometres away from each other and had to communicate via Paris.
