We explain what the Russian civil war was and why it was triggered. In addition, what were the sides faced and how it ended.
What was the Russian civil war?
The Russian civil war was an armed conflict that was triggered in Russia between 1917 and 1923. It unleashed After the Bolsheviks took power in the Russian revolution and establish a communist government.
In the conflict The Red Army (the armed forces of the new revolutionary government) and the White Army or White Movement facedwhich brought together the different opposition forces, with the help of foreign nations.
Military clashes were especially intense between 1918 and 1920, and took place on different fronts of the territory of the old Russian empire. The white movement was made up of groups of different origin. It was mostly liberals, monarchists and socialists Mensheviques (the non -Bolshevik faction of socialism).
It is estimated that As a consequence of the war there were more than 10 million dead. Among them are the casualties in battle, but mostly they were civilians victims of famine, insecurity and the extreme poverty that the country crossed in the war period.
The peasantry was the social sector that was most affected by the events of war; In addition to the shortage of essential goods, the fruit of their work was confiscated by the troops of both sides. Also, in those years The Secret Policy of the Bolshevik Government murdered thousands of dissidents and opposition members.
Frequent questions
What are the causes of the Russian civil war?
The Russian civil war was triggered for different reasons. In 1917, the Russian revolution had overthrown the government of Tsar Nicolás II and established a provisional government in the hands of the Mensheviks. However, the Bolsheviks took power a few months later and established a “dictatorship of the proletariat.” The different opposition groups joined and faced the Bolshevik government, starting the Russian civil war.
Who faced in the Russian civil war?
The sides confronted in the Russian civil war were the Bolsheviks and the opposition. The Bolsheviks were a radicalized faction of socialism that had taken power and was installing Soviet communism. His army was known as the Red Army and his main leaders were Lenin and Trotsky. The opposition was made up of different political groups, mainly to the aristocrats who supported the return of the monarchy and the Mensheviks. His army was known as the White Army and his main leaders were Kornílov, Denikin, Kolchak, and Semionov.
What were the consequences of the Russian civil war?
The Russian civil war ended with the annihilation of the opposition and the consolidation of the Bolshevik power in Russia. The Bolsheviks established a uniparty government and, in the following years, built the dictatorship of the proletariat. Russia became the Soviet Union and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union controlled the Russian government until 1991.
Background of the Russian Civil War
In February 1917, The Tsarist monarchy of the Russian Empire was overthrown by the Russian Revolution. The critical political and economic situation of the Empire, and the hardships suffered for their participation in the First World War (1914-1918) led to a series of spontaneous popular uprisings.
This revolutionary wave ended with the overthrow of Tsar Nicolás II and the implementation of a provisional government controlled by the Menchevique faction of the Socialist Movement. However, this government failed to respond to population claims and The Bolshevik faction took power during the October revolution.
The new revolutionary government was led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, which were a radicalized faction of socialism. They argued that it was necessary to establish a “dictatorship of the proletariat”in which a uniparty government will control the economy and politics to guide the country and build a society without classes.
Lenin dissolved the Constituent Assembly that integrated the different political factions in a legislative body, focused on the debate and the creation of a new Constitution. This way, The power was monopolized by the tips of workers (called Soviets) controlled by the Bolsheviks. In addition, he decreed the confiscation of agricultural land, the state control of the production of agrarian goods and the nationalization of the main industries and services.
These measures generated great discontent among opposition groups. In addition, the dissolution of the Assembly led to the groups of non -Bolsheviks socialists began to organize to overthrow the dictatorial government. In turn, The Bolshevik government was increasingly granting powers to the secret police (known as the Czech), which was responsible for pursuing and censoring political dissent.
In 1918 the Bolshevik government signed the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, which agreed to the departure of Russia from the First World War (one of the most important claims of the population). The agreement was signed with the central powers and established great territorial losses for Russia.
Lenin understood that internal opposition forces were organizing and wanted to concentrate their power of action on internal struggle and thus be able to consolidate their regime.
The white movement
The opposition to the Bolshevik government was known as “White Movement” and was especially linked to two political forces.
- Russian high classes from imperial society: the monarchical aristocracy and the liberal high -class groups, which had the experience of having been high -ranking military of the Tsarist army.
- The middle class and socialist left movements excluded from power, especially the Menshevique faction.
The White Movement did not integrate an organized and homogeneous association. It was rather diverse forces that allied themselves at a specific time to deal with the Red Army and overthrow the Bolshevik government.
In addition, with the future of events, these forces received help from foreign nations that had their own interests regarding the development of Russian policy.
Development of the Russian Civil War
The main outbreaks to the Bolshevik government during the Russian civil war were:
- Siberia. The east of Siberia had managed to stay under the control of the nationalist forces during the revolutionary period. In July 1919, Aleksandr Kolchak assumed the military command of the White Army and achieved a series of victories. However, by 1920 the Red Bolshevik army was renewed and strengthened, and was imposed on the forces of the white movement, which began to depend more and more on international support (British and American).
- Southeast Russian. During the first months of the Bolshevik government, some counterrevolutionary military chiefs, such as Mijaíl Alekséyev, Alekséi Koledin, Piotr Krasnov, Aleksandr Dútov and Grigory Semionov, were in charge of militia of volunteers and Cossacks (independent warrior groups that inhabited in different parts of Russia). In March 2018, sovereigns of a territory called the Republic of the Don were declared. However, in 1920 they were defeated by the Red Army.
- Southwest Russian. The troops under Denikin’s command advanced from northern Ukraine and Caucasus, with the support of British troops. Its objective was to occupy and ensure the Baku oil region.
- Russian north. A coalition of British, French, American and Canadian troops, under the command of General Miller, landed and occupied the ports of Murmansk and Archangel, until they were defeated in 1920.
- Russian West. In the western region of the former Russian Empire, different nationalist forces were raised that took advantage of the instability and political weakness to fight for their independence. Among them were the nationalist groups of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The Red Army could not face them, so the Bolshevik government ended up granting them independence.
Results of the Russian Civil War
Towards the end of 1918, Under Leon Trotsky’s command, the Red Army was reorganized and renewed. At the beginning of 1919, the Revolutionary Army invaded Ukraine and forced to retreat to the anti -revolutionary forces. Although the troops under Denikin’s command were able to recover and resume control of some areas, their victories were ephemeral and in 1920, the Red Army managed to definitely impose itself.
On the other hand, in April 1919 the Revolutionary Army had advanced in Siberia and, finally in 1920, it managed to definitively defeat Kolchak’s forces. Between 1920 and 1923, Some local forces maintained their resistance and carried out some attacks against the Bolshevik government.
For example, Krnstadt’s lifting (1921) and Tamov’s rebellion (1922) were attempts to counterrevolutionary resistance that failed as soon as the red army troops controlled the situation.
It is considered that the last important military intervention was at the end of 1922, when the Bolshevik army definitely took Vladivostok, which was under resistance control. Finally, in 1923, the last territories of the White Movement were definitively surrendered.
Consequences of the Russian Civil War
As a consequence of the Russian civil war, it is estimated that More than 10 million people died. Most of them were civilians who did not fight in the war and that could not survive the harsh living conditions. In addition, thousands of people were killed after the Civil War by the Bolshevik Police with the aim of maintaining control of the country and eliminating any opposition focus.
In addition, the economic policy of “war communism” carried out by the Bolsheviks for grain confiscation and obtaining resources to win the war led to the destruction of the Russian productive system. This generated serious problems in the production and distribution of food and essential goods. Between 1921 and 1922, Russia crossed one of the most serious famines in its history.
With the victory of the Russian Civil War, the Bolsheviks managed to consolidate their power in Russia and transform it into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In the years following the war, Bolshevik police repressed and eliminated all dissidents or people who could become outbreaks of opposition to the new regime.
For the first time in history, communism was established as a mode of production and a new type of political regime called “dictatorship of the proletariat.”
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References
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023). “Russian Civil War”. Britannica Encyclopedia
https://www.britannica.com/ - Carr, EH (1981). The Russian revolution. From Lenin to Stalin, 1917 to 1929. Editorial Alliance.
- Fitzpatrick, S. (2005). The Russian revolution. 21st century editors.
- Palmowski, J. (2000). “Russian Civil War”. To Dictionary of Twentieth-Century World History. Oxford University Press.
