After the demise Soviet Union the spirit of the Civil War is in the atmosphere. Dozens of local conflicts have brought countries to the brink of war: in Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Chechnya, Ukraine. All these regional clashes require modern politicians of all states, so that they study past mistakes on the example of the bloody Civil War of 1917-1922. and prevent their repetition in the future.
Learning facts about the Russian Civil War, it is worth noting the moment that it is possible to judge it only unilaterally: the coverage of events in literature occurs either from the position of the white movement or the red one.
The reason for this lay in the desire of the Bolshevik government to create a long time interval between the October Revolution and the Civil War, so that it would be impossible to determine their interdependence, and to lay responsibility for the war on intervention from outside.
Civil War in Russia was an armed struggle between different groups population, which initially had a regional, and then acquired a nationwide character. The reasons that provoked the Civil War were the following:
As noted above, G civil war is an armed clash of different political forces, social and ethnic groups, specific individuals fighting for their ideas.
| Name of force or group | Description of the participants, taking into account their motivation |
| Red | The Reds included workers, peasants, soldiers, sailors, partly the intelligentsia, armed groups of the national outskirts, and mercenary detachments. Thousands of officers fought on the side of the Red Army tsarist army- some of their own free will, some were mobilized. Most representatives of the worker-peasant class were also drafted into the army under duress. |
| White | Among the whites there were officers of the Tsar's army, cadets, students, Cossacks, representatives of the intelligentsia, and other persons who were the "exploiting part of society." The Whites, like the Reds, did not hesitate to carry out mobilization activities in the conquered lands. And among them there were nationalists who fought for the independence of their peoples. |
| Green | This group included bandit formations of anarchists, criminals, unprincipled lumpen, who traded in robbery and fought in certain territories against everyone. |
| Peasants | Peasants who want to protect themselves from the surplus appropriation. |
Most of today's Russian historians believe that initial stage The local conflict is the clashes in Petrograd that took place during the October armed uprising, and the final one is the defeat of the last significant armed groups of the White Guards and interventionists during the victorious battle for Vladivostok in October 1922.
According to some researchers, the beginning of the Civil War is associated with the battles in Petrograd, when the February Revolution took place. A preparatory period from February to November 1917, when the first dismemberment of society into different groups took place, they are singled out separately.
In the years 1920-1980, there were discussions that did not cause much controversy about milestones of the Civil War isolated by Lenin, which included the “Triumphal March of Soviet Power”, which took place from October 25, 1917 to March 1918. Another part of the authors is associated with Civil war is only time when the most intense military battles took place - from May 1918 to November 1920.
In the Civil War, three chronological stages can be distinguished, which have significant differences in the intensity of military battles, the composition of the participants and the conditions of the foreign policy situation.
It is useful to know: who are they, their role in the history of the USSR.
During this period, the creation and the formation of full-fledged armies of opponents of the conflict, as well as the formation of the main fronts of confrontation between the conflicting parties. When the Bolsheviks came to power, the White movement began to take shape, whose mission was to destroy the new regime and, in Denikin's words, to restore health to "the country's weak, poisoned organism."
Civil war at this stage gained momentum against the backdrop of the ongoing world war, which led to the active participation of military formations Quadruple union and the Entente in the struggle inside Russia of political and armed groups. The initial hostilities can be characterized as local clashes that did not lead to real success none of the parties, eventually developing into a large-scale war. According to the former head of the Provisional Government's foreign affairs department, Milyukov, this stage was common struggle forces opposing both the Bolsheviks and the revolutionaries.
Characterized by major battles between the Red and White armies and a turning point in the Civil War. This chronological stage stands out due to the sudden decrease in the intensity of hostilities carried out by the interventionists. This was due to the end of the world war and the withdrawal of almost the entire contingent of foreign military groups from Russian territory. Military operations, the scale of which covered the entire territory of the country, first brought victories to the whites, and then to the reds. The latter defeated the enemy military formations and took control large area Russia.
During this period, significant clashes took place on the outskirts of the country and ceased to be a direct threat to the Bolshevik government.
In April 1920, Poland launched a military campaign against Russia. In May, the Poles were Kiev was captured, which was only a temporary success. The Western and Southwestern fronts of the Red Army organized a counteroffensive, but due to poor preparation, they began to suffer losses. Warring parties did not have the opportunity to continue military operations, therefore, in March 1921, peace was concluded with the Poles, according to which they received part of Ukraine and Belarus.
At the same time as the Soviet-Polish battles, there was a struggle with the whites in the south and in the Crimea. The fighting continued until November 1920, when the Reds completely took over the Crimean peninsula. With the taking Crimea in the European part of Russia the last one was removed white front. The military question ceased to occupy a dominant place in the affairs of Moscow, but the battle on the outskirts of the country lasted for some more time.
In the spring of 1920, the Red Army reached the Trans-Baikal District. Then the Far East was under the control of Japan. Therefore, in order to avoid clashes with her, the Soviet leadership assisted in the creation in April 1920 of a legal independent state– Far Eastern Republic (FER). After a short period of time, the FER army began fighting against the whites, who were supported by the Japanese. In October 1922, Vladivostok was occupied by the Reds., completely cleared of the White Guards and the interventionists of the Far East, which is displayed on the map.
Among the main reasons that brought the Bolsheviks victory are the following:
It is worth noting, that a victorious outcome for the Soviet government did not bring peace to Russia. Among the results, it is worth highlighting the following:
It is important that the Civil War of 1917-1922. and remains one of the most important events Russian history. The events of those times left an unforgettable imprint in the memory of people. The consequences of that war can be traced in different areas life and modern society ranging from political to cultural.
works, covering the events of the Civil War, found their reflection not only in historical literature, scientific articles and documentary publications, but also in feature film, theatrical and musical creativity. It is worth mentioning that there are more than 20 thousand books and scientific works on the topic of the Civil War.
So, summing up all of the above, it is worth noting that contemporaries have ambiguous and often distorted visions regarding this tragic page in Russian history. There are supporters of both the White movement and the Bolshevik movement, but often the history of that time is presented in such a way that people are imbued with sympathy even for bandit groups that bring only destruction.
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The Civil War is certainly one of the most difficult events Soviet period. No wonder the days of this war in his diary entries, Ivan Bunin calls "cursed." Internal conflicts, the decline of the economy, the arbitrariness of the ruling party - all this greatly weakened the country and provoked strong foreign powers to take advantage of this situation in their interests.
Now let's take a closer look at this time.
Beginning of the Civil War
There is no consensus among historians on this issue. Some believe that the conflict began immediately after the revolution, that is, in October 1917. Others argue that the origin of the war should be attributed to the spring of 1918, when the intervention began and a strong opposition to the Soviet regime formed. There is also no consensus on who is the initiator of this fratricidal war: the leaders of the Bolshevik Party or the former upper classes of society who lost their influence and property as a result of the revolution.
Causes of the Civil War
1st stage of the Civil War
In 1918, anti-Soviet pockets were formed.
In the spring of 1918 foreign intervention began.
In May 1918, an uprising of the Czechoslovak Corps took place. The military overthrew Soviet power in the Volga region and Siberia. Then, in Samara, Ufa and Omsk, the power of the Cadets, Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks was briefly established, whose goal was to return to the Constituent Assembly.
In the summer of 1918 in Central Russia a large-scale movement against the Bolsheviks, led by the Social Revolutionaries, unfolded. But it ended up only in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Soviet government in Moscow and activate the protection of Bolshevik power by strengthening the power of the Red Army.
The Red Army began its offensive in September 1918. In three months, she restored the power of the Soviets in the Volga and Ural regions.
Culmination of the Civil War
The end of 1918 - the beginning of 1919 - the period in which the White movement reached its peak.
Admiral A.V. Kolchak, seeking to unite with the army of General Miller for the subsequent joint offensive against Moscow, began military operations in the Urals. But the Red Army stopped their advance.
In 1919, the White Guards planned a joint attack with different sides: south (Denikin), east (Kolchak) and west (Yudenich). But he was not destined to come true.
In March 1919, Kolchak was stopped and moved to Siberia, where, in turn, the partisans and peasants supported the Bolsheviks to restore their power.
Both attempts at Yudenich's Petrograd Offensive ended in failure.
In July 1919, Denikin, having captured Ukraine, moved to Moscow, occupying Kursk, Orel and Voronezh along the way. But soon the Southern Front of the Red Army was created against such a strong enemy, which, with the support of N.I. Makhno defeated Denikin's army.
In 1919, the interventionists liberated the territories of Russia they had occupied.
End of the Civil War
In 1920, the Bolsheviks faced two main tasks: the defeat of Wrangel in the south and the resolution of the issue of establishing borders with Poland.
The Bolsheviks recognized the independence of Poland, but the Polish government made too great territorial demands. The dispute could not be resolved through diplomacy, and Poland seized Belarus and Ukraine in May. For resistance, the Red Army was sent there under the command of Tukhachevsky. The confrontation was defeated, and the Soviet-Polish war ended with the Peace of Riga in March 1921, signed on more favorable terms for the enemy: Western Belarus and Western Ukraine were ceded to Poland.
To destroy the army of Wrangel, the Southern Front was created under the leadership of M.V. Frunze. At the end of October 1920, Wrangel was defeated in Northern Tavria and was driven back to the Crimea. After the Red Army captured Perekop and captured the Crimea. In November 1920, the Civil War actually ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.
Reasons for the victory of the Bolsheviks
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Russian Civil War(1917-1922/1923) - a series of armed conflicts between various political, ethnic, social groups and state formations on the territory of the former Russian Empire, which followed the transfer of power to the Bolsheviks as a result of the October Revolution of 1917.
The Civil War was the result of a revolutionary crisis that struck Russia at the beginning of the 20th century, which began with the revolution of 1905-1907, aggravated during the World War and led to the fall of the monarchy, economic ruin, and a deep social, national, political and ideological split in Russian society. The apogee of this split was a fierce war throughout the country between the armed forces of the Soviet government and the anti-Bolshevik authorities.
White movement- military-political movement of heterogeneous in politically forces formed during the Civil War of 1917-1923 in Russia with the aim of overthrowing the Soviet regime. It included representatives of both moderate socialists and republicans, and monarchists, united against the Bolshevik ideology and acting on the basis of the principle of "Great, United and Indivisible Russia" (ideological movement of whites). The White movement was the largest anti-Bolshevik military-political force during the Russian Civil War and existed alongside other democratic anti-Bolshevik governments, nationalist separatist movements in Ukraine, the North Caucasus, the Crimea, and Basmachi in Central Asia.
A number of features distinguish the White movement from the rest of the anti-Bolshevik forces of the Civil War:
The White movement was an organized military-political movement against the Soviet government and its allied political structures, its intransigence towards the Soviet government ruled out any peaceful, compromise outcome of the Civil War.
The white movement was distinguished by the installation of priority in war time sole power over the collegial, and the military - over the civil. White governments were characterized by the absence of a clear separation of powers, representative bodies either played no role or had only advisory functions.
The White movement tried to legalize itself on a national scale, proclaiming its continuity from pre-February and pre-October Russia.
The recognition by all regional white governments of the all-Russian power of Admiral A. V. Kolchak led to a desire to achieve commonality political programs and coordination of military operations. The solution of agrarian, labor, national and other basic issues was fundamentally similar.
The white movement had a common symbolism: a tricolor white-blue-red flag, the official anthem "Glorious be our Lord in Zion."
Publicists and historians who sympathize with the whites name the following reasons for the defeat of the white cause:
The Reds controlled the densely populated central regions. These territories were more people than in areas controlled by whites.
The regions that began to support the Whites (for example, the Don and Kuban), as a rule, suffered more than others from the Red Terror.
The inexperience of white leaders in politics and diplomacy.
Conflicts of whites with the national separatist governments because of the slogan of "One and indivisible." Therefore, the whites repeatedly had to fight on two fronts.
Workers' and Peasants' Red Army- official species name armed forces: ground forces and the Air Force, which, together with the Red Army MS, the troops of the NKVD of the USSR (Border Troops, Internal Guard Troops of the Republic and the State Escort Guard) made up the Armed Forces of the RSFSR / USSR from February 15 (23), 1918 to February 25, 1946.
February 23, 1918 is considered to be the day of the creation of the Red Army (see Defender of the Fatherland Day). It was on this day that the mass enrollment of volunteers in the Red Army detachments began, created in accordance with the decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR "On the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army", signed on January 15 (28).
L. D. Trotsky actively participated in the creation of the Red Army.
The supreme governing body of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR (since the formation of the USSR - the Council people's commissars THE USSR). The leadership and management of the army was concentrated in the People's Commissariat for Military Affairs, in the special All-Russian Collegium created under it, since 1923 the Council of Labor and Defense of the USSR, since 1937 the Defense Committee under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. In 1919-1934, the Revolutionary Military Council carried out direct command of the troops. In 1934, to replace it, the People's Commissariat of Defense of the USSR was formed.
Detachments and squads of the Red Guard - armed detachments and squads of sailors, soldiers and workers, in Russia in 1917 - supporters (not necessarily members) of leftist parties - Social Democrats (Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and "Mezhraiontsy"), Socialist-Revolutionaries and anarchists, as well as detachments Red partisans became the basis of the Red Army detachments.
Initially, the main unit of the formation of the Red Army, on a voluntary basis, was a separate detachment, which was a military unit with an independent economy. At the head of the detachment was a Council consisting of a military leader and two military commissars. He had a small headquarters and an inspectorate.
With the accumulation of experience and after the involvement of military experts in the ranks of the Red Army, the formation of full-fledged units, units, formations (brigade, division, corps), institutions and institutions began.
The organization of the Red Army was in accordance with its class character and the military requirements of the early 20th century. The combined arms units of the Red Army were built as follows:
The rifle corps consisted of two to four divisions;
Division - from three rifle regiments, an artillery regiment (artillery regiment) and technical units;
Regiment - from three battalions, an artillery battalion and technical units;
Cavalry Corps - two cavalry divisions;
Cavalry division - four to six regiments, artillery, armored units (armored units), technical units.
The technical equipment of the military formations of the Red Army with fire weapons) and military equipment were basically at the level of modern advanced armed forces of that time
The USSR Law "On Compulsory Military Service", adopted on September 18, 1925 by the Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, determined the organizational structure of the Armed Forces, which included rifle troops, cavalry, artillery, armored forces, engineering troops, signal troops, air and sea forces, troops united state political administration and escort guards of the USSR. Their number in 1927 was 586,000 personnel.
Every Russian knows that in the Civil War of 1917-1922, two movements opposed - "red" and "white". But among historians there is still no consensus on how it began. Someone believes that the reason was Krasnov's March on the Russian capital (October 25); others believe that the war began when, in the near future, the commander of the Volunteer Army, Alekseev, arrived on the Don (November 2); it is also believed that the war began with the fact that Milyukov proclaimed the “Declaration of the Volunteer Army, delivering a speech at the ceremony, called the Don (December 27). Another popular opinion, which is far from unfounded, is the opinion that the Civil War began immediately after February Revolution when the whole society split into adherents and opponents of the Romanov monarchy.
After the October Revolution, a struggle for power began in the country, and against the background of this struggle, Civil War. Thus, October 25, 1917 can be considered the date of the beginning of the civil war, which continued until October 1922. differ significantly from each other.
Civil War- the first stage (Stages of the civil war ) .
The first stage of the civil war began with the armed seizure of power by the Bolsheviks on October 25, 1917 and continued until March 1918. This period can be safely called moderate, since no active hostilities were observed at this stage. The reasons for this lie in the fact that the "white" movement at this stage was only being formed, and the political opponents of the Bolsheviks, the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks, preferred to seize power by political means. After the Bolsheviks announced the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries realized that they would not be able to seize power peacefully, and began to prepare for an armed takeover.
Civil War- the second stage (Stages of the civil war ) .
The second stage of the war is characterized by active hostilities, both on the part of the Mensheviks and on the part of the "whites". Until the end of the autumn of 1918, a rumble of distrust of the new government swept through the country, the reason for which was given by the Bolsheviks themselves. At this time it was announced food dictatorship and the class struggle began in the villages. Wealthy peasants, as well as the middle stratum, actively opposed the Bolsheviks.
From December 1918 to June 1919, bloody battles took place in the country between the red and white armies. From July 1919 until September 1920, white army is defeated in the war with the Reds. At the same time Soviet authority at the 8th Congress of Soviets declares the urgent need to focus on the needs of the middle class of peasants. This forced many wealthy peasants to reconsider their positions and once again support the Bolsheviks. However, after the introduction of the policy of war communism, the attitude of wealthy peasants towards the Bolsheviks again noticeably deteriorated. This led to mass peasant uprisings that took place in the country until the end of 1922. The policy of war communism introduced by the Bolsheviks once again strengthened the positions of the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries in the country. As a result, the Soviet government was forced to significantly soften its policy.
The civil war ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks, who were able to assert their power, even though the country was subjected to foreign intervention Western countries. Russia's foreign intervention began as early as December 1917, when Romania, taking advantage of Russia's weakness, occupied the region of Bessarabia.
Russian foreign intervention actively continued after the end of the First World War. The Entente countries, under the pretext of fulfilling allied obligations to Russia, occupied the Far East, part of the Caucasus, the territory of Ukraine and Belarus. At the same time, foreign armies behaved like real invaders. However, after the first major victories of the Red Army, the majority of the invaders left the country. Already in 1920, Russia's foreign intervention by England and America was completed. Behind them, the troops of other countries also left the country. Only the Japanese army continued its presence in the Far East until October 1922.
