Whites during the Civil War. "White" and "Red" movement
The Reds played a decisive role in the civil war and became the driving mechanism for the creation of the USSR.
With their powerful propaganda they managed to win the loyalty of thousands of people and unite them with the idea of creating an ideal country of workers.
Creation of the Red Army
The Red Army was created by a special decree on January 15, 1918. These were voluntary formations from the worker and peasant part of the population.
However, the principle of voluntariness brought with it disunity and decentralization in army command, from which discipline and combat effectiveness suffered. This forced Lenin to announce universal conscription for men 18-40 years old.
The Bolsheviks created a network of schools to train recruits who studied not only the art of war, but also received political education. Commander training courses were created, for which the most outstanding Red Army soldiers were recruited.
Major victories of the Red Army
The Reds in the civil war mobilized all possible economic and human resources to win. After the annulment of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the Soviets began to expel German troops from the occupied areas. Then the most turbulent period began civil war.
The Reds managed to defend the Southern Front, despite the considerable efforts that were required to fight the Don Army. Then the Bolsheviks launched a counter-offensive and conquered significant territories. The situation on the Eastern Front was very unfavorable for the Reds. Here the offensive was launched by Kolchak’s very large and strong troops.
Alarmed by such events, Lenin resorted to emergency measures, and the White Guards were defeated. The simultaneous anti-Soviet protests and the entry into the struggle of Denikin’s Volunteer Army became a critical moment for the Bolshevik government. However, the immediate mobilization of all possible resources helped the Reds win.
War with Poland and the end of the civil war
In April 1920 Poland decided to enter Kyiv with the intention of liberating Ukraine from illegal Soviet rule and restoring its independence. However, the people perceived this as an attempt to occupy their territory. Soviet commanders took advantage of this mood of the Ukrainians. Troops of the Western and Southwestern Fronts were sent to fight Poland.
Soon Kyiv was liberated from the Polish offensive. This revived hopes for a quick world revolution in Europe. But, having entered the territory of the attackers, the Reds received powerful resistance and their intentions quickly cooled. In light of such events, the Bolsheviks signed a peace treaty with Poland.
Reds in the civil war photo
After this, the Reds concentrated all their attention on the remnants of the White Guards under the command of Wrangel. These fights were incredibly furious and brutal. However, the Reds still forced the Whites to surrender.
Famous Red leaders
- Frunze Mikhail Vasilievich. Under his command, the Reds carried out successful operations against the White Guard troops of Kolchak, defeated Wrangel’s army in the territory of Northern Tavria and Crimea;
- Tukhachevsky Mikhail Nikolaevich. He was the commander of the troops of the Eastern and Caucasian Front, with his army he cleared the Urals and Siberia of the White Guards;
- Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich. Was one of the first marshals Soviet Union. Participated in the organization of the Revolutionary Military Council of the 1st Cavalry Army. With his troops he liquidated the Kronstadt rebellion;
- Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich. He commanded the division that liberated Uralsk. When the whites suddenly attacked the reds, they fought bravely. And, having spent all the cartridges, the wounded Chapaev set off running across the Ural River, but was killed;
- Budyonny Semyon Mikhailovich. Creator of the Cavalry Army, which defeated the Whites in the Voronezh-Kastornensky operation. The ideological inspirer of the military-political movement of the Red Cossacks in Russia.
- When the workers' and peasants' army showed its vulnerability, former tsarist commanders who were their enemies began to be recruited into the ranks of the Reds.
- After the assassination attempt on Lenin, the Reds dealt especially cruelly with 500 hostages. On the line between the rear and the front there were barrage detachments that fought against desertion by shooting.
The Civil War, which took place in Russia from 1917 to 1922, was a bloody event where brother went against brother in brutal carnage, and relatives took positions on opposite sides of the barricades. In this armed class clash on the vast territory of the former Russian Empire the interests of opposing political structures intersected, conventionally divided into “red and white”. This struggle for power took place with the active support of foreign states, which tried to extract their interests from this situation: Japan, Poland, Turkey, Romania wanted to annex part of Russian territories, and other countries - the USA, France, Canada, Great Britain hoped to receive tangible economic preferences.
As a result of such a bloody civil war, Russia turned into a weakened state, whose economy and industry were in a state of complete ruin. But after the end of the war, the country adhered to the socialist course of development, and this influenced the course of history throughout the world.
Causes of the Civil War in Russia
Civil war in any country is always caused by aggravated political, national, religious, economic and, of course, social contradictions. The territory of the former Russian Empire was no exception.
- Social inequality in Russian society accumulated over centuries, and at the beginning of the 20th century it reached its apogee, as workers and peasants found themselves in a completely powerless position, and their working and living conditions were simply unbearable. The autocracy did not want to smooth out social contradictions and carry out any significant reforms. It was during this period that the revolutionary movement grew, which managed to lead the Bolshevik party.
- Against the backdrop of the protracted First World War, all these contradictions intensified noticeably, which resulted in the February and October revolutions.
- As a result of the revolution in October 1917, the political system in the state changed, and the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia. But the overthrown classes could not come to terms with the situation and made attempts to restore their former dominance.
- The establishment of Bolshevik power led to the abandonment of the ideas of parliamentarism and the creation of a one-party system, which prompted the parties of the Cadets, Socialist Revolutionaries, and Mensheviks to fight Bolshevism, that is, the struggle between the “whites” and the “reds” began.
- In the fight against the enemies of the revolution, the Bolsheviks used undemocratic measures - the establishment of a dictatorship, repression, persecution of the opposition, and the creation of emergency bodies. This, of course, caused discontent in society, and among those dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities were not only the intelligentsia, but also the workers and peasants.
- The nationalization of land and industry caused resistance on the part of the former owners, which led to terrorist actions on both sides.
- Despite the fact that Russia ceased its participation in the First World War in 1918, there was a powerful interventionist group on its territory that actively supported the White Guard movement.
The course of the civil war in Russia
Before the start of the civil war, there were loosely connected regions on the territory of Russia: in some of them Soviet power was firmly established, others (southern Russia, Chita region) were under the authority of independent governments. On the territory of Siberia, in general, one could count up to two dozen local governments that not only did not recognize the power of the Bolsheviks, but were also at enmity with each other.
When the civil war began, then all residents had to decide whether to join the “whites” or the “reds”.
The course of the civil war in Russia can be divided into several periods.
First period: from October 1917 to May 1918
At the very beginning of the fratricidal war, the Bolsheviks had to suppress local armed uprisings in Petrograd, Moscow, Transbaikalia and the Don. It was at this time that a white movement was formed from those dissatisfied with the new government. In March, the young republic, after an unsuccessful war, concluded the shameful Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Second period: June to November 1918
At this time, a full-scale civil war began: the Soviet Republic was forced to fight not only with internal enemies, but also with invaders. As a result, most Russian territory was captured by enemies, and this threatened the existence young state. Kolchak dominated in the east of the country, Denikin in the south, Miller in the north, and their armies tried to close a ring around the capital. The Bolsheviks, in turn, created the Red Army, which achieved its first military successes.
Third period: from November 1918 to spring 1919
In November 1918, the First World War ended. Soviet power was established in the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Baltic territories. But already at the end of autumn, Entente troops landed in Crimea, Odessa, Batumi and Baku. But this military operation was not successful, since revolutionary anti-war sentiment reigned among the interventionist troops. During this period of the struggle against Bolshevism, the leading role belonged to the armies of Kolchak, Yudenich and Denikin.
Fourth period: from spring 1919 to spring 1920
During this period, the main forces of the interventionists left Russia. In the spring and autumn of 1919, the Red Army won major victories in the East, South and North-West of the country, defeating the armies of Kolchak, Denikin and Yudenich.
Fifth period: spring-autumn 1920
The internal counter-revolution was completely destroyed. And in the spring the Soviet-Polish war began, which ended in complete failure for Russia. According to the Riga Peace Treaty, part of the Ukrainian and Belarusian lands went to Poland.
Sixth period:: 1921-1922
During these years, all remaining centers of the civil war were eliminated: the rebellion in Kronstadt was suppressed, the Makhnovist detachments were destroyed, the Far East was liberated, and the fight against the Basmachi in Central Asia was completed.
Results of the civil war
- As a result of hostilities and terror, more than 8 million people died from hunger and disease.
- Industry, transport and agriculture were on the brink of disaster.
- The main result of this terrible war was the final establishment of Soviet power.
Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny - Soviet military leader, commander of the First Cavalry Army of the Red Army during the Civil War, one of the first Marshals of the Soviet Union.
He created a revolutionary cavalry detachment that acted against the White Guards on the Don. Together with the divisions of the 8th Army, they defeated the Cossack corps of generals Mamontov and Shkuro. Troops under the command of Budyonny (14th Cavalry Division of O.I. Gorodovikov) took part in the disarmament of F.K. Mironov’s Don Corps, which went to the front against A.I. Denikin, allegedly for attempting to raise a counter-revolutionary rebellion.
Post-war activities:
Budyonny is a member of the RVS, and then deputy commander of the North Caucasus Military District. Budyonny became the “godfather” of the Chechen Autonomous Region Budyonny is appointed assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Red Army for cavalry and a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. Inspector of the Red Army cavalry. Graduates Military Academy them. M. V. Frunze. Budyonny commanded the troops of the Moscow Military District. Member of the Main Military Council of NGOs of the USSR, Deputy People's Commissar. First Deputy People's Commissar of Defense
Blucher V.K. (1890-1938)
Vasily Konstantinovich Blucher - Soviet military, state and party leader, Marshal of the Soviet Union. Knight of the Order of the Red Banner No. 1 and the Order of the Red Star No. 1.
He commanded the 30th Infantry Division in Siberia and fought against the troops of A.V. Kolchak.
He was the head of the 51st Infantry Division. Blucher was appointed commander-single commander of the 51st Infantry Division, transferred to the reserve of the Main Command of the Red Army. In May, he was appointed head of the West Siberian sector of military and industrial maintenance. Appointed Chairman of the Military Council, Commander-in-Chief of the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic and Minister of War of the Far Eastern Republic.
Post-war activities:
- He died from beatings during the investigation in Lefortovo prison.
Was appointed commander of the 1st rifle corps, then - commandant and military commissar of the Petrograd fortified area.
In 1924 he was seconded to the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR
In 1924 he was sent to China
Participated in the planning of the Northern Expedition.
Served as assistant commander of the Ukrainian Military District.
In 1929 he was appointed commander of the Special Far Eastern Army.
During the fighting at the lake, Khasan led the Far Eastern Front.
Tukhachevsky M.N. (1893-1937)
He voluntarily joined the Red Army and worked in the Military Department of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee. Joined the RCP(b), appointed military commissar of the Moscow defense region. Appointed commander of the newly created 1st Army of the Eastern Front. Commanded 1st Soviet army. Appointed assistant commander of the Southern Front (SF). Commander of the 8th Army of the Southern Fleet, which included the Inzen Rifle Division. Takes command of the 5th Army. Appointed commander of the Caucasian Front.
Kamenev S.S. (1881-1936)
From April 1918 in the Red Army. Appointed military leader of the Nevelsky district of the Western section of the veil detachments. From June 1918 - commander of the 1st Vitebsk Infantry Division. Appointed military commander of the Western section of the curtain and at the same time military commander of the Smolensk region. Commander of the Eastern Front. He led the offensive of the Red Army in the Volga and Urals. Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Republic.
Post-war activities:
Inspector of the Red Army. Chief of Staff of the Red Army. Chief Inspector. Head of the Main Directorate of the Red Army, chief head of the cycle of tactics of the Military Academy. Frunze. At the same time a member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. Deputy People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR. Was accepted into the CPSU(b). Was appointed head of the Red Army Air Defense Directorate
Vatsetis I.I. (1873-1938)
Joachim Joakimovich Vatsetis - Russian, Soviet military leader. Commander of the 2nd rank.
After October Revolution together went over to the side of the Bolsheviks. He was the head of the operational department of the Revolutionary Field Headquarters at Headquarters. He led the suppression of the rebellion of the Polish corps of General Dovbor-Musnitsky. Commander of the Latvian Rifle Division, one of the leaders of the suppression of the Left Socialist Revolutionary uprising in Moscow in July 1918. Commander of the Eastern Front, Commander-in-Chief of all Armed Forces RSFSR. At the same time commander of the Army of Soviet Latvia. Since 1921, he has been teaching at the Military Academy of the Red Army, commander of the 2nd rank.
Post-war activities:
On July 28, 1938, on charges of espionage and participation in a counter-revolutionary terrorist organization, he was sentenced to death by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR.
Chapaev V.I. (1887-1919)
Elected to the regimental committee, to the council of soldiers' deputies. He joined the Bolshevik Party. Appointed commander of the 138th regiment. He was a participant in the Kazan Congress of Soldiers' Soviets. He became commissar of the Red Guard and head of the Nikolaevsk garrison.
Chapaev suppressed a number of peasant uprisings. He fought against the Cossacks and the Czechoslovak Corps. Chapaev commanded the 25th Infantry Division. His division liberated Ufa from Kolchak’s troops. Chapaev took part in the battles to relieve the siege of Uralsk.
Formation of the White Army:
The General Staff began to take shape on November 2, 1917 in Novocherkassk by General M.V. Alekseev under the name “Alekseevskaya Organization.” From the beginning of December 1917, General L. G. Kornilov, who arrived in the Don General Staff, joined the creation of the army. At first, the Volunteer Army was staffed exclusively by volunteers. Up to 50% of those who signed up for the army were chief officers and up to 15% were staff officers; there were also cadets, cadets, students, and high school students (more than 10%). There were about 4% Cossacks, 1% soldiers. From the end of 1918 and in 1919-1920, due to mobilizations in territories controlled by whites, the officer cadre lost its numerical dominance; During this period, peasants and captured Red Army soldiers made up the bulk of the military contingent of the Volunteer Army.
December 25, 1917
received the official name "Volunteer Army". The army received this name at the insistence of Kornilov, who was in a state of conflict with Alekseev and dissatisfied with the forced compromise with the head of the former “Alekseev organization”: the division of spheres of influence, as a result of which, when Kornilov accepted the entire military power, Alekseev still retained political leadership and finance. By the end of December 1917, 3 thousand people had signed up as volunteers. By mid-January 1918 there were already 5 thousand of them, by the beginning of February - about 6 thousand. At the same time, the combat element of the Dobrarmia did not exceed 4½ thousand people.General M.V. Alekseev became the supreme leader of the army, and General Lavr Kornilov became the commander-in-chief of the General Staff.
White Guard uniform
The uniform of the White Guards, as is known, was created on the basis military uniform former tsarist army. Caps or hats were used as headdress. In the cold season, a bashlyk (cloth) was worn over the cap. An integral attribute of the White Guard uniform remained the tunic - a loose shirt with a stand-up collar, made of cotton fabric or thin cloth. You could see shoulder straps on her. Another important element The uniform of the White Guards is an overcoat.
Heroes of the White Army:
- Yudenich N.N.
Wrangel P.N.
Denikin A.I.
Dutov A.I.
Kappel V.O.
Kolchak A.V.
Kornilov L.G.
Krasnov P.N.
Semenov G.M.
Wrangel P.N. (1878-1928)
Pyotr Nikolaevich Wrangel is a Russian military leader, a participant in the Russo-Japanese and First World Wars, one of the main leaders of the White movement during the Civil War. Entered the Volunteer Army. During the 2nd Kuban campaign he commanded the 1st Cavalry Division, and then the 1st Cavalry Corps. Commanded the Caucasian Volunteer Army. He was appointed commander of the Volunteer Army operating in the Moscow direction. Ruler of the South of Russia and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army. Since November 1920 - in exile.
Post-war activities:
1920 - moved to Belgium
The 5th volume, “Essays on the Russian Troubles,” was completed by him in 1926 in Brussels.
In 1926, Denikin moved to France and began literary work.
In 1936 he began publishing the newspaper “Volunteer”.
On December 9, 1945, in America, Denikin spoke at numerous meetings and addressed a letter to General Eisenhower calling on him to stop the forced rendition of Russian prisoners of war.
In 1924, Wrangel created the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS), which united most of the participants in the White movement in exile.
In September 1927, Wrangel moved with his family to Brussels. He worked as an engineer in one of the Brussels companies.
On April 25, 1928, he died suddenly in Brussels after suddenly contracting tuberculosis. According to his family, he was poisoned by his servant's brother, who was a Bolshevik agent.
Denikin A.I. (1872-1947)
Took part in the organization and formation of the Volunteer Army. Appointed head of the 1st Volunteer Division. During the 1st Kuban Campaign he acted as Deputy Commander of the Volunteer Army of General Kornilov. Became Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (AFSR).
Post-war activities:
Kappel V.O. (1883-1920)
Kolchak A.V. (1874-1920)
Alexander Vasilievich Kolchak - Russian oceanographer, one of the largest polar explorers, military and political figure, naval commander, admiral, leader of the White movement.Established a military regime
dictatorship in Siberia, the Urals and the Far East, liquidated by the Red Army and partisans. Member of the board of the CER. Was appointed to the military and naval minister Government of the Directory. was elected Supreme Ruler of Russia and promoted to full admiral. Kolchak was shot along with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers V.N. Pepelyaev at 5 o’clock in the morning on the bank of the Ushakovka River.
Kornilov L.G. (1870-1918)
Commander of the created Volunteer Army. Killed on 04/13/1918 during the storming of Ekaterinodar (Krasnodar) in the 1st Kuban (Ice) campaign.
Krasnov P.N. (1869-1947)
Pyotr Nikolaevich Krasnov - Russian General imperial army, ataman All-Great Don Army, military and political figure, famous writer and publicist.
Krasnov's Don Army occupied the territoryRegions of the Don Army, knocking out parts from there Red Army , and he himself was elected ataman Don Cossacks. The Don Army in 1918 was on the verge of destruction, and Krasnov decided to unite with the Volunteer Army under the command of A.I. Denikin. Soon Krasnov himself was forced to resign and went toNorthwestern Army Yudenich , based in Estonia.
Post-war activities:
Emigrated in 1920. Lived in Germany, near Munich
Since November 1923 - in France.
Was one of the founders of "Brotherhood of Russian Truth»
Since 1936 lived in Germany.
Since September 1943 chief Main Directorate Cossack troops Imperial Ministry for the Eastern Occupied Territories Germany.
In May 1945 surrendered to the British.
He was transferred to Moscow, where he was kept in Butyrka prison.
By verdict Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSRP. N. Krasnov was hanged in Moscow, inLefortovo prison January 16, 1947.
Grigory Mikhailovich Semenov - Cossack ataman, leader of the White movement in Transbaikalia and the Far East,lieutenant general White Army . Continued to form into Transbaikalia equestrian Buryat-Mongolian Cossack detachment. Three new regiments were formed in Semenov’s troops: 1st Ononsky, 2nd Akshinsko-Mangutsky and 3rd Purinsky. Was created military school for cadets . Semyonov was appointed commander of the 5th Amur Army Corps. Appointed commander of the 6th East Siberian Army Corps, assistant to the chief commander of the Amur region and assistant commander troops of the Amur Military District, commander of the troops of the Irkutsk, Transbaikal and Amur Military Districts.In 1946 he was sentenced to death.
Yudenich N.N. (1862-1933)
In June 1919, Kolchak appointed him commander-in-chief of the north-west. army formed by the Russian White Guards in Estonia, and became part of the Russian White Guard Northwestern government formed in Estonia. Undertook from the north-west. army's second campaign against Petrograd. The offensive was defeated near Petrograd. After the defeat of the north-west. army, was arrested by General Bulak-Balakhovich, but after the intervention of the allied governments he was released and went abroad. Died frompulmonary tuberculosis.
Results of the Civil War
In a fierce armed struggle, the Bolsheviks managed to retain power in their hands. All state formations that arose after the collapse of the Russian Empire were liquidated, with the exception of Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland.
>>History: Civil War: Reds
Civil War: Reds
1.Creation of the Red Army.
2. War communism.
3. "Red Terror". Execution of the royal family.
4. Decisive victories for the Reds.
5.War with Poland.
6. End of the civil war.
Creation of the Red Army.
On January 15, 1918, a decree of the Council of People's Commissars proclaimed the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and on January 29 - the Red Fleet. The army was built on the principles of voluntariness and a class approach, which excluded the penetration of “exploiting elements” into it.
But the first results of the creation of a new revolutionary army did not inspire optimism. The volunteer principle of recruitment inevitably led to organizational disunity and decentralization in command and control, which had the most detrimental effect on the combat effectiveness and discipline of the Red Army. Therefore, V.I. Lenin considered it possible to return to the traditional, “ bourgeois»principles of military development, i.e., universal conscription and unity of command.
In July 1918, a decree on universal conscription was published male population aged from 18 to 40 years. A network of military commissariats was created throughout the country to keep records of those liable for military service, organize and conduct military training, and mobilize those fit for duty. military service population, etc. During the summer - autumn of 1918, 300 thousand people were mobilized into the ranks of the Red Army. By the spring of 1919, the number of Red Army soldiers increased to 1.5 million people, and by October 1919 - to 3 million. In 1920, the number of Red Army soldiers approached 5 million. Much attention was paid to command personnel. Short-term courses and schools were created to train mid-level commanders from the most distinguished Red Army soldiers. In 1917 - 1919 the highest military were opened educational institutions: Academy of the General Staff of the Red Army, Artillery, Military Medical, Military Economic, Naval, Military Engineering Academies. A notice was published in the Soviet press about the recruitment of military specialists from the old army to serve in the Red Army.
The widespread involvement of military experts was accompanied by strict “class” control over their activities. For this purpose, in April 1918, the institute of military commissars was introduced in the Red Army, who not only supervised the command cadres, but also carried out the political education of the Red Army soldiers.
In September 1918, a unified structure for command and control of troops of the fronts and armies was organized. At the head of each front (army) was the Revolutionary Military Council (Revolutionary Military Council, or RVS), which consisted of the commander of the front (army) and two political commissars. All front-line and military institutions were headed by the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, headed by L. D. Trotsky.
Measures were taken to tighten discipline. Representatives of the Revolutionary Military Council, endowed with emergency powers up to and including the execution of traitors and cowards without trial, went to the most tense areas of the front.
In November 1918, the Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense was formed, headed by V.I. Lenin. He concentrated in his hands all the power of the state.
War communism.
Social-Soviet power also underwent significant changes.
The activities of the poor commanders heated the situation in the village to the limit. In many areas, the Pobedy Committees entered into conflicts with local Soviets, seeking to usurp power. In the village, “a dual power was created, leading to a fruitless waste of energy and confusion in relations,” which the congress of committees of the poor of the Petrograd province in November 1918 was forced to admit.
On December 2, 1918, a decree was promulgated on the dissolution of the committees. This was not only a political, but also an economic decision. The calculations that the poor committees would help increase the supply of grain did not materialize. The price of the bread that was obtained as a result of the “armed campaign in the village” turned out to be immeasurably high - the general indignation of the peasants, which resulted in a series of peasant uprisings against the Bolsheviks. Civil War this factor could be decisive in the overthrow of the Bolshevik government. It was necessary to regain the trust, first of all, of the middle peasantry, which, after the redistribution of the land, determined the face of the village. The dissolution of the committees of the village poor was the first step towards a policy of pacification of the middle peasantry.
On January 11, 1919, the decree “On the allocation of grain and fodder” was issued. According to this decree, the state informed in advance exact figure their grain needs. Then this amount was distributed (developed) among provinces, districts, volosts and peasant households. Fulfillment of the grain procurement plan was mandatory. Moreover, surplus appropriation was based not on the capabilities of peasant farms, but on very conditional “state needs,” which in reality meant the confiscation of all surplus grain, and often necessary supplies. What was new compared to the policy of food dictatorship was that the peasants knew in advance the intentions of the state, and this was an important factor for peasant psychology. In 1920, surplus appropriation extended to potatoes, vegetables and other agricultural products.
In the area industrial production a course was set for the accelerated nationalization of all industries, and not just the most important ones, as provided for by the decree of July 28, 1918.
The government introduced universal labor conscription and labor mobilization of the population to carry out work of national importance: logging, road, construction, etc. The introduction of labor conscription influenced the solution of the problem wages. Instead of money, workers were given food rations, food stamps in the canteen, and basic necessities. Payments for housing, transport, utilities and other services were canceled. The state, having mobilized the worker, almost completely took over his maintenance.
Commodity-money relations were virtually abolished. First, the free sale of food was prohibited, then other consumer goods, which were distributed by the state as naturalized wages. However, despite all the prohibitions, illegal market trade continued to exist. According to various estimates, the state distributed only 30 - 45% of real consumption. Everything else was purchased on black markets, from “baggers” - illegal food sellers.
Such a policy required the creation of special super-centralized economic bodies in charge of accounting and distribution of all available products. The central boards (or centers) created under the Supreme Economic Council controlled the activities of certain industries, were in charge of their financing, material and technical supplies, and distribution of manufactured products.
The entire set of these emergency measures was called the policy of “war communism.” Military because this policy was subordinated to the sole goal - to concentrate all forces for military victory over one’s political opponents, communism because the measures taken Bolsheviks the measures surprisingly coincided with the Marxist forecast of some socio-economic features of the future communist society. New program The RCP(b), adopted in March 1919 at the VIII Congress, already linked “military-communist” measures with theoretical ideas about communism.
"Red Terror". Execution of the royal family.
Along with economic and military measures, the Soviet government on a national scale began to pursue a policy of intimidation of the population, called “red terror.”
In the cities, the “red terror” assumed widespread proportions from September 1918 - after the murder of the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, M. S. Uritsky, and the attempt on the life of V. I. Lenin. On September 5, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR adopted a resolution that “in this situation, ensuring the rear through terror is an immediate necessity”, that “it is necessary to liberate the Soviet Republic from class enemies by isolating them in concentration camps”, that “all persons related to White Guard organizations, conspiracies and rebellions.” The terror was widespread. Only in response to the assassination attempt on V.I. Lenin, the Petrograd Cheka shot, according to official reports, 500 hostages.
In the armored train on which L. D. Trotsky made his journeys along the fronts, there was a military revolutionary tribunal with unlimited powers. The first concentration camps were created in Murom, Arzamas, and Sviyazhsk. Between the front and the rear, special barrage detachments were formed to fight deserters.
One of the ominous pages of the “Red Terror” was the execution of the former royal family and other members of the imperial family.
Oktyabrskaya revolution found the former Russian emperor and his family in Tobolsk, where he was sent into exile by order of A.F. Kerensky. Tobolsk imprisonment lasted until the end of April 1918. Then royal family was transferred to Yekaterinburg and placed in a house that previously belonged to the merchant Ipatiev.
On July 16, 1918, apparently in agreement with the Council of People's Commissars, the Ural Regional Council decided to shoot Nikolai Romanov and members of his family. 12 people were selected to carry out this secret “operation”. On the night of July 17, the awakened family was transferred to the basement, where the bloody tragedy took place. Along with Nikolai, his wife, five children and servants were shot. There are 11 people in total.
Even earlier, on July 13, the Tsar’s brother Mikhail was killed in Perm. On July 18, 18 members of the imperial family were shot and thrown into a mine in Alapaevsk.
Decisive victories for the Reds.
November 13, 1918 soviet government annulled the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and began to make every effort to expel German troops from the territories they occupied. At the end of November, Soviet power was proclaimed in Estonia, in December - in Lithuania, Latvia, in January 1919 - in Belarus, in February - March - in Ukraine.
Summer 1918 main danger for the Bolsheviks it represented the Czechoslovak corps, and above all its units in the Middle Volga region. In September - early October, the Reds took Kazan, Simbirsk, Syzran and Samara. Czechoslovak troops retreated to the Urals. At the end of 1918 - beginning of 1919, large-scale fighting took place on the Southern Front. In November 1918, Krasnov's Don Army broke through the Southern Front of the Red Army, inflicted a serious defeat on it and began to advance north. At the cost of incredible efforts, in December 1918 it was possible to stop the advance of the White Cossack troops.
In January - February 1919, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive, and by March 1919, Krasnov's army was virtually defeated, and a significant part of the Don region returned to Soviet rule.
In the spring of 1919, the Eastern front again became the main front. Here the troops of Admiral Kolchak began their offensive. In March - April they captured Sarapul, Izhevsk, and Ufa. The advanced units of Kolchak’s army were located several tens of kilometers from Kazan, Samara and Simbirsk.
This success allowed the Whites to outline a new perspective - the possibility of Kolchak’s campaign against Moscow while the left flank of his army simultaneously left to join up with Denikin’s forces.
The current situation seriously alarmed the Soviet leadership. Lenin demanded that emergency measures be taken to organize a rebuff to Kolchak. A group of troops under the command of M.V. Frunze in battles near Samara defeated selected Kolchak units and took Ufa on June 9, 1919. On July 14, Yekaterinburg was occupied. In November, Kolchak's capital, Omsk, fell. The remnants of his army rolled further east.
In the first half of May 1919, when the Reds were winning their first victories over Kolchak, General Yudenich’s attack on Petrograd began. At the same time, anti-Bolshevik protests took place among the Red Army soldiers in the forts near Petrograd. Having suppressed these protests, the troops of the Petrograd Front went on the offensive. Yudenich's units were driven back to Estonian territory. Yudenich’s second offensive against St. Petersburg in October 1919 also ended in failure.
In February 1920, the Red Army liberated Arkhangelsk, and in March - Murmansk. The "white" north became "red".
The real danger to the Bolsheviks was Denikin's Volunteer Army. By June 1919, it captured the Donbass, a significant part of Ukraine, Belgorod, and Tsaritsyn. In July, Denikin's attack on Moscow began. In September, the Whites entered Kursk and Orel and occupied Voronezh. The critical moment had come for the Bolshevik power. The Bolsheviks organized the mobilization of forces and resources under the motto: “Everything to fight Denikin!” Big role The First Cavalry Army of S. M. Budyonny played a role in changing the situation at the front. Significant assistance to the Red Army was provided by rebel peasant detachments led by N.I. Makhno, who deployed a “second front” in the rear of Denikin’s army.
The rapid advance of the Reds in the fall of 1919 forced the Volunteer Army to retreat south. In February - March 1920, its main forces were defeated and the Volunteer Army itself ceased to exist. A significant group of whites led by General Wrangel took refuge in the Crimea.
War with Poland.
The main event of 1920 was the war with Poland. In April 1920, the head of Poland, J. Pilsudski, gave the order to attack Kyiv. It was officially announced that we're talking about only about providing assistance to the Ukrainian people in eliminating the illegal Soviet power and restoring the independence of Ukraine. On the night of May 6–7, Kyiv was taken, but the intervention of the Poles was perceived by the population of Ukraine as an occupation. The Bolsheviks took advantage of these sentiments and managed to unite various layers of society in the face of external danger. Almost all the available forces of the Red Army, united as part of the Western and Southwestern Fronts, were thrown against Poland. Their commanders were former officers of the tsarist army M. N. Tukhachevsky and A. I. Egorov. On June 12, Kyiv was liberated. Soon the Red Army reached the border with Poland, which raised hopes among some Bolshevik leaders for the speedy implementation of the idea of world revolution in Western Europe.
In the order for Western Front Tukhachevsky wrote: “On our bayonets we will bring happiness and peace to working humanity. To the West!
However, the Red Army, which entered Polish territory, received rebuff from the enemy. The Polish “class brothers” did not support the idea of a world revolution either; they preferred the state sovereignty of their country to the world proletarian revolution.
On October 12, 1920, a peace treaty with Poland was signed in Riga, according to which the territories of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus were transferred to it.
The end of the civil war.
Having made peace with Poland, the Soviet command concentrated all the power of the Red Army to fight the last major White Guard hotbed - the army of General Wrangel.
The troops of the Southern Front under the command of M. V. Frunze in early November 1920 stormed the seemingly impregnable fortifications of Perekop and Chongar and crossed the Sivash Bay.
The last battle between the Reds and Whites was especially fierce and cruel. The remnants of the once formidable Volunteer Army rushed to the ships of the Black Sea squadron concentrated in the Crimean ports. Almost 100 thousand people were forced to leave their homeland.
Thus, the civil war in Russia ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks. They managed to mobilize economic and human resources for the needs of the front, and most importantly, to convince huge masses of people that they were the only defenders of Russia’s national interests, and to captivate them with the prospects for a new life.
Documents
A. I. Denikin about the Red Army
By the spring of 1918, the complete insolvency of the Red Guard was finally revealed. The organization of the workers' and peasants' Red Army began. It was built on old principles, swept aside by the revolution and the Bolsheviks in the first period of their rule, including normal organization, autocracy and discipline. “Universal compulsory training in the art of war” was introduced, instructor schools were founded to train command personnel, the old officer corps was registered, officers of the General Staff were brought into service without fail, etc. The Soviet government considered itself already strong enough to pour in without fear the ranks of their army are tens of thousands of “specialists”, obviously alien or hostile to the ruling party.
Order of the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic to the troops and Soviet institutions of the southern front No. 65. November 24, 1918
1. Any scoundrel who incites retreat, desertion, or failure to carry out a combat order will be SHOOTED.
2. Any Red Army soldier who leaves his combat post without permission will be SHOOTED.
3. Any soldier who throws down his rifle or sells part of his uniform will be SHOOTED.
4. Barrage detachments are distributed in every front-line zone to catch deserters. Any soldier who tries to resist these detachments must be SHOOTED on the spot.
5. All local councils and committees undertake, for their part, to take all measures to catch deserters, organizing raids twice a day: at 8 o’clock in the morning and at 8 o’clock in the evening. Those caught should be taken to the headquarters of the nearest unit and to the nearest military commissariat.
6. For harboring deserters, the perpetrators are subject to SHOOTING.
7. Houses in which deserters are hidden will be burned.
Death to selfish people and traitors!
Death to deserters and Krasnov agents!
Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic
Questions and tasks:
1. Explain how and why the views of the Bolshevik leadership on the principles of organizing the armed forces in a proletarian state changed.
2. What is the essence of military policy?
"White" and "Red" movements in the Civil War 27.10.2017 09:49
Every Russian knows that the Civil War of 1917-1922 was opposed by two movements - “red” and “white”. But among historians there is still no consensus on where it began. Some believe 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); There is also an opinion that the war began with Miliukov proclaiming 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 the February Revolution, when the entire society was split into supporters and opponents of the Romanov monarchy.
"White" movement in Russia
Everyone knows that “whites” are adherents of the monarchy and the old order. Its beginnings were visible back in February 1917, when the monarchy was overthrown in Russia and a total restructuring of society began. The development of the “white” movement took place during the period when the Bolsheviks came to power and the formation of Soviet power. They represented a circle of people dissatisfied with the Soviet government, who disagreed with its policies and principles of its conduct.
The “Whites” were fans of the old monarchical system, refused to accept the new socialist order, and adhered to the principles of traditional society. It is important to note that the “whites” were often radicals; they did not believe that it was possible to agree on anything with the “reds”; on the contrary, they had the opinion that no negotiations or concessions were acceptable.
The “Whites” chose the Romanov tricolor as their banner. The white movement was commanded by Admiral Denikin and Quiver, one in the South, the other in the harsh regions of Siberia.
A historical event that became the impetus for the activation of the “whites” and the transition to their side of the majority former army The Romanov Empire was the rebellion of General Kornilov, who, although suppressed, helped the “whites” strengthen their ranks, especially in the southern regions, where under the leadership of General Alekseev huge resources and a powerful, disciplined army began to accumulate. Every day the army was replenished with new arrivals, it grew rapidly, developed, hardened, and trained.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the commanders of the White Guards (that was the name of the army created by the “white” movement). They were unusually talented commanders, prudent politicians, strategists, tacticians, subtle psychologists, and skillful speakers. The most famous were Lavr Kornilov, Anton Denikin, Alexander Kolchak, Pyotr Krasnov, Pyotr Wrangel, Nikolai Yudenich, Mikhail Alekseev. We can talk about each of them for a long time; their talent and services to the “white” movement can hardly be overestimated.
White Guards in the war long time won, and even let down their troops in Moscow. But the Bolshevik army grew stronger, and they were supported by a significant part of the Russian population, especially the poorest and most numerous layers - workers and peasants. In the end, the forces of the White Guards were smashed to smithereens. For some time they continued to operate abroad, but without success, the “white” movement ceased.
"Red" movement
Like the “Whites,” the “Reds” had many talented commanders and politicians in their ranks. Among them, it is important to note the most famous, namely: Leon Trotsky, Brusilov, Novitsky, Frunze. These military leaders showed themselves excellently in battles against the White Guards. Trotsky was the main founder of the Red Army, which acted as the decisive force in the confrontation between the “whites” and the “reds” in the Civil War. The ideological leader of the “red” movement was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, known to every person. Lenin and his government were actively supported by the masses of the population Russian State, namely, the proletariat, the poor, land-poor and landless peasants, and the working intelligentsia. It was these classes that most quickly believed the tempting promises of the Bolsheviks, supported them and brought the “Reds” to power.
The main party in the country became the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party of the Bolsheviks, which was later turned into a communist party. In essence, it was an association of intelligentsia, adherents of the socialist revolution, whose social base was the working classes.
It was not easy for the Bolsheviks to win the Civil War - they had not yet completely strengthened their power throughout the country, the forces of their fans were dispersed throughout the vast country, plus the national outskirts began a national liberation struggle. A lot of effort went into the war with the Ukrainian People's Republic, so the Red Army soldiers had to fight on several fronts during the Civil War.
Attacks by the White Guards could come from any direction on the horizon, because the White Guards surrounded the Red Army from all sides with four separate military formations. And despite all the difficulties, it was the “Reds” who won the war, mainly thanks to the broad social base of the Communist Party.
All representatives of the national outskirts united against the White Guards, and therefore they became forced allies of the Red Army in the Civil War. To attract residents of the national outskirts to their side, the Bolsheviks used loud slogans, such as the idea of a “united and indivisible Russia.”
The Bolshevik victory in the war was brought about by the support of the masses. The Soviet government played on a sense of duty and patriotism Russian citizens. The White Guards themselves also added fuel to the fire, since their invasions were most often accompanied by mass robbery, looting, and violence in other forms, which could not in any way encourage people to support the “white” movement.
Results of the Civil War
As has already been said several times, victory in this fratricidal war went to the “reds”. The fratricidal civil war became a real tragedy for the Russian people. The material damage caused to the country by the war was estimated to be about 50 billion rubles - unimaginable money at that time, several times greater than the amount of Russia's external debt. Because of this, the level of industry decreased by 14%, and agriculture- by 50%. According to various sources, human losses ranged from 12 to 15 million.
Most of these people died from hunger, repression, and disease. During the hostilities, more than 800 thousand soldiers on both sides gave their lives. Also during the Civil War, the balance of migration fell sharply - about 2 million Russians left the country and went abroad.
