Western Front (Civil War). Events of the civil war Civil war events on the fronts table

Reference table of milestones, dates, events, causes and results civil war in Russia 1917 - 1922. This table is convenient for schoolchildren and applicants to use for self-study, in preparation for tests, exams and the Unified State Exam in history.

The main causes of the civil war:

1. a national crisis in the country, which has given rise to irreconcilable contradictions between the main social strata of society;

2. socio-economic and anti-religious policy of the Bolsheviks, aimed at inciting hostility in society;

3. attempts by the nobility to regain their lost position in society;

4. psychological factor due to a drop in value human life during the events of the First World War.

The first stage of the civil war (October 1917 - spring 1918)

Key events: the victory of the armed uprising in Petrograd and the overthrow of the Provisional Government, military actions were local in nature, anti-Bolshevik forces used political methods of struggle or created armed formations (Volunteer Army).

	Events of the Civil War
	The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly takes place in Petrograd. The Bolsheviks, finding themselves in a clear minority (about 175 deputies against 410 Socialist Revolutionaries), leave the hall.
	By decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved.
	III All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies. It adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Working and Exploited People and proclaimed the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).
	Decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. It is organized by L.D. Trotsky, People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, and soon it will become a truly powerful and disciplined army (voluntary recruitment was replaced by compulsory military service, a large number of old military specialists were recruited, officer elections were canceled, political commissars appeared in units).
	Decree on the creation of the Red Fleet. The suicide of Ataman A. Kaledin, who failed to rouse the Don Cossacks to fight the Bolsheviks
	The volunteer army, after failures on the Don (the loss of Rostov and Novocherkassk), is forced to retreat to Kuban (“Ice March” by L.G. Kornilov)
	In Brest-Litovsk, the Brest Peace Treaty was signed between Soviet Russia and the Central European powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary) and Turkey. Under the agreement, Russia loses Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Ukraine and part of Belarus, and also cedes Kars, Ardahan and Batum to Turkey. In general, losses amount to 1/4 of the population, 1/4 of cultivated land, and about 3/4 of the coal and metallurgical industries. After the signing of the agreement, Trotsky resigned from the post of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and on April 8. becomes People's Commissar for Naval Affairs.
	March 6-8. VIII Congress of the Bolshevik Party (emergency), which takes a new name - the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). At the congress, Lenin’s theses against the “left communists” supporting line II were approved. Bukharin to continue the revolutionary war.
	British landing in Murmansk (initially this landing was planned to repel the offensive of the Germans and their Finnish allies).
	Moscow becomes the capital of the Soviet state.
	March 14-16. The IV Extraordinary All-Russian Congress of Soviets takes place, ratifying the peace treaty signed in Brest-Litovsk. As a sign of protest, the Left Social Revolutionaries leave the government.
	Landing of Japanese troops in Vladivostok. The Japanese will be followed by the Americans, British and French.
	L.G. was killed near Ekaterinodar. Kornilov - he is replaced at the head of the Volunteer Army by A.I. Denikin.
	II was elected Ataman of the Don Army. Krasnov
	The People's Commissariat for Food has been given extraordinary powers to use force against peasants who do not want to hand over grain to the state.
	The Czechoslovak Legion (formed from approximately 50 thousand former prisoners of war who were supposed to be evacuated through Vladivostok) sides with opponents of the Soviet regime.
	Decree on general mobilization into the Red Army.

The second stage of the civil war (spring - December 1918)

Key events: the formation of anti-Bolshevik centers and the beginning of active hostilities.

	A Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly was formed in Samara, which included the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks.
	In the villages, committees of the poor (bed committees) were formed, which were tasked with fighting the kulaks. By November 1918, there were more than 100 thousand committees of poor people, but they would soon be dissolved due to numerous cases of abuse of power.
	The All-Russian Central Executive Committee decides to expel right-wing Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks from the Soviets at all levels for counter-revolutionary activities.
	Conservatives and monarchists form the Siberian government in Omsk.
	General nationalization of large industrial enterprises.
	The beginning of the White offensive against Tsaritsyn.
	During the congress, the Left SRs attempt a coup in Moscow: J. Blumkin kills the new German ambassador, Count von Mirbach; F. E. Dzerzhinsky, chairman of the Cheka, was arrested.
	The government suppresses the rebellion with the support of the Latvian riflemen. There are widespread arrests of left Socialist Revolutionaries. The uprising, raised in Yaroslavl by the Socialist-Revolutionary terrorist B. Savinkov, continues until July 21.
	At the V All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the first Constitution of the RSFSR was adopted.
	Landing of Entente troops in Arkhangelsk. Formation of the Government of the North of Russia" led by the old populist N. Tchaikovsky.
	All “bourgeois newspapers” are banned.
	White takes Kazan.
	8-23 Aug. A meeting of anti-Bolshevik parties and organizations is taking place in Ufa, at which the Ufa Directory was created, headed by the Socialist-Revolutionary N. Avksentiev.
	The murder of the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka M. Uritsky by the Socialist-Revolutionary student L. Kanegisser. On the same day, in Moscow, Socialist Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan seriously wounded Lenin. The Soviet government declares that it will respond to “white terror” with “red terror.”
	Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on the Red Terror.
	The first major victory of the Red Army: Kazan was captured.
	Faced with the threat of a White offensive and foreign intervention, the Mensheviks declare their conditional support for the authorities. Their exclusion from the Soviets was canceled on November 30, 1919.
	In connection with the signing of an armistice between the Allies and defeated Germany, the Soviet government annuls the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty.
	In Ukraine, a directory was formed headed by S. Petlyura, who overthrows Hetman P. Skoropadsky and on December 14. Occupies Kyiv.
	The coup in Omsk carried out by Admiral A.V. Kolchak. With the support of the Entente forces, he overthrows the Ufa Directory and declares himself the supreme ruler of Russia.
	Nationalization of domestic trade.
	The beginning of the Anglo-French intervention on the Black Sea coast
	The Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense was created, headed by V.I. Lenin.
	The beginning of the Red Army's offensive in the Baltic states, which continues until January. 1919. With the support of the RSFSR, ephemeral Soviet regimes are established in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Third stage (January - December 1919)

Key events: The culmination of the Civil War is the equality of forces between the Reds and the Whites, large-scale operations take place on all fronts.

By the beginning of 1919, three main centers of the White movement had formed in the country:

1. troops of Admiral A.V. Kolchak (Ural, Siberia);

2. Armed forces of the South of Russia, General A. I. Denikin (Don region, North Caucasus);

3. troops of General N.N. Yudenich in the Baltic states.

	Formation of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
	General A.I. Denikin unites under his command the Volunteer Army and the Don and Kuban Cossack armed formations.
	Food allocation is introduced: peasants are obliged to hand over surplus grain to the state.
	American President Wilson proposes organizing a conference on the Princes' Islands with the participation of all warring parties in Russia. White refuses.
	The Red Army occupies Kyiv (the Ukrainian directorate of Semyon Petlyura accepts the patronage of France).
	Decree on the transfer of all lands into state ownership and on the transition "from sole forms land use to comradely".
	The beginning of the offensive of the troops of Admiral A.V. Kolchak, which are moving towards Simbirsk and Samara.
	Consumer cooperatives have complete control over the distribution system.
	The Bolsheviks occupy Odessa. French troops leave the city and also leave Crimea.
	A decree of the Soviet government created a system of forced labor camps - the beginning of the formation of the Gulag archipelago was laid.”
	The beginning of the Red Army's counteroffensive against the forces of A.V. Kolchak.
	The offensive of the white general N.N. Yudenich to Petrograd. It is reflected at the end of June.
	The beginning of Denikin's offensive in Ukraine and in the direction of the Volga.
	The Allied Supreme Council provides support for Kolchak on the condition that he establishes democratic rule and recognizes the rights of national minorities.
	The Red Army drives Kolchak's troops out of Ufa, who continues to retreat and completely loses the Urals in July - August.
	Denikin's troops take Kharkov.
	Denikin launches an attack on Moscow. Kursk (Sept. 20) and Orel (Oct. 13) were taken, and a threat loomed over Tula.
	The Allies establish an economic blockade of Soviet Russia, which will last until January 1920.
	The beginning of the Red Army's counteroffensive against Denikin.
	The counteroffensive of the Red Army pushes Yudenich back to Estonia.
	The Red Army occupies Omsk, displacing Kolchak's forces.
	The Red Army drives Denikin's troops out of Kursk
	The First Cavalry Army was created from two cavalry corps and one rifle division. S. M. Budyonny was appointed commander, K. E. Voroshilov and E. A. Shchadenko were appointed as members of the Revolutionary Military Council.
	The Supreme Council of the Allies establishes a temporary military border for Poland along the “Curzon Line”.
	The Red Army recaptures Kharkov (12th) and Kyiv (16th). "
	L.D. Trotsky declares the need to “militarize the masses.”

Fourth stage (January - November 1920)

Key events: the superiority of the Reds, the defeat of the White movement in the European part of Russia, and then in the Far East.

	Admiral Kolchak renounces his title as the Supreme Ruler of Russia in favor of Denikin.
	The Red Army reoccupies Tsaritsyn (3rd), Krasnoyarsk (7th) and Rostov (10th).
	Decree on the introduction of labor service.
	Deprived of the support of the Czechoslovak corps, Admiral Kolchak was shot in Irkutsk.
	February - March. The Bolsheviks again take control of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk.
	The Red Army enters Novorossiysk. Denikin retreats to Crimea, where he transfers power to General P.N. Wrangel (April 4).
	Formation of the Far Eastern Republic.
	The beginning of the Soviet-Polish war. The offensive of J. Pilsudski's troops with the aim of expanding the eastern borders of Poland and creating a Polish-Ukrainian federation.
	The People's Soviet Republic was proclaimed in Khorezm.
	Establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan.
	Polish troops occupy Kyiv
	In the war with Poland, the Soviet counteroffensive began on the Southwestern Front. Zhitomir was taken and Kyiv was taken (June 12).
	Taking advantage of the war with Poland, Wrangel's White Army launches an offensive from Crimea to Ukraine.
	On the Western Front, the offensive of Soviet troops under the command of M. Tukhachevsky unfolds, which approach Warsaw in early August. According to the Bolsheviks, entry into Poland should lead to the establishment of Soviet power there and cause a revolution in Germany.
	"Miracle on the Vistula": near Wieprze, Polish troops (supported by a Franco-British mission led by General Weygand) go behind the Red Army's rear and win. The Poles liberate Warsaw and go on the offensive. The hopes of the Soviet leaders for revolution in Europe are crumbling.
	The People's Soviet Republic was proclaimed in Bukhara
	Armistice and preliminary peace talks with Poland in Riga.
	In Dorpat, a peace treaty was signed between Finland and the RSFSR (which retains the eastern part of Karelia).
	The Red Army launches an offensive against Wrangel, crosses Sivash, takes Perekop (November 7-11) and by November 17. occupies the entire Crimea. Allied ships evacuate more than 140 thousand people - civilians and military personnel of the White Army - to Constantinople.
	The Red Army occupies Crimea completely.
	Proclamation of the Armenian Soviet Republic.
	In Riga Soviet Russia and Poland sign the Border Treaty. The Soviet-Polish war of 1919 -1921 ended.
	Defensive battles began during the Mongolian operation, defensive (May - June), and then offensive (June - August) actions of the troops of the 5th Soviet Army, the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic and the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army.

Results and consequences of the Civil War:

Very heavy economic crisis, devastation in the economic sphere, a drop in industrial production by 7 times, agricultural production by 2 times; huge demographic losses - during the years of the First World War and the Civil War, about 10 million people died from fighting, famine and epidemics; the final establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship, while the harsh methods of governing the country during the Civil War began to be considered as completely acceptable for peacetime.

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A source of information: History in tables and diagrams./ Edition 2e, St. Petersburg: 2013.

Civil War

Causes and chronology of the civil war and military intervention.

Civil war is a way of resolving political contradictions with the help of armed forces. Abolition of private ownership of land, expropriation of property and deprivation of privileges of nobles, industrialists, merchants, Cossacks and a number of other classes of the population of Russia led to a confrontation between them and the new government and became the main objective reason for the civil war. There were also subjective errors, such as registering “nobles, officers and lawyers” in St. Petersburg, and then arresting and shooting them according to the lists without investigation or trial.

The Soviet government sought to maintain the state within the borders of the empire, but was forced to give independence to Finland and Poland, but “forgot” about the recognition of the sovereignty of Ukraine by the Provisional Government. All this served as a reason for the civil war in Russia. The gap between Soviet power and the middle peasantry during 1918-1920. created further fertile ground for deepening the civil war.

The problem of intervention by historians in Soviet times was considered as a reaction to Bolshevism, the desire to destroy the example of the victory of the people over capital, to return power to the Emperor of Russia. Currently, this point of view remains, but in a slightly different vein: foreign intervention was a feature of the civil war in Russia in the first half of the 20th century, when the issue of the future political structure and the form of organization of state power in the country was being decided.

The periodization and chronological framework of the civil war remain the subject of scientific debate. Various reasons for it are cited: the murder in Moscow of the German ambassador von Mirbach on July 6, 2018, the arrest by the Bolsheviks on July 7, 2018 of the Socialist Revolutionary leaders and Left Socialist Revolutionary deputies led by M. Spiridonova, who were sitting at a session of the Soviets at the Bolshoi Theater, Dybenko’s dispersal of the Constituent Assembly 01/7/18, after which the Soviet government ceased to be legitimate.

Some Russian historians currently agree that the Civil War began on October 25-26, 1917 with the execution of nobles and officers in Petrograd.

There are 4 main stages of armed struggle:

Stage 1 (late May-November 1918) begins with the uprising of the Czechoslovak corps and the decision of the Entente powers to launch military intervention in Russia. In the summer, the situation in the country was aggravated by the rebellion of the left Socialist Revolutionaries, and from September 1918, the Soviet Republic turned into a “single military camp”, and the main fronts of the Civil War were formed.

Stage 2 (November 1918 – February 1919) associated with the end of the First World War, when the Entente intervention against the SR unfolded. There is a consolidation of “general dictatorships” within the framework of the white movement.

Stage 3 (March 1919 – March 1920) characterized by the offensive of the armed forces of the white regimes on all fronts and the organization of a counter-offensive by the Red Army, which managed to turn the tide of the armed struggle and break the ring of fronts.

Stage 4 (spring – autumn 1920) – the final defeat of the white movement in the south of Russia takes place, which took place against the backdrop of the unsuccessful war with Poland for the RSFSR.

The end of the Civil War was officially considered December 1920, when reports from the fronts were published in newspapers for the last time. In 1922, the expulsion of the Japanese from the Far East was completed, but this was the Far Eastern Republic, not Russia. IN Central Asia the so-called fight against banditry, and not civil war, continued until the end of the 20s, in the south of Russia - the beginning of the 30s.

A month after the October coup, the Bolsheviks controlled most of the north and center of Russia as far as the Middle Volga, in a number of cities as far as the Caucasus (Baku) and Central Asia (Tashkent). The Menshevik rule remained in Georgia, and the Socialist Revolutionaries ruled in many small towns of the country. The centers of resistance were the Don, Kuban, Ukraine, Finland, and from May - Western Siberia (Kolchak Government).

In Ukraine, on November 7, 2017, the UPR was created, headed by the Central Rada, and on December 4, 2017, the Council of People's Commissars recognized it. The First All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets on December 11-12, 2017 in Kharkov outlawed the CR and proclaimed the Ukrainian Soviet Republic. On January 9, 1918, the Rada declared the sovereignty of Ukraine. Six thousandth detachment of Antonov-Ovsienko 9.02. 18 entered Kyiv. The Rada asked for help from European countries. On March 1, 2018, German troops entered Kyiv and restored the power of the Rada under the guardianship of German army. The Rada fought against Petliura's army.

In Russia, the Don Cossacks were the first to rebel. 10/25/17 11/25/17 The Council of People's Commissars declared the regions in the Don and the Urals under a state of siege, generals Kaledin, Kornilov, Dutov - enemies of the people. Soon the South Russian Front was created. On March 23, 2018, the Don Soviet Republic was created as part of the RSFSR with a government led by Podtelkov. In January, Dutov was defeated and went to Verkhneuralsk.

On April 10, 1818, the rebel Cossacks of the Don and Kuban elected General Krasnov as ataman of the Great Don Army (Don Army). They agreed with the Germans, who captured Ukraine, on the supply of weapons. In Transbaikalia, the disobedience of the Cossacks to Soviet power was led by Semenov, in the Southern Urals - by Dutov.

Opponents of Soviet power took advantage of this mood of the Cossacks. General Alekseev in November 1917 created Volunteer army under the command of General Kornilov (from April 1918 - Denikin), 3000 officers out of 133 thousand Russian officers in 1917

The third front formed beyond the Urals along the Trans-Siberian railway line trawl along which 30,000 Czech and Slovak officers with weapons traveled to the East to join the French army. When trying to confiscate weapons, the White Czechs captured Chelyabinsk on May 26, 2018, and then a number of cities along the highway, cutting off communications with Siberia.

They were supported in Samara by the Social Revolutionaries (People's Army). Kazan, Simbirsk, Ufa joined the White Czechs. The Eastern Front was formed.

In addition to these fronts, the Socialist Revolutionaries waged an underground struggle in various regions, and after the start of surplus appropriation, “kulak riots” began. There were the Ural, Siberian armies, Muslim, Armenian, Georgian corps, Basmach detachments. 06/03/18, the Socialist Revolutionaries killed the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka, Uritsky, and Kaplan wounded Lenin.

09/05/18 The Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSO adopted the resolution “On Red Terror”, concentration camps are being created for class enemies. According to Latsis, in 1918-1919. 8,388 people were shot for counter-revolution.

First stage: spring 1918 – December 1918– characterized by the formation of anti-Bolshevik centers and the beginning of active hostilities.

Main events:

March-April 1918– German occupation of Ukraine, the Baltic states and Crimea; in response, the Entente countries send their troops into Russian territory (England - to the Transcaucasian ports, France - to Odessa and Nikolaev, the USA - to Arkhangelsk and Murmansk, Japan - to the Far East);

May 1918 – mutiny of the Czechoslovak corps(consisted of captured Czechs who went over to the side of the Entente, on trains moved to Vladivostok with the aim of subsequent relocation on ships to France; cause of the uprising- an attempt by the Bolsheviks to disarm the corps, fulfilling the conditions of the Brest Peace Treaty). Bottom line– the simultaneous fall of Soviet power in the Urals and Siberia (along the entire length of the Trans-Siberian Railway); served as a signal for the formation of anti-Bolshevik centers, the beginning of active hostilities ( characteristic feature: initially the initiative belonged to the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and Cadets, and not to the monarchists);

July 1918– revolts of the left Socialist Revolutionaries in Moscow, Yaroslavl, Rybinsk and other cities in the central part of the country (suppressed);

September 1918– creation in Ufa of the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly (Komuch), which declared itself the “supreme government”;

November 1918- the defeat of Komuch by the troops of Admiral Kolchak, who declared himself the “supreme ruler of Russia” with the support of the Entente countries. The initiative in the counter-revolutionary camp passes to the military and monarchists.

Result: by the end of 1918, the balance of forces was finally taking shape; formed 4 main centers of the “white” movement:

1) Troops of the adm. Kolchak (Ural, Siberia).

2) Armed forces of the South of Russia under General Denikin (Don region, North Caucasus).

3) Armed forces of the Russian North under General Miller (Arkhangelsk region).

4) General Yudenich’s troops in the Baltic states.

Large-scale hostilities begin.

Second stage: January – December 1919- the culmination of the civil war; relative equality of power; large-scale operations on all fronts.

Main events:

February-March 1919– the general offensive of Kolchak’s troops on Kazan and Moscow, the mobilization of all possible resources by the Bolsheviks;

April 1919- counter-offensive of the Red Army (Tukhachevsky, Egorov), pushing Kolchak’s troops beyond the Urals and their complete defeat by the end of 1919 (Kolchak himself was captured near Irkutsk and was shot); at the same time - Yudenich’s first attack on Petrograd (it was repulsed with difficulty);

July-September 1919– General Denikin’s general attack on Moscow (maximum advance to Orel);

September-October 1919– counter-offensive of the Red Army (Frunze, Budyonny, Voroshilov); Denikin's troops were driven into the Crimea and the North Caucasus; Denikin himself handed over command to Baron Wrangel and emigrated abroad;

October 1919- the second offensive of General Yudenich’s troops on Petrograd (unsuccessful);

Result: by the end of 1919 there was a clear Bolshevik preponderance, in fact, the outcome of the war was predetermined. The reason for its delay– Poland’s attack on Ukraine with the aim of territorial expansion and diverting the attention of the Bolsheviks from the last major center of the “white” movement in Crimea.

Third stage: January-November 1920– passed with a clear advantage of the “reds”, the final defeat of the white movement.

Main events:

March 1919– defeat of General Miller’s troops in the North of Russia;

April-October 1920. – Soviet-Polish war: the invasion of Polish troops into Ukraine and the capture of Kyiv (April-May); retaliatory counteroffensive of the Red Army to Warsaw (Tukhachevsky, Budyonny); plans for the world campaign of the Red Army (what were they?) → counter-offensive of Polish troops with the support of the French → pushing the Red Army back to Ukraine ( cause: exhaustion of the Red Army, disagreements and rivalry between Tukhachevsky and Budyonny; hostile attitude of the Polish population (why?)).

September 1920– the offensive of Wrangel’s troops from Crimea to Southern Ukraine → as a result, the Bolsheviks decide to make peace with Poland on any terms.

March 1921– The Riga Peace Treaty with Poland, unfavorable for Soviet Russia (Western Ukraine and Western Belarus were transferred to Poland), but troops were freed for the offensive in Crimea.

November 1920. - the offensive of the Red Army in Crimea (Frunze) and the complete defeat of Wrangel’s troops; the end of the civil war (although fighting in the outskirts - the Far East and Central Asia - continued until the mid-1920s).

6. Reasons for the victory of the “Reds” in the war:

- Managed win over the peasantry, despite the excesses of the surplus appropriation system, with the promise to implement the decree on land after victory in the war (the “whites”’ agrarian program was even worse, since it provided for the return of seized lands to the landowners).

– The absence of a unified command and plans for waging war among the “whites”(the “Reds”, on the contrary, have a compact territory, a single leader - Lenin, uniform plans for conducting military operations).

– Failed White National Policy(the slogan of “united and indivisible Russia” alienated the national outskirts from them; on the contrary, the Bolsheviks attracted them to themselves with the slogan of freedom of national self-determination).

– The “Whites” relied on the help of the Entente, that is, the interventionists and therefore, in the eyes of the population, they looked like their accomplices, as an anti-national force (this is the reason that almost half of the officers of the tsarist army went over to the side of the “reds” as military experts).

– The “Reds” managed to mobilize all resources using the policy of “war communism”, what the “whites” could not do. The main measures of this policy: the introduction of surplus appropriation (essentially, confiscation of food from peasants for the needs of the army), universal labor conscription (militarization of labor), a ban on private trade, the nationalization of medium and even small enterprises, a course towards curtailing commodity-money relations (which manifested itself ?), over-centralization of economic management (system of central administrations of the Supreme Economic Council).

Answer the question, what revealed the dual nature of the policy of “war communism”? (a combination of military and ideological factors, which is reflected in the name).

7.Consequences of the civil war:

– a severe economic crisis, complete economic devastation (a 7-fold drop in industrial production, a 2-fold drop in agricultural production);

– huge demographic losses (during the First World War and the Civil War, about 10 million people died from fighting, famine and epidemics);

- the final establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship, while the harsh methods of governing the country during the civil war began to be considered as completely acceptable in peacetime.

9.3. National and religious issues in Soviet Russia and the USSR in the 1920s-1940s.

The national question in Soviet Russia and the USSR in the 1920s - 40s. Education of the USSR. The religious question in the USSR in the 20-40s.

Civil War - armed confrontation between different groups of the population, as well as a war of different national, social and political forces for the right to gain dominance within the country.

The main causes of the Civil War in Russia

1. A nationwide crisis in the state, which sowed irreconcilable contradictions between the main social strata of society;
2. Getting rid of the Provisional Government, as well as the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly by the Bolsheviks;
3. A special character in the anti-religious and socio-economic policy of the Bolsheviks, which consisted of inciting hostility between groups of the population;
4. An attempt by the bourgeoisie and nobility to regain their lost position;
5. Refusal of cooperation of the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and anarchists with the Soviet regime;
6. Signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in 1918;
7. Loss of value of human life during war.

Key dates and events of the Civil War

First stage lasted from October 1917 to the spring of 1918. During this period, armed clashes were local in nature. The Central Rada of Ukraine opposed the new government. Türkiye launched an attack on Transcaucasia in February and was able to capture part of it. A Volunteer Army was created on the Don. During this period, the victory of the armed uprising in Petrograd took place, as well as liberation from the Provisional Government.

Second phase lasted from spring to winter 1918. Anti-Bolshevik centers were formed.

Important dates:

March, April - Germany's seizure of Ukraine, the Baltic states and Crimea. At this time, the Entente countries are planning to enter Russian territory with their army. England sends troops to Murmansk, and Japan - to Vladivostok.

May June - The battle takes on national proportions. In Kazan, the Czechoslovaks took possession of Russia's gold reserves (about 30,000 pounds of gold and silver, at that time their value was 650 million rubles). A number of Socialist Revolutionary governments were created: the Provisional Siberian Government in Tomsk, the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly in Samara, and the Ural Regional Government in Yekaterinburg.

August— the creation of an army of about 30,000 people due to a workers' uprising at the Izhevsk and Botkin factories. Then they were forced to retreat with their relatives to Kolchak's army.

September - An “all-Russian government” was created in Ufa - the Ufa Directory.

November - Admiral A.V. Kolchak dissolved the Ufa Directory and presented himself as the “supreme ruler of Russia.”

Third stage lasted from January to December 1919. Large-scale operations took place on different fronts. By the beginning of 1919, 3 main centers of the White movement were formed in the state:

1. Army of Admiral A.V. Kolchak (Ural, Siberia);
2. Troops of the South of Russia of General A.I. Denikin (Don Region, North Caucasus);
3. Armed forces of General N. N. Yudenich (Baltic states).

Important dates:

March, April - There was an offensive of Kolchak’s army on Kazan and Moscow, attracting many resources by the Bolsheviks.

April-December— The Red Army makes a counter-offensive led by (S. S. Kamenev, M. V. Frunze, M. N. Tukhachevsky). Kolchak's armed forces are forced to retreat beyond the Urals, and then they are completely destroyed by the end of 1919.

May June - General N.N. Yudenich makes the first attack on Petrograd. They barely fought back. General offensive of Denikin's army. Part of Ukraine, Donbass, Tsaritsyn and Belgorod were captured.

September October - Denikin makes an attack on Moscow and advances to Orel. The second offensive of the armed forces of General Yudenich on Petrograd. The Red Army (A.I. Egorov, SM. Budyonny) launches a counter-offensive against Denikin’s army, and A.I. Kork against Yudenich’s forces.

November - Yudenich's detachment was thrown back to Estonia.

Results: at the end of 1919 there was a clear preponderance of forces in favor of the Bolsheviks.

Fourth stage lasted from January to November 1920. During this period, the White movement was completely defeated in the European part of Russia.

Important dates:

April-October — Soviet-Polish war. Polish troops invaded Ukraine and captured Kyiv in May. The Red Army launches a counteroffensive.

October - The Riga Peace Treaty was signed with Poland. Under the terms of the treaty, Poland took Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. However, Soviet Russia was able to free troops for an attack in Crimea.

November - the war of the Red Army (M.V. Frunze) in Crimea with Wrangel’s army. The end of the Civil War in the European part of Russia.

Fifth stage lasted from 1920 to 1922. During this period, the White movement in the Far East was completely destroyed. In October 1922, Vladivostok was liberated from Japanese forces.

Reasons for the Red victory in the Civil War:

1. Widespread support from various popular masses.
2. Weakened by the First World War, the Entente states were unable to coordinate their actions and carry out a successful attack on the territory of the former Russian Empire.
3. It was possible to win over the peasantry with an obligation to return the seized lands to the landowners.
4. Weighted ideological support for military companies.
5. The Reds were able to mobilize all resources through the policy of “war communism”; the Whites were unable to do this.
6. There is a greater number of military specialists who strengthened and made the army stronger.

Results of the civil war

• The country was virtually destroyed, a deep economic crisis, the loss of efficiency of many industrial production, and a decline in agricultural work.
• Estonia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Western, Bessarabia, Ukraine and a small part of Armenia were no longer part of Russia.
• Population loss of about 25 million people (famine, war, epidemics).
• The absolute establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship, strict methods of governing the country.

Causes and periods of the war.

1) The main political forces after the October Revolution were the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. The Bolsheviks were able to eliminate the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries from the structures of power - and thereby created the ground for confrontation.
2) The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany was met with ambiguity in Russian society. Some supported him, others sharply condemned him. This also became a prerequisite for the confrontation.
3) The food dictatorship of the Bolsheviks is another reason that led to the civil war. The violent actions of the Bolsheviks, who took away the “surplus” grain from the peasants, led to an inevitable social conflict.

The war began in 1917 with political confrontation (this is the first period of the war).
In the spring of 1918 it escalated into a military conflict. The main hostilities took place in 1918-1920. This is the second period of the war.
In the next two years, after the suppression of the white movement, the Bolsheviks had to fight protests by peasants and workers dissatisfied with the actions of the new authorities and the social and economic situation in the country. This is the third and final period of the war. The Civil War ended in 1922.

The main participants in the war.

In November-December 1917, a Volunteer Army was created on the Don. This is how the white movement was formed. White color symbolized law and order. The tasks of the white movement: the fight against the Bolsheviks and the restoration of a united and indivisible Russia. The volunteer army was led by General Kornilov, and after his death in the battle near Yekaterinodar, General A.I. Denikin took command.

In January 1918, the Bolshevik Red Army was created. At first it was built on the principles of voluntariness and on the basis of a class approach - only from workers. But after a series of serious defeats, the Bolsheviks returned to the traditional, “bourgeois” principles of army formation on the basis of universal conscription and unity of command. As a result, by the autumn of 1918 there were 300 thousand soldiers in the ranks of the Red Army. Its numbers grew constantly and by 1920 it numbered about 5 million people. In March 1918, the Soviets began to recruit military specialists from the former Tsarist army into the army. Military commissars were sent to the troops to control them. Their task included not only supervision of command personnel, but also the political education of the Red Army soldiers. The Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RMR) was created, which centrally controlled all fronts and armies. It was headed by L.D. Trotsky. The RVSR united the Revolutionary Military Councils of the fronts. Measures were taken to tighten discipline.

In the spring of 1919, the army of Admiral Kolchak was formed in Omsk. It numbered 400 thousand people. Its main task is the elimination of Bolshevism and the power of the Soviets.

The Czechoslovak Corps played a significant role in the Civil War, consisting of former prisoners of war (Czechs and Slovaks).

The main fronts of the Civil War took shape in the south and east of the country.

Eastern front.

1918
The fighting began in the east of the country in the summer of 1918. They began with the performance of the Czechoslovak Corps.
The corps consisted of Czechs and Slovaks captured by the Austro-Hungarian army. It numbered 45 thousand people. Back in 1916, they wanted to fight on the side of the Entente. In January 1918, an agreement was concluded between Russia and France on the transfer of Czechoslovaks to the Western Front. But they were not supposed to go there directly: they were supposed to arrive in Vladivostok via the Trans-Siberian Railway, and from there sail on ships to Europe.

During the transfer of the corps, its leadership intercepted Trotsky's order to disarm the Czechoslovaks. There were rumors that they were going to be extradited to Austria-Hungary. The corps leadership decided not to surrender their weapons and ordered to occupy all the stations where the corps soldiers were located. As a result, in a short period of time, with their help, Soviet power was overthrown in the Volga region, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. In the territories liberated from the Bolsheviks, local governments were created, consisting of Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. They proclaimed themselves a “democratic counter-revolution”, a “third force”, which was equally distant from the Bolsheviks and the Whites. The main slogans of the new governments were “Power to the Constituent Assembly!”, “Liquidation of the Brest Peace!” They created the People's Army, which, with the help of the Czechoslovak Corps, captured Kazan and headed for Moscow.

The Soviet government urgently created the Eastern Front. In September, the Red Army managed to stop the enemy in bloody battles and go on the offensive. In October, Kazan, Samara, and several other cities were liberated. The Czechoslovak corps retreated beyond the Urals.

In September, at a meeting of anti-Bolshevik governments in Ufa, a single government was formed - the Ufa Directory. In October, due to the advance of the Red Army, she was transferred to Omsk. At first, the Social Revolutionaries played the main role in it, but then they were supplanted by officers who did not want to cooperate with the socialists. In November, full power was offered to Admiral A.V. Kolchak. He accepted the title of Supreme Ruler of Russia.

1919
In March-April, Kolchak’s army captured several cities and came close to Kazan and Samara. After the capture of these cities, the admiral planned a campaign against Moscow.

In April, in the battles near Samara, the Red Army defeated Kolchak’s selected units. During subsequent battles, Ufa, Yekaterinburg, and other cities were liberated.
In November, Kolchak's capital, Omsk, was taken. Kolchak's government moved to Irkutsk.
In December, an anti-Kolchak uprising broke out in Irkutsk. The Allied forces and the Czechoslovak Corps declared their neutrality. Kolchak, his army and power were doomed.

1920
In January, the Czechoslovaks handed Kolchak over to the rebels.
In February, Kolchak was shot.

Southern front.

1917
At the end of the year, a Volunteer Army was created on the Don, led by L.G. Kornilov. During an unsuccessful assault on the capital of Kuban, Ekaterinodar, Kornilov died. The army was led by General Denikin. The White Guards went to the steppes to recuperate and then return to Kuban.

1918
In the spring there were rumors on the Don about the upcoming equalization of land redistribution. This caused indignation among the Cossacks. Soon the order came to hand over the weapons and give up the “surplus” grain. An uprising broke out.

In April, the Provisional Don Government was created. General P.N. Krasnov was appointed ataman, whom the Cossack circle endowed with almost dictatorial powers. At this time, the Germans came to the Don. Relying on them, Krasnov declared state independence for the Region of the All-Great Don Army. The formation of the Don Army began.

In July, the Don Army numbered 45 thousand people. Germany supplied it with weapons.

In August, the Don Army controlled the entire Don region. Together with German troops, Krasnov launched military operations against the Red Army.

In September, the Soviet government formed the Southern Front. Krasnov's army inflicted a number of defeats on him while moving north. In December, at the cost of incredible efforts, the Red Army managed to stop the advance of the Cossack troops.

At the same time, Denikin’s Volunteer Army returned to Kuban. With the help of the Entente countries, at the end of the year, all anti-Bolshevik forces in the South of Russia were united under his command.

1919
In May, Denikin’s army went on the offensive along the entire front, capturing Donbass, part of Ukraine, Belgorod, and Tsaritsyn. In July, the attack on Moscow began.

The Soviet government announced mass mobilization under the slogan “Everyone to fight Denikin!” In October, the Red Army launched a counteroffensive. As a result of a rapid counter-offensive, the main forces of Denikin's army were defeated. The volunteer army ceased to exist. Only part of the army in Crimea survived.

1920
In April, P.N. Wrangel became commander-in-chief of the White Guard troops in Crimea.

In November, the troops of the Southern Front of the Red Army under the command of M.V. Frunze defeated Wrangel’s troops in a fierce battle. This was the last battle of the whites. Tens of thousands of people rushed to the ports to leave their homeland in a hurry and forever.

Yudenich's speech.

At the height of the war with Kolchak in Finland and Estonia, Russian emigrant officers created a White Guard army led by General N.N. Yudenich. In May and October 1919, Yudenich made two attempts to capture Petrograd. However, both performances ended in failure for him; Yudenich’s troops were thrown back into Estonia. At the beginning of 1920, the Red Army liberated Arkhangelsk and Murmansk. The Whites were also defeated in the northern direction.

Civil war from 1920 to 1922.

This is the period of the “small civil war”. The white protests were suppressed, but the Bolsheviks were now faced with massive uprisings of peasants dissatisfied with the food dictatorship. There was a drought in the Tambov region that destroyed the grain in the fields. Nevertheless, the authorities did not want to reduce the surplus appropriation plan and took away grain from the peasants in the planned volumes. Throughout the country, even seed grain was often taken from peasants in the form of “surplus.” And many peasants did not want to sow, knowing that the fruits of their hard work would later be taken away by the authorities. As a result, the country's agriculture was paralyzed. In 1921, a terrible famine broke out in the Volga region, from which more than 5 million people died. The food problem has acquired an all-Russian character. Peasant uprisings broke out in many regions of Russia. Not only economic demands were put forward. There were calls for “the overthrow of the power of the communist-Bolsheviks, who had brought the country to poverty,” and the replacement of Soviet power with a Constituent Assembly. There were also demands to establish a peasant dictatorship.

Worker discontent also grew. Due to a shortage of raw materials and fuel, plants and factories were closed en masse, workers found themselves without jobs and livelihoods. Outraged workers took to the streets. Strikes, protests and disobedience began.

The entire might of the Red Army was thrown into suppressing the uprisings. She acted decisively and cruelly. Those who were dissatisfied were declared “bandits” or “counter-revolutionaries” and exterminated. Even relatives of the “bandits” were often shot, and entire villages were deported to the north if the majority of their inhabitants expressed dissatisfaction.

By 1922, the protests of peasants and workers were suppressed. But the Bolsheviks understood that they could not rely on force alone; reforms were needed that could improve the situation in the country. In 1921, the Soviet government introduced a new economic policy, which contributed to the gradual fading of the Civil War.