Civil war white and red movement. Civil war

By the beginning of the Civil War, the whites were superior to the reds in almost everything - it seemed that the Bolsheviks were doomed. However, it was the Reds who were destined to emerge victorious from this confrontation. Among the entire huge complex of reasons that led to this, three key ones stand out clearly.

Under the rule of chaos

"...I’ll immediately point out three reasons for failure white movement:
1) insufficient and untimely,
aid from the allies, guided by narrow selfish considerations,
2) gradual strengthening of reactionary elements within the movement and
3) as a consequence of the second, the disappointment of the masses in the white movement...

P. Milyukov. Report on the white movement.
Newspaper Latest News (Paris), August 6, 1924

To begin with, it is worth stipulating that the definitions of “red” and “white” are largely arbitrary, as is always the case when describing civil unrest. War is chaos, and civil war is chaos raised to an infinite degree. Even now, almost a century later, the question “so who was right?” remains open and difficult to resolve.

At the same time, everything that was happening was perceived as a real end of the world, a time of complete unpredictability and uncertainty. The color of the banners, the declared beliefs - all this existed only “here and now” and in any case did not guarantee anything. Sides and beliefs changed with amazing ease, and this was not considered something abnormal or unnatural. Revolutionaries with many years of experience in the struggle - for example, the Socialist Revolutionaries - became ministers of new governments and were branded by their opponents as counter-revolutionaries. And the Bolsheviks were helped to create an army and counterintelligence by proven personnel of the tsarist regime - including nobles, guards officers, and graduates of the General Staff Academy. People, trying to somehow survive, were thrown from one extreme to another. Or the “extremes” themselves came to them - in the form of an immortal phrase: “The whites came and robbed, the reds came and robbed, so where should the poor peasant go?” Both individuals and entire military units regularly changed sides.

In the best traditions of the 18th century, prisoners could be released on parole, killed in the most savage ways, or placed in their own system. An orderly, harmonious division “these are red, these are white, those over there are green, and these are morally unstable and undecided” took shape only years later.

Therefore, it should always be remembered that when we talk about any side of a civil conflict, we are not talking about the strict ranks of regular formations, but rather “centers of power.” Points of attraction for many groups that were in constant motion and incessant conflicts of everyone with everyone.

But why did the center of power, which we collectively call “red”, win? Why did the “gentlemen” lose to the “comrades”?

Question about the "Red Terror"

"Red Terror" is often used as ultima ratio, a description of the main tool of the Bolsheviks, which allegedly threw a frightened country at their feet. This is wrong. Terror has always gone hand in hand with civil unrest, because it is derived from the extreme ferocity of this kind of conflict, in which the opponents have nowhere to run and nothing to lose. Moreover, opponents could not, in principle, avoid organized terror as a means.

It was said earlier that initially the opponents were small groups surrounded by a sea of anarchist freemen and apolitical peasant masses. White general Mikhail Drozdovsky brought about two thousand people from Romania. Mikhail Alekseev and Lavr Kornilov initially had approximately the same number of volunteers. But the majority simply did not want to fight, including a very significant part of the officers. In Kyiv, officers happened to work as waiters, wearing uniforms and all the awards - “they serve more this way, sir.”

Second Drozdovsky Cavalry Regiment
rusk.ru

In order to win and realize their vision of the future, all participants needed an army (that is, conscripts) and bread. Bread for the city (military production and transport), for the army and for rations for valuable specialists and commanders.

People and bread could only be obtained in the village, from the peasant, who was not going to give either one or the other “for nothing”, and had nothing to pay with. Hence the requisitions and mobilizations, which both the Whites and the Reds (and before them, the Provisional Government) had to resort to with equal zeal. The result is unrest in the village, opposition, and the need to suppress disturbances using the most brutal methods.

Therefore, the notorious and terrible “Red Terror” was not a decisive argument or something that stood out sharply against the general background of the atrocities of the Civil War. Everyone was involved in terrorism and it was not he who brought victory to the Bolsheviks.

Unity of command.
Organization.
Ideology.

Let's consider these points sequentially.

1. Unity of command, or “When there is no agreement among the masters...”.

It should be noted that the Bolsheviks (or, more broadly, “socialist-revolutionaries” in general) initially had very good experience working in conditions of instability and chaos. A situation where there are enemies all around, in our own ranks there are secret police agents and in general" trust no one"- was an ordinary production process for them. With the beginning of the Civil War, the Bolsheviks, in general, continued what they had done before, only in a more preferential terms, because now they themselves were becoming one of the main players. They knew how maneuver in conditions of complete confusion and everyday betrayal. But their opponents used the skill “attract an ally and betray him in time before he betrays you” much worse. Therefore, at the peak of the conflict, many white groups fought against the relatively unified (by the presence of one leader) Red camp, and each waged its own war according to its own plans and understandings.

Actually, this discord and the slowness of the overall strategy deprived White of victory back in 1918. The Entente desperately needed a Russian front against the Germans and was ready to do a lot just to maintain at least the appearance of it, pulling German troops away from the western front. The Bolsheviks were extremely weak and disorganized, and help could have been demanded at least for partial deliveries of military orders already paid for by the tsarism. But... the Whites preferred to take shells from the Germans through Krasnov for the war against the Reds - thereby creating a corresponding reputation in the eyes of the Entente. The Germans, having lost the war in the West, disappeared. The Bolsheviks steadily created an organized army instead of semi-partisan detachments and tried to establish a military industry. And in 1919, the Entente had already won its war and did not want, and could not, bear large, and most importantly, expenses in far away country. The interventionist forces left the fronts of the Civil War one after another.

White was unable to come to an agreement with any of the limitrophes - as a result, their rear (almost all of it) hung in the air. And, as if this were not enough, each white leader had his own “chieftain” in the rear, poisoning life with all his might. Kolchak has Semenov, Denikin has the Kuban Rada with Kalabukhov and Mamontov, Wrangel has the Oryol war in Crimea, Yudenich has Bermondt-Avalov.

White movement propaganda poster
statehistory.ru

So, although outwardly the Bolsheviks seemed surrounded by enemies and a doomed camp, they were able to concentrate on selected areas, transferring at least some resources along internal transport lines - despite the collapse of the transport system. Each individual white general he could beat his opponent as harshly as he wanted on the battlefield - and the Reds admitted these defeats - but these pogroms did not add up to a single boxing combination that would knock out the fighter in the red corner of the ring. The Bolsheviks withstood each individual attack, accumulated strength and struck back.

The year is 1918: Kornilov goes to Yekaterinodar, but other white detachments have already left there. Then the Volunteer Army gets bogged down in battles in the North Caucasus, and at the same time Krasnov’s Cossacks go to Tsaritsyn, where they get theirs from the Reds. In 1919, thanks to foreign assistance (more on this below), Donbass fell, Tsaritsyn was finally taken - but Kolchak in Siberia was already defeated. In the fall, Yudenich marches on Petrograd, having excellent chances to take it - and Denikin in the south of Russia is defeated and retreats. Wrangel, having excellent aviation and tanks, left the Crimea in 1920, the battles were initially successful for the Whites, but the Poles were already making peace with the Reds. And so on. Khachaturian - “Sabre Dance”, only much scarier.

The Whites were fully aware of the seriousness of this problem and even tried to solve it by choosing a single leader (Kolchak) and trying to coordinate actions. But by then it was already too late. Moreover, there was in fact no real coordination as a class.

“The white movement did not end in victory because the white dictatorship did not emerge. And what prevented it from taking shape were centrifugal forces, inflated by the revolution, and all the elements associated with the revolution and not breaking with it... Against the red dictatorship, a white “concentration of power...” was needed.

N. Lvov. "White Movement", 1924.

2. Organization - “the war is won on the home front”

As again stated above, for a long time Whites had clear superiority on the battlefield. It was so tangible that to this day it is a source of pride for supporters of the white movement. Accordingly, all sorts of conspiracy theories are invented to explain why everything ended this way and where did the victories go?.. Hence the legends about the monstrous and unparalleled “Red Terror”.

But the solution is actually simple and, alas, graceless - the Whites won tactically, in battle, but lost the main battle - in their own rear.

“Not one of the [anti-Bolshevik] governments... was able to create a flexible and strong apparatus of power that could quickly and quickly overtake, coerce, act and force others to act. The Bolsheviks also did not capture the people’s soul, they also did not become a national phenomenon, but they were infinitely ahead of us in the pace of their actions, in energy, mobility and ability to coerce. We, with our old techniques, old psychology, old vices of the military and civil bureaucracy, with Peter’s table of ranks, could not keep up with them ... "

In the spring of 1919, the commander of Denikin’s artillery had only two hundred shells a day... For a single gun? No, for the entire army.

England, France and other powers, despite the later curses of the whites against them, provided considerable or even enormous assistance. In the same year, 1919, the British supplied Denikin alone with 74 tanks, one and a half hundred aircraft, hundreds of cars and dozens of tractors, more than five hundred guns, including 6-8-inch howitzers, thousands of machine guns, more than two hundred thousand rifles, hundreds of millions of cartridges and two million shells... These are very decent numbers even on the scale of the just ended Great War; it would not be a shame to cite them in the context of, say, the battle of Ypres or the Somme, describing the situation on a separate section of the front. And for a civil war, forcedly poor and ragged, this is a fabulous amount. Such an armada, concentrated in several “fists,” could by itself tear apart the Red Front like a rotten rag.

A detachment of tanks from the Shock Fire Brigade before being sent to the front
velikoe-sorokoletie.diary.ru

However, this wealth was not united into compact, crushing groups. Moreover, the overwhelming majority did not reach the front at all. Because the logistics supply organization was completely failed. And cargo (ammunition, food, uniforms, equipment...) was either stolen or filled up remote warehouses.

New British howitzers were damaged by untrained white crews within three weeks, which repeatedly dismayed the British advisers. 1920 - Wrangel, according to the Reds, fired no more than 20 shells per gun on the day of the battle. Some of the batteries had to be moved to the rear.

On all fronts, ragged soldiers and no less ragged officers of the white armies, without food or ammunition, desperately fought Bolshevism. And in the rear...

“Looking at these hosts of scoundrels, at these dressed-up ladies with diamonds, at these polished young men, I felt only one thing: I prayed: “Lord, send the Bolsheviks here, at least for a week, so that at least among the horrors of the Emergency, these animals understand that they do."

Ivan Nazhivin, Russian writer and emigrant

Lack of coordination of actions and inability to organize, to put it modern language, logistics and rear discipline, led to the fact that the purely military victories of the White movement dissolved in smoke. Whites were chronically unable to “put the pressure on” the enemy, while slowly and irreversibly losing their fighting qualities. The White armies at the beginning and end of the Civil War differed fundamentally only in the degree of raggedness and mental breakdown - and not for the better by the end. But the red ones changed...

“Yesterday there was a public lecture by Colonel Kotomin, who fled from the Red Army; those present did not understand the bitterness of the lecturer, who pointed out that in the commissar army there is much more order and discipline than ours, and they created a huge scandal, with an attempt to beat the lecturer, one of the most ideological workers of our national Center; They were especially offended when K. noted that in the Red Army a drunken officer is impossible, because any commissar or communist would immediately shoot him.”

Baron Budberg

Budberg somewhat idealized the picture, but appreciated the essence correctly. And not only him. There was an evolution in the nascent Red Army, the Reds fell, received painful blows, but rose and moved on, drawing conclusions from the defeats. And even in tactics, more than once or twice the efforts of the Whites were defeated by the stubborn defense of the Reds - from Ekaterinodar to the Yakut villages. On the contrary, Whites fail and the front collapses for hundreds of kilometers, often forever.

1918, summer - Taman campaign, for the Red teams of 27,000 bayonets and 3,500 sabers - 15 guns, at best from 5 to 10 rounds per soldier. There is no food, fodder, convoys or kitchens.

Red Army in 1918.
Drawing by Boris Efimov
http://www.ageod-forum.com

1920, autumn - The shock fire brigade on Kakhovka has a battery of six-inch howitzers, two light batteries, two detachments of armored cars (another detachment of tanks, but it did not have time to take part in battles), more than 180 machine guns for 5.5 thousand people, a flamethrower team, the fighters are dressed to the nines and impress even the enemy with their training; the commanders received leather uniforms.

Red Army in 1921.
Drawing by Boris Efimov
http://www.ageod-forum.com

The red cavalry of Dumenko and Budyonny forced even the enemy to study their tactics. Whereas the Whites most often “shone” with a frontal attack by full-length infantry and outflanking cavalry. When the White army under Wrangel, thanks to the supply of equipment, began to resemble a modern one, it was already too late.

The Reds have a place for career officers - like Kamenev and Vatsetis, and for those making a successful career “from the bottom” of the army - Dumenko and Budyonny, and for nuggets - Frunze.

And among the whites, with all the wealth of choice, one of Kolchak’s armies is commanded by... a former paramedic. Denikin’s decisive attack on Moscow is led by Mai-Maevsky, who stands out for his drinking bouts even against the general background. Grishin-Almazov, a major general, “works” as a courier between Kolchak and Denikin, where he dies. Contempt for others flourishes in almost every part.

3. Ideology - “Vote with your rifle!”

What was the Civil War like for the average citizen, the average person? To paraphrase one of the modern researchers, in essence these turned out to be grandiose democratic elections stretched over several years under the slogan “vote with a rifle!” The man could not choose the time and place where he happened to witness amazing and terrible events of historical significance. However, he could - albeit limitedly - choose his place in the present. Or, at worst, your attitude towards him.

Let us remember what was already mentioned above - the opponents were in dire need of armed force and food. People and food could be obtained by force, but not always and not everywhere, multiplying enemies and haters. Ultimately, the winner was not determined by how brutal he was or how many individual battles he could win. And what he can offer to the huge apolitical masses, insanely tired of the hopeless and protracted end of the world. Will he be able to attract new supporters, maintain the loyalty of the old, make neutrals hesitate, and undermine the morale of enemies.

The Bolsheviks succeeded. But their opponents do not.

“What did the Reds want when they went to war? They wanted to defeat the whites and, strengthened by this victory, create from it the foundation for the solid construction of their communist statehood.

What did the whites want? They wanted to defeat the Reds. And then? Then - nothing, because only state babies could not understand that the forces that supported the building of the old statehood were destroyed to the ground, and that there were no opportunities to restore these forces.

Victory for the Reds was a means, for Whites it was a goal, and, moreover, the only one.”

Von Raupach. "Reasons for the failure of the white movement"

Ideology is a tool that is difficult to calculate mathematically, but it also has its weight. In a country where the majority of the population could barely read, it was extremely important to be able to clearly explain why it was proposed to fight and die. The Reds did it. The Whites were unable to even decide among themselves what they were fighting for. On the contrary, they considered it right to postpone ideology “for later.” » , conscious non-predetermination. Even among the whites themselves, the alliance between the "owning classes" » , officers, Cossacks and “revolutionary democracy” » They called it unnatural - how could they convince the hesitant?

« ...We have created a huge blood-sucking bank for sick Russia... The transfer of power from Soviet hands to ours would not have saved Russia. Something new is needed, something hitherto unconscious - then we can hope for a slow revival. But neither the Bolsheviks nor we will be in power, and that’s even better!”

A. Lampe. From the Diary. 1920

A Tale of Losers

In essence, our forcedly brief note became a story about the weaknesses of the Whites and, to a much lesser extent, about the Reds. This is no coincidence. In any civil war, all sides demonstrate an unimaginable, prohibitive level of chaos and disorganization. Naturally, the Bolsheviks and their fellow travelers were no exception. But the whites set an absolute record for what would now be called “gracelessness.”

In essence, it was not the Reds who won the war, they, in general, did what they had done before - fought for power and solved problems that blocked the path to their future.

It was the whites who lost the confrontation, they lost at all levels - from political declarations to tactics and organization of supplies for the active army.

The irony of fate is that the majority of whites did not defend the tsarist regime, or even took an active part in its overthrow. They knew very well and criticized all the ills of tsarism. However, at the same time, they scrupulously repeated all the main mistakes of the previous government, which led to its collapse. Only in a more explicit, even caricatured form.

Finally, I would like to cite words that were originally written in relation to the Civil War in England, but are also perfectly suitable for those terrible and great events that shook Russia almost a hundred years ago...

“They say that these people were caught in a whirlwind of events, but the matter is different. No one was dragging them anywhere, and there were no inexplicable forces or invisible hands. It’s just that every time they were faced with a choice, they made the right decisions, from their point of view, but in the end a chain of individually correct intentions led them into a dark forest... All that remained was to get lost in the evil thickets until, finally, the survivors came to light , looking in horror at the road with corpses left behind. Many have gone through this, but blessed are those who understood their enemy and then did not curse him.”

A. V. Tomsinov “The Blind Children of Kronos”.

Literature:

Budberg A. Diary of a White Guard. - Mn.: Harvest, M.: AST, 2001
Gul R.B. Ice March (with Kornilov). http://militera.lib.ru/memo/russian/gul_rb/index.html
Drozdovsky M. G. Diary. - Berlin: Otto Kirchner and Ko, 1923.
Zaitsov A. A. 1918. Essays on the history of the Russian Civil War. Paris, 1934.
Kakurin N. E., Vatsetis I. I. Civil war. 1918–1921. - St. Petersburg: Polygon, 2002.
Kakurin N. E. How the revolution fought. 1917–1918. M., Politizdat, 1990.
Kovtyukh E.I. “Iron Stream” in a military presentation. Moscow: Gosvoenizdat, 1935
Kornatovsky N. A. The struggle for Red Petrograd. - M: ACT, 2004.
Essays by E. I. Dostovalov.
http://feb-web.ru/feb/rosarc/ra6/ra6–637-.htm
Reden. Through the hell of the Russian revolution. Memoirs of a midshipman. 1914–1919. M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2007.
Wilmson Huddleston. Farewell to Don. The Russian Civil War in the diaries of a British officer. M.: Tsentrpoligraf, 2007.
LiveJournal of Evgenia Durneva http://eugend.livejournal.com - it contains various educational materials, incl. Some issues of red and white terror are considered in relation to the Tambov region and Siberia.

Ivanov Sergey

"Red" movement of the civil war of 1917-1922.

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1 slide. “Red” movement of the civil war 1917 - 1921.

2 slide V.I. Lenin is the leader of the “red” movement.

The ideological leader of the “red” movement was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, known to every person.

V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin) - Russian revolutionary, Soviet political and statesman, founder of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks), main organizer and leader of the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia, first chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (government) of the RSFSR, creator of the first socialist state in world history.

Lenin created the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Party of Russia. She was determined to seize power in Russia by force, through revolution.

3 slide. RSDP (b) - the party of the “Red” movement.

Russian Social Democratic Bolshevik Workers' Party RSDLP(b),in October 1917, during the October Revolution, it seized power and became the main party in the country. It was an association of intelligentsia, adherents socialist revolution, whose social base was the working classes, urban and rural poor.

During different years of his activity in the Russian Empire, Russian Republic and the Soviet Union the party had different names:

Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks) RSDP(b)
Russian Communist Bolshevik Party RKP(b)
All-Union communistparty (Bolsheviks) CPSU(b)
Communist Party Soviet Union CPSU

4 slide. Program goals of the “Red” movement.

The main goal of the red movement was:

Preservation and establishment of Soviet power throughout Russia,
suppression of anti-Soviet forces,
strengthening the dictatorship of the proletariat
World revolution.

5 slide. The first events of the “Red” movement

On October 26, the “Decree on Peace” was adopted , which called on the warring countries to conclude a democratic peace without annexations and indemnities.
October 27 accepted "Decree on Land"which took into account peasant demands. The abolition of private ownership of land was proclaimed, the land became the public domain. The use of hired labor and land rental were prohibited. Equal land use was introduced.
October 27 accepted "Decree on the creation of the Council of People's Commissars"Chairman – V.I. Lenin. The composition of the Council of People's Commissars was Bolshevik in composition.
January 7 The All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided todissolution of the Constituent Assembly. The Bolsheviks demanded the approval of the “Declaration of the Rights of the Working and Exploited People,” but the meeting refused to approve it. Dissolution of the constituent assemblymeant the loss of the opportunity to establish a multi-party political democratic system.
November 2, 1917 accepted “Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia”, which gave:

equality and sovereignty of all nations;
the right of peoples to self-determination up to and including secession and the formation of independent states;
free development of the peoples that make up Soviet Russia.

July 10, 1918 accepted Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.She defined the basics political system Soviet state:

dictatorship of the proletariat;
public ownership of the means of production;
federal structure of the state;
class character voting rights: the landowners and bourgeoisie, priests, officers, policemen lost it; workers compared to peasants had advantages in the standards of representation (1 worker’s vote was equivalent to 5 peasant votes);
election procedure: multi-stage, indirect, open;

Economic policywas aimed at the complete destruction of private property and the creation of centralized government of the country.

nationalization of private banks, large enterprises; nationalization of all types of transport and communications;
introduction of a foreign trade monopoly;
introduction of workers' control in private enterprises;
introduction of a food dictatorship - ban on grain trade,
the creation of food detachments (food detachments) to seize “grain surpluses” from wealthy peasants.

December 20, 1917 created All-Russian Extraordinary Commission - VChK.

The objectives of this political organization were formulated as follows: to pursue and eliminate all counter-revolutionary and sabotage attempts and actions throughout Russia. As punitive measures, it was proposed to apply to enemies such as: confiscation of property, eviction, deprivation of food cards, publication of lists of counter-revolutionaries, etc.

September 5, 1918 accepted "Decree on Red Terror"which contributed to the development of repression: arrests, the creation of concentration camps, labor camps, in which about 60 thousand people were forcibly detained.

Dictatorial political transformations of the Soviet state became the causes of the Civil War

6 slide. Propaganda of the “Red” movement.

The Reds always paid great attention to propaganda, and immediately after the revolution they began intensive preparations for information war. We created a powerful propaganda network (political literacy courses, propaganda trains, posters, films, leaflets). The slogans of the Bolsheviks were relevant and helped quickly form the social support of the “Reds”.

From December 1918 to the end of 1920, 5 specially equipped propaganda trains operated in the country. For example, the propaganda train "Red East" served the territory of Central Asia throughout 1920, and the train "Named after V.I. Lenin" began work in Ukraine. The steamship "October Revolution", "Red Star" sailed along the Volga. By them and other propaganda trains and propaganda. About 1,800 rallies were organized by steamboats.

The responsibilities of the team of propaganda trains and propaganda ships included not only holding rallies, meetings, conversations, but distributing literature, publishing newspapers and leaflets, and showing films.

Slide 7 Propaganda posters of the “Red” movement.

Agitation and propaganda materials were published in large quantities. These included posters, appeals, leaflets, cartoons, and a newspaper was published. The most popular among the Bolsheviks were humorous postcards, especially with caricatures of the White Guards.

Slide 8 Creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA)

January 15, 1918 . The Council of People's Commissars was created by decreeWorkers 'and Peasants' Red Army, January 29 – Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet. The army was built on the principles of voluntariness and a class approach, consisting only of workers. But the volunteer principle of recruitment did not contribute to strengthening combat effectiveness and strengthening discipline. In July 1918, a Decree was issued on universal military service for men aged 18 to 40 years.

The size of the Red Army grew rapidly. In the fall of 1918, there were 300 thousand soldiers in its ranks, in the spring - 1.5 million, in the fall of 1919 - already 3 million. And in 1920, about 5 million people served in the Red Army.

Much attention was paid to the formation of team personnel. In 1917–1919 Short-term courses and schools were opened to train mid-level commanders from distinguished Red Army soldiers, and higher military educational institutions.

In March 1918, a notice was published in the Soviet press about the recruitment of military specialists from the old army to serve in the Red Army. By January 1, 1919, about 165 thousand former tsarist officers had joined the ranks of the Red Army.

Slide 9 The Reds' biggest wins

1918 – 1919 – establishment of Bolshevik power in the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia.
Beginning of 1919 - The Red Army launches a counteroffensive, defeating Krasnov’s “white” army.
Spring-summer 1919 - Kolchak’s troops fell under the attacks of the “Reds”.
Beginning of 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from the northern cities of Russia.
February-March 1920 - defeat of the remaining forces Volunteer Army Denikin.
November 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from Crimea.
By the end of 1920, the “Reds” were opposed by disparate groups of the White Army. The civil war ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.

Slide 10 Commanders of the 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, Budyonny, Voroshilov, Tukhachevsky, Chapaev, Frunze. These military leaders showed themselves excellently in battles against the White Guards.

Trotsky Lev Davidovich was the main founder of the Red Army, which acted as a decisive force in the confrontation between “whites” and “reds” in the Civil War.In August 1918, Trotsky formed a carefully organized “train of the Pred.Revolutionary Military Council,” in which, from that moment, he basically lived for two and a half years, continuously traveling along the fronts of the Civil War.As the "military leader" of Bolshevism, Trotsky displays undoubted propaganda abilities, personal courage and outright cruelty. Trotsky's personal contribution was the defense of Petrograd in 1919.

Frunze Mikhail Vasilievich.one of the most important military leaders of the Red Army during the Civil War.

Under his command the Reds held 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. He was one of the first marshals of the Soviet Union. During the Civil War - commander of the Tsaritsyn group of forces, deputy commander and member of the Military Council of the Southern Front, commander of the 10th Army, commander of the Kharkov Military District, commander of the 14th Army and the internal Ukrainian Front. With his troops he liquidated the Kronstadt rebellion;

Chapaev Vasily Ivanovich. He commanded the second Nikolaev division, which 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. In February 1918, Budyonny created a revolutionary cavalry detachment that acted against the White Guards on the Don. The First Cavalry Army, which he led until October 1923, played an important role in a number of major operations of the Civil War to defeat the troops of Denikin and Wrangel in Northern Tavria and Crimea.

11 slide. Red Terror 1918-1923

On September 5, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree on the beginning of the Red Terror. Tough measures to retain power, mass executions and arrests, hostage-taking.

The Soviet government spread the myth that the Red Terror was a response to the so-called “White Terror.” The decree that marked the beginning of the mass executions was a response to the murder of Volodarsky and Uritsky, a response to the assassination attempt on Lenin.

Execution in Petrograd. Immediately after the assassination attempt on Lenin, 512 people were shot in Petrograd, there were not enough prisons for everyone, and a system of concentration camps appeared.
Execution of the royal family. The execution of the royal family was carried out in the basement of Ipatiev's house in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918 in pursuance of the resolution of the executive committee of the Ural Regional Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies, headed by the Bolsheviks. Along with the royal family, members of her retinue were also shot.
Pyatigorsk massacre. On November 13 (October 31), 1918, the Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution, at a meeting chaired by Atarbekov, decided to shoot another 47 people from among the counter-revolutionaries and counterfeiters. In fact, most of the hostages in Pyatigorsk were not shot, but hacked to death with swords or daggers. These events were called the “Pyatigorsk massacre.”
“Human slaughterhouses” in Kyiv. In August 1919, the presence in Kyiv of the so-called “human slaughterhouses” was reported by the provincial and district Extraordinary Commissions: “.

« The whole... floor large garage was already covered in... several inches of blood, mixed into a terrifying mass with brain, cranial bones, tufts of hair and other human remains.... the walls were spattered with blood, on them, next to thousands of holes from bullets, particles of brain and pieces of head skin were stuck... a gutter a quarter of a meter wide and deep and about 10 meters long... was filled with blood all the way to the top... Near this place of horrors in in the garden of the same house, 127 corpses of the last massacre were hastily buried superficially... all the corpses had crushed skulls, many even had their heads completely flattened... Some were completely headless, but the heads were not cut off, but... torn off... we came across another older one in the corner of the garden a grave in which there were approximately 80 corpses... corpses lay with their bellies torn open, others had no members, some were completely chopped up. Some had their eyes gouged out... their heads, faces, necks and torsos were covered with puncture wounds... Several had no tongues... There were old people, men, women and children.”

« Reportedly, in turn, the Kharkov Cheka, under the leadership of Sayenko, used scalping and “removing gloves from the hands,” while the Voronezh Cheka used naked skating in a barrel studded with nails. In Tsaritsyn and Kamyshin they “sawed the bones.” In Poltava and Kremenchug, clergy were impaled. In Yekaterinoslav, crucifixion and stoning were used; in Odessa, officers were tied with chains to boards, inserted into a firebox and fried, or torn in half by the wheels of winches, or lowered one by one into a cauldron of boiling water and into the sea. In Armavir, in turn, “mortal crowns” were used: a person’s head on the frontal bone is surrounded by a belt, the ends of which have iron screws and a nut, which, when screwed, compresses the head with the belt. In the Oryol province, freezing people by dousing is widely used. cold water at low temperature."

Suppression of anti-Bolshevik uprisings.Anti-Bolshevik uprisings, primarily uprisings of peasants who resisted surplus appropriation were brutally suppressed by special forces of the Cheka and internal troops.
Executions in Crimea. Terror in Crimea affected the widest social and public groups of the population: officers and military officials, soldiers, doctors and employeesRed Cross , nurses, veterinarians, teachers, officials, zemstvo leaders, journalists, engineers, former nobles, priests, peasants, they even killed the sick and wounded in hospitals. The exact number of those killed and tortured is unknown; official figures range from 56,000 to 120,000 people.
Decoration. On January 24, 1919, at a meeting of the Organizing Bureau of the Central Committee, a directive was adopted that marked the beginning of mass terror and repression against the wealthy Cossacks, as well as “all Cossacks in general who took any direct or indirect part in the fight against Soviet power.” In the fall of 1920, about 9 thousand families (or approximately 45 thousand people) of Terek Cossacks were evicted from a number of villages and deported to the Arkhangelsk province. The unauthorized return of evicted Cossacks was suppressed.
Repressions against the Orthodox Church.According to some historians, from 1918 to the end of the 1930s, during the repressions against the clergy, about 42,000 clergy were shot or died in prison.

Some murders were carried out in public in combination with various demonstrative humiliations. In particular, the clergyman Elder Zolotovsky was first dressed in a woman’s dress and then hanged.

On November 8, 1917, Tsarskoye Selo Archpriest Ioann Kochurov was subjected to prolonged beatings, then he was killed by being dragged along the railroad ties.

In 1918, three Orthodox priests in the city of Kherson were crucified on the cross.

In December 1918, Bishop Feofan (Ilmensky) of Solikamsk was publicly executed by periodically dipping into an ice hole and freezing while hanging by his hair.

In Samara, the former Bishop of Mikhailovsky Isidor (Kolokolov) was impaled and died as a result.

Bishop Andronik (Nikolsky) of Perm was buried alive.

Archbishop of Nizhny Novgorod Joachim (Levitsky) was executed by public hanging upside down in the Sevastopol Cathedral.

Bishop Ambrose (Gudko) of Serapul was executed by tying him to the tail of a horse.

In Voronezh in 1919, 160 priests were simultaneously killed, led by Archbishop Tikhon (Nikanorov), who was hanged on the Royal Doors in the church of the Mitrofanovsky Monastery.

According to information published personally by M. Latsis (Chekist), in 1918 - 1919, 8389 people were shot, 9496 people were imprisoned in concentration camps, 34,334 were imprisoned; 13,111 people were taken hostage and 86,893 people were arrested.

12 slide. Reasons for the Bolshevik victory in the Civil War

1. The main difference between the “reds” and the “whites” was that from the very beginning of the war the communists were able to create a centralized power, which controlled the entire territory they conquered.

2. The Bolsheviks skillfully used propaganda. It was this tool that made it possible to convince the people that the “reds” are defenders of the Motherland and Fatherland, and the “whites” are supporters of the imperialists and foreign occupiers.

3. Thanks to the policy of “war communism,” they were able to mobilize resources and create a strong army, attracting a huge number of military specialists who made the army professional.

4. The country's industrial base and a significant part of its reserves are in the hands of the Bolsheviks.

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“Red” movement 1917 – 1922 Completed by student 11 “B” of class MBOU “Secondary School No. 9” Ivanov Sergey.

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Bolshevik leader and founder of the Soviet state (1870–1924) “We fully recognize the legality, progressiveness and necessity of civil wars”

RSDP (b) - the party of the “Red” movement. Period Transformation of the party Number of people Social composition. 1917-1918 RSDLP(b) Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks) 240 thousand Bolsheviks. Revolutionary intelligentsia, workers, urban and rural poor, middle strata, peasants. 1918 –1925 RCP(b) Russian Communist Party of Bolsheviks From 350 thousand to 1,236,000 communists 1925 -1952. All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) 1,453,828 communists Working class, peasantry, working intelligentsia. 1952 -1991 CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union as of January 1, 1991 16,516,066 communists 40.7% factory workers, 14.7% collective farmers.

The goals of the “Red” movement: the preservation and establishment of Soviet power throughout Russia; suppression of anti-Soviet forces; strengthening the dictatorship of the proletariat; World revolution.

First events of the “Red” movement Democratic Dictatorial October 26, 1917 The “Decree on Peace” was adopted; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved. October 27, 1917 The "Decree on Land" was adopted. In November 1917, a Decree banning the Cadet Party was adopted. October 27, 1917 The “Decree on the establishment of the Council of People’s Commissars” was adopted. The introduction of a food dictatorship. November 2, 1917 The “Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia” was adopted on December 20, 1917. The All-Russian Extraordinary Commission of the Cheka is created. On July 10, 1918, the Constitution of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is adopted. Nationalization of land and enterprises. "Red Terror".

Propaganda of the “Red” movement. "Power to the Soviets!" "Long live the world revolution." "Peace to the nations!" "Death to global capital." “Land to the peasants!” "Peace to the huts, war to the palaces." “Factory workers!” "The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger." Agitation train "Red Cossack". Agitation steamship "Red Star".

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Propaganda posters of the “Red” movement.

Creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) On January 20, 1918, the official body of the Bolshevik government published a decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. On February 23, 1918, the appeal of the Council of People's Commissars of February 21, “The Socialist Fatherland is in Danger,” was published, as well as the “Appeal of the Military Commander-in-Chief” by N. Krylenko.

The biggest victories of the “Reds”: 1918 – 1919 – the establishment of Bolshevik power in the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia. Beginning of 1919 - The Red Army launches a counteroffensive, defeating Krasnov’s “white” army. Spring-summer 1919 - Kolchak’s troops fell under the attacks of the “Reds”. Beginning of 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from the northern cities of Russia. February-March 1920 - defeat of the remaining forces of Denikin’s Volunteer Army. November 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from Crimea. By the end of 1920, the “Reds” were opposed by disparate groups of the White Army. The civil war ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.

Budyonny Frunze Tukhachevsky Chapaev Voroshilov Trotsky Commanders of the “Red” movement

Red Terror 1918-1923 Execution of representatives of the elite in Petrograd. September 1918. Execution of the royal family. On the night of July 16-17, 1918. Pyatigorsk massacre. 47 counter-revolutionaries were hacked to death with sabers. “Human slaughterhouses” in Kyiv. Suppression of anti-Bolshevik uprisings. Executions in Crimea. 1920 Decossackization. Repressions against the Orthodox Church. September 5, 1918 The Council of People's Commissars adopted a resolution on the Red Terror.

Reasons for the Bolshevik victory in the Civil War. The creation of a powerful state apparatus by the Bolsheviks. Agitation and propaganda work among the masses. Powerful ideology. Creating a powerful regular army. The country's industrial base and a significant part of its reserves are in the hands of the Bolsheviks.

Where did the terms "red" and "white" come from? The Civil War also saw the “Greens”, “Cadets”, “Socialist Revolutionaries” and other formations. What is their fundamental difference?

In this article, we will answer not only these questions, but also briefly get acquainted with the history of its formation in the country. Let's talk about the confrontation between the White Guard and the Red Army.

Origin of the terms "red" and "white"

Today, the history of the Fatherland is of less and less concern to young people. According to surveys, many have no idea, let alone about the Patriotic War of 1812...

However, such words and phrases as “red” and “white”, “Civil War” and “October Revolution” are still heard. Most people, however, do not know the details, but they have heard the terms.

Let's take a closer look at this issue. We should start with where the two opposing camps came from - “white” and “red” in the Civil War. In principle, it was simply an ideological move by Soviet propagandists and nothing more. Now you will figure out this riddle yourself.

If you turn to textbooks and reference books of the Soviet Union, they explain that the “whites” are the White Guards, supporters of the Tsar and enemies of the “reds”, the Bolsheviks.

It seems that everything was so. But in fact, this is another enemy that the Soviets fought against.

The country has lived for seventy years in confrontation with fictitious opponents. These were the “whites,” the kulaks, the decaying West, the capitalists. Very often, such a vague definition of the enemy served as the foundation for slander and terror.

Next we will discuss the causes of the Civil War. “Whites,” according to Bolshevik ideology, were monarchists. But here’s the catch: there were practically no monarchists in the war. They had no one to fight for, and their honor did not suffer from this. Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and his brother did not accept the crown. Thus, all tsarist officers were free from the oath.

Where then did this “color” difference come from? If the Bolsheviks really had a red flag, then their opponents never had a white one. The answer lies in the history of a century and a half ago.

Great French Revolution gave the world two opposing camps. The royal troops carried a white banner, the symbol of the dynasty of French rulers. After seizing power, their opponents hung a red canvas in the window of the city hall as a sign of the introduction of wartime. On such days, any gatherings of people were dispersed by soldiers.

The Bolsheviks were opposed not by monarchists, but by supporters of the convening of the Constituent Assembly (constitutional democrats, cadets), anarchists (Makhnovists), “green army men” (fought against the “red”, “white”, interventionists) and those who wanted the separation of their territory into a free state .

Thus, the term "white" was cleverly used by ideologues to define a common enemy. His winning position was that any Red Army soldier could explain in a nutshell what he was fighting for, unlike all the other rebels. This attracted ordinary people on the side of the Bolsheviks and made it possible for the latter to win the Civil War.

Prerequisites for the war

When studying the Civil War in class, a table is essential for a good understanding of the material. Below are the stages of this military conflict, which will help you better navigate not only the article, but also this period in the history of the Fatherland.

Now that we have decided who the “reds” and “whites” are, the Civil War, or rather its stages, will be more understandable. You can begin to study them in more depth. It's worth starting with the premises.

So, the main reason for such intense passions, which later resulted in a five-year Civil War, was the accumulated contradictions and problems.

First, the Russian Empire's involvement in World War I destroyed the economy and depleted the country's resources. The bulk of the male population was in the army, they fell into decline agriculture and urban industry. The soldiers were tired of fighting for other people's ideals when there were hungry families at home.

The second reason was agricultural and industrial issues. There were too many peasants and workers who lived below the poverty line. The Bolsheviks took full advantage of this.

In order to turn participation in the world war into an inter-class struggle, certain steps were taken.

First, the first wave of nationalization of enterprises, banks, and lands took place. Then the Brest-Litovsk Treaty was signed, which plunged Russia into the abyss of complete ruin. Against the backdrop of general devastation, the Red Army men carried out terror in order to stay in power.

To justify their behavior, they built an ideology of struggle against the White Guards and interventionists.

Background

Let's take a closer look at why the Civil War began. The table we provided earlier illustrates the stages of the conflict. But we will start with the events that occurred before the Great October Revolution.

Weakened by its participation in the First World War, the Russian Empire declines. Nicholas II abdicates the throne. More importantly, he does not have a successor. In light of such events, two new forces are being formed simultaneously - the Provisional Government and the Council of Workers' Deputies.

The former are beginning to deal with the social and political spheres of the crisis, while the Bolsheviks concentrated on increasing their influence in the army. This path subsequently led them to the opportunity to become the only ruling force in the country.
It was the confusion in government that led to the formation of “reds” and “whites”. The civil war was only the apotheosis of their differences. Which is to be expected.

October Revolution

In fact, the tragedy of the Civil War begins with the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks were gaining strength and moving more confidently to power. In mid-October 1917, a very tense situation began to develop in Petrograd.

October 25 Alexander Kerensky, head of the Provisional Government, leaves Petrograd for Pskov for help. He personally assesses the events in the city as an uprising.

In Pskov, he asks for help with troops. Kerensky seems to be receiving support from the Cossacks, but suddenly the cadets leave the regular army. Now constitutional democrats refuse to support the head of government.

Not finding adequate support in Pskov, Alexander Fedorovich goes to the city of Ostrov, where he meets with General Krasnov. At the same time, an assault takes place in Petrograd. Winter Palace. IN Soviet history this event is presented as key. But in fact it happened without resistance from the deputies.

After a blank shot from the cruiser Aurora, sailors, soldiers and workers approached the palace and arrested all members of the Provisional Government present there. In addition, the Second Congress of Soviets took place, where a number of major declarations were adopted and executions at the front were abolished.

In view of the coup, Krasnov decides to provide assistance to Alexander Kerensky. On October 26, a cavalry detachment of seven hundred people leaves towards Petrograd. It was assumed that in the city itself they would be supported by an uprising by the cadets. But it was suppressed by the Bolsheviks.

In the current situation, it became clear that the Provisional Government no longer had power. Kerensky fled, General Krasnov negotiated with the Bolsheviks the opportunity to return to Ostrov with his detachment without hindrance.

Meanwhile, the Socialist Revolutionaries begin a radical struggle against the Bolsheviks, who, in their opinion, have acquired greater power. The response to the murders of some “red” leaders was terror by the Bolsheviks, and the Civil War (1917-1922) began. Let us now consider further events.

Establishment of "red" power

As we said above, the tragedy of the Civil War began long before the October Revolution. The common people, soldiers, workers and peasants were dissatisfied with the current situation. If in the central regions many paramilitary detachments were under the close control of Headquarters, then in the eastern detachments a completely different mood reigned.

It was the presence of a large number of reserve troops and their reluctance to enter into a war with Germany that helped the Bolsheviks quickly and bloodlessly receive the support of almost two-thirds of the army. Only 15 large cities resisted the “red” authorities, while 84 passed into their hands on their own initiative.

An unexpected surprise for the Bolsheviks in the form of stunning support from confused and tired soldiers was declared by the “Reds” as a “triumphant procession of the Soviets.”

The civil war (1917-1922) only worsened after the signing of the ruinous treaty for Russia. former empire lost more than a million square kilometers of territory. These included: the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, the Caucasus, Romania, Don territories. In addition, they had to pay six billion marks of indemnity to Germany.

This decision caused protest both within the country and from the Entente. Simultaneously with the intensification of various local conflicts, military intervention begins Western states to the territory of Russia.

The entry of Entente troops in Siberia was reinforced by the revolt of the Kuban Cossacks under the leadership of General Krasnov. The defeated detachments of the White Guards and some interventionists went to Central Asia and continued the struggle against Soviet power for many years.

Second period of the Civil War

It was at this stage that the White Guard Heroes of the Civil War were most active. History has preserved such surnames as Kolchak, Yudenich, Denikin, Yuzefovich, Miller and others.

Each of these commanders had his own vision of the future for the state. Some tried to interact with the Entente troops in order to overthrow the Bolshevik government and still convene Constituent Assembly. Others wanted to become local princelings. This includes people like Makhno, Grigoriev and others.

The difficulty of this period lies in the fact that as soon as the First World War was completed, German troops had to leave Russian territory only after the arrival of the Entente. But according to a secret agreement, they left earlier, surrendering the cities to the Bolsheviks.

As history shows us, it is after this turn of events that the Civil War enters a phase of particular cruelty and bloodshed. The failure of commanders oriented towards Western governments was further aggravated by the fact that they had a catastrophic shortage of qualified officers. Thus, the armies of Miller, Yudenich and some other formations disintegrated only because, with a lack of mid-level commanders, the main influx of forces came from captured Red Army soldiers.

Messages in newspapers of this period are characterized by headlines of this type: “Two thousand military personnel with three guns went over to the side of the Red Army.”

Final stage

Start last period historians tend to associate the wars of 1917-1922 with Polish War. With the help of his western neighbors, Piłsudski wanted to create a confederation with territory from the Baltic to the Black Sea. But his aspirations were not destined to come true. The armies of the Civil War, led by Egorov and Tukhachevsky, fought their way deeper into Western Ukraine and reached the Polish border.

Victory over this enemy was supposed to rouse the workers in Europe to fight. But all the plans of the Red Army leaders failed after a crushing defeat in the battle, which was preserved under the name “Miracle on the Vistula.”

After the conclusion of a peace treaty between the Soviets and Poland, disagreements begin in the Entente camp. As a result, funding for the “white” movement decreased, and the Civil War in Russia began to decline.

In the early 1920s, similar changes in foreign policy Western states have led to the fact that Soviet Union recognized by most countries.

The heroes of the Civil War of the final period fought against Wrangel in Ukraine, the interventionists in the Caucasus and Central Asia, in Siberia. Among the particularly distinguished commanders, Tukhachevsky, Blucher, Frunze and some others should be noted.

Thus, as a result of five years of bloody battles, a new state was formed on the territory of the Russian Empire. Subsequently, it became the second superpower, whose only rival was the United States.

Reasons for victory

Let's figure out why the “whites” were defeated in the Civil War. We will compare the assessments of the opposing camps and try to come to a common conclusion.

Soviet historians main reason They saw their victory in the fact that they received massive support from the oppressed sections of society. Particular emphasis was placed on those who suffered as a result of the 1905 revolution. Because they unconditionally went over to the side of the Bolsheviks.

“Whites,” on the contrary, complained about the lack of human and material resources. In occupied territories with a population of millions, they could not carry out even the minimum mobilization to replenish their ranks.

Particularly interesting are the statistics provided by the Civil War. “Reds” and “Whites” (the table below) especially suffered from desertion. Unbearable living conditions, as well as the lack of clear goals, made themselves felt. The data concerns only the Bolshevik forces, since the White Guard records did not preserve clear figures.

The main point that modern historians note was the conflict.

The White Guards, firstly, had no centralized command and minimal cooperation between units. They fought locally, each for their own interests. The second feature was the absence of political workers and a clear program. These aspects were often assigned to officers who only knew how to fight, but not how to conduct diplomatic negotiations.

The Red Army soldiers created a powerful ideological network. A clear system of concepts was developed that was drummed into the heads of workers and soldiers. The slogans made it possible for even the most downtrodden peasant to understand what he was going to fight for.

It was this policy that allowed the Bolsheviks to receive maximum support from the population.

Consequences

The victory of the “Reds” in the Civil War was very costly for the state. The economy was completely destroyed. The country lost territories with a population of more than 135 million people.

Agriculture and productivity, food production decreased by 40-50 percent. The surplus appropriation system and the “red-white” terror in different regions led to the death of a huge number of people from starvation, torture and execution.

Industry, according to experts, has slipped to the level of the Russian Empire during the reign of Peter the Great. Researchers say production levels have fallen to 20 percent of 1913 levels, and in some areas to 4 percent.

As a result, a massive outflow of workers from cities to villages began. Since there was at least some hope of not dying of hunger.

"Whites" in the Civil War reflected the aspirations of the nobility and senior officials return to previous living conditions. But their isolation from the real sentiments that reigned among the common people led to the total defeat of the old order.

Reflection in culture

Civil War leaders were immortalized in thousands of different works - from cinema to paintings, from stories to sculptures and songs.

For example, such productions as “Days of the Turbins”, “Running”, “Optimistic Tragedy” immersed people in the tense wartime environment.

The films “Chapaev”, “Little Red Devils”, “We are from Kronstadt” showed the efforts that the “Reds” made in the Civil War to win their ideals.

The literary work of Babel, Bulgakov, Gaidar, Pasternak, Ostrovsky illustrates the life of representatives of different strata of society in those difficult days.

One can give examples almost endlessly, because the social catastrophe that resulted in the Civil War found a powerful response in the hearts of hundreds of artists.

Thus, today we learned not only the origin of the concepts “white” and “red”, but also became briefly acquainted with the course of events of the Civil War.

Remember that any crisis contains the seeds of future changes for the better.

At the first stage of the Civil War of 1917 - 1922/23, two powerful opposing forces took shape - “red” and “white”. The first represented the Bolshevik camp, whose goal was a radical change in the existing system and the construction of a socialist regime, the second - the anti-Bolshevik camp, striving for a return to the order of the pre-revolutionary period.

The period between the February and October revolutions is the time of formation and development of the Bolshevik regime, the stage of accumulation of forces. The main tasks of the Bolsheviks before the start of hostilities in the Civil War: the formation of a social support, transformations in the country that would allow them to gain a foothold at the top of power in the country, and the defense of the achievements of the February Revolution.

The Bolsheviks' methods in strengthening power were effective. First of all, this concerns propaganda among the population - the slogans of the Bolsheviks were relevant and helped to quickly form the social support of the “Reds”.

The first armed detachments of the “reds” began to appear on preparatory stage– from March to October 1917. Home driving force These groups were workers from industrial regions - this was the main force of the Bolsheviks, which helped them come to power during the October Revolution. At the time of the revolutionary events, the detachment numbered about 200,000 people.

The stage of the establishment of Bolshevik power required the protection of what was achieved during the revolution - for this, at the end of December 1917, the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission was created, headed by F. Dzerzhinsky. On January 15, 1918, the Cheka adopted a Decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and on January 29, the Red Fleet was created.

Analyzing the actions of the Bolsheviks, historians do not come to a consensus about their goals and motivation:

The most common opinion is that the “Reds” initially planned a large-scale Civil War, which would be a logical continuation of the revolution. Fighting, whose goal was to promote the ideas of revolution, would consolidate the power of the Bolsheviks and spread socialism throughout the world. During the war, the Bolsheviks planned to destroy the bourgeoisie as a class. Thus, based on this, the ultimate goal of the “reds” is world revolution.

V. Galin is considered one of the fans of the second concept. This version is radically different from the first - according to historians, the Bolsheviks had no intention of turning the revolution into a Civil War. The goal of the Bolsheviks was to seize power, which they succeeded in during the revolution. But continuation of hostilities was not included in the plans. Arguments of fans of this concept: the transformations that the “Reds” planned demanded peace in the country; at the first stage of the struggle, the “Reds” were tolerant of other political forces. A turning point regarding political opponents occurred when in 1918 there was a threat of losing power in the state. By 1918, the “Reds” had a strong, professionally trained enemy - the White Army. Its backbone was the military of the Russian Empire. By 1918, the fight against this enemy became purposeful, the army of the “Reds” acquired a pronounced structure.

At the first stage of the war, the actions of the Red Army were not successful. Why?

Recruitment into the army was carried out on a voluntary basis, which led to decentralization and disunity. The army was created spontaneously, without a specific structure - this led to a low level of discipline and problems in managing a large number of volunteers. The chaotic army was characterized by high level combat effectiveness. Only in 1918, when Bolshevik power was under threat, did the “Reds” decide to recruit troops according to the mobilization principle. From June 1918, they began to mobilize the military of the tsarist army.

The second reason is closely related to the first - the chaotic, unprofessional army of the “Reds” was opposed by organized, professional military men who, at the time of the Civil War, participated in more than one battle. “Whites” with a high level of patriotism were united not only by professionalism, but also by an idea - the White movement stood for a united and indivisible Russia, for order in the state.

The most characteristic feature of the Red Army is homogeneity. First of all, this concerns class origin. Unlike the “whites,” whose army included professional soldiers, workers, and peasants, the “reds” accepted only proletarians and peasants into their ranks. The bourgeoisie was subject to destruction, so an important task was to prevent hostile elements from joining the Red Army.

In parallel with military operations, the Bolsheviks implemented a political and economic program. Against hostile social classes The Bolsheviks pursued a policy of “red terror”. In the economic sphere, “war communism” was introduced - a set of measures in the internal policy of the Bolsheviks throughout the Civil War.

The Reds' biggest wins:

1918 – 1919 – establishment of Bolshevik power in the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia.
Beginning of 1919 - The Red Army launches a counteroffensive, defeating Krasnov’s “white” army.
Spring-summer 1919 - Kolchak’s troops fell under the attacks of the “Reds”.
Beginning of 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from the northern cities of Russia.
February-March 1920 - defeat of the remaining forces of Denikin’s Volunteer Army.
November 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from Crimea.
By the end of 1920, the “Reds” were opposed by disparate groups of the White Army. The civil war ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.

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 different sides barricades In this armed class clash on the vast territory of the former Russian Empire, the interests of opposing political structures, conventionally divided into “red and white,” intersected. 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 from the dissatisfied new government the white movement was formed. 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 of the 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, the fight against the Basmachi in Central Asia is over.

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.