However, from the spring - summer of 1918, the fierce political struggle began to develop into forms of open military confrontation between the Bolsheviks and their opponents: moderate socialists, some foreign units, the White Army, and the Cossacks. The second - “front” stage of the Civil War begins, in which, in turn, several periods can be distinguished.
Summer - autumn 1918 - the period of escalation of the war.
It was caused by a change in the agrarian policy of the Bolsheviks: the introduction of a food dictatorship, the organization of poor committees and the incitement of class struggle in the countryside. This led to discontent among the middle and wealthy peasants and the creation of a mass base for the anti-Bolshevik movement, which, in turn, contributed to the consolidation of two movements: the Socialist-Revolutionary-Menshevik “democratic counter-revolution” and the White movement. The period ends with the rupture of these forces.
December 1918 - June 1919 - a period of confrontation between the regular Red and White armies.
In the armed struggle against Soviet power, the white movement achieved the greatest success. Part revolutionary democracy agrees to cooperate with the Soviet authorities. Many supporters of a democratic alternative are fighting on two fronts: against the regime of the White and Bolshevik dictatorships. This period of fierce front-line war, red and white terror.
The second half of 1919 - autumn 1920 - the period of military defeat of the white armies.
The Bolsheviks somewhat softened their position towards the middle peasantry, declaring at the VIII Congress of the RCP(b) about “the need for a more attentive attitude to their needs - the elimination of arbitrariness on the part of local authorities and the desire to reach an agreement with him.” Oscillating peasantry leans to the side Soviet power. The stage ends with an acute crisis in the relations of the Bolsheviks with the middle and wealthy peasantry, who did not want to continue the policy of “war communism” after the defeat of the main forces of the white armies.
The end of 1920 - 1922 - the period of the “small civil war”.
Deployment of massive peasant uprisings against the policy of “war communism”. Growing discontent among workers and the performance of the Kronstadt sailors. At this time, the influence of the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks was again increasing. The Bolsheviks were forced to retreat and introduce a new, more liberal one.
Such actions contributed to the gradual fading of the civil war.
The first outbreaks of the Civil War.
Formation of the White movement. On the night of October 26, a group of Mensheviks and Right Socialist Revolutionaries who left the Second Congress of Soviets formed the All-Russian Committee for the Salvation of the Motherland in the City Duma and revolution. Relying on the help of cadets from Petrograd schools, on October 29 the committee attempted to carry out a counter-coup. But the very next day this performance was suppressed by Red Guard troops.
A.F. Kerensky led the campaign of General P.N. Krasnov’s corps to Petrograd. On October 27 and 28, the Cossacks captured Gatchina and Tsarskoe Selo, creating an immediate threat to Petrograd, but on October 30, Krasnov’s troops were defeated. Kerensky fled. P. N. Krasnov was arrested by his own Cossacks, but then released on his word of honor that he would not fight against the new government.
Soviet power was established in Moscow with great complications. Here, on October 26, the City Duma created a Public Security Committee, which had 10 thousand well-armed soldiers at its disposal. Bloody battles broke out in the city. Only on November 3, after the storming of the Kremlin by revolutionary forces, Moscow came under Soviet control.
With the help of weapons, new power was established in the Cossack regions of the Don, Kuban, and Southern Urals.
Ataman A. M. Kaledin headed the anti-Bolshevik movement on the Don. He declared the insubordination of the Don Army Soviet government. Everyone dissatisfied with the new regime began to flock to the Don.
However, most of the Cossacks adopted a policy of benevolent neutrality towards the new government. And although the Decree on Land gave the Cossacks little, they had land, but they were very impressed by the Decree on Peace.
At the end of November 1917, General M.V. Alekseev began the formation Volunteer Army to fight Soviet power. This army marked the beginning of the white movement, so named in contrast to the red one - revolutionary. White color seemed to symbolize law and order. And the participants white movement considered themselves the exponents of the idea of restoring the former power and might of the Russian state, the “Russian state principle” and a merciless struggle against those forces that, in their opinion, plunged Russia into chaos - the Bolsheviks, as well as representatives of other socialist parties.
The Soviet government managed to form a 10,000-strong army, which entered the Don territory in mid-January 1918. Part of the population fought on the side of the Reds. Considering his cause lost, Ataman A. M. Kaledin shot himself. The volunteer army, burdened with convoys of children, women, politicians, journalists, and professors, went to the steppes, hoping to continue their work in the Kuban. On April 17, 1918, near Ekaterinodar, the commander of the Volunteer Army, General L. G. Kornilov, was killed. General A.I. Denikin took command.
Simultaneously with the anti-Soviet protests on the Don, the Cossack movement began Southern Urals. It was headed by the ataman of Orenburg Cossack army A. I. Dutov. In Transbaikalia, the fight against new government led by Ataman G.M. Semenov.
These protests against Soviet power, although fierce, were spontaneous and scattered, did not enjoy mass support from the population, and took place against the backdrop of the relatively rapid and peaceful establishment of Soviet power almost everywhere (“the triumphal march of Soviet power,” as the Bolsheviks declared). The rebel chieftains were defeated fairly quickly. At the same time, these speeches clearly indicated the formation of two main centers of resistance. In Siberia, the face of resistance was determined by the farms of wealthy peasant owners, often united in cooperatives with the predominant influence of the Socialist Revolutionaries. Resistance in the south was provided by the Cossacks, known for their love of freedom and commitment to a special way of economic and social life.
Intervention.
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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.
IN different years its activities 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 of the 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 people's commissars» Chairman – V.I. Lenin. The composition of the Council of People's Commissars was Bolshevik in composition.
- Jan. 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;
- the class nature of suffrage: it was deprived of the landowners and bourgeoisie, priests, officers, policemen; 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 tasks 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, creation 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 enhancing combat effectiveness and strengthening discipline. In July 1918, the Decree on General conscription 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 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. Civil War ended in Bolshevik victory.
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 carried out successful operations against the White Guard troops of Kolchak, defeated Wrangel’s army in the territory of Northern Tavria and Crimea;
Tukhachevsky Mikhail Nikolaevich. He was the commander of the troops of the Eastern and Caucasian Front, with his army he cleared the Urals and Siberia of the White Guards;
Voroshilov Kliment Efremovich. 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 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 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 royal family . The execution of the royal family was carried out in the basement of the Ipatiev 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 entire... floor of the large garage was already covered... with several inches of blood, mixed into a terrifying mass with the 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 lay hastily superficially buried 127 corpses of the last massacre... 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 Ekaterinoslav, 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 Oryol province Freezing people by dousing them with cold water at a low temperature is widely used.”
- Suppression of anti-Bolshevik uprisings.Anti-Bolshevik uprisings, primarily uprisings of peasants who resisted surplus appropriation were brutally suppressed in parts special purpose 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.
- Repression against 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 previously dressed in women's dress and then hanged.
On November 8, 1917, Tsarskoe 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 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 Party transformation 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 organ 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 Bolsheviks created a powerful state apparatus. 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.
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 during the preparatory stage - from March to October 1917. Home driving force Such detachments 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 opponent - 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. The “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.
Most characteristic The Red Army is homogeneous. 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. The Bolsheviks pursued a policy of “red terror” against hostile social classes. In the economic sphere, “war communism” was introduced - a set of measures in domestic policy 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.
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 Patriotic War 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. So everything tsarist officers found themselves 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.
The Great French Revolution gave the world two opposing camps. The royal troops carried a white banner, the symbol of the dynasty of French rulers. Their opponents, after seizing power, 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 participation in the First World War, Russian empire is falling into disrepair. 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 later 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, it 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 is the presence large quantity reserve troops and their reluctance to enter into a war with Germany helped the Bolsheviks quickly and bloodlessly gain the support of almost two-thirds of the army. Only 15 major cities opposed the “red” authorities, but 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 a devastating treaty for Russia, the 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 Germany six billion marks of indemnity.
This decision caused protest both within the country and from the Entente. Simultaneously with the intensification of various local conflicts, military intervention Western states into Russian territory.
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 the Constituent Assembly. Others wanted to become local princelings. This includes people like Makhno, Grigoriev and others.
The difficulty of this period is that as soon as the First World War, German troops were supposed to leave Russian territory only after the arrival of the Entente. But according to a secret agreement, they left earlier, handing over 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.”
The final stage
Historians tend to associate the beginning of the last period of the war 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 deep 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 saw the main reason for their victory in the fact that there was 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 is noted modern historians, there was a 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 desire of the nobility and higher ranks to return to their 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 briefly became acquainted with the course of events of the Civil War.
Remember that any crisis contains the seeds of future changes for the better.
The First World War exposed the enormous internal problems of the Russian Empire. The consequence of these problems was a series of revolutions and a Civil War, in the main conflict of which the “reds” and “whites” clashed. In a mini-cycle of two articles, we will try to remember how this confrontation began and why the Bolsheviks managed to win.
The centennial anniversary of the February and October revolutions, as well as the events that followed them. In the mass consciousness, despite the many films and books about 1917 and the Civil War, and perhaps thanks to them, there is still no unified picture the unfolding confrontation. Or, on the contrary, it boils down to “a revolution happened, and then the Reds propagandized everyone and kicked the whites in a crowd.” And you can’t argue - that’s exactly how it was. However, anyone who tries to delve a little deeper into the situation will have a number of fair questions.
Why, in a matter of years, or rather even months, did a single country turn into a field of battle and civil unrest? Why did some win it and others lose?
And finally, where did it all begin?
Lesson unlearned
By the beginning of the twentieth century, Russia seemed (and in many ways was) one of the leading countries in the world. Without her weighty word, issues of war and peace could not be resolved; her army and navy were taken into account by all the great powers when planning future clashes. Some were afraid of the Russian “steam roller”, others hoped for it as the last argument in the battles of nations.
The first alarm bell rang in 1904–1905 - with the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. A huge, powerful world-scale empire actually lost its fleet in one day and with great difficulty managed not to lose to smithereens on land. And to whom? Tiny Japan, the despised Asians, who from the point of view of cultured Europeans were not considered people at all and half a century before these events lived under natural feudalism, with swords and bows. This was the first alarm bell, which (if viewed from the future) actually outlined the contours of future military operations. But then no one began to listen to the dire warning (as well as to the forecasts of Ivan Bliokh, which will be the subject of a separate article). The first Russian revolution clearly showed everyone the vulnerability of the empire's political system. And “those who wish” drew conclusions.
“Cossack Breakfast” - a cartoon from the Russo-Japanese War
In fact, fate has given Russia almost a whole decade to prepare for future tests, relying on the Japanese “test of writing.” And it cannot be said that nothing was done at all. It was done, but... too slowly and fragmentarily, too inconsistently. Too slow.
1914 was approaching...
The war has been too long
As has been repeatedly described in the most different sources, none of the participants in the First World War expected that the confrontation would be long - many probably remember the famous phrase about returning “before the autumn leaves fall.” As is usually the case, military and political thought was far behind developing economic and technological capabilities. And for all participants, it was a shock that the conflict was dragging on, that “gentlemanly” military actions were growing into a high-tech industry of turning people into dead people. One of the most important consequences of this was the notorious “munitions famine” or, if we take the problem more broadly, a catastrophic shortage of everything and anything that is necessary for conducting military operations. Huge fronts and millions of fighters with many thousands of guns, like Moloch, demanded total economic sacrifice. And each participant had to solve the enormous problem of mobilization.
The shock hit everyone, but Russia was especially hard. It turned out that behind the façade of the world empire lies a not so attractive underbelly - an industry that cannot master the mass production of engines, cars and tanks. Everything was not as bad as categorical opponents of “rotten tsarism” often portray (for example, the needs for three-inch guns and rifles were at least met), but on the whole, the imperial industry was unable to meet the needs of the active army in most vital positions - light machine guns, heavy artillery, modern aviation, vehicles and so on.
British tanks from the First World WarMk IVat Oldbury Carriage Works
photosofwar.net
The Russian Empire could have launched more or less adequate aviation production on its own industrial base, at best, by the end of 1917, with the commissioning of new defense plants. The same goes for light machine guns. Copies of French tanks were expected in 1918 at best. In France alone, already in December 1914, hundreds of aircraft engines were produced; in January 1916, monthly production exceeded a thousand - and in Russia in the same year it reached 50 units.
A separate problem was the transport collapse. The road network spanning the vast country was necessarily poor. Producing or receiving strategic cargo from the allies turned out to be only half the task: then it was still necessary to distribute them with epic labor and deliver them to their recipients. The transport system could not cope with this.
Thus, Russia turned out to be the weak link of the Entente and the great powers of the world in general. It could not rely on a brilliant industry and skilled workers, like Germany, on the resources of the colonies, like Britain, on a powerful industry untouched by war and capable of gigantic growth, like the States.
As a consequence of all the above-mentioned ugliness and many other reasons that are forced to remain outside the scope of the story, Russia suffered disproportionate losses in people. The soldiers simply did not understand why they were fighting and dying, the government was losing prestige (and then just basic trust) within the country. The death of most of the trained personnel - and, according to the grenadier captain Popov, by 1917, instead of an army, we had an “armed people.” Almost all contemporaries, regardless of their beliefs, shared this point of view.
And the political “climate” was a real disaster movie. The murder of Rasputin (more precisely, his impunity), despite all the odiousness of the character, clearly shows the paralysis that has overtaken the entire state system of Russia. And there are few places where the authorities have been accused so openly, seriously and, most importantly, with impunity of treason and helping the enemy.
It cannot be said that these were specifically Russian problems - the same processes were taking place in all the warring countries. Britain received Easter Rising 1916 in Dublin and another aggravation of the “Irish question”, France - mass riots in units after the failure of Nivelle’s offensive in 1917. The Italian front that same year was generally on the verge of total collapse, and was saved only by the emergency “infusions” of British and French units. However, these states had a margin of safety of the system government controlled and some kind of “credit of trust” among its population. They were able to hold out - or rather hold out - long enough to survive until the end of the war - and win.
A Dublin street after the 1916 Rising.The People's War Book and Pictorial Atlas of the World. USA & Canada, 1920
And in Russia the year 1917 came, which saw two revolutions at once.
Chaos and anarchy
“Everything turned upside down at once. The formidable authorities turned into timid - confused ones, yesterday's monarchists - into faithful socialists, people who were afraid to say an extra word for fear of poorly connecting it with the previous ones, felt the gift of eloquence in themselves, and the deepening and expansion of the revolution began in all directions... The confusion was complete. The overwhelming majority reacted to the revolution with confidence and joy; For some reason, everyone believed that it would bring with it, along with other benefits, a quick end to the war, since the “old regime” played into the hands of the Germans. And now everything will be decided by the public and talents... and everyone began to feel in themselves hidden talents and try them in relation to the orders of the new system. How difficult these first months of our revolution are to remember. Every day, somewhere deep in the heart, something was torn away with pain, something that seemed unshakable was destroyed, something that was considered sacred was desecrated.”
Konstantin Sergeevich Popov “Memoirs of a Caucasian grenadier, 1914–1920.”
The civil war in Russia did not begin immediately and grew out of the flames of general anarchy and chaos. Weak industrialization has already brought the country a lot of troubles, and continued to do so. This time - in the form of a predominantly agrarian population, “peasan” with their specific view of the world. Hundreds of thousands of peasant soldiers returned from the collapsing army without permission, obeying no one. Thanks to the “black redistribution” and the multiplication by zero of landowners with fists, the Russian peasant finally literally had enough to eat, and also managed to satisfy the eternal craving for “land.” And thanks to some kind of military experience and weapons brought from the front, he could now defend himself.
Against the backdrop of this boundless sea of peasant life, extremely apolitical and alien to the color of power, political opponents trying to turn the country in their direction were initially lost, like pitfalls. They simply had nothing to offer the people.
Demonstration in Petrograd
sovetclub.ru
The peasant was indifferent to any power, and only one thing was required from it - as long as “not to touch the peasant.” They bring kerosene from the city - good. If they don’t bring it, we’ll live like this; anyway, as soon as the city people start starving, they’ll come crawling back. The village knew too well what hunger was. And she knew that only she had the main value - bread.
And in the cities, real hell was really going on - only in Petrograd the mortality rate more than quadrupled. With the transport system paralyzed, the task of “simply” bringing already collected grain from the Volga region or Siberia to Moscow and Petrograd was an act worthy of the labors of Hercules.
In the absence of any single authoritative and strong center capable of bringing everyone to a common denominator, the country was rapidly sliding into a terrible and all-encompassing anarchy. In fact, in the first quarter of the new, industrial twentieth century, times were revived Thirty Years' War, when amid the chaos and general misfortune, gangs of marauders raged, changing faith and color of banners with the ease of changing socks - if not more.
Two enemies
However, as is known, from the variety of motley participants in the great turmoil, two main opponents crystallized. Two camps that united the majority of extremely heterogeneous movements.
White and Red.
Psychic attack - still from the film “Chapaev”
They are usually presented in the form of a scene from the movie “Chapaev”: well-trained monarchist officers dressed to the nines against workers and peasants in ragged conditions. However, we must understand that initially both “white” and “red” were essentially just declarations. Both of them were very amorphous formations, tiny groups that seemed large only against the backdrop of very wild gangs. At first, a couple of hundred people under a red, white or any other banner already represented a significant force capable of capturing Big City or change the situation throughout the entire region. Moreover, all participants actively changed sides. And yet, there was already some kind of organization behind them.
The Red Army in 1917 - drawing by Boris Efimov
http://www.ageod-forum.com/
It would seem that the Bolsheviks were doomed from the very beginning in this confrontation. The Whites surrounded a relatively small piece of “red” land with a dense ring, took control of the grain-growing areas, and enlisted the support and assistance of the Entente. Finally, the whites were head and shoulders above their red opponents on the battlefield, regardless of the balance of forces.
It seemed that the Bolsheviks were doomed...
What happened? Why were memoirs in exile written primarily by “gentlemen” and not “comrades”?
We will try to answer these questions in the continuation of the article.
