History 1115 Russian Civil War PDF

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Summary

All notes are taken from Dr. Marjory Lang's verbal lecture. Necessary for success in the midterm. Includes information on the Russian Civil war, and the USSR after this period of time. ...

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Russian Civil War Consolidating Bolshevik Power           

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Everything that Lenin does is about power The Bolsheviks win The majority of the Russians oppose the Bolsheviks They had to fuse the urban revolution with the rest of the revolutions The Bolsheviks begin to impose their will on the country side eventually The opposition groups begin to wake up In 1917 they had staged a coup After the war, the Czars generals begin to work against the Bolsheviks Ethnic groups want separation They are going to see armies from other countries The people are allowed to go to the polls, the Socialist Revolutionaries win the majority of the seats o Bolsheviks lose the vote o The Bolshevik red guard surrounds the constituents and shut it down o That was the end of the attempt for democracy Not all the Bolsheviks agreed with Lenin saying Lenin was not willing to compromise, every other group is just WRONG Lenin’s logic is the only correct course When the terms of Brest-Litovsk are finalized, the Bolsheviks decide to move the capital o They move it from Petrograd to Moscow o Most places don’t send their people to the new capital The Left wing Social Revolutionaries work with the Bolsheviks The rest of them are appalled by what they had agreed to for the Treaty of Brest Litovsk They try to stop the treaty o By assassination o They try to kill the German Ambassador o They try to kill Lenin, hit him but does not kill him They make up the Cheka: Bolshevik’s Secret Police o Preventing political enemies o Instrument of “The Red Terror” o They didn’t want mensheviks, socialist revolutionary o They have unchecked power o A lot of career criminals are in the Cheka o There was a lot of purging in these years When Brest-Litovsk liberates the White Army

Forces in the Civil War 

Admiral Kolchak : White general

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o The Entente think that this guy may be able to end Socialism o They give him money for his forces o He is working with anyone he can muster, but not anyone from the opposition parties o They are all Czarist, Even the generals were not working together to topple the Bolsheviks Most of the Majority of Russian territory was ruled by the Bolshevik’s enemies, they only ruled a small amount of Russia Trotsky is the hero of the hour, he planned the Bolshevik Rev. He wins the Civil war for the Bolsheviks o He is able to build the army  the Red Army o He manages to get Generals to fight with them  Holds their families hostage to get them to fight o He is ruthless in fighting the civil war o He barely rests o A series of local wars o Able to defeat the White forces, despite the white forces holding more territory  The white forces don’t coordinate their campaigns Where ever the white forces occupy, they make a lot of chaos and are furious with the peasants Lenin decides that the opportunity of Civil war is a great time to push the ideal of Socialism o He wanted to borrow what Germany did during the war to take chanrge of the economy o He wanted to take charge of all Economic command o This is how they could collectivize o The peasants were not happy about this effort o The peasants were the losers o They peasants were resisting  would burn it, eat it, hide it etc rather that giving it to the Red Army o The city was starving because peasants did not provide The Peasants can hardly support the Whites o They didn’t want to support the old regime o They also didn’t really want to support the Reds, but it’s a bit better In Ukraine, they are given a sort of freedom o the Bolsheviks were fighting to get them back o as were the Whites o In Ukraine, there was a lot of resistance about Bolsheviks o Stalin noted how much they were resisting the Bolsheviks o They wanted independence The West loathe the Bolsheviks o They don’t like socialism o Lenin abolishes all the debts that the Czar owed

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o The West really wants to topple the Bolsheviks o By 1919 the allied nations start to withdraw their presence in Russia o The US stays there a bit longer than the British and French o They want to topple the Bolsheviks The Czech Legions were captured by the Russians during the war o They were fighting for A-H o This group of Czechs began to fight on the other side, for the Russians o The Bolsheviks did not like this idea that they had arms o Trotsky says they need to be disarmed o They did not like this, and they they take a big piece of the Trans-Siberian Railway o The West likes the Czech Legion because they fight against the Bolsheviks Poland fights with all of its neighbours o In 1920 they invade Russia, hoping to reclaim parts of Ukraine o The Red Army repels them o Miracle on the Vistula 1920 o The war ends with great bitterness in 1920 o The border is very far into modern day Ukraine o The Russians want the land back The Bolsheviks want to topple the opposition governments All of the Bolsheviks felt that they should be professional revolutionaries that should work to topple all governemtns Comintern: the (3rd) communist international o Socialists that were radicalized, and are far left o They are now a dedicated revolutionary o The head was in Moscow o In every European Nation, the Communist and the Socialists were split o The communists of Europe are like agents for the Russians o They had to make changes that were good for EVERYONE in the comintern o The Left, that was once united, is now badly split o At first, the comintern was sure that communist revolution would sweep the world  They really wanted a German revolution o The Comintern puts a lot of resources into the Weimar Republic, in 1923, didn’t work o Actually serves as an agency to protect the intrests of the Soviet Union o They wanted to cause revolution in the colonies of the Countries o They were trying to get at their capitalist, imperialist enemies Lenin understands that Russia needs to trade o Wants to create relationships with the nations around them o By 1921 they create relationships with the Baltic states o They form a relationship with Germany in 1922

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o They come to an agreement that they were acknowledge their existence, they will renounce their czarist debt, Russia doesn’t need German reparations, and they will be able to trade  The French are appalled by this o Germany was allowed to use Russian bases (in Siberia), nobody would know o The Armies would train together o The Russians would get German technologies General Von Seeckt o He was angry about the limitations put on Germany o NOT a Bolshevik o He had the idea that they should start training in Siberia o They are now officially friends o This relationship terrifies Britain and French Meanwhile the Comintern is trying to create revolution in the Middle east The soviets are basically isolated

Diplomacy and Politics in the USSR  In 1921 there was a famine that was the worst in Russian history o They have 1/3 of livestock o They have very little grain o Lenin has to reach out to the rest of the world to ask for help o People turned to cannibalism  He is executing religious figures  The cities have emptied because there was no food in them  Money has no value  The Economy is based off bartering o “Bag Men”  The Peasants were not willing to sell their things  The Bolsheviks were fearing a Peasant Revolution  The workers began to form trade unions o The group that vocalizes the most is the Kronstadt Sailors  Kronstadt Sailors Revolt o They wanted workers rights, human rights o Were terrified of Cheka o Trotsky uses the Red Army to put down the Sailors with ferocity o 10,000 red army troops die putting them down o the sailors are massacred  They decided that they were not allowd tp create factions  Lenin realizes that the Economy had dailed o In 1921 he announces the “New Economic Policy”

 They would take a part of the harvest, and the rest the peasants

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would keep  They could sell their things if they want  They could hire labor, they could hire themselves out  The workers are given rights  They only work 8 hour days o The part continue to control the heavy industry  Ex. Mines etc. o Most of the economy belongs to people o The economy is working well under this, but it’s not REALLY communism In 1923 Lenin has a stroke, and eventually dies There is a leadership vacuum within the party there is an argument, whether or not to stay with the economic policy or if they should build an ACTUAL collectivization on the right wing, there is Bukharin: continue the new o he wanted to continue the new economic policy o he wanted to encourage the peasants to flourish Stalin: wanted socialism in 1 country o He didn’t want to promote revolution abroad o He wanted to focus on the USSR ONLY o He wanted harsher economic sanctions o Under him, it becomes more RIGID o Party members are very privileged and elite

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