Civil War Event 1920. A Brief Chronology of the Civil War

Top to bottom, left to right:

• Armed Forces of the South of Russia in 1919,
• the hanging by the Austro-Hungarian troops of the workers of Yekaterinoslav during the Austro-German occupation in 1918,
• red infantry on the march in 1920,
• L. D. Trotsky in 1918,
• tachanka of the 1st Cavalry Army.

Chronology

• 1918 I stage of the civil war - "democratic"
• 1918 June Nationalization Decree
• 1919, January Introduction of food appropriation
• 1919 The fight against A.V. Kolchak, A.I. Denikin, Yudenich
• 1920 Soviet-Polish war
• 1920 Fight against P.N. Wrangel
• 1920, November. End of the civil war in European territory
• 1922, October. The end of the civil war in the Far East

Civil War - organized armed struggle for power between classes, social groups, the most acute form of class struggle.

Civil War - “the armed struggle between various groups of the population, which was based on deep social, national and political contradictions, took place with the active intervention of foreign forces at various stages and stages ...” ( Academician Yu.A. Polyakov).

The seizure of state power in Russia by the Bolsheviks and the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly that followed soon can be considered the beginning of an armed confrontation in Russia. The first shots are heard in the South of Russia, in the Cossack regions, already in the fall of 1917.

General Alekseev, the last chief of staff of the tsarist army, began to form the Volunteer Army on the Don, but by the beginning of 1918 it was no more than 3,000 officers and cadets.

Creator and Supreme Leader of the Volunteer Army - General Staff Adjutant General Mikhail Alekseev

As he wrote A.I. Denikin in "Sketches of Russian Troubles", "the white movement grew spontaneously and inevitably."

The first months of the victory of Soviet power, armed clashes were of a local nature, all opponents of the new government gradually determined their strategy and tactics.

This confrontation took on a truly front-line, large-scale character in the spring of 1918. three main stages the development of armed confrontation in Russia, proceeding primarily from the account of the alignment of political forces and the specifics of the formation of fronts.

• The first stage covers the time from spring to autumn 1918., when the military-political confrontation becomes global, large-scale military operations begin. The defining feature of this stage is its so-called "Democratic" character , when representatives of the socialist parties with l the voices of the return of political power to the Constituent Assembly and the restoration of the gains of the February Revolution. It is this camp that is chronologically ahead of the White Guard camp in its organizational design.
• The second stage - from the fall of 1918 to the end of 1919. - confrontation between white and red ... Until the beginning of 1920, one of the main political opponents of the Bolsheviks was the White movement with the slogans of "non-determination of the state system" and liquidation of Soviet power ... This direction endangered not only the October, but also the February conquests. Their the main political force was the cadet party, and the base for the formation of the army was the generals and officers of the former tsarist army... The whites were united by hatred of the Soviet regime and the Bolsheviks, the desire to preserve united and indivisible Russia.
• The third stage of the Civil War - from the spring of 1920 to the end of 1920. the events of the Soviet-Polish war and the fight against P.N. Wrangel ... The defeat of Wrangel at the end of 1920 marked the end of the Civil War, but anti-Soviet armed uprisings continued in many regions of Soviet Russia during the years of the New Economic Policy.

A feature of the civil war in Russia was its close intertwining with anti-Soviet military intervention powers of the Entente. She acted as the main factor in delaying and exacerbating the bloody “Russian turmoil”. The intervention was attended by Germany, France, England, USA, Japan, Poland and others. They supplied the anti-Bolshevik forces with weapons, provided financial and military-political support. The policy of the interventionists was determined by:

• the desire to end the Bolshevik regime and
• prevent the "spreading" of the revolution,
• return the lost property of foreign citizens and
• get new territories and spheres of influence at the expense of Russia.

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

Beginning of foreign military intervention and civil war (February 1918 - March 1919)

In the first months of the establishment of Soviet power in Russia, armed clashes were of a local nature, all opponents of the new government gradually determined their strategy and tactics. The armed struggle acquired a nationwide scale in the spring of 1918.

In 1918 formed the main centers of the anti-Bolshevik movement in Moscow and Petrograd, united the Cadets, Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries.

A strong anti-Bolshevik movement unfolded among Cossacks.

• On the Don and Kuban, they were headed by General P.N. Krasnov

Pyotr Nikolaevich Krasnov - General of the Russian Imperial Army, Ataman of the Great Don Army

• in the South Urals - ataman P.I. Dutov.

Ataman of the Orenburg Cossacks A.I.Dutov

The basis of the white movement on the south of Russia and the North Caucasus became the General's Volunteer Army L.G. Kornilov.

Leader of the White Movement in the South of Russia of the General Staff General of Infantry Lavr Kornilov

• German troops occupied the Baltic states, part of Belarus, Transcaucasia and the North Caucasus. The Germans actually ruled in Ukraine: they overthrew the bourgeois-democratic Verkhovna Rada, which they used during the occupation of the Ukrainian lands, and in April 1918 put Hetman P.P. Skoropadsky.

Territory occupied by German troops after imprisonmentBrest Peace

• Romania captured Bessarabia.
• In March - April 1918, the first contingents of the troops of England, France, the USA and Japan appeared on the territory of Russia (in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, in Vladivostok, in Central Asia).

Under these conditions, the Supreme Council of the Entente decided to use the 45-thousandth Czechoslovak Corps, which was (in agreement with Moscow) in his subordination. It consisted of captured Slavic soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army and followed the railway to Vladivostok for subsequent transfer to France. According to the agreement concluded March 26, 1918 with the Soviet government, the Czechoslovak legionaries were to advance “not as a combat unit, but as a group of citizens with weapons at their disposal to repel armed attacks by counter-revolutionaries”. However, during the movement, their conflicts with the local authorities became more frequent. On May 26, in Chelyabinsk, the conflicts escalated into real battles, and the legionnaires occupied the city ... Their armed uprising was immediately supported by the military missions of the Entente in Russia and anti-Bolshevik forces. As a result, in the Volga region, in the Urals, in Siberia and in the Far East - wherever there were echelons with Czechoslovak legionaries - Soviet power was overthrown.

General of the Czechoslovak Corps R. Gaida

At the same time, in many provinces of Russia, peasants, dissatisfied with the food policy of the Bolsheviks, raised a riot (according to official data, only large anti-Soviet peasant uprisings were at least 130).

The performance of the Czechoslovak Corps gave impetus the formation of the front, which bore the so-called "democratic coloration" and was, in the main, Socialist-Revolutionary. It was this front, and not the white movement, that was decisive at the initial stage of the Civil War.

Socialist parties(mainly right SR), relying on the invaders, the Czechoslovak corps and peasant rebel detachments, formed a number of Komuch governments (Committee of Constituent Assembly members) in Samara, the Supreme Directorate of the Northern Region in Arkhangelsk, the West Siberian Commissariat in Novonikolaevsk (now Novosibirsk), The Provisional Siberian Government in Tomsk, the Trans-Caspian Provisional Government in Ashgabat, etc. In their activities, they tried to draw up “ democratic alternative”Both the Bolshevik dictatorship and the bourgeois-monarchist counter-revolution.

Komuch of the first composition - I. M. Brushvit, P. D. Klimushkin, B. K. Fortunatov, V. K. Volsky (chairman) and I. P. Nesterov

Their programs included requirements

• convocation of the Constituent Assembly,
• restoration of the political rights of all citizens without exception,
• freedom of trade and refusal from strict state regulation of the economic activities of peasants while maintaining a number of important provisions of the Soviet Decree on Land,
• establishing "social partnership" between workers and capitalists in the denationalization of industrial enterprises, etc.

In the summer of 1918, all opposition forces became a real threat to the Bolshevik regime. , which controlled only the territory of the center of Russia. The territory controlled by Komuch included the Volga region and part of the Urals. The Bolshevik government was also overthrown in Siberia, where the regional government of the Siberian Duma was formed. The breakaway parts of the empire - Transcaucasia, Central Asia, the Baltic States - had their own national governments. Ukraine was captured by the Germans, Don and Kuban - Krasnov and Denikin.

August 30, 1918 ... terrorist group killed the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka Uritsky, and the right Socialist Revolutionary Kaplan seriously wounded Lenin .

On August 30, 1918, at the Michelson plant on Lenin, an attempt was made on the life of the Socialist Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan

The position of the Soviet government by the end of the summer of 1918 had become critical. Almost three quarters of the territory of the former Russian Empire was under the control of various anti-Bolshevik forces, as well as the occupying Austro-German forces.

Soon, however, on the main front (Eastern), a turning point is taking place. Soviet troops under the command of I.I. Vatsetis and S.S. Kamenev in September 1918 went on the offensive there. Kazan fell first, then Simbirsk, in October - Samara. By winter, the Reds approached the Urals.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic (09/01/1918 - 07/09/1919)
I. I. Vatsetis

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic (1919-1924)
S. S. Kamenev

The restoration of Soviet power in the Urals and the Volga region ended the first stage of the civil war.

Second stage of the civil war (autumn 1918 - late 1919)

The year 1919 was decisive for the Bolsheviks, a reliable and constantly growing Red Army.

As part of the Central Committee, Politburo of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) for the prompt solution of military and political problems. It included:

IN AND. Lenin - Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars;

L. B. Krestinsky - secretary of the Central Committee of the party;

I.V. Stalin - People's Commissar for Nationalities;

L. D. Trotsky - Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs.

Membership candidates were

N.I. Bukharin - editor of the newspaper "Pravda"

G.E. Zinoviev - Chairman of the Petrograd Soviet,

M.I. Kalinin - Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

Under the direct control of the Central Committee of the party worked The Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, headed by L.D. Trotsky ... The institute of military commissars was introduced in the spring of 1918, one of its important tasks was to control the activities of military specialists - former officers. Already at the end of 1918, about 7 thousand commissars. About During the civil war, 30% of the former generals and officers of the old army sided with the Red Army.

This was driven by two main factors:

• acting on the side of the Bolshevik government for ideological reasons;
• the policy of attracting "military specialists" - former tsarist officers - to the Red Army was pursued by L.D. Trotsky using repressive methods.

“It is possible that one of the most decisive moments that led to the victory of the Bolsheviks in the Civil War was precisely the wide participation in the Civil War on the side of the Bolsheviks, and not just“ use in the most responsible positions ”, and quite conscious participation, and not under duress. well-educated and gifted former officers of the tsarist army, which was caused by their patriotic sentiments in the conditions when representatives of many foreign states acted on the side of the anti-Bolshevik forces on a wide front ”

Has changed dramatically and international situation. Germany and its allies in the world war in November laid down their arms before the Entente. Revolutions took place in Germany and Austria-Hungary. The leadership of the RSFSR on November 13, 1918 annulled the Brest Peace Treaty, and the new governments of these countries were forced to evacuate their troops from Russia. Bourgeois-national governments arose in Poland, the Baltic States, Belarus, and the Ukraine, which immediately took the side of the Entente.

The defeat of Germany freed up significant combat contingents of the Entente and at the same time opened for her a convenient and short road to Moscow from the southern regions. Under these conditions, the Entente leadership prevailed with the intention to crush Soviet Russia with its own armies.

In the spring of 1919, the Supreme Council of the Entente has developed a plan for the next military campaign. As noted in one of his secret documents, the intervention was to "be expressed in the combined military actions of the Russian anti-Bolshevik forces and the armies of neighboring allied states." At the end of November 1918, a joint Anglo-French squadron of 32 pennants (12 battleships, 10 cruisers and 10 destroyers) appeared off the Black Sea coast of Russia. British troops landed in Batum and Novorossiysk, and French troops in Odessa and Sevastopol. The total number of the combat forces of the interventionists concentrated in the south of Russia was increased by February 1919 to 130 thousand people. The Entente contingents increased significantly in the Far East and Siberia (up to 150 thousand people), as well as in the North (up to 20 thousand people).

In Siberia, November 18, 1918 came to power Admiral A.V. Kolchak.... He put an end to the indiscriminate actions of the anti-Bolshevik coalition.

Having dispersed the Directory, he proclaimed himself the Supreme Ruler of Russia (the rest of the leaders of the white movement soon announced submission to him)

In March 1919, the well-armed 300-thousandth army of A.V. Kolchak launched an offensive from the east, intending to unite with Denikin's forces for a joint attack on Moscow. Having captured Ufa, the Kolchakites fought their way to Simbirsk, Samara, Votkinsk, but were soon stopped by the Red Army. At the end of April, Soviet troops under the command of S.S. Kamenev and M.V. Frunze went on the offensive and in the summer advanced deep into Siberia. By the beginning of 1920, the Kolchakites were finally defeated, and the admiral himself was arrested and executed by the verdict of the Irkutsk Revolutionary Committee.

In the summer of 1919, the center of the armed struggle moved to the Southern Front. July 3 general A.I. Denikin issued his famous "Moscow directive", and his army

in 150 thousand people began an offensive along the entire 700-km front from Kiev to Tsaritsin. The White Front included such important centers as Voronezh, Oryol, Kiev. In this space of 1 million sq. km with a population of up to 50 million people were located in 18 provinces and regions. By mid-autumn, Denikin's army captured Kursk and Orel. But by the end of October, the troops of the Southern Front (commander A.I. Yegorov) defeated the White regiments, and then began to push them along the entire front line. The remnants of Denikin's army, headed by General P.N. Wrangel, fortified in the Crimea.

Simultaneously with Denikin, the Entente sent an army to Petrograd to help him. General Yudenich. On June 5, 1919, Yudenich was appointed by A.V. Kolchak as commander-in-chief of all Russian land and naval armed forces operating against the Bolsheviks on the North-Western Front.

White took two offensives on Petrograd - in the spring and autumn of 1919. As a result May offensive Gdov, Yamburg and Pskov were occupied by the Northern Corps, but by August 26, as a result of a counteroffensive by the Reds of the 7th and 15th armies of the Western Front, the Whites were driven out of these cities. Then on August 26, in Riga, representatives of the White movement, the Baltic countries and Poland decided on joint actions against the Bolsheviks and an offensive on Petrograd on September 15. However, after the proposal by the Soviet government (August 31 and September 11) to begin peace negotiations with the Baltic republics on the basis of the recognition of their independence, Yudenich lost the help of these allies.

Autumn offensive Yudenich against Petrograd was unsuccessful, the North-Western Army was forced out to Estonia, where after the signing of the Tartu Peace Treaty between the RSFSR and Estonia, 15 thousand soldiers and officers of the North-Western Army of Yudenich were first disarmed, and then 5 thousand of them were captured and sent to concentration camps ... The slogan of the White movement about "United and indivisible Russia", that is, non-recognition of separatist regimes, deprived Yudenich of support not only for Estonia, but also for Finland, which never provided any assistance to the North-Western Army in its battles near Petrograd

War with bourgeois landlord Poland and the defeat of Wrangel's troops (IV-XI 1920)

At the beginning of 1920, as a result of hostilities, the outcome of the front-line Civil War was actually decided in favor of the Bolshevik government. At the final stage, the main hostilities were associated with the Soviet-Polish war and the fight against Wrangel's army.

Significantly aggravated the nature of the civil war Soviet-Polish war... Polish Head of State Marshal Jozef Pilsudski

(Polish military, statesman and politician, the first head of the revived Polish state, the founder of the Polish army; Marshal of Poland.)

hatched a plan to create “ Greater Poland within the borders of 1772”From the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, which includes a large part of the Lithuanian, Belarusian and Ukrainian lands, including those that have never been ruled by Warsaw. The Polish national government was supported by the Entente countries, which sought to create a "sanitary block" of Eastern European countries between Bolshevik Russia and Western countries. On April 17, Pilsudski ordered an offensive on Kiev and signed an agreement with Ataman Petliura.

Poland recognized the Directory headed by Petliura as the supreme power of Ukraine. For this S. Petliura transferred the territory of Western Ukraine to Poland.

On May 7, Kiev was taken. The victory was gained with extraordinary ease, for the Soviet troops withdrew without serious resistance.

But already on May 14, a successful counteroffensive by the troops of the Western Front (commander M.N. Tukhachevsky) began, on May 26 - the South-Western Front (commander A.I. Yegorov). In mid-July, they reached the borders of Poland. On June 12, Soviet troops occupied Kiev. The speed of the victory won can only be compared with the speed of the defeat suffered earlier.

With the help of harsh measures, up to the public executions of demoralized officers, and with the support of France, the general turned the scattered Denikin divisions into a disciplined and efficient Russian army. In June 1920, a landing was made from the Crimea to the Don and Kuban, and the main forces of the Wrangels were thrown into the Donbass. On October 3, the Russian army began an offensive in the northwestern direction to Kakhovka.

The offensive of the Wrangel troops was repulsed, and during the operation of the Southern Front army under the command of M. V. Frunze

completely captured the Crimea. On November 14-16, 1920, an armada of ships flying the St.Andrew's flag left the coast of the peninsula, taking the defeated white regiments and tens of thousands of civilian refugees to a foreign land. Thus, P.N. Wrangel saved them from the merciless Red Terror that hit the Crimea immediately after the evacuation of the Whites.

In the European part of Russia, after the capture of Crimea, was eliminated last white front... The military question ceased to be the main one for Moscow, but hostilities on the outskirts of the country continued for many months.

The defeat of the interventionists and White Guards in Eastern Siberia and the Far East (1918-1922)

The Red Army, having defeated Kolchak, went to the Transbaikalia in the spring of 1920. The Far East was at that time in the hands of Japan. To avoid a collision with it, the government of Soviet Russia promoted the formation in April 1920 of a formally independent "buffer" state - the Far Eastern Republic (RER) with its capital in Chita. Soon the army of the Far East Republic began military operations against the White Guards, supported by the Japanese, and in October 1922 occupied Vladivostok, completely clearing the Far East of whites and interventionists. After that, it was decided to liquidate the FER and include it in the RSFSR.

The Civil War became the biggest drama of the 20th century and the greatest tragedy in Russia. The armed struggle that unfolded in the vastness of the country was fought with extreme tension of the forces of the opponents, was accompanied by mass terror (both white and red), and was distinguished by exceptional mutual bitterness. The opposing sides clearly understood that the fight can only have a fatal outcome for one of the sides. That is why the civil war in Russia has become a great tragedy for all its political camps, movements and parties.

“Red"(The Bolsheviks and their supporters) believed that they were defending not only Soviet power in Russia, but also" the world revolution and the ideas of socialism. " Bolsheviks had a stronger social footing than their opponents. They received the strong support of the workers in the cities and the rural poor. The position of the main peasant mass was not stable and unambiguous, only the poorest part of the peasants consistently followed the Bolsheviks. The peasants' hesitation had their reasons: the “Reds” gave land, but then introduced a surplus appropriation system, which caused strong discontent in the countryside. However, the return of the previous order was also unacceptable for the peasantry: the victory of the "whites" threatened the return of land to the landowners and severe punishments for the destruction of the landowners' estates. The Social Revolutionaries and anarchists were in a hurry to take advantage of the peasants' hesitation. They managed to involve a significant part of the peasantry in an armed struggle, both against the whites and against the reds.

In the political struggle against Soviet power, two political movements were consolidated:

• democratic counterrevolution with the slogans of returning political power to the Constituent Assembly and restoring the gains of the February (1917) revolution (many Social Revolutionaries and Mensheviks advocated the establishment of Soviet power in Russia, but without the Bolsheviks (“For Soviets without Bolsheviks”));
• white movement with the slogans "non-prediction of the state system" and the elimination of Soviet power. This direction endangered not only the October, but also the February conquests. The counter-revolutionary white movement was not homogeneous. It included monarchists and liberal republicans, supporters of the Constituent Assembly and adherents of a military dictatorship. Among the "whites" there were differences in foreign policy guidelines: some hoped for the support of Germany (Ataman Krasnov), others - for the help of the Entente powers (Denikin, Kolchak, Yudenich). The “whites” were united by their hatred of the Soviet regime and the Bolsheviks, the desire to preserve a united and indivisible Russia. They did not have a unified political program; the military in the leadership of the “white movement” pushed politicians into the background. There was also no clear coordination of actions between the main groupings of "whites". The leaders of the Russian counter-revolution were in competition and enmity among themselves.

For both warring parties, it was also important what position in the conditions of civil war it would take Russian officers. Approximately 40% of the tsarist army of officers joined the "white movement", 30% - sided with the Soviet regime, 30% - avoided participating in the civil war.

The Russian civil war was getting worse armed intervention foreign powers. The invaders waged active hostilities on the territory of the former Russian Empire, occupied some of its regions, helped fuel a civil war in the country and contributed to its protraction. The intervention turned out to be an important factor in the “revolutionary all-Russian turmoil” and multiplied the number of victims.

The Bolsheviks won the civil war and repelled foreign intervention. This victory was due to a number of reasons.

• The Bolsheviks managed to mobilize all the country's resources, turn it into a single military camp,
• international solidarity and assistance from the proletariat of Europe and the United States were of great importance.
• The policy of the White Guards - the abolition of the Decree on Land, the return of land to its previous owners, the unwillingness to cooperate with the liberal and socialist parties, punitive expeditions, pogroms, mass executions of prisoners - all this caused discontent among the population, right up to armed resistance.
• During the civil war, the opponents of the Bolsheviks failed to agree on a single program and a single leader of the movement.

The civil war was a terrible tragedy for Russia. By 1921, Russia was literally in ruins. Material damage amounted to more than 50 billion rubles gold ... industrial production fell to 4-20 % from the 1913 level.

During the hostilities, the mining enterprises of the Donetsk coal basin, the Baku oil region, the Urals and Siberia were particularly affected, many mines and mines were destroyed. Due to the lack of fuel and raw materials, factories were stopped. The workers were forced to leave the cities and go to the countryside. The overall level of industrial production declined by 7 times ... The equipment has not been updated for a long time. Metallurgy produced as much metal as it was smelted under Peter I.

They moved away from the former Russian Empire the territories of Poland, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Western Ukraine, Belarus, the Kara region (in Armenia) and Bessarabia. According to experts, the population in the remaining territories barely reached 135 million people. Losses in these territories as a result of wars, epidemics, emigration, and a decrease in the birth rate were:

Losses during the war (table)

The number of street children after the First World War and the Civil War. According to some data, in 1921 in Russia there were 4.5 million homeless children, according to others - in 1922 there were 7 million street kids

After the October Revolution, a tense socio-political situation developed in the country. The establishment of Soviet power in the fall of 1917 - in the spring of 1918 was accompanied by many anti-Bolshevik protests in different regions of Russia, but they were all scattered and local in nature. At first, only a few small groups of the population were involved in them. A large-scale struggle, in which huge masses from various social strata joined on both sides, marked the development of the Civil War - a general social armed confrontation.

There is no consensus in historiography about the time when the Civil War began. Some historians attribute it to October 1917, others to the spring-summer of 1918, when strong political and well-organized anti-Soviet centers were formed and foreign intervention began. The debate of historians is also caused by the question of who was the culprit in unleashing this fratricidal war: representatives of classes that have lost power, property and influence; the Bolshevik leadership, which imposed its own method of transforming society on the country; or both of these socio-political forces, which used the popular masses in the struggle for power.

The overthrow of the Provisional Government and the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly, the economic and socio-political measures of the Soviet government turned against it the nobles, the bourgeoisie, the wealthy intelligentsia, the clergy, and the officers. The discrepancy between the goals of transforming society and the methods of achieving them alienated the democratic intelligentsia, the Cossacks, the kulaks and the middle peasants from the Bolsheviks. Thus, the internal policy of the Bolshevik leadership was one of the reasons for the outbreak of the Civil War.

The nationalization of all the land and the confiscation of the landlord provoked fierce resistance from its former owners. The bourgeoisie, confused by the scale of the nationalization of industry, wanted to return the factories and plants. The elimination of commodity-money relations and the establishment of a state monopoly on the distribution of products and goods hit hard on the property status of the middle and petty bourgeoisie. Thus, the desire of the overthrown classes to preserve private property and their privileged position as a monk was the reason for the outbreak of the Civil War.

The creation of a one-party political system and the "dictatorship of the proletariat", in fact - the dictatorship of the Central Committee of the RCP (b), alienated the socialist parties and democratic public organizations from the Bolsheviks. By decrees “On the arrest of the leaders of the Civil War against the Revolution” (November 1917) and on the “Red Terror”, the Bolshevik leadership legally substantiated the “right” to violent reprisals against its political opponents. Therefore, the Mensheviks, right and left Socialist-Revolutionaries, anarchists refused to cooperate with the new government and took part in the Civil War.

The peculiarity of the Civil War in Russia lay in the close interweaving of the internal political struggle with foreign intervention. Both Germany and the Entente allies incited anti-Bolshevik forces, supplied them with weapons, ammunition, and provided financial and political support. On the one hand, their policy was dictated by the desire to end the Bolshevik regime, return the lost property of foreign citizens, and prevent the "spread" of the revolution. On the other hand, they pursued their own expansionist designs aimed at dismembering Russia, gaining new territories and spheres of influence at its expense.

Civil War in 1918

In 1918, the main centers of the anti-Bolshevik movement were formed, differing in their socio-political composition. In February, in Moscow and Petrograd, the "Union of the Renaissance of Russia" was formed, uniting the Cadets, Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries. In March 1918, the Union for the Defense of the Motherland and Freedom was formed under the leadership of the famous Socialist-Revolutionary, terrorist BV Savinkov. A strong anti-Bolshevik movement developed among the Cossacks. On the Don and Kuban, they were led by General P. N. Krasnov, in the South Urals - by Ataman A. I. Dutov. In the south of Russia and the North Caucasus, under the leadership of generals M. V. Alekseev and L. I. Kornilov, the officer's Volunteer Army began to form. She became the foundation of the White movement. After the death of L.G. Kornilov, General A.I.Denikin assumed command.

In the spring of 1918, foreign intervention began. German troops occupied Ukraine, Crimea and part of the North Caucasus. Romania captured Bessarabia. The Entente countries signed an agreement on non-recognition of the Brest-Litovsk Peace and the future division of Russia into spheres of influence. In March, an English expeditionary force landed in Murmansk, which was later joined by French and American troops. In April, Vladivostok was occupied by a Japanese landing party. Then detachments of the British, French and Americans appeared in the Far East.

In May 1918, the soldiers of the Czechoslovak corps revolted. It gathered Slavic prisoners of war from the Austro-Hungarian army, who expressed a desire to participate in the war against Germany on the side of the Entente. The corps was sent by the Soviet government along the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Far East. It was assumed that further he would be delivered to France. The uprising led to the overthrow of Soviet power in the Volga region and Siberia. In Samara, Ufa and Omsk, governments were created from the Cadets, Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks. Their activity was based on the idea of ​​the revival of the Constituent Assembly, was expressed in opposition to both the Bolsheviks and the extreme right-wing monarchists. These governments did not last long and were swept away during the Civil War.

In the summer of 1918, the anti-Bolshevik movement, led by the Socialist-Revolutionaries, acquired enormous proportions. They organized performances in many cities of Central Russia (Yaroslavl, Rybinsk, etc.). On July 6-7, the Left SRs attempted to overthrow the Soviet government in Moscow. It ended in complete failure. As a result, many of their leaders were arrested. Representatives of the Left SRs who opposed the policies of the Bolsheviks were expelled from the Soviets at all levels and state bodies.

The complication of the military-political situation in the country influenced the fate of the imperial family. In the spring of 1918, Nicholas II with his wife and children was transferred from Tobolsk to Yekaterinburg under the pretext of activating the monarchists. Having coordinated its actions with the center, the Ural Regional Council on July 16, 1918, shot the tsar and his family. On the same days, the king's brother Michael and 18 other members of the imperial family were killed.

The Soviet government launched active actions to protect its power. The Red Army was transformed on the basis of new military-political principles. The transition to universal military service was carried out, and widespread mobilization was launched. Tough discipline was established in the army, the institution of military commissars was introduced. Organizational measures to strengthen the Red Army were completed by the creation of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic (RVSR) and the Council of Workers 'and Peasants' Defense.

In June 1918, the Eastern Front was formed under the command of I.I.Vatsetis (since July 1919 - S.S. At the beginning of September 1918, the Red Army went on the offensive and during October-November drove the enemy out of the Urals. The restoration of Soviet power in the Urals and the Volga region ended the first stage of the Civil War.

Aggravation of the Civil War

In late 1918 and early 1919, the White movement reached its maximum scope. In Siberia, power was seized by Admiral A. V. Kolchak, who was declared the "Supreme Ruler of Russia." In the Kuban and the North Caucasus, A. I. Denikin united the Don and Volunteer armies into the Armed Forces of the South of Russia. In the north, with the help of the Entente, General E.K. Miller formed his army. In the Baltic States, General N. N. Yudenich was preparing for a campaign against Petrograd. Since November 1918, after the end of the First World War, the Allies intensified their assistance to the White movement, supplying it with ammunition, uniforms, tanks, and aircraft. The scale of the intervention expanded. The British occupied Baku, landed in Batum and Novorossiysk, the French in Odessa and Sevastopol.

In November 1918, A. V. Kolchak launched an offensive in the Urals with the aim of joining with the detachments of General E. K. Miller and organizing a joint attack on Moscow. Once again, the Eastern Front became the main one. On December 25, A. V. Kolchak's troops took Perm, but already on December 31, their offensive was stopped by the Red Army. In the east, the front was temporarily stabilized.

In 1919, a plan was created for a simultaneous strike on Soviet power: from the east (A. V. Kolchak), the south (A. I. Denikin) and the west (N. N. Yudenich). However, it was not possible to carry out the combined performance.

In March 1919, A. V. Kolchak launched a new offensive from the Urals towards the Volga. In April, the troops of S. S. Kamenev and M. V. Frunze stopped him, and in the summer they drove him to Siberia. A powerful peasant uprising and partisan movement against the government of A. V. Kolchak helped the Red Army establish Soviet power in Siberia. In February 1920, on the verdict of the Irkutsk Revolutionary Committee, Admiral A. V. Kolchak was shot.

In May 1919, when the Red Army was winning decisive victories in the east, N. N. Yudenich moved on Petrograd. In June he was stopped and his troops were driven back to Estonia, where the bourgeoisie came to power. N. N. Yudenich's second offensive against Petrograd in October 1919 also ended in defeat. His troops were disarmed and interned by the Estonian government, which did not want to come into conflict with Soviet Russia, which offered to recognize the independence of Estonia.

In July 1919, A. I. Denikin seized the Ukraine and, having carried out a gamut of mobilization, launched an offensive on Moscow (Moscow directive) In September, his troops occupied Kursk, Orel and Voronezh. In this regard, the Soviet government concentrated all its forces on the fight against A. I. Denikin. The Southern Front was formed under the command of A.I. Yegorov. In October, the Red Army launched an offensive. She was supported by the rebel peasant movement led by N. I. Makhno, who deployed a "second front" in the rear of the Volunteer Army. In December 1919 - early 1920, A. I. Denikin's troops were defeated. Soviet power was restored in southern Russia, Ukraine and the North Caucasus. The remnants of the Volunteer Army took refuge on the Crimean peninsula, the command of which A.I. Denikin handed over to General P.N. Wrangel.

In 1919, a revolutionary ferment began in the occupation units of the Allies, intensified by the Bolshevik propaganda. The invaders were forced to withdraw their troops. This was facilitated by a powerful social movement in Europe and the United States under the slogan "Hands off Soviet Russia!"

The final stage of the Civil War

In 1920, the main events were the Soviet-Polish war and the struggle against P.N. Wrangel. Having recognized the independence of Poland, the Soviet government began negotiations with her on the territorial demarcation and the establishment of the state border. They reached an impasse, as the Polish government, headed by Marshal J. Pilsudski, made exorbitant territorial claims. To restore "Greater Poland", Polish troops invaded Belarus and Ukraine in May and captured Kiev. In July 1920, the Red Army under the command of M.N. Tukhachevsky and A.I. Yegorov defeated the Polish grouping in the Ukraine and Belarus. The attack on Warsaw began. It was perceived by the Polish people as an intervention. In this regard, all the forces of the Poles, financially supported by Western countries, were directed to resist the Red Army. In August, the offensive of M. N. Tukhachevsky collapsed. The Soviet-Polish war was ended by a peace signed in Riga in March 1921. According to it, Poland received the lands of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. In Eastern Belarus, the power of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic remained.

Since April 1920, the anti-Soviet struggle was led by General P. N. Wrangel, who was elected "the ruler of the south of Russia." He formed the "Russian Army" in Crimea, which launched an offensive into the Donbass in June. To repulse it, the Southern Front was formed under the command of MV Frunze. At the end of October, the troops of P.I. Wrangel were defeated in Northern Tavria and driven back to the Crimea. In November, units of the Red Army stormed the fortifications of the Perekop isthmus, crossed Lake Sivash and broke into the Crimea. The defeat of P.N. Wrangel marked the end of the Civil War. The remnants of his troops and part of the civilian population opposed to Soviet power were evacuated with the help of the allies to Turkey. In November 1920, the Civil War actually ended. Only isolated centers of resistance to Soviet power remained on the outskirts of Russia.

In 1920, with the support of the troops of the Turkestan Front (under the command of M. V. Frunze), the power of the Bukhara Emir and the Khiva Khan was overthrown. The Bukhara and Khorezm People's Soviet Republics were formed on the territory of Central Asia. In Transcaucasia, Soviet power was established as a result of military intervention by the government of the RSFSR, material, moral and political assistance from the Central Committee of the RCP (b). In April 1920, the Musavat government was overthrown and the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic was formed. In November 1920, after the liquidation of the power of the Dashnaks, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was created. In February 1921, Soviet troops, violating the peace treaty with the government of Georgia (May 1920), captured Tiflis, where the establishment of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed. In April 1920, by the decision of the Central Committee of the RCP (b) and the government of the RSFSR, a buffer Far Eastern republic was created, and in 1922 the Far East was finally liberated from the Japanese invaders. Thus, on the territory of the former Russian Empire (with the exception of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Finland), Soviet power won.

The Bolsheviks won the Civil War and repelled foreign intervention. They managed to preserve the bulk of the territory of the former Russian Empire. At the same time, Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, which gained independence, separated from Russia. Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and Bessarabia were lost.

The reasons for the victory of the Bolsheviks

The defeat of the anti-Soviet forces was due to a number of reasons. Their leaders revoked the Land Decree and returned the land to its former owners. This turned the peasants against them. The slogan of preserving "one and indivisible Russia" ran counter to the hopes of many peoples for independence. The reluctance of the leaders of the white movement to cooperate with the liberal and socialist parties narrowed its socio-political base. Punitive expeditions, pogroms, mass executions of prisoners, widespread violation of legal norms - all this caused discontent among the population, up to and including armed resistance. During the Civil War, the opponents of the Bolsheviks failed to agree on a single program and a single leader of the movement. Their actions were poorly coordinated.

The Bolsheviks won the Civil War because they managed to mobilize all the country's resources and turn it into a single military camp. The Central Committee of the RCP (b) and the Council of People's Commissars created a politicized Red Army, ready to defend Soviet power. Various social groups were attracted by loud revolutionary slogans, promises of social and national justice. The leadership of the Bolsheviks managed to present themselves as the defender of the Fatherland and accuse their opponents of betraying national interests. International solidarity and assistance from the proletariat of Europe and the United States were of great importance.

The civil war was a terrible disaster for Russia. It led to a further deterioration of the economic situation in the country, to complete economic ruin. Material damage amounted to more than 50 billion rubles. gold. Industrial production decreased by 7 times. The transport system was completely paralyzed. Many sections of the population, forcibly drawn into the war by the opposing sides, became its innocent victims. In battles, from hunger, disease and terror, 8 million people died, 2 million people were forced to emigrate. Among them were many representatives of the intellectual elite. Irreplaceable moral and ethical losses had profound sociocultural consequences, which for a long time affected the history of the Soviet country.

Civil War

Civil war period poster.

Artist D. Moore, 1920

Civil War- This is an armed struggle of various social, political and national forces for power within the country.

When the event took place: October 1917-1922

Causes

Irreconcilable contradictions between the main social strata of society

Features of the policy of the Bolsheviks, which was aimed at inciting enmity in society

The desire of the bourgeoisie and nobility to return to their former position in society

Features of the civil war in Russia

Accompanied by the intervention of foreign powers ( Intervention- violent intervention of one or several states in the internal affairs of other countries and peoples, maybe military (aggression), economic, diplomatic, ideological).

Was conducted with extreme cruelty ("red" and "white" terror)

Participants

The Reds are a supporter of the Soviet regime.

Whites are opponents of Soviet power

Green is against everyone

National movements

Milestones and Events

First stage: October 1917-spring 1918

The military actions of the opponents of the new government were of a local nature, they created armed formations ( Volunteer army- creator and supreme leader Alekseev V.A.). Krasnov, P.- near Petrograd, Dutov A.- in the Urals, Kaledin A.- on the Don.

Second stage: spring - December 1918

March, April... Germany occupies Ukraine, the Baltics, Crimea. England - landing troops in Murmansk, Japan - in Vladivostok

May... Mutiny Czechoslovak Corps(these are Czechs and Slovaks prisoners who crossed over to the Entente side and are moving in echelons to Vladivostok for transfer to France). Reason for mutiny: the Bolsheviks tried to disarm the corps under the terms of the Brest Peace. Outcome: the fall of Soviet power along the entire Trans-Siberian Railway.

June... Creation of the governments of the Social Revolutionaries: Committee of Members of the Constituent assemblies in Samara Komuch, Chairman of the Socialist-Revolutionary V.K. Volsky), Provisional government Siberia in Tomsk (chairman PV Vologda), the Ural regional government in Yekaterinburg.

July... Revolts of the Left SRs in Moscow, Yaroslavl and other cities. Suppressed.

September... Created in Ufa Ufa directory- "All-Russian government" Chairman of the Socialist Revolutionary Avksentyev N.D.

November... Ufa directory dispersed Admiral Kolchak A.V., declared itself "The supreme ruler of Russia". The initiative in the counter-revolution passed from the Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks to the military and anarchists.

Actively acted green movement - not with reds and not with whites. Green is a symbol of will and freedom. They acted in the Black Sea region, in the Crimea, in the North Caucasus and in the south of Ukraine. Leaders: Makhno N.I., Antonov A.S. (Tambov province), Mironov F.K.

In Ukraine - detachments daddy Makhno (created a republic Walk-field). During the occupation of Ukraine by Germany, they led the partisan movement. They fought under a black flag with the words "Freedom or Death!" Then they began to fight against the Reds until October 1921, until Makhno was wounded (he emigrated).

Third stage: January-December 1919

The climax of the war. Relative equality of forces. Large-scale operations on all fronts. But foreign intervention intensified.

4 white movement centers

Admiral's troops Kolchak A.V. (Ural, Siberia)

Armed Forces of the South of Russia General Denikina A.I.(Don region, North Caucasus)

Armed Forces of the North of Russia General Miller E.K.(Arkhangelsk region)

General's troops Yudenich N.N. in the Baltics

March, April... Kolchak's attack on Kazan and Moscow, the Bolsheviks mobilize all possible resources.

End of April - December... Red Army counteroffensive ( Kamenev S.S., Frunze M.V., Tukhachevsky M.N..). By the end of 1919 - complete defeat of Kolchak.

May June. The Bolsheviks with difficulty repulsed the offensive Yudenich to Petrograd. Troops Denikin captured Donbass, part of Ukraine, Belgorod, Tsaritsyn.

September October. Denikin advancing to Moscow, reached Orel (against him - Egorov A.I., Budyonny S.M..).Yudenich the second time he tries to seize Petrograd (against him - Kork A.I.)

November. Troops Yudenich thrown back to Estonia.

Outcome: by the end of 1919 - the preponderance of forces on the side of the Bolsheviks.

Fourth stage: January - November 1920

February March... The defeat of Miller in the north of Russia, the liberation of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

March-April. Denikin ousted to the Crimea and the North Caucasus, Denikin himself handed over command to the Baron Wrangel P.N.... and emigrated.

April... Formation of the FER - Far Eastern Republic.

April-October. War with Poland ... The Poles invaded Ukraine and captured Kiev in May. Red Army counteroffensive.

August. Tukhachevsky reaches Warsaw. Aid to Poland from France. The Red Army has been driven out to the Ukraine.

September... Offensive Wrangel to southern Ukraine.

October. Riga Peace Treaty with Poland ... Western Ukraine and Western Belarus were transferred to Poland.

November... Offensive Frunze M.V... in Crimea. Defeat Wrangel.

In the European part of Russia, the civil war is over.

Fifth stage: late 1920-1922

December 1920. White captured Khabarovsk.

February 1922.Khabarovsk was released.

October 1922. Liberation from the Japanese of Vladivostok.

Leaders of the white movement

Kolchak A.V.

Denikin A.I.

Yudenich N.N.

Wrangel P.N.

Alekseev V.A.

Wrangel

Dutov A.

A.

P.

Miller E.K.

Leaders of the red movement

Kamenev S.S.

Frunze M.V.

Shorin V.I.

S.M. Budyonny

Tukhachevsky M.N.

A.I. Kork

Egorov A.I.

Chapaev V.I. - the leader of one of the detachments of the Red Army.

Anarchists

Makhno N.I.

Antonov A.S.

Mironov F.K.

The most important events of the civil war

May-November 1918 ... - the struggle of the Soviet government with the so-called "Democratic counter-revolution"(former members of the Constituent Assembly, representatives of the Mensheviks, Socialist-Revolutionaries, etc.); start of military intervention The Entente;

November 1918 - March 1919 g - the main battles on Southern front countries (Red Army - army Denikin); the strengthening and failure of direct intervention by the Entente;

March 1919 - March 1920 - the main military actions on Eastern Front(Red Army - army Kolchak);

April-November 1920 – Soviet-Polish war; defeat of troops Wrangel in Crimea;

1921-1922 ... - the end of the Civil War on the outskirts of Russia.

National movements.

One of the important features of the civil war is national movements: the struggle to acquire independent statehood and separation from Russia.

This was especially evident in Ukraine.

In Kiev, after the February Revolution, in March 1917, the Central Rada was created.

In January 1918 H... she entered into an agreement with the Austro-German command and declared independence.

With the support of the Germans, power passed to Hetman P.P. Skoropadsky(April-December 1918).

In November 1918 in Ukraine there was Directory, at the head - S.V. Petliura.

In January 1919, the Directory declared war on Soviet Russia.

S.V. Petliura had to confront both the Red Army and Denikin's army, which fought for a united and indivisible Russia. In October 1919, the army of the "whites" defeated the Petliurists.

Reasons for the victory of the red

The peasants were on the side of the Reds, as it was promised after the war to implement the Decree on Land. According to the agrarian program of the whites, the land remained in the hands of the landowners.

One leader - Lenin, united plans of military operations. White didn't have that.

The national policy of the Reds, attractive to the people, is the right of nations to self-determination. Whites have the slogan "United and indivisible Russia"

The Whites relied on the help of the Entente - the interventionists, therefore they looked like an anti-national force.

The policy of "War Communism" helped to mobilize all the forces of the Reds.

Consequences of the civil war

Economic crisis, devastation, 7 times decline in industrial production, agricultural production - 2 times

Demographic losses. About 10 million people died from hostilities, hunger, epidemics

The establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, the tough methods of government used during the war years, began to be seen as quite acceptable in peacetime.

Prepared by: Vera Melnikova

NS ronology of events Gr Azhdanskaya war in R Russia 1

1917 , November 20 - the beginning of separate negotiations with Germany and its allies, which ended with the signing of an armistice agreement on the Russian-German front (2.12.19017)

1917, November 27 - Notice of establishment Volunteer Army(based on the Alekseevsk organization), headed by General L.G. Kornilov

1918 , January 15 - Decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army ( Red army)

1918, February 22- Start 1st Kuban (« Ice hike") Volunteer army

1918, April 5 - the landing of the British and Japanese invaders in Vladivostok - the beginning of the intervention in the Far East, which lasted until October 1922.

1918, April 21 - rebels against Soviet power Don Cossacks formed a temporary Don government, 23 april which began to form Don army

1918, May 25 - the beginning of the performance of the Czechoslovak corps, as a result of which the Soviet government lost control over Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region.

1918, June 8 - creation in Samara of a committee of members of the Constituent Assembly ( Komuch), which declared itself the government of Russia, but actually controlled only the Volga region

1918, June 23rd - Start2nd Kuban campaign Volunteer army under the command of General A.I. Denikin, as a result of which she occupied the Kuban and part of the Stavropol Territory.

1918, July 6 - the revolt of the Left SRs in Moscow, after the suppression of which the Left SRs lost their political influence. The beginning of the uprising in Yaroslavl, suppressed by the Red Army on 21/07/1918

1918, July 19 - the creation of the Military Council of the North Caucasian Military District headed by Stalin to repel the offensive of the Don army on Tsaritsyn (three offensive attempts were repelled by mid-January 1919)

1918, August 7 - beginning the uprising of the Izhevsk and Votkinsk workers against the Bolsheviks suppressed by the Red Army on 11/16/1918

1918, September 5- Start offensive of the Soviet Eastern Front against the Czechoslovakians in the army Komucha, during which the Red Army occupied the Volga region by November 1918

1918, September 23- creation in Ufa Directories, who inherited power from the Siberian government and claimed supreme power in Russia (from October 9 in Omsk)

1918, October 10 - in Pskov, occupied by the Germans, the formation of an anti-SovietNorthern Corps , which became the nucleus of the North-Western Army of GeneralN.N. Yudenich

1918, 15th of November – the beginning of the advancement of the Red Army in Ukraine left by the German troops, ending by June 1919, the occupation of the entire territory of Ukraine

1918, November 17 - the beginning of the advance of the Red Army to the west following the withdrawing occupation troops to Germany, stopped in February 1919 by Estonian, Polish and volunteer units.

1918, November 18 - coup in Omsk andcoming to power of Admiral A.V. Kolchak who declared himself the Supreme Ruler of Russia

1918, 24 november - the landing of the landing of the Entente powers in Sevastopol -the beginning of the intervention in the South of Russia , ended in April 1919 with the withdrawal of allied troops from Sevastopol and Odessa

1919 , 4 January -start of the offensive Red Army on the southern front , which ended by the end of February 1919 with the defeat of the Don army, the lifting of the siege from Tsaritsyn and the occupation of most of the Don region

1919, January 8 - the unification of the Volunteer and Don armies into the Armed Forces of the South of Russia (VSYUR) under the command of A.I. Denikin

1919, 4 march- the beginning of the offensive of the armies of Admiral A.V. Kolchak , stopped by the Red Army at the end of April 1919.

1919, March 11 - the beginning of the uprising of the Don Cossacks, dissatisfied with the Soviet policy of decossackization, which slowed down the advance of the Red Army on the Southern Front.

1919, 28 april - Startcounterattacks by the Red Army on the Eastern Front, during which she defeated the army of Admiral A.V. Kolchak and went to the foothills of the Urals

1919, May 7- Start rebellion of the ataman N.A. Grigorieva, disorganized the Red Army in the south of Ukraine, suppressed by the end of May 1919.

1919, may 13 - Startthe offensive of the Northern Corps (N.N. Yudenich), during which he defeated parts of the Red Army and by June went toapproaches to Petrograd

1919, May - Startlarge-scale offensive VSYUR under the commandA.I. Denikin , during which they occupied the Don and Ukraine(Kharkov is busy on 24.6.1919, Tsaritsyn - 30.6.1919)

1919, May 29 - speech of the chieftain N.I. Makhno against Soviet power in southern Ukraine

1919, 21st of June - start of a general offensive The Red Army on the Eastern Front, during which she occupied the Urals (by 4.8.1919) and Siberia (by 7.1.1920), completely defeating the army of A.V. Kolchak

1919, July 3 - directive General Denikin A.I. O march to Moscow(Kiev is busy on 08/31/1919, Kursk - 09/20/1919, Orel - 10/13/1919)

1919, October 10 - Startoffensive Red Army on the southern front, during which shedefeated the VSYUR under the commandA.I. Denikin, forcing the remains of the army to take refuge in the Crimea, occupied Ukraine and the North Caucasus

1919, October 12 - Start offensive General's Northwest Army N.N. Yudenich on Petrograd, culminating in her defeat and retreat to Estonian territory (by January 1920)

1920, January 4 - A.V. Kolchak resigned the title of the Supreme Ruler of Russia, handing it over to the general A.I. Denikin

1920, January 15 - Czechoslovakians extradite Admiral A.V. Kolchak insurgent (shot on 7.2.1920)

1920, April 4 - General Denikin A.I. transferred command of the remnants of the Armed Forces to General Baron P.N. Wrangel, who renamed it the Russian Army

1920, April 6 - creation on the territory of Transbaikalia, Priamurye and Primorye Far Eastern Republic (FER) formally independent, actually led by the Bolsheviks

1920, April 6 - beginning Chita operations of the DVR army against the chieftain Semenova, completed by 31.10.1920 the capture of Transbaikalia

1920, April 25- Start the offensive of the Polish army, during which she managed to push the Red Army behind the Dnieper and occupy the Right-Bank Ukraine and Kiev (occupied on 6.5.1920) - Soviet-Polish war

1920, May 26 - the beginning of the offensive of the Red Army against Poland, during which it occupied the Right-Bank Ukraine and Belarus and reached Warsaw and Lvov, where it was defeated (August, 1920) and was forced to retreat.

1920, June 6- Start offensive of the Russian army of Baron Wrangel, during which she occupied the territory between the Sea of ​​Azov and the Dnieper

1920, August 15- the beginning of the uprising against the Soviet regime Tambov peasants under the direction of A.S. Antonov, suppressed in June 1921

1920, August 17 - the beginning of the Soviet-Polish negotiations in Riga, which ended the Soviet-Polish war. On 10/18/1920, a ceasefire at the fountain entered into force, and on 3/18/1921 a peace treaty was signed, according to which Soviet Russia ceded Western Ukraine and Western Belarus to Poland and paid Poland 30 million gold rubles

1920, October 28 - the beginning of the offensive of the Red Army on the Southern Front, which ended in the defeat of the Russian army of General Baron P.N. Wrangel. and her expulsion from Russia (the last ship left the Crimea on 11/16/1920) - the final defeat of the organized armed anti-Soviet opposition in the European part of Russia

1921, March 1- Start uprisings in Kronstadt against trade restrictions and the dictatorship of the Bolsheviks suppressed by March 18

1921, May 26- education in Vladivostok anti-Soviet government of brothers S.D. and N.D. Merkulov who controlled Primorye

1921, June 27- the beginning of the offensive of the Red Army in Mongolia, which ended on July 6 with the occupation of Urga (now Ulan Bator) and led to the establishment of Soviet power in Mongolia.

1922, February - storm Volochaev positions, after which the Red Army recaptured Khabarovsk.

1922, June - the Merkulov brothers handed over power to General M.K. Dieterichs who restored the monarchical order

1922, October - storming of the Spassky fortified area, after which Soviet troops entered Vladivostok (10/25/1922) - end of the Civil War

1 Denis Alekseev. A short guide to historical dates. - SPb .: Peter. - 2010 .-- 352 p. ("Pocket Guide Series")

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

The main causes of the Civil War in Russia

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

Key dates and events of the Civil War

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

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

Important dates:

March, April - the seizure of Ukraine, the Baltic states and the Crimea by Germany. At this time, the Entente countries are planning to set foot with the army on the territory of Russia. England introduces troops to Murmansk, and Japan - in Vladivostok.

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

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

September - was created in Ufa "all-Russian government" - the Ufa directory.

November - Admiral A. V. Kolchak dissolved the Ufa directory and presented himself as "the supreme ruler of Russia."

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

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

Important dates:

March, April - Kolchak's army attacked Kazan and Moscow, the Bolsheviks attracted many resources.

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

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

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

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

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

Fourth stage lasted from January to November 1920. During this period, there was a complete defeat of the White movement in the European part of Russia.

Important dates:

April-October - Soviet-Polish war. Polish troops invaded Ukraine and captured Kiev in May. The Red Army makes a counteroffensive.

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

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

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

Reasons for the victory of the Reds in the Civil War:

1. Broad support from various popular masses.
2. Weakened by the First World War, the Entente states were unable to coordinate their actions and make a successful offensive into the territory of the former Russian Empire.
3. It was possible to win over the peasantry by the obligation to return the occupied lands to the landowners.
4. Weighted ideological support of military companies.
5. The Reds were able to mobilize all resources through the policy of "War Communism", the Whites were unable to do this.
6. More military specialists who have strengthened and made the army stronger.

Results of the civil war

• The country was actually destroyed, a deep economic crisis, the loss of the working capacity of many industrial production, the fall of agricultural work.
• Estonia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Western, Bessarabia, Ukraine and a small part of Armenia were no longer part of Russia.
• Loss of population about 25 million people (famine, war, epidemics).
• The absolute formation of the dictatorship of the Bolsheviks, strict methods of governing the country.