The Russian Civil War 1918-22

148 Pages·2008·52.81 MB·English

by  David Bullock

DAVID BULLOCKholds a PhD
in EuropeanMilitaryHistory
and has been an officerin
the U.S. Air Force. Currently,
he writes official histories
as a militaryhistorian for the
DepartmentofDefense and is
an adjunctAssociate Professor
at ColoradoTechnical University,
Colorado Springs.
PROFESSORROBERT O'NEILL,
AO D.PHIL. (Oxon), Hon D.
Litt. (AND), FASSA, FrHistS,
is the Series Editorofthe Essential
Histories. Hiswealth ofknowledge
and expertise shapes the series
contentandprovidesup-to-the
minute research andtheory. Born
in 1936anAustralian citizen, he
servedin the Australian army
(1955-68) and has held a number
ofeminentpositionsin history
circles, includingthe Chichele
Professorship ofthe History
ofWaratAllSouls College,
UniversityofOxford, 1987-2001,
and the Chairmanship ofthe
Boardofthe ImperialWar
Museumandthe Council
ofthe InternationalInstitute
for StrategicStudies, London.
Heis the author ofmanybooks
includingworks onthe German
Armyandthe Nazi party, and
the Korean andVietnamwars.
NowbasedinAustraliafollowing
his retirementfrom Oxford, he
was the Chairman ofthe Council
ofthe Australian Strategic Policy
Institute, from 1999 to 2005.
Essential Histories
The Russian Civil War
1918-22

Essential Histories
The Russian Civil War
1918-22
David Bullock
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Contents
Introduction 7
Chronology 9
Backgroundto war
The October Revolution 14
Warring sides
An Empire Divided 21
Outbreak
1918 29
The fighting
1919 55
Portraitofasoldier
The Blacl< Guards 85
The world around war
Allied intervention 90
Portrait ofacivilian
Women in the Russian Civil War 107
Howthe warended
1920-22 114
Conclusion and consequences
A Century Redrawn 133
Index 142
TheformerRussian Empire inthe nationalflagcoloursofred,blueandwhite.Overhead,thestatecrown issurrounded
byawreath ofthornssymbolizingsufferingand sacrifice.The imperial eaglehasbeen replaced byablackeaglewith
swordandextendedtalonsthatspreadsthered cloakofcommunism overthe land.(Chosevoi emigrejournal, 1933)
Introduction
The Russian CivilWar of 1918-22arose out Morethantwodozencountriestookpart
ofthe cataclysmicevents ofWorldWar One. inthesetorturousyearsofcivilwar. Peripheral
This civilwardwarfed all others ofthe regionsoftheformer RussianEmpirethathad
20th centuryin scope and significance. brokenawaytoform newnationshadtofight
The lives oftens ofmillions were lostor forindependence: Finland, Poland, Estonia,
changedforever in the ensuingconflagration Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia
- from battle, disease, famine, imprisonment, andAzerbaijan. Othercountriesdirectly
execution, dislocation and exile. intervenedintheconflictasaconsequenceof
Newweapons ofwaremerged. The eventsarisingoutofWorldWarOne, including
aeroplane, armoured car, tankand armoured GreatBritain, France, Italy, Canada,Japan,
trainwere tested overthe vastexpanses of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Romania, Greece,
Russia, the largest countryin the world, in theOttomanEmpireandtheUnitedStates.
awarofmobilitynot seen onthe relatively Stillothers participatedin the fighting
staticfronts that characterizedWorldWar becausetheirtroopswere trapped inside
One. Even so, the olderweapons ofwar Russia at the end ofWorld War One, such as
remained. Thiswas the lastwar inwhich Serbiaand Czechoslovakia, orfought because
cavalryarmies duelled en masse, sword on
lance. Bugles stillrang andunfurledflags
Kiev,capital ofthe Ukraine.Notethe Nicholas (chain)
fluttered above infantrycharginginto the
Bridge inthe background.Thecitychanged hands
steelmouths ofguns. 19timesduringthe civilwar.(Bullockcollection)
8 Essential Histories •The Russian CivilWar
the civilwar spilled overinto their territory, the conflict endedinNovember 1920after
for example, Mongolia and China. At the defeat in the Crimeaand exile. Whites in
end, the maps ofnortheastern and eastern the Northern and Northwestern Fronts
Europe, the Caucasus, CentralAsia and the had alreadyaccepted defeat that February.
Far East had to be redrawn. Whites in the FarEastcontinuedbattle
Historiographyposes the question- actions until 1922, notwithstandingone
'when did the Russian CivilWarbegin?' final act ofquixotic desperation inYakutsk
Historians, authors, politicians and in spring 1923.
diplomats have had their ownpoints ofview Formany Reds, the civilwarcertainly
depending onwhen their countryorparty endedin 1922, after the last ofthe major
interestbecame involved, orto stress a peasant and internal rebellions hadbeen
particularmethodologyorideological line of fully crushed and afterthe last ofthe foreign
argument. This book's positionis that the era interventionists left Russian soil. However,
ofthe Provisional Government, from April to spasmodicresistance occurredin the
November 1917, was atime oftransition Ukraine, the Caucasus, CentralAsia
between the fall ofthe tsar and the outbreak and the Far Eastwellinto the 1920s.
ofcivilwar. Civilwarbeganwhen an Redvictoryin the Russian CivilWar
organized opposition soughtto overturnthe unleashed the new doctrine ofcommunism
October Revolution of 1917. In this context, with its concept ofinternationalrevolution
civilwarbeganwhen notable White generals upon the world. This setthe stage for the
formed the VolunteerArmyinSouth Russia ColdWar thatbeganin the late 19.40s
in November/December 1917. However, that and which divided the world into
force did not engage in significantmilitary two armedpoliticalcamps, communist
action until the openingdays of 1918. and anti-communist. But this path,
The question 'when did the civilwar ofcourse, was never certain, for the
end?' is equallyproblematical. The majority outcome could onlybe decided in
ofWhites on the Southern Front thought the severe trials ofcivilwar.