Russia Civil War

Key Terms, Events, Names: Brest – Litovsk, Sovnarkom, Cheka, The Whites, The Czech Legion, Comintern, General Anton Denikin, Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Admiral Alexander Kolchak, General Peter Wrangel, General Nikolai Yudenich

‘Peace at any price’ was how the Treaty of Brest -

Litovsk was viewed by Lenin

Starter: Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

LO: Examine the impact that the Brest-Litovsk played in causing the Russian Civil War.

TASK: On your copy of the source annotate each part of the image

and state what this suggests. Use the quote above to help.

REVIEW: Popularity of the Bolshevik Decrees. Which were

the most popular and which were hated by the Russians?

Terror – use of Cheka, secret police

Central political control - Sovnarkom

Legal system abolished and replaced with ‘revolutionary justice.’

Incentives for Russian workers and peasants ‘peace, bread and land’ in order to build up support

‘class warfare’ – state sanctioned violence against the burzhui (bourgeoisie or middle class).

Opposition parties banned

How did the Bolsheviks

consolidate their power

Russia Lost:Vast areas of land in the western country, including: Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine34% of its population32% of its agricultural land54% of its industry26% of its railways89% of its coalminesFinal blow – had to also pay 300 million gold roubles

Treaty of Brest-LitovskLO: Examine the impact that the Brest-Litovsk played in causing the Russian Civil War.

• I would like you to put the impacts of the the treaty in to categories. How you sort them is up to you.

• Now consider the titles SOCIAL, ECONOMIC and POLITICAL. Will this change your groupings?

• Consider the possible impacts this could have on Russia. Are these positive or negative?

Taking it further: How could the impacts of this treaty lead to a civil war in Russia?

Impact of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

LO: Examine the impact that the Brest-Litovsk played in causing the Russian Civil War.

Russian Civil War 1917-22

The Russian Civil War was a war between the Reds and the Whites, but who were they and why did they take the side that they did?

Reds = Communist (Bolsheviks)

Whites = opponents (Tsarists and nobles, middle class constitutional

democrats, Mensheviks, SR)

AimsStay in Power in order to build new Socialist society.

Different aims due to different interests.Common aim to defeat the CommunistsGeographical

factorsHeld central area of west Russian – contained large industries.Controlled railways.

Scattered around outer perimeter of communist controlled Moscow. Communication difficulties.

Leadership and unityTrotsky – true leader

and courageousSpecial train

Lacked good leader to bring all the Whites together.Lack of trustInfighting within the armies

Reds vs. Whites

Causes of the Russian Civil War

World support for the oppositionThe Bolsheviks set up the Comintern. It said it would cause communist revolutions all over the world. So foreign countries (also angry because Russia had dropped out of World War I) sent armies to destroy the Bolsheviks – British, American and French armies attacked from Archangel, Ukraine, and Vladivostock.

Opposition forces unite to form the Whites •Social Revolutionaries ejected from the Assembly, •the Mensheviks, •the Tsarists, •former army officers angry about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, •landlords who had lost their land.•Starvation led to increasing opposition

Increasing attacks/attempts to overthrow the Bolsheviks

Particularly The Czech Legion. In 1918 some Czech prisoners of war who were being taken across Russia mutinied, took control of the Trans-Siberian Railway, and attacked towards Moscow.

Causes of the Russian Civil War

1. Put these four causes into an order of importance.

2. Briefly explain the cause you think is the most important.

3. Can you find any links between the causes that mean they are equally important in leading to a civil war?

Key Events of the Russian Civil War

Identify the role and the key events that each of the

below played in the Russian Civil War?

General Anton

Denikin

Mikhail Tukhachevsk

y

Admiral Alexander Kolchak

General Peter

Wrangel

General Nikolai

Yudenich

Leon Trotsky

The Czech Legion

The Cheka