Civil War: Causes, the main stages of military-political events, military communism

The Civil War in Russia took a huge period. Let's look at it in more detail.

Content

The civil war arose as a result of the armed confrontation of different groups of the population. The conflict arose due to the contradictory views of various segments of the population on political and social issues that aggravated after the February Revolution.

The main stages of military-political events during the Civil War

Historical events took place with the active participation of the military and political forces of other states. The impetus for the beginning of the class struggle was the active actions of the Bolsheviks to seize the state apparatus in Russia. The wave of indignation caused the cessation of the functioning of the constituent assemblies, the composition of which was elected by popular vote.

In the fall of 1917, the first armed incidents begin to occur. When forming an army on a voluntary basis, it was possible to group only a few thousand officers.
The first large -scale clash occurred in the spring in 1918. Among state and military-political formations, “red” and “white” were shared.
The spontaneous formations of public groups and interventions adjoined them.

Based on the intensity of military operations, the civil war is divided into three significant stages:

At the first large -scale clashes of the Civil War, the socialist parties try to muffle the Bolshevik movement and return the power of the Constituent Assembly. Both sides of the conflict throughout the first year were in equal positions. Local clashes made it possible to gradually strengthen their positions, to develop a plan of hostilities.
In the spring of 1918 Military formations from England, Japan, France and other countries began to appear on Russian territory. The German movement overthrew the power in Ukraine, Belarus, in the part of the Baltic states and Transcaucasia. At the end of the spring of 1918, active armed actions with the participation of Czechoslovak legionnaires were unfolding in Chelyabinsk. The anti -Bolshevik formation and peasant movement adjoin them. As a result of the onset of the United Forces, the reign of Soviet power is overthrown.
In the north of the European part of Russia under the control of socialist parties, temporary management structures were formed. Their main purpose was to restore the rights of all citizens, the settlement of land issues of peasants, establishing equality between workers and capitalists.
Under the protection of the Czechoslovak corps, a front is formed, acting as an opposition force. The Bolshevik authorities manage to maintain control only over the central part of Russia. The governments of socialist parties captured Siberia, part of the Urals, the Baltic states, and Transcaucasia. At the end of the summer of 1918, as a result of an attack on the leaders of the Bolsheviks, the positions of political parties are significantly weakened. Two -thirds of the Russian territory are transferred to the management of anti -Bolshevik forces.

Since the fall of 1918 In the eastern part of Russia, Soviet troops go on the offensive and return important state territories to their management. Further movement to the Southern Front returns several more objects. Mobilization and active actions of the Soviet government allow them to significantly strengthen their positions. The number of commissars in the Armed Forces reaches 7 thousand officers and generals appear on the side of the Bolsheviks not only for ideological reasons, but also under pressure from state power.

Military communism during the Civil War

During the Civil War, the most significant and decisive event from Soviet power became the policy of military communism.

New ideas were aimed at performing the following paramount tasks:

Redistribution of the power of industrial enterprises.
The formation of the central body for managing economic processes.
Termination of private sales.
Minimization of commodity-sales movements.
Avoiding wages of employees and workers.
Free provision of utilities, etc.

As a result of such a policy, wealthy peasants suffered. From each region it was necessary to hand over the established norm of agricultural products. Such a grocery tax gave them the right to purchase industrial goods.

Enterprises with a certain number of workers and exceeding the established rate of profit fell under nationalization. Thus, entrepreneurs were under the tight control of the authorities.
Sale of food was replaced by a skiing system for cards. The norm for a person was divided depending on the social layer. The distribution took place on the principle “who does not work shall not eat ”.
The political activity of parties, diverging with the principles of military communism, was strangled. The disobedience of Soviet power led people to death.
During the civil war, due to the policy of military communism, the country's economic indicators sharply decreased, the development of industry and agriculture decreased.
The middle of the civil war is considered to be the period from the end of 1918 to the end of 1919. The Red Army strengthened its number and developed new strategies. Opponents of Soviet power from various countries who fought among themselves turned into a position of allies.
The most dangerous for the Bolsheviks was the military-political block of the Entente, the main power of which was representatives of Russia, France and Great Britain. Their position was significantly strengthened after revolutionary events in Germany. As a result of the cancellation of a peace agreement at the end of 1918, the bourgeois-national administration of Poland, Belarus, the Baltic states, and Ukraine joined the Entente.

At the beginning of 1919, the Entente leadership was developing a military campaign strategy for Soviet Russia. The location of combat forces in the southern part of Russia totaled more than 100 thousand people. The same amount was concentrated in Eastern Russia, Siberia and in the north.

In the spring of 1919, the offensive of anti -Bolshevik fronts begins under the direction of Admiral Kolchak, General Miller, General Krasnov, etc. The armed Kolchakovo movement reached several hundred thousand people. After the capture of several cities, the offensive was stopped by the Red Army. A few more attempts were made to promote Siberia, but the Soviet government was again able to resist them. The anti -Bolshevik army was defeated, and Kolchak was shot.

On the Southern Front, an attempt was made to the attack of the Armed army led by General Denikin. The number of anti -Bolshevik movement reached 150 thousand people. They managed to capture Kursk and Eagle. The surviving part of the army moved its positions to the Crimean peninsula and moved under the leadership of General Wrangel.
The completion of military operations falls on the period of spring-bypass of 1920. Military operations in early 1920 ended with the advantage of the Soviet troops. The only obstacle remained Soviet-Polish conflicts and the army of Wrangel.
Active military operations took place between the Soviet and Polish sides. The plans of the Polish marshal were the main task to expand the territory of Poland at the expense of the lands of Lithuania, Ukraine and Belarus. The troops managed to occupy the territory of Kyiv for some time. But a month later, Soviet troops conquered their territories and placed their positions near Poland.
The Entente repeatedly made attempts to reconcile between the Polish and Soviet military forces. But by order of Lenin, the Red Army makes attempts to attack Poland, as a result of which Soviet troops were defeated near Warsaw. At the beginning of spring, a peace treaty was concluded between Poland and Russia, under the terms of which part of the Ukrainian and Belarusian lands passed under the Office of the Poles.
Simultaneously with the Soviet-Polish war in the southern part of Russia, active military operations of Wrangel’s troops began. The general managed to organize a combat -ready Russian army. The main military forces were directed to the Kuban and Donbass. A month later, Wrangel's offensive was repelled.
In 1920, the Far Eastern Russian lands were under the control of Japan. Soviet Russia contributed to the formation of an independent state in this territory in order to further free the eastern territories from intermediaries with their support. Subsequently, the buffer zone was returned to the Soviet administration.

The civil war in the lands of Russia entailed many tragic events. The struggle took place in harsh and unequal conditions. Due to mass repressions, more than 10 million people were killed or died by starvation. Several million Russians were forced to leave the country's territory. As a result of state actions, the country was mired in an economic crisis. Such social groups as the Cossacks, the nobility and the clergy were destroyed. The country's population became a participant in the fratricidal war.

The main support of the Bolshevik movement was the working population and representatives of the poor peasants who believed in Bolshevik propaganda "Earth to the peasants". The wealthy peasants were ready to fight for whose side their interests would be observed. Therefore, they repeatedly adjoined anti -Bolshevik movements. The population supported the Bolsheviks thanks to the well -developed propaganda of the Russian state.

The military position of Russian officers was divided into three camps. The main part went over to the side of the “whites”, a third adhered to the policy of the Soviet regime, and the rest of it took a neutral position.

The weakest place of the White was a great fragmentation of military units and the lack of a single command. The inconsistency of actions led to unpredictable consequences.

Armed conflicts during the war significantly aggravated the intervention of representatives of other states. The interventions were interested in delaying the war and in every possible way contributed to the aggravation of the situation. The participation of foreign political forces led to an increase in the number of human victims.