USE. Historical essay

1917-1922 - the period of the civil war in Russia.

Historians name the following reasons for the civil war in Russia: the aggravation of socio-economic and political contradictions as a result of the change of power in the country and changes in the form of ownership; dispersal of the Constituent Assembly; the Bolsheviks' rejection of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany by the Bolsheviks' opponents; the economic policy of the Bolsheviks in the countryside in 1918; foreign intervention in Russia. There are several stages of the civil war: October 1917 - May 1918 - the period of local clashes associated with the establishment of Bolshevik power in the field; May 1918 - November 1920 - the "front" period, when many thousands of regular armies of the Reds and Whites fought against each other; 1921-1922 - a period of local clashes associated with the suppression of anti-Soviet uprisings by the Bolsheviks in various regions of the state.

At the first stage of the war, the Bolsheviks were opposed mainly by volunteer detachments: on the Don - under the command of A. M. Kaledin, in the Kuban - under the command of L. G. Kornilov, in the Urals - under the command of A. I. Dutov, in Transbaikalia - under the command of G S. Semenova. At the second stage of the war, which began with the uprising of the Czechoslovak corps in May 1918, large-scale hostilities unfolded. On the Eastern Front, the troops of Admiral A. V. Kolchak fought against the Bolsheviks. In the period from March 1919 to March 1920, they were defeated by units of the Red Army under the command of M.V. Frunze and S.S. Kamenev. On the Southern Front, the troops of Generals A.I. Denikin and P.N. Wrangel fought against the Bolsheviks. In the period from May 1919 to November 1920, they were defeated by units of the Red Army under the command of A.I. Egorov, K.E. Voroshilov, S.M. Budyonny, M.V. Frunze. In the northwest, the troops of General N. N. Yudenich fought against the Bolsheviks. In 1919 they were defeated near Petrograd. At the third stage, the Bolsheviks were opposed by participants in the anti-Bolshevik uprisings - Tambov (“Antonovshchina”) (August 1920 - July 1921), Kronstadt (February-March 1921), Siberian (1921-1922). All uprisings were suppressed by units of the Red Army.

The Civil War ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks, as they were able to gain the support of the peasantry (the majority of the population), giving them land, subordinated all spheres of society to the interests of the war (the policy of "war communism"), controlled the center of the country with its military factories and developed transport communications, offered attractive ideas for the people, skillfully used the disunity and contradictions of the "whites", as well as compromising their ties with the Entente.

Historians evaluate the period of the civil war ambiguously. Most, like, for example, A. A. Danilov, consider this war a tragedy because of the many millions of victims (who died in battle, from the “red” and “white” terror, from hunger) and the economic devastation that followed. At the same time, following the results of the civil war, Russia managed to survive as a single sovereign state, albeit with some territorial losses.

Fragment comment

I can’t count as a PSS, not because it is not here, but because it is formulated excessively in a general way. What events in February 1917 led Nicholas to the decision to abdicate? Speech errors - separated by commas "" the power of the interim government "" also do not allow you to understand how you imagine the logic of the emergence of this body.

Actual

I will very strictly evaluate this statement, because the period from February to October 1917 cannot be so roughly represented in its main plot = the nature of the interaction between the Petrograd Soviet and the Provisional Government, which CHANGED, as well as smoothed out contradictions. It is not clear from your story when the history of dual power arose and how it ended. I'm deducting a score on K-6 for the approximateness of the story, bordering on an ERROR in interpretation.

Actual

VRK was headed by V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko, and L. D. Trotsky headed the Petrosoviet.

Fragment comment

You list many events, but do not indicate dates, which is necessary in an essay on HISTORY. Of course, based on the totality of the above and correctly attributed to the period, you can put two points on K-1, but still I urge you to indicate the DATES.

Fragment comment

I think that here you expected to get points for the PSS, but according to the criteria and recommendations for experts, the PSS should be formulated specifically. Not just ""inefficiency of the measures of war communism"", but an explanation of the essence of these measures and the reasons for their unpopularity should appear in the text in order to be credited as the reason for the transition to the NEP. The same about the results of the NEP - you do not specify what the ""easing pressure on agriculture" was, which means that I cannot count it as the reason for "stabilizing the country's economic situation"". I do not give points for K-3.

Fragment comment

An indication of the position of a historical figure does not count towards K-2. It was necessary not only to name Lenin's position in the system of Soviet authorities, but to show his specific actions in this post - for example, in relation to the signing of the Brest Peace, or in relation to the Constituent Assembly, etc. Finally, most of the decrees of Soviet power in the initial period they were created by Lenin - one could briefly imagine them.

Fragment comment

I wonder how long ago the seizure of power by the SOVIETS was planned????? Highlighted in capital letters words that look incorrect in the context of the essay. The course for an armed uprising was taken by the Bolshevik Party, and not by the soviets. And for a long time - is it from the spring-early summer of 1917?

Fragment comment

Can't count as history. the role of Lenin, because you operate only with general phrases, albeit true ones. East the role, according to the criteria, must be expressed by indicating a specific action. For example: Lenin wrote the "April Theses", in which he defined the tasks of the Bolshevik Party under the conditions of dual power (and list them further ...).

Fragment comment

I accept as the role of Kolchak. Although, of course, like the rest of the text, the presentation suffers from vagueness. What, for example, does "remove traces of their policies" mean? The thesis about patriotism is correct, but you seem to be counting on the expert to "think" for you, arguing that it is patriotism that is incompatible with the Soviet regime ..... K-2 score.

Fragment comment

I cannot count it as a PSS, because the thesis that the Provisional Government cannot solve the key problems of Russian life remained without evidence. At least one problem was pointed out - and they would prove that it was not solved. It might concern the conduct of the war, or the agrarian question, or the labor question...

Fragment comment

All the same problem. What is the "" sharp policy ""????? Above, of course, you wrote about nationalization, but without specifying what was nationalized and in what volumes. About the infringement of ""many statesmen"" is also formulated pointlessly - who, when, for what reason "were "infringed""? It was then necessary to write, for example, about Order No. 1 of the Petrograd Soviet ... Or about the abolition of class division ... Or about the reasons for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly .... I can’t count it as a PSS

Fragment comment

What urgent reforms are we talking about????

Fragment comment

To take this into account in the logic of the causes of the Civil War, it would be necessary to name the conditions of the Brest peace and show that the signing of this peace was in line with Lenin's slogan ""turning the imperialist war into a civil war"", but contradicted the position of the Provisional Government, the liberal parties, the generals and etc.

Fragment comment

The death of the autocracy is a consequence of the events of February. And the consequence of October is the establishment of Soviet power.

Fragment comment

This conclusion is correct, however, it is within the period, and the K-4 criterion requires going beyond the period. The thesis about laying the foundations of socialist construction is correct, but you do not show what should be understood by this. Well, at least they wrote that - the elimination of private ownership of the means of production, or outlined the prospect of solving the agrarian issue in the approval of collective forms of management.

Fragment comment

Again - I understand what you mean: a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat arose, under the conditions of which the dictatorship of one party was formed. But in order to accept this as a conclusion, at least a couple of words are needed: the dictatorship of the proletariat = in the content of the first Soviet constitutions (the RSFSR in 1918 and the USSR in 1924), which presupposed the defeat of the rights of representatives of the former exploiting classes ...

Historical essay 1917-1922.

Show full text

The writing

The period 1917-1922 refers to the era of the February and October revolutions, as well as to the era of the civil war in Soviet Russia.

This time was a turning point in Russian history, many defining events took place in a short period. Let's consider the most significant of them.

As a result of the February Revolution, Emperor Nicholas 2 abdicated the throne, the power of the provisional government.

During the operation of the Provisional Government, contradictions arose in relations with the more left-wing Petrograd Soviet, on issues such as agricultural policy and further actions in World War I.

The confrontation between the provisional government and the Bolsheviks ended with the forceful overthrow of the power of the provisional government by the Bolsheviks. Military Revolutionary Committee under the leadership of L. D. Trotsky, blocked the building of the Winter Palace and forced to transfer power into the hands of the Bolsheviks by force.

The new government headed by V.I. Lenin, who became the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, began to implement her political ideas in a short time. Taking a course towards the socialization of the economy and the social life of the country's citizens, in the first years of their activity, the Bolsheviks initiated major changes in politics and the economy.

A decree on land was adopted, nationalizing all land. The floor was fought The policy of war communism: a food dictatorship was introduced in order to avoid hunger, enterprises were nationalized, the Red Army was created, the power of the Bolsheviks was established as the only party, representatives of parties with divergent views were not allowed. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was also concluded in the First World War. which the Entente countries recognized as separate. Then, in the condition of the ineffectiveness of the measures of war communism in the conditions of the crisis, the new economic policy (NEP) was adopted in 1921. The new policy was to ease the pressure on agriculture and give some economic freedom to the peasants. This helped stabilize the country's economic situation and soften the policy of the Bolsheviks. The situation of the peasants and, consequently, the workers improved.

In the activities of the Bolsheviks, the decisive and main role was played by their ideological leader - IN AND. Lenin, who took over as chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. Lenin was not only able to realize the long-planned takeover of power by the soviets and to concentrate power in the hands of like-minded people, but he also implemented specific measures that changed the country's course towards socialist development based on the theories of K. Marx and F. Engels.

In all the decisions he and the RCP(b) made, there was a direct focus on the interests of the working-peasant population, in comparison with the “oppressors”, represented by the former landowners and the bourgeoisie. Lenin largely determined the further development of the RSFSR, and then the USSR, not only by the initial practical political measures introduced, but also by his theoretical provisions, which were addressed throughout the existence of the socialist state on the territory of Russia.

An event that was a reaction to fundamental changes and changes in power was the civil war.

The causes of the civil war were: the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, whose policy was incompatible with the views of property owners and representatives of the bourgeoisie and the remaining landowners; The policy of war communism, as a result of which both enterprises and lands were nationalized and their owners turned against the new government, the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly in January 1918, which showed the negative attitude of the Bolsheviks to parliamentarism.

Combat clashes have been observed since October 1917, when some generals of the Russian army acted as opponents of the new government. Initially, the civil war manifested itself in local clashes at the places where the Bolshevik power was established.

In 1918, the war switched to front-line warfare.

In the south, in the Don region, volunteer troops were assembled by Lavr Kornilov, whose command after his death was taken by A.I. Denikin. There was an uprising of the Czechoslovak corps in Siberia. Volunteer armies were formed throughout the country, opponents of the Bolsheviks occupied cities and removed them from power. The White movement was actively supported by the former allies in the Entente, other European countries and the United States.

On the part of Western countries, there was not only material support for the whites, but also direct intervention in some parts of the country. These countries tried not only to remove the Bolshevik government, to return the lost European capital that was in Russia at the time the Bolsheviks came to power, but also conditionally divided the country into future zones of influence for their own benefit.

The main period of struggle came at the end of 1918 and until 1920. The Whites managed to take control of large territories in the south and towards

Vera Alexandrovna Kriushina

The Civil War in Russia (1917 - 1922) is a chain of armed conflicts between various political, ethnic and social groups on the territory of the former Russian Empire.

The main armed struggle for power during the Civil War was between the Red Army of the Bolsheviks and the armed forces of the White movement, which was reflected in the stable naming of the main parties to the conflict "red" and "white". Both sides for the period until their complete victory and the pacification of the country intended to exercise political power through dictatorship. Further goals were proclaimed as follows: on the part of the Reds - the construction of a classless communist society, both in Russia and in Europe, by actively supporting the "world revolution"; on the part of the whites - the convening of a new Constituent Assembly, with the transfer to its discretion of resolving the issue of the political structure of Russia.

A characteristic feature of the Civil War was the readiness of all its participants to widely use violence to achieve their political goals (see "Red Terror" and "White Terror").

An integral part of the civil war was the armed struggle of the national "outskirts" of the former Russian Empire for their independence and the insurrectionary movement of the general population against the troops of the main warring parties - the "red" and "white". Attempts to declare independence by the “outskirts” were rebuffed both by the “whites”, who fought for a “united and indivisible Russia”, and by the “reds”, who saw the growth of nationalism as a threat to the gains of the revolution

The civil war unfolded under the conditions of foreign military intervention and was accompanied by military operations on the territory of Russia, both by the troops of the countries of the Quadruple Union and the troops of the Entente countries.

The civil war was fought not only on the territory of the former Russian Empire, but also on the territory of neighboring states - Iran (Anzelian operation), Mongolia and China.

The result of the Civil War was the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in the main part of the territory of the former Russian Empire, the recognition of the independence of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, as well as the creation of the Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Transcaucasian Soviet republics on the territory controlled by the Bolsheviks, which signed the agreement on December 22, 1922 about the formation of the USSR. About 2 million people who did not share the views of the new government chose to leave the country (see White emigration).

Despite the retreat and evacuation of the White armies from Russia as a direct result of the military operations of the Civil War, in the historical perspective, the White movement was by no means defeated: once in exile, it continued to fight against Bolshevism both in Soviet Russia and abroad. Contrary to the unfounded allegations accepted in Soviet historiography about the alleged “defeat” of the White Russian Army in the Crimea, Wrangel’s army retreated in battle from the Perekop positions to Sevastopol itself, from where it was evacuated in order. In exile, an army of about 50 thousand fighters was retained as a combat unit based on the new Kuban campaign until September 1, 1924, when the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, General Baron P. N. Wrangel, transformed it into the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS) and the ongoing struggle of the "whites" and "reds" took on other forms (the struggle of the special services: the ROVS against the OGPU, the NTS against the KGB in Europe and the USSR).

Among the most important causes of the civil war in modern historiography, it is customary to single out the social, political, and national-ethnic contradictions that persisted in Russia after the February Revolution. First of all, by October 1917, such pressing issues as the end of the war and the agrarian question remained unresolved.

The proletarian revolution was seen by the Bolshevik leaders as a "rupture of the civil world" and in this sense was equated with a civil war. The readiness of the Bolshevik leaders to initiate a civil war is confirmed by Lenin's thesis of 1914, later framed in an article for the social democratic press: "Let's turn the imperialist war into a civil one!" In 1917, this thesis underwent cardinal changes and, as Doctor of Historical Sciences B.I. Kolonitsky, Lenin removed the slogan of civil war, however, as the historian writes, culturally and psychologically, the Bolsheviks, even after the removal of this thesis, were ready to start a civil war in order to turn the world war into a world revolution. And the desire of the Bolsheviks to stay in power by any means, primarily violent, to establish the dictatorship of the party and build a new society based on their theoretical principles made a civil war inevitable.

In the period after the October Revolution until the beginning of the period of active hostilities in the civil war (May 1918), the leadership of the Soviet state took a number of political steps, which some researchers attribute to the causes of the civil war:

the resistance of the previously ruling classes, which lost power and property (nationalization of industry and banks and the solution of the agrarian question in accordance with the program of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party, contrary to the interests of the landowners);

dispersal of the Constituent Assembly;

exit from the war by signing the devastating Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany;

the activities of the Bolshevik food detachments and commanders in the countryside, which led to a sharp aggravation of relations between the Soviet government and the peasantry;

The civil war was accompanied by extensive interference of foreign states in the internal affairs of Russia. Foreign states supported separatist movements in order to spread their influence to the national outskirts of the former Russian Empire. The intervention of the Entente states in the internal political situation in Russia through foreign intervention against the Bolsheviks was due to the desire to return Russia to the war (Russia was an ally of the Entente countries in the First World War). At the same time, foreign states sought to gain opportunities to exploit the resources of Russia, struck by civil conflict, under the guise of preventing the spread of the world revolution, which was one of the goals of the Bolsheviks.

In February 1917, a bourgeois-democratic revolution took place in Russia. The political strike, begun on February 23 in Petrograd against war, famine and tsarism, by February 25 developed into a general political strike, and then, with the support of the soldiers and sailors of Petrograd, into an armed uprising. On March 1, about 170 thousand soldiers of the Petrograd garrison supported the insurgent workers. The rapid transition of troops to their side determined the fate of the tsarist autocracy.

Tsar Nicholas II during the days of the revolution was at Headquarters in Mogilev. After leaving for Petrograd, he could only get to Pskov, where he received a message about the victory of the revolution and on March 2 he abdicated. Two centers of power arose in the capital - the Provisional Government and the Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies. There was a duality. The Soviet expressed the interests of the "revolutionary democracy" (workers, peasants, soldiers). The provisional government is the interests of the propertied, as they said then, the "qualified strata" of the population. The Provisional Government took upon itself the preparation of the convocation of the Constituent Assembly, which was to publicly determine the future state structure of Russia (hence the name "Provisional").

The February revolution and subsequent events had a huge negative impact on the army, rear and reserve military units. The Russian army by this time was essentially "an armed people dressed in soldier's overcoats", since during the hostilities of 1914-1916. virtually the entire cadre and those liable for military service of the first and second stages (about 7 million people) failed. They were replaced by hastily mobilized recruits (over 15 million people were put under arms during the war). All this qualitatively changed the composition of the active army, turning it from a pillar of the Russian monarchical statehood into a "powder keg of the revolution." Processes began to take place in the troops that actually led to the destruction of the foundations of the regular Russian army. Their essence was expressed in the following manifestations.

Firstly, the fall of the monarchy undermined the traditional spiritual foundations, expressed in the slogan "For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland", on which the imperial army was brought up. The soldier at the front has lost a clear incentive for self-sacrifice. The monarchy as a national symbol of the unity of the nation was replaced by an irreconcilable struggle of parties, each of which understood the future of Russia in its own way. The army has lost spiritual and moral guidelines and spiritual unity.

Secondly, military discipline based on the unity of command of commanders was finally undermined in the army. Order No. 1 of March 1, 1917 of the Petrograd Soviet initiated a widespread transfer of actual military power from officers to elected soldiers' committees, and the army was placed under the control of the Soviets. Soldiers' committees covered the armed forces from companies to armies and fronts, inclusive. By April 1917, the number of soldiers' committees in the active army had reached 50,000, and Soviets of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies were formed in all rear garrisons. In turn, the Provisional Government, in order to control the highest command staff, created the Political Directorate and introduced the institution of military commissars at Headquarters, in the armies and at the fronts. The executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet actually deprived the command of the garrison of the right to dispose of the troops in the capital, who, for "revolutionary services", were put in a special position in the army.

Thirdly, under the slogan of combating "counter-revolutionary elements", the dismissal of commanders began. Under pressure from the masses of soldiers, by July 1917, the command of 68 regiments and 18 brigades was shifted in the garrisons of Central Russia, and more than 30 generals were removed from the army. In March-April 1917, the Provisional Government dismissed or removed from their posts up to 60% of senior officers, among them: 8 commanders-in-chief of fronts and army commanders, 35 corps commanders (out of 68), 75 division chiefs (out of 240). In the country at war, from February to October 1917, for political reasons, the Supreme Commanders of the Russian Army changed four times.

Fourthly, in May 1917, the Provisional Government approved the "Declaration of the Rights of a Soldier", which granted military personnel during off-duty hours the same rights as other citizens, including allowing them to be a member of any party. In addition, it allowed for party agitation in the army and navy. These measures led to the following sharply negative consequences:

The rapid politicization of the army began. Crowds of agitators from various parties and movements poured into the front, and spontaneous "soldiers' rallies" began to be held everywhere. Yielding to the general mood in the country, each serviceman sought to join some party, often without understanding its programmatic goals. The “bacillus of political struggle and party spirit” quickly split the army into warring party groups;

The democratization of army life led to a gap between the command staff and the mass of soldiers. The soldier began to look at the officer "like a convict looking at his chain." Under these conditions, it was difficult to force a soldier to shed his blood at the front, "when in the rear the workers proclaimed an 8-hour working day, and fellow villagers were preparing to divide the landowner's land."

The spiritual split and the involvement of the Russian army in the internal political struggle for power contributed to its disintegration. After February 1917, the spontaneous demobilization of soldiers from the front began. According to the professor of the Nikolaev Academy of the General Staff N.N. Golovin, despite the absence of epidemics, the average incidence in the Russian army increased by 120%, the average number of deserters registered per month increased by 400%. Since the beginning of the revolution, about 2 million people have gone to the rear without permission or under various pretexts from the active army. In March-April 1917, mass “fraternization” with the enemy began at the front, out of 220 infantry divisions stationed at the front, 165 fraternized, of which 38 promised the Germans not to attack.

Dissatisfaction with the activities of the Provisional Government was rapidly growing in the country, which did not take effective measures to improve the situation in the country. In eight months (February to October 1917), four compositions of ministers were replaced in it. In an atmosphere of deep disappointment in society, some of the state and party leaders made a bet on a military dictatorship. The head of the Provisional Government (since July 1917) A.F. also needed support from the army. Kerensky. After negotiations with representatives of the high command, he chose General Kornilov, who in July 1917 was appointed Supreme Commander. During August, Kerensky and Kornilov discussed plans to "restore order" in Petrograd. To do this, it was supposed to send troops from the front to the capital. But the independent position of the general and the "Kornilov movement" (supporters of strong military power) that had formed around him frightened A. Kerensky. The minister-chairman, fearing that the general wanted to establish a one-man dictatorship, accused Kornilov of a counter-revolutionary conspiracy and removed him from the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The February Revolution of 1917 did not solve the main tasks facing it: ending the war, eliminating landownership, preventing the collapse of the unified state. Kerensky's struggle against the "Kornilov movement" dealt a crushing blow to the army. The entire command staff was suspected of trying to restore the old system. Everything that still kept the discipline and combat readiness of the troops collapsed completely. After August 1917, the Provisional Government was left without an army, which had actually already decayed, and also without the support of the general population, who were disappointed in it. Therefore, the October Revolution of 1917 and the arrest of the Provisional Government were met in the country and in the troops without active opposition. On October 25 (November 7), 1917, the Second All-Russian Congress of Soviets opened in Petrograd late in the evening. Of the 650 congress delegates, about 400 were Bolsheviks. The congress adopted decrees on peace and land and proclaimed the transfer of power in the center and in the localities to the Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies. The Soviet government took upon itself the obligation to stop the imperialist war, to transfer the landowners' lands to the peasants free of charge, to ensure the right to self-determination for all the nations inhabiting Russia. At the congress, a new government was formed - the Council of People's Commissars (SNK), headed by V.I. Ulyanov - Lenin. The first legislative acts of the Soviet state received the support of the vast majority of the population of Russia.

Thus, the revolutionary events of February - October 1917 had a significant impact on the state and combat effectiveness of the Russian army. If the First World War turned the regular army into an "armed people", then the revolution brought a spiritual split into the ranks of soldiers and officers. Under these conditions, the armed forces could not perform the functions of a state-protective and stabilizing force during a nationwide crisis. All this contributed to the involvement of the army in the internal political struggle for power in Russia and the beginning of a large-scale Civil War.

The civil war (1917-1922), which unfolded on the territory of the former Russian Empire, was a fierce armed struggle for power between representatives of various classes, social strata and groups of a divided Russian society. It took place with the active intervention of a number of foreign states.

The following factors contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War:

The disunity of Russian society into irreconcilable parties, classes and groupings that sought to satisfy their narrow class, social, and regional interests by force of arms to the detriment of national ones. People who lived in the same country and spoke the same language began to look at each other as enemies;

The liquidation of landownership, the nationalization of factories and plants, carried out by decrees of the Soviet government, aroused fierce resistance from their former owners;

Foreign assistance to the White movement in the form of financial resources, weapons, equipment, as well as the direct participation of foreign troops in the fight against Soviet power on the territory of Russia;

The crisis of state power (the tsarist monarchy, and then the Provisional Government) led to the disintegration of the Russian Empire into regional, opposing governments. By the summer of 1918, Russia as a single state had virtually ceased to exist. From November 1917 to November 1922, in addition to the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (capital Petrograd, from March 1918 Moscow), several dozen independent Soviet republics and national state formations were created.

The main opposing forces in the Civil War were the Reds, the supporters of the Soviet state, who, for the purpose of armed protection, created the Red Guard (then the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army) and the White Guard movement, which formed the White armies.

The Russian army, tired of the three-year world war and finally decomposed during the revolutionary events of 1917, was completely demobilized by the Soviet government by the spring of 1918. On its remnants (trained command and rank and file; weapons, equipment, warehouses with military property) began to be created Red and White armies.

The detachments of the Red Guard, formed back in the period of the struggle against the “Kornilovshchina”, as well as individual parts of the old army that had taken the side of the Soviet government, could not resist the regular army of Kaiser Germany, which occupied a significant part of the territory of Russia, nor effectively fight against the ever-expanding internal counter-revolution . In this regard, in January 1918, the Council of People's Commissars adopted decrees on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) and the Workers' and Peasants' Red Fleet (RKKF) on a voluntary basis. But the volunteer recruitment principle did not ensure the creation of a mass Red Army. By the end of April 1918, it numbered only 195.8 thousand people, which was not enough to conduct large-scale hostilities. Therefore, from the end of May 1918, the transition from the recruitment of volunteers to compulsory military service began. This made it possible to increase the number of the Red Army by the end of 1918 to 725 thousand people, by June 1920 - up to 4.5 million, and by the end of the Civil War - up to 5.5 million people. Only the working masses received the right to defend the revolution with weapons in their hands. Non-labour elements were involved in various auxiliary duties (household work, construction of engineering structures, repair of equipment, etc.). In the summer of 1918, the Soviet Armed Forces began to be formed on the principles of unity of command, strong military discipline and centralized command. 75,000 former generals and officers from the 250,000 officer corps of the old Russian army and over 200,000 non-commissioned officers (sergeants) were involved in military construction.

The White Guard movement, which united the opponents of Soviet Russia, was not homogeneous, it was a motley conglomeration of various political parties and organizations. One part of the movement advocated the restoration of the monarchy, the second - for the republic, the third - for the military dictatorship. The main shock military forces of the Whites in the south of the country were the Volunteer Army, which was led by Generals Kornilov and Alekseev, and after their death, General Denikin and the Don Army of General Krasnov. In Siberia - the army of Admiral Kolchak, in the Baltic States the army of General Yudenich and other armed formations were formed. Since the summer of 1918, the White Guard armies, like the Red Army, began to move from volunteering to forced mobilization of privates and officers. The social and ideological heterogeneity of the White Guard movement led to the inconsistency of their military actions. The return of lands and enterprises to their former owners set the peasants and workers against them. The slogan of "one and indivisible Russia" did not receive the support of the peoples who had already separated from the former Russian Empire.

The civil war and military intervention in Russia lasted about five years (from October 1917 to October 1922). Depending on the scale of hostilities, several stages are distinguished in it.

1. The beginning of the Civil War and military intervention (October 1917 - May 1918). In most of Russia, Soviet power was established peacefully. Of the 97 major cities, only 18 saw armed clashes. During this period, the formation of the armed forces of the Reds and Whites was going on, they were small in number and were staffed mainly by volunteers. The fighting was local in nature and was usually carried out along the railway lines ("echelon war"). Detachments of the Red Guards and revolutionary-minded soldiers and sailors of the old army stopped the attempt of Kerensky - General Krasnov to move the troops of the 3rd Cavalry Corps to Petrograd, suppressed the centers of resistance of the Soviet power on the Don, the Southern Urals and other places. By the middle of the spring of 1918, the first scattered pockets of "internal counter-revolution" in the country were suppressed.

During this period, the greatest danger to the Soviet state was the grouping of troops of Kaiser Germany and its allies, which had developed on the Eastern (Russian) front during the First World War. There were about 60 divisions with a total strength of one million people. In February 1918, Germany broke off peace negotiations with the Soviet government and seized vast territories in the Baltic, Belarus, and Ukraine. In connection with the threat of the capture of Petrograd, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree "The Socialist Fatherland is in danger!" and mobilized all available forces to repel the German-Austrian military intervention.

2. The Soviet Republic in the ring of fronts (end of May - November 1918). Since the summer of 1918, the Civil War has become widespread. Fronts appear, battles are waged by regular mass armies manned by forced mobilizations. At the end of May 1918, a rebellion of 45 thousand Czechoslovak corps began. Created during the First World War from prisoners of war of the Austro-Hungarian army - Czechs and Slovaks, the corps, by agreement with the Provisional, and then the Soviet government, was transferred along the Trans-Siberian Railway through Vladivostok to Europe to participate in the war against Germany. The uprising of the Czechs led to the overthrow of Soviet power in the Volga region and Siberia.

In the spring of 1918, foreign interventionists stepped up their activities. German troops expanded the zone of their occupation - they captured the Crimea and part of the regions of the North Caucasus. British and French troops landed in Murmansk, and Japanese, British and American troops landed in Vladivostok. By the autumn of 1918, a significant part of the Soviet Republic - three-quarters of the country's territory - Siberia, the Urals, part of the Volga region and the North Caucasus, the European North were in the hands of interventionists and opponents of Soviet power.

3. Expansion of the military intervention of the Entente against Soviet Russia (November 1918 - February 1919). In November 1918, Germany and its allies were defeated in the First World War. This allowed the Entente countries to expand the scope of intervention and military assistance to the White movement. The British occupied Baku, landed in Batum and Novorossiysk, the French - in Odessa and Sevastopol. New allied contingents appeared in Murmansk and Vladivostok. In Siberia, in November 1918, Admiral Kolchak, with the support of the allies, was declared the temporary supreme ruler of Russia and the Supreme Commander of the Russian armies. In January 1919, General Denikin unites the Volunteer and Don armies into the armed forces of southern Russia.

In the spring of 1919, Kolchak's offensive to the Volga was stopped, his troops were thrown back to the Urals, and in the summer they were driven out to Siberia. In the summer of 1919, the center of the armed confrontation moved from the Eastern Front to the south. General Denikin captured Ukraine and launched an offensive against Moscow. In December 1919 - early 1920, his armies were defeated. Soviet power was restored in southern Russia, Ukraine and the North Caucasus. The remnants of Denikin's army took refuge on the Crimean peninsula and came under the command of General Wrangel. In the autumn of 1919, General Yudenich's attack on Petrograd by the Northwestern Army ended in defeat. The remnants of his army withdrew to the territory of Estonia, where they were disarmed and interned. In 1919, revolutionary fermentation began in the Allied occupation forces. The interventionists were forced to withdraw their troops from Russia.

5. The Soviet-Polish war and the defeat of Wrangel (April - November 1920). In the spring-autumn of 1920, the Red Army fought with the Polish army, which invaded Belarus and Ukraine. After the end of the Soviet-Polish war, the main forces of the Red Army were transferred to the Southern Front and participated in the defeat of the army of Baron Wrangel, the remnants of which were evacuated to Turkey.

6. The final stage of the Civil War (late 1920 - October 1922).

During this period, the last centers of resistance to Soviet power were liquidated and the interventionists were finally expelled from the territory of Russia. With the defeat of the main counter-revolutionary forces, hostilities continued in Transcaucasia, Central Asia and the Far East. With the liberation in October 1922 from the White Guards and the interventionists of Vladivostok and Primorye, the Civil War ended.

Economic disruption, famine, forcible seizure of grain stocks caused a whole series of armed rebellions in Kronstadt, in the Tambov region, in Siberia, in the North Caucasus, Ukraine, Belarus and other places. Military force to suppress them did not give the desired effect. The transition in March 1921 to the New Economic Policy (NEP), focused on the development of commodity-money relations and the market, led to a sharp narrowing of the social base of dissatisfaction with the Soviet government and the fading of the Civil War.

The civil war in Russia became a great historical drama of the people, where the victory of some classes and social groups was a defeat and tragedy for others. It brought huge material and spiritual losses to our country. In the fratricidal war, about 13 million people died, 2 million people were forced to emigrate. The total amount of damage caused to the country by the war amounted to about 50 billion gold rubles, industrial production fell to 4-20% of the 1913 level.

Thus, the Soviet Republic defeated the White armies and foreign interventionists by building a strong Red Army and pursuing a flexible policy that ensured the support of the majority of the country's population. Military publicist of the Russian emigration A.A. Kersnovsky rightly noted that "the Reds in the Civil War to a greater extent succeeded in state building, while the spontaneity and anarchism of the White movement led to its death."

Bibliography

1. Military history: Proc. for higher military-training. manager MO RF. - M., 2006.

2. Domestic military history. In three volumes. T.2-3. -M., 2003.

3. Russia and the USSR in wars: A statistical study. - M., 2001.

4. Zolotarev V.A. et al. Military history of Russia. - M., 2002.

5. Military Encyclopedia: In 8 volumes - M., 1994 - 2003.

1917-1921. Historical essay

1917-1921

General characteristics of the era

This period in the history of Russia is one of the brightest and most critical. There was a change of system, a change of power, completely different social relations were established. Tsarism was replaced by the Soviet system. However, it was difficult to install, for a long time. Many people died as a result of the Civil War and the red and white terror before the power of the Soviets was firmly established.

Events that can be described in a historical essay on the period 1917-1921

• Revolutionary events of February and October, struggle for power(Dual power, the Provisional Government and its crises, the Kornilov rebellion, the October Revolution, in the end - the victory of the Bolsheviks, the establishment of the power of the Soviets.
• Russia's withdrawal from World War I war (signing of the Brest Peace on March 3, 1918)
• Civil War(briefly the reasons, the main forces, the results, the reasons for the victory of the Reds, the rebellion of the Czechoslovak Corps)
• The first steps of the Soviet government(the first Decrees adopted at the 2nd Congress of Soviets, the formation of government bodies, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat)
• Struggle for one-party system, for the absolute power of the Bolsheviks(dispersal of the Constituent Assembly, defeat of the rebellion of the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, the establishment of Bolshevik power throughout Russia)

An example of a description of two events in a historical essay.

Historical events (phenomena, processes)

1. Civil War.

One of the most cruel, bloody events of this period was the Civil War (1918-1920, until 1922). Different forces participated in it, but the goal was the same: to defend their interests, to establish the power that they considered the most acceptable for Russia: the Bolsheviks, the "Reds", defended Soviet power, the "Whites", counter-revolutionaries, - the return of capitalist relations, " green" - defended national interests, opposed both the reds and the whites.

The civil war was complicated by the fact that during this period the Entente began the intervention, introducing its troops in the northwest and east, and also by the fact that the counter-revolutionary forces were supported by a part of the Russian population that did not accept Soviet power (kulaks, middle peasants, representatives of the bourgeoisie). In addition , a large negative role was played by the rebellion of the Czechoslovak Corps in May-March 1918, which greatly undermined the positions of the Soviets in the East for a while.

The Bolsheviks were able to clearly organize resistance, the Red Army was created, which was led by experienced military leaders. The tough, but at the same time justified policy of "war communism", the surplus appraisal, the creation of committees - all this mobilized all forces to fight the enemy. In addition, the people had a leader - Lenin V.I., who was believed, followed him, attracted by the goals and objectives that the Bolsheviks headed by Lenin, primarily on the peasant issue. At the end of 1922, Soviet power was firmly established throughout Russia.

1. Struggle for a one-party system, for the absolute power of the Bolsheviks.

From the first days of the creation of the RSDLP (b) party, he advocated the purity of the ranks, strove for a one-party system, fought the opposition. Not immediately after the seizure of power in October 1917, it was possible to do this. The Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks were still part of the authorities, had weight in society, and were supported by the population.

The first decisive blow to the parties was delivered on January 5-6, 1918, when the Bolsheviks dispersed the Constituent Assembly. Reason: the meeting did not accept the proposal of the Bolsheviks "Declaration of the Rights of the Working and Exploited People".

After the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, the Left Social Revolutionaries left the government, but continued to work in the Cheka, which later played a fatal role. AT March 1918 years they openly opposed the Bolsheviks, calling them "traitors to the revolution." The rebellion was suppressed, many rebels were arrested, the beginning of a one-party system in Russia was laid.

The result of this struggle was the resolution "On the Unity of the Party" adopted on 10 Congress of the RCP (b) in 1921 year (ban on various factions in the party, the actual justification of the fight against any dissent in the party.

The struggle for a purge in the party, begun by Lenin, will be continued by I.V. Stalin. During the period of mass political repression, millions of people will be arrested, and almost no one from the old Leninist guard will remain. This struggle will develop into a struggle for autocratic rule. And the beginning of this was laid in 1918, initiated by Lenin V.I.

Causal relationships

Both of these events have a common causal relationship. Let's consider them.

Causal links of these events.

1. One of the causes of the Civil War is the defense of the Soviet power, the power of the Bolsheviks, which has already gained popularity among the people, thanks to its program, especially regarding the transfer of land to the peasants.

2. The struggle for the unity of the party also had a reason - the establishment of the power of one party - the Bolsheviks.

Investigative connections of events.

The result of the events was:

1. Victory in the Civil War led to the defense of the Soviet system, the establishment of the power of the Soviets throughout the country, and the strengthening of the power of the Bolshevik Party.

2. The struggle for the unity of the party strengthened the ranks of the RPKP (b), representatives of the opposition gradually left it, the dictatorship of one party, the Bolsheviks, was established.

Historical assessment of the significance of this period for the history of Russia

The significance of the period 1917-1921 is enormous:

• The end of the monarchy
• Russia withdrew from World War I
• Soviet power established
• A decisive rebuff was given to all counter-revolutionary forces
• The first Decrees of Soviet power were adopted - on peace, on power, on land, new authorities were created
• The construction of socialism began.

The period of 1917-1921 is assessed differently by historians - from delight to criticism. Many events happened at this time, and each has responses to them. I will give examples of assessments of those events that I described in the essay.

Assessment of the events of the Civil War

• J. Edelman noted that the creation of state institutions that managed to mobilize forces to fight the enemy played a big role in the victory of the Reds in the war. He was amazed how the institutions of power with such a shortage of personnel could fulfill such a task - this is a mystery to him.
• In the monograph "Soviet managers 1917-19-20" author Gimpelson E.G. noted that in the central apparatus of power the majority were communists, with higher and secondary education, people from wealthy classes, but expressing the interests of the working people. These were educated people who clearly represented the goals and objectives, could competently organize the struggle. This is one of the keys to the success of victory in the civil war.
• Pavlyuchenkov S.A.. noted that in 1919-1920 there was a stateization of the party bodies. The party and the authorities merged, which led to the centralization of power in one hand. During the war years, this played a positive role, however, the formation of a totalitarian regime in the country and restrictions on democracy began.
• Historian Polchkov Yu.BUT. noted that the intervention seriously complicated the war: it supplied the White Guards with weapons and food. On the other hand, the invaders established a naval bloc, blocking the path of neutral ships to Russia, which made it impossible to receive industrial and food products, medicines, and this also became one of the causes of famine and epidemics.

Evaluation of the Resolution On the Unity of the Party

• Already at the 10th Congress, representatives of "workers' opposition", prominent party and trade union figures: Shlyapnikov A.G., Kollontai A.M., Medvedev S.P. they believed that it was impossible to unite all power in one hand: the party should be engaged in agitation, education of the masses, propaganda, trade unions should manage the national economy, and the Soviets should be engaged in state activities.
• Bolotskikh N.V., Deev V.G.. in work "Russian history" note that the purge in the party, in accordance with the resolution, led to the fact that 40% of party members and candidates were expelled from it, which shows how many were dissatisfied with this centralization of power. The history of the 1920s is an example of the fact that the resolution did not lead to a universal agreement, groupings constantly arose in the party regarding the search for further ways of development, which led to mass Stalinist repressions against dissidents.

Note

Material on the following topics for a historical essay on the period 1917-1921 can be found on the website: poznaemvmeste . en

1. February Revolution
2. Provisional government and its crises
3. Kornilov rebellion
4. October Revolution
5. Civil War
6. Left SR rebellion
7. Mutiny of the Czechoslovak Corps
8. Kronstadt uprising
9. war communism
10. 2nd Congress of Soviets, the first decrees of Soviet power,
11. The first steps of the Soviet government

About the personalities of this period, an article is being prepared on the specified site . Follow the publications.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Alexandrovna

1917-1922 are the period of formation of the Soviet state. They are characterized by the formation of new state bodies, the Civil War and the implementation of the policy of war communism.

After the October Revolution of 1917, the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries came to power in the country. After the seizure of power, elections were proclaimed to the Constituent Assembly, chaired by the Socialist-Revolutionary Chernov. However, the Bolsheviks, dissatisfied with the refusal to accept their program for the future state system, dispersed the assembly and actually took power into their own hands, gradually ousting the Mensheviks and Socialist-Revolutionaries from the Soviets.

In the first months of the Soviet government, they faced the task of making peace with Germany.

This goal is due to the following reasons: a deep socio-economic crisis in the country, a shortage of weapons and equipment, and people's fatigue from the war. Therefore, on March 3, 1918, the Brest Peace was signed, according to which Russia lost territories in the west, the Caucasus, a fleet in the Baltic and paid a huge indemnity. One of the consequences of the Brest Peace was confrontation, conflicts within the party and the country, which led to the Civil War.

The main goals of the new government were to strengthen its power in the territory of the former Russian Empire and create new government bodies designed to stabilize the socio-economic situation, restart the mechanism of the functioning of the state.

The white movement stood in the way of the Soviets - the bourgeoisie, entrepreneurs, officers, part of the peasantry, the Cossacks. The country was divided into two hostile camps, the Civil War began. Its reasons are the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly, which is capable of determining the future of Russia by joint efforts; the conclusion of the unfavorable, humiliating for Russia Brest peace; the policy of war communism, under which surplus appropriation was established through the committees, who forcibly took away even vital food supplies. Started in March 1918 with the rebellion of the Czechoslovak Corps, the Civil War flared up in other areas. In the Kuban, the northwest, the Urals, Siberia and other regions, separate, scattered groups of the white movement were formed - the bourgeoisie, part of the peasants, entrepreneurs, Cossacks. The Bolsheviks found themselves in the so-called "ring of fronts".

However, the Soviet government managed to competently organize the actions of its troops, leading from a single center, having an ideological army. Gradually, the white groups were defeated. A prominent figure in the Civil War was the commander of the Red Army, Mikhail Frunze. He organized operations against the main forces of Kolchak, to expel Wrangel and his troops from Northern Tavria, was awarded the Order of the Red Banner. He played an important role in the capture of the Russian territories by the Red Army and the proclamation of Soviet power in them.

In addition, new authorities were formed. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee was formed - the central legislative body, the Council of People's Commissars - the executive, the Supreme Economic Council, which was in charge of managing the state. Enterprises, the Cheka - the body to combat counter-revolution and sabotage, and others. V. I. Lenin became the chairman of the Council of People's Commissars. A prominent Bolshevik, he played the role of organizer, leader and leader of the young Soviet state. By his willful efforts, the October Revolution was carried out, he managed to lead both the Bolshevik Party and the state.

In historiography, the period from 1917 to 1922 is assessed ambiguously. On the one hand, it was at this time that an authoritarian regime was being formed, which flourished in later years and contributed to industrialization and the creation of a powerful military-industrial complex. Moreover, at this time, the Soviet state, by the forces of the Bolsheviks, retained many territories that belonged to the Russian Empire, which made it possible to preserve the integrity of the country and the united Russian nation. On the other hand, during the period of the Civil War and intervention, millions of people died at the hands of both Reds and Whites; the policy of war communism devastated the peasant farms, did not allow to put the economy in order in the countryside and the city. However, there is no doubt that during this historical period the foundations of Soviet statehood and a separate milestone in the history of Russia were laid.

Updated: 2018-01-28

Attention!
If you notice an error or typo, highlight the text and press Ctrl+Enter.
Thus, you will provide invaluable benefit to the project and other readers.

Thank you for your attention.