What year did the civil war take place? "White" and "Red" movement in the Civil War

Every Russian knows that in the Civil War of 1917-1922, two movements opposed - "red" and "white". But among historians there is still no consensus on how it began. Someone believes that the reason was Krasnov's March on Russian capital(the 25th of October); others believe that the war began when, in the near future, the commander of the Volunteer Army, Alekseev, arrived on the Don (November 2); it is also believed that the war began with the fact that Milyukov proclaimed the “Declaration of the Volunteer Army, delivering a speech at the ceremony, called the Don (December 27). Another popular opinion, which is far from unfounded, is the opinion that the Civil War began immediately after February Revolution when the whole society split into adherents and opponents of the Romanov monarchy.

"White" movement in Russia

Everyone knows that "whites" are adherents of the monarchy and the old order. Its beginnings were visible as early as February 1917, when the monarchy was overthrown in Russia and a total restructuring of society began. The development of the "white" movement was during the period when the Bolsheviks came to power, the formation of Soviet power. They represented a circle of dissatisfied with the Soviet government, disagreeing with its policy and principles of its conduct.
The "Whites" were fans of the old monarchical system, refused to accept the new socialist order, adhered to the principles traditional society. It is important to note that the "whites" were very often radicals, they did not believe that it was possible to agree on something with the "reds", on the contrary, they had the opinion that no negotiations and concessions were allowed.
The "Whites" chose the tricolor of the Romanovs as their banner. Admiral Denikin and Kolchak commanded the white movement, one in the South, the other in the harsh regions of Siberia.
The historical event that became the impetus for the activation of the "whites" and the transition to their side of most of the former army of the Romanov Empire is the rebellion of General Kornilov, which, although it was suppressed, helped the "whites" strengthen their ranks, especially in the southern regions, where, under the command of the general Alekseev began to gather huge resources and a powerful disciplined army. Every day the army was replenished due to newcomers, it grew rapidly, developed, tempered, trained.
Separately, it must be said about the commanders of the White Guards (this was the name of the army created by the "white" movement). They were unusually talented commanders, prudent politicians, strategists, tacticians, subtle psychologists, and skillful speakers. The most famous were Lavr Kornilov, Anton Denikin, Alexander Kolchak, Pyotr Krasnov, Pyotr Wrangel, Nikolai Yudenich, Mikhail Alekseev. You can talk about each of them for a long time, their talent and merits for the "white" movement can hardly be overestimated.
In the war the Whites long time won, and even summed up their troops in Moscow. But the Bolshevik army was growing stronger, besides, they were supported by a significant part of the population of Russia, especially the poorest and most numerous sections - workers and peasants. In the end, the forces of the White Guards were smashed to smithereens. For some time they continued to operate abroad, but without success, the "white" movement ceased.

"Red" movement

Like the "whites", in the ranks of the "reds" there were many talented commanders and politicians. Among them, it is important to note the most famous, namely: Leon Trotsky, Brusilov, Novitsky, Frunze. These commanders showed themselves excellently in battles against the White Guards. Trotsky was the main founder of the Red Army, which was the decisive force in the confrontation between the "whites" and the "reds" in the Civil War. The ideological leader of the "red" movement was Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, known to every person. Lenin and his government actively supported the most massive sections of the population Russian State, namely, the proletariat, the poor, the small and landless peasants, the working intelligentsia. It was these classes who quickly believed the tempting promises of the Bolsheviks, supported them and brought the "Reds" to power.
The main party in the country was the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party of the Bolsheviks, which was later turned into a communist party. In fact, it was an association of intelligentsia, adherents of the socialist revolution, whose social base was the working classes.
It was not easy for the Bolsheviks to win the Civil War - they had not yet completely strengthened their power throughout the country, the forces of their fans were dispersed throughout the vast country, plus the national outskirts began a national liberation struggle. A lot of effort was spent on the war with the Ukrainian People's Republic, so the Red Army during the Civil War had to fight on several fronts.
Attacks of the White Guards could come from any side of the horizon, because the White Guards surrounded the Red Army soldiers from all sides with four separate military formations. And despite all the difficulties, it was the “Reds” who won the war, mainly due to the broad social base of the Communist Party.
All representatives of the national outskirts united against the White Guards, and therefore they also became forced allies of the Red Army in the Civil War. To win over the inhabitants of the national outskirts, the Bolsheviks used loud slogans, such as the idea of ​​"one and indivisible Russia."
The Bolsheviks won the war with the support of the masses. The Soviet government played on the sense of duty and patriotism of Russian citizens. The White Guards themselves also added fuel to the fire, since their invasions were most often accompanied by mass robbery, looting, violence in its other manifestations, which could not in any way encourage people to support the "white" movement.

Results of the Civil War

As has been said several times, the victory in this fratricidal war went to the "Reds". The fratricidal civil war became a real tragedy for the Russian people. The material damage caused to the country by the war, according to estimates, amounted to about 50 billion rubles - unimaginable money at that time, several times higher than the amount of Russia's external debt. The level of industry because of this decreased by 14%, and Agriculture- by 50%. Human losses, according to various sources, ranged from 12 to 15 million. Most of these people died from starvation, repression, and disease. During the hostilities, more than 800 thousand soldiers from both sides gave their lives. Also, during the Civil War, the balance of migration dropped sharply - about 2 million Russians left the country and went abroad.

The civil war that took place in Russia from 1917 to 1922 was a bloody event, where in a brutal massacre brother went against brother, and relatives took up positions on opposite sides of the barricades. In this armed class clash on the vast territory of the former Russian Empire the interests of opposing political structures, conditionally divided into "reds" and "whites", intersected. This struggle for power took place with the active support of foreign states that tried to extract their interests from this situation: Japan, Poland, Turkey, Romania wanted to annex part of the Russian territories, while other countries - the USA, France, Canada, Great Britain expected to receive tangible economic preferences.

As a result of such a bloody civil war, Russia turned into a weakened state, the economy and industry of which were in a state of complete ruin. But after the end of the war, the country adhered to the socialist course of development, and this influenced the course of history throughout the world.

Causes of the civil war in Russia

A civil war in any country is always caused by aggravated political, national, religious, economic and, of course, social contradictions. The territory of the former Russian Empire was no exception.

• Social inequality in Russian society has been accumulating for centuries, and at the beginning of the 20th century it reached its apogee, since the workers and peasants found themselves in an absolutely powerless position, and their working and living conditions were simply unbearable. The autocracy did not want to smooth out social contradictions and carry out any significant reforms. It was during this period that the revolutionary movement grew, which managed to lead the Bolshevik parties.
• Against the backdrop of the protracted First World War, all these contradictions became noticeably aggravated, which resulted in the February and October revolutions.
• As a result of the revolution in October 1917, the political system in the state changed, and the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia. But the overthrown classes could not reconcile themselves to the situation and made attempts to restore their former dominance.
• The establishment of Bolshevik power led to the rejection of the ideas of parliamentarism and the creation of a one-party system, which prompted the parties of the Cadets, Socialist-Revolutionaries, and Mensheviks to fight Bolshevism, that is, the struggle between the “Whites” and the “Reds” began.
• In the fight against the enemies of the revolution, the Bolsheviks used non-democratic measures - the establishment of a dictatorship, repression, the persecution of the opposition, the creation of emergency bodies. This, of course, caused discontent in society, and among those dissatisfied with the actions of the authorities were not only the intelligentsia, but also workers and peasants.
• The nationalization of land and industry caused resistance from the former owners, which led to terrorist actions on both sides.
• Despite the fact that Russia ceased its participation in the First World War in 1918, a powerful interventionist group was present on its territory, which actively supported the White Guard movement.

The course of the civil war in Russia

Before the start of the civil war, there were loosely interconnected regions on the territory of Russia: in some of them, Soviet power was firmly established, others (southern Russia, Chita region) were under the authority of independent governments. On the territory of Siberia, in general, one could count up to two dozen local governments, not only not recognizing the power of the Bolsheviks, but also at enmity with each other.

When the civil war began, then all the inhabitants had to decide, that is, to join the “whites” or “reds”.

The course of the civil war in Russia can be divided into several periods.

First period: October 1917 to May 1918

At the very beginning of the fratricidal war, the Bolsheviks had to suppress local armed rebellions in Petrograd, Moscow, Transbaikalia and the Don. It was at this time from the dissatisfied new government a white movement emerged. In March, the young republic, after an unsuccessful war, concluded the shameful Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

Second period: June to November 1918

At this time, a full-scale civil war began: the Soviet Republic was forced to fight not only with internal enemies, but also with interventionists. As a result, most of the Russian territory was captured by enemies, and this threatened the existence of the young state. In the east of the country, Kolchak dominated, in the south Denikin, in the north Miller, and their armies tried to close the ring around the capital. The Bolsheviks, in turn, created the Red Army, which achieved its first military successes.

Third period: November 1918 to spring 1919

In November 1918, the First World War ended. Soviet power was established in the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Baltic territories. But already at the end of autumn, the Entente troops landed in the Crimea, Odessa, Batumi and Baku. But this military operation was not crowned with success, since revolutionary anti-war sentiments reigned in the troops of the interventionists. During this period of the struggle against Bolshevism, the leading role belonged to the armies of Kolchak, Yudenich and Denikin.

Fourth Period: Spring 1919 to Spring 1920

During this period, the main forces of the interventionists left Russia. In the spring and autumn of 1919, the Red Army won major victories in the East, South and North-West of the country, defeating the armies of Kolchak, Denikin and Yudenich.

Fifth period: spring-autumn 1920

The internal counter-revolution was completely destroyed. And in the spring the Soviet-Polish war began, which ended in complete failure for Russia. According to the Riga Peace Treaty, part of the Ukrainian and Belarusian lands went to Poland.

Sixth period:: 1921-1922

During these years, all the remaining centers of the civil war were liquidated: the rebellion in Kronstadt was suppressed, the Makhnovist detachments were destroyed, the Far East was liberated, the fight against the Basmachi in Central Asia.

The results of the civil war

• As a result of hostilities and terror, more than 8 million people died from hunger and disease.
• Industry, transport and agriculture were on the verge of disaster.

• The main result of this terrible war became the final assertion of Soviet power.

The civil war and military intervention of 1917-1922 in Russia is an armed struggle for power between representatives of various classes, social strata and groups of the former Russian Empire with the participation of the troops of the Quadruple Alliance and the Entente.

The main reasons for the Civil War and military intervention were: the intransigence of positions, groups and classes in matters of power, the economic and political course of the country; the rate of opponents of the Soviet government on overthrowing it by force of arms with the support of foreign states; the desire of the latter to protect their interests in Russia and prevent the spread revolutionary movement in the world; the development of national separatist movements on the outskirts of the former Russian Empire; the radicalism of the Bolshevik leadership, which considered revolutionary violence one of the most important means of achieving its political goals, and its desire to put into practice the ideas of the "world revolution".

As a result of the year, the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (Bolsheviks) and the Left Socialist-Revolutionary Party, which supported it (until July 1918), mainly expressed the interests of the Russian proletariat and the poorest peasantry, came to power in Russia. They were opposed by the motley in their social composition and often scattered forces of the other (non-proletarian) part Russian society, represented by numerous parties, movements, associations, etc., often at enmity with each other, but which, as a rule, adhered to an anti-Bolshevik orientation. An open clash in the struggle for power between these two main political forces in the country led to the Civil War. The main instruments for achieving the set goals in it were: on the one hand, the Red Guard (then the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army), on the other, the White Army.

In November-December 1917, Soviet power was established in most of Russia, but in a number of regions of the country, mainly in the Cossack regions, local authorities refused to recognize the Soviet government. They broke out in riots.

Foreign powers also intervened in the internal political struggle that unfolded in Russia. After Russia's withdrawal from the First World War, German and Austro-Hungarian troops in February 1918 occupied part of Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic States and southern Russia. To maintain Soviet power, Soviet Russia went to the conclusion of the Brest Peace (March 1918).

In March 1918, Anglo-French-American troops landed at Murmansk; in April - Japanese troops in Vladivostok. In May, the rebellion of the Czechoslovak Corps began, which consisted mainly of former prisoners of war who were in Russia and were returning home through Siberia.

The rebellion revived the internal counter-revolution. With its help, in May-July 1918, the Czechoslovaks captured the Middle Volga, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. The Eastern Front was formed to fight them.

The direct participation of the Entente troops in the war was limited. They mainly carried out guard duty, participated in the battles against the rebels, provided material and moral assistance to the White movement, and performed punitive functions. The Entente also established an economic blockade of Soviet Russia, seizing key economic areas, exerting political pressure on neutral states interested in trade with Russia, and imposing a naval blockade. Large-scale military operations against the Red Army were carried out only by units of the Separate Czechoslovak Corps.

In the south of Russia, with the help of the interventionists, pockets of counter-revolution arose: the White Cossacks on the Don, led by Ataman Krasnov, the Volunteer Army of Lieutenant General Anton Denikin in the Kuban, bourgeois-nationalist regimes in the Transcaucasus, Ukraine, etc.

By the summer of 1918, numerous groups and governments were formed on 3/4 of the country's territory, which opposed the Soviet regime. By the end of the summer, Soviet power was preserved mainly in the central regions of Russia and in part of the territory of Turkestan.

To combat external and internal counter-revolution, the Soviet government was forced to increase the size of the Red Army, improve its organizational and staff structure, operational and strategic management. Instead of curtains, front-line and army associations with the corresponding governing bodies (Southern, Northern, Western and Ukrainian fronts) began to be created. Under these conditions, the Soviet government nationalized large and medium-sized industry, took control of small industry, introduced labor service for the population, food requisitioning (the policy of "war communism"), and on September 2, 1918, declared the country a single military camp. All these measures made it possible to turn the tide of the armed struggle. In the second half of 1918, the Red Army won its first victories on the Eastern Front, liberated the territories of the Volga region, part of the Urals.

After the revolution in Germany that took place in November 1918, the Soviet government annulled the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Ukraine and Belarus were liberated. However, the policy of "war communism", as well as "decossackization", caused peasant and Cossack uprisings in various regions and made it possible for the leaders of the anti-Bolshevik camp to form numerous armies and launch a broad offensive against the Soviet Republic.

At the same time, the end of the First World War unleashed the hands of the Entente. The released troops were thrown against Soviet Russia. In Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Vladivostok and other cities, new parts of the invaders landed. Assistance to the White Guard troops increased sharply. As a result of a military coup in Omsk, the military dictatorship of Admiral Alexander Kolchak, a protege of the Entente, was established. In November-December 1918, his government created an army on the basis of the various White Guard formations that had previously existed in the Urals and Siberia.

The Entente decided to deliver the main blow to Moscow from the south. To this end, large formations of invaders landed in the Black Sea ports. In December, Kolchak's army intensified its operations, seizing Perm, but units of the Red Army, having captured Ufa, suspended its offensive.

At the end of 1918, the offensive of the Red Army began on all fronts. Left-bank Ukraine, Don region, Southern Urals, a number of areas in the north and northwest of the country. The Soviet Republic organized active work to disintegrate the interventionist troops. Revolutionary actions of soldiers began in them, and the military leadership of the Entente hastily withdrew troops from Russia.

In the territories occupied by the Whites and the interventionists, a partisan movement was active. Partisan formations were created spontaneously by the population or on the initiative of local party bodies. largest span partisan movement received in Siberia, on Far East, Ukraine and the North Caucasus. It was one of the most important strategic factors that ensured the victory of the Soviet Republic over numerous enemies.

At the beginning of 1919, the Entente developed a new plan of attack on Moscow, in which they staked on the forces of internal counter-revolution and small states adjacent to Russia.

The main role was assigned to Kolchak's army. Auxiliary blows were delivered: from the south - Denikin's army, from the west - the Poles and troops of the Baltic states, from the north-west - the White Guard Northern Corps and Finnish troops, from the north - the White Guard troops of the Northern Region.

In March 1919, Kolchak's army went on the offensive, delivering the main blows in the Ufa-Samara and Izhevsk-Kazan directions. She took possession of Ufa and began a rapid advance towards the Volga. The troops of the Eastern Front of the Red Army, having withstood the blow of the enemy, went on a counteroffensive, during which in May-July the Urals were occupied and in the next six months, with the active participation of partisans, Siberia.

In the summer of 1919, the Red Army, without stopping the victorious offensive in the Urals and Siberia, repelled the offensive created on the basis of the White Guard Northern Corps of the North-Western Army (General Nikolai Yudenich).

In the autumn of 1919, the main efforts of the Red Army were focused on fighting Denikin's troops, who launched an offensive against Moscow. The troops of the Southern Front defeated Denikin's armies near Orel and Voronezh, and by March 1920 pushed their remnants back to the Crimea and North Caucasus. At the same time, Yudenich's new offensive against Petrograd failed, and his army was routed. The destruction of the remnants of Denikin's troops in the North Caucasus was completed by the Red Army in the spring of 1920. In early 1920, the northern regions of the country were liberated. The Entente states completely withdrew their troops and lifted the blockade.

In the spring of 1920, the Entente organized a new campaign against Soviet Russia, in which the main striking force was the Polish militarists, who planned to restore the Commonwealth within the borders of 1772, and the Russian army under the command of Lieutenant General Pyotr Wrangel. Polish troops dealt the main blow in Ukraine. By mid-May 1920, they had advanced as far as the Dnieper, where they were stopped. During the offensive, the Red Army defeated the Poles and in August reached Warsaw and Lvov. In October, Poland withdrew from the war.

Wrangel's troops, who were trying to break into the Donbass and the Right-Bank Ukraine, were defeated in October-November during the counteroffensive of the Red Army. The rest of them went abroad. The main centers of the Civil War in Russia were eliminated. But on the outskirts it still continued.

In 1921-1922, anti-Bolshevik uprisings were suppressed in Kronstadt, in the Tambov region, in a number of regions of Ukraine, etc., and the remaining centers of interventionists and White Guards in Central Asia and the Far East were liquidated (October 1922).

The civil war in Russia ended with the victory of the Red Army. The territorial integrity of the state, which collapsed after the collapse of the Russian Empire, was restored. Outside the union of Soviet republics, which was based on Russia, only Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia remained, as well as Bessarabia, annexed to Romania, Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, which went to Poland.

The civil war had a detrimental effect on the state of the country. The damage done national economy, amounted to about 50 billion gold rubles, industrial production fell to 4-20% of the level of 1913, agricultural production was almost halved.

The irretrievable losses of the Red Army amounted to 940 thousand (mainly from typhus epidemics) and sanitary losses - about 6.8 million people. The White Guard troops, according to incomplete data, lost 125 thousand people only in battles. The total losses of Russia in the Civil War amounted to about 13 million people.

During the Civil War, the most distinguished military leaders in the Red Army were Joachim Vatsetis, Alexander Egorov, Sergei Kamenev, Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Vasily Blucher, Semyon Budyonny, Vasily Chapaev, Grigory Kotovsky, Mikhail Frunze, Ion Yakir and others.

Of the military leaders of the White movement, the most prominent role in the Civil War was played by Generals Mikhail Alekseev, Pyotr Wrangel, Anton Denikin, Alexander Dutov, Lavr Kornilov, Yevgeny Miller, Grigory Semenov, Nikolai Yudenich, Alexander Kolchak and others.

One controversial figure in the Civil War was the anarchist Nestor Makhno. He was the organizer of the "Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine", which at various times fought against Ukrainian nationalists, Austro-German troops, White Guards and units of the Red Army. Makhno three times entered into agreements with the Soviet authorities on the joint struggle against "domestic and world counter-revolution" and each time violated them. The core of his army (several thousand people) continued to fight until July 1921, when it was completely destroyed by the troops of the Red Army.

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At the first stage of the Civil War of 1917 - 1922/23, two powerful opposing forces took shape - "red" and "white". The first represented the Bolshevik camp, whose goal was a radical change in the existing system and the construction of a socialist regime, the second - the anti-Bolshevik camp, striving to return the order of the pre-revolutionary period.

The period between the February and October revolutions is the time of the formation and development of the Bolshevik regime, the stage of accumulation of forces. The main tasks of the Bolsheviks before the outbreak of the Civil War were: the formation of a social support, transformations in the country that would allow them to gain a foothold at the top of power in the country, and protect the achievements of the February Revolution.

The methods of the Bolsheviks in strengthening power were effective. First of all, this concerns propaganda among the population - the slogans of the Bolsheviks were relevant and helped to quickly form the social support of the "Reds".

The first armed detachments of the "Reds" began to appear on preparatory stage from March to October 1917. Home driving force such detachments were workers from industrial regions - this was the main force of the Bolsheviks, which helped them come to power during October revolution. At the time of the revolutionary events, the detachment numbered about 200,000 people.

The stage of formation of the power of the Bolsheviks required the protection of what was achieved during the revolution - for this, at the end of December 1917, the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission was created, headed by F. Dzerzhinsky. On January 15, 1918, the Cheka adopted a Decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army, and on January 29, the Red Fleet was created.

Analyzing the actions of the Bolsheviks, historians do not come to a consensus about their goals and motivations:

The most common opinion is that the “Reds” initially planned a large-scale Civil War, which would be a logical continuation of the revolution. fighting, the purpose of which was to promote the ideas of the revolution, would they consolidate the power of the Bolsheviks and spread socialism throughout the world. During the war, the Bolsheviks planned to destroy the bourgeoisie as a class. Thus, based on this, the ultimate goal of the "Reds" is a world revolution.

One of the admirers of the second concept is V. Galin. This version is fundamentally different from the first - according to historians, the Bolsheviks had no intention of turning the revolution into a Civil War. The goal of the Bolsheviks was to seize power, which they succeeded in the course of the revolution. But the continuation of hostilities was not included in the plans. The arguments of the fans of this concept: the transformations planned by the "Reds" demanded peace in the country, at the first stage of the struggle, the "Reds" were tolerant of other political forces. A turning point regarding political opponents occurred when in 1918 there was a threat to lose power in the state. By 1918, the "Reds" had a strong, professionally trained enemy - the White Army. Its backbone was the military times of the Russian Empire. By 1918, the fight against this enemy became purposeful, the army of the "Reds" acquired a pronounced structure.

At the first stage of the war, the actions of the Red Army were not successful. Why?

Recruitment to the army was carried out on a voluntary basis, which led to decentralization and disunity. The army was created spontaneously, without a specific structure - this led to a low level of discipline, problems in managing a large number of volunteers. The chaotic army was characterized not high level combat capability. Only since 1918, when the Bolshevik power was under threat, did the "Reds" decide to recruit troops according to the mobilization principle. From June 1918, they began to mobilize the military of the tsarist army.

The second reason is closely related to the first - against the chaotic, non-professional army of the "Reds" were organized, professional military, which at the time of the Civil War, participated in more than one battle. The "Whites" with a high level of patriotism were united not only by professionalism, but also by the idea - the White movement stood for a united and indivisible Russia, for order in the state.

The most characteristic feature of the Red Army is uniformity. First of all, it concerns the class origin. Unlike the "whites", whose army included professional soldiers, workers, and peasants, the "reds" accepted only proletarians and peasants into their ranks. The bourgeoisie was to be destroyed, so an important task was to prevent hostile elements from entering the Red Army.

In parallel with the hostilities, the Bolsheviks were implementing a political and economic program. The Bolsheviks pursued a policy of "red terror" against hostile social classes. IN economic sphere"War Communism" was introduced - a set of measures in domestic politics Bolsheviks throughout the Civil War.

Biggest victories for the Reds:

• 1918 - 1919 - the establishment of Bolshevik power on the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia.
• The beginning of 1919 - the Red Army goes on the counteroffensive, defeating the "white" army of Krasnov.
• Spring-summer 1919 - Kolchak's troops fell under the blows of the "Reds".
• The beginning of 1920 - the "Reds" ousted the "Whites" from the northern cities of Russia.
• February-March 1920 - the defeat of the rest of the forces of Denikin's Volunteer Army.
• November 1920 - the "Reds" ousted the "Whites" from the Crimea.
• By the end of 1920, the "Reds" were opposed by scattered groups of the White Army. The civil war ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.

Reference table of milestones, dates, events, causes and outcomes Russian civil war 1917 - 1922. This table is convenient to use for schoolchildren and applicants for self-study, in preparation for tests, exams and the exam in history.

The main causes of the civil war:

1. national crisis in the country, which gave rise to irreconcilable contradictions between the main social strata of society;

2. socio-economic and anti-religious policy of the Bolsheviks, aimed at inciting hostility in society;

3. attempts to aspire the nobility and return the lost position in society;

4. psychological factor in the form of a drop in value human life during the course of the events of the First World War.

First stage of the civil war (October 1917 - spring 1918)

Key events: the victory of the armed uprising in Petrograd and the overthrow of the Provisional Government, the hostilities were local in nature, the anti-Bolshevik forces used political methods of struggle or created armed formations (Volunteer Army).

	Events of the civil war
	The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly is taking place in Petrograd. The Bolsheviks, who found themselves in a clear minority (about 175 deputies against 410 SRs), leave the hall.
	By decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved.
	III All-Russian Congress of Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies. It adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Working and Exploited People and proclaimed the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).
	Decree on the creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. It is organized by L.D. Trotsky, People's Commissar for Military and Naval Affairs, and soon it will become a really powerful and disciplined army (voluntary recruitment replaced by mandatory military service, a large number of old military specialists were recruited, officer elections were canceled, political commissars appeared in the units).
	Decree on the creation of the Red Fleet. The suicide of Ataman A. Kaledin, who failed to raise the Don Cossacks to fight the Bolsheviks
	The volunteer army, after failures on the Don (the loss of Rostov and Novocherkassk), is forced to retreat to the Kuban (“Ice Campaign” by L.G. Kornilov)
	in Brest-Litovsk, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between Soviet Russia and the Central European powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary) and Turkey. Under the treaty, Russia loses Poland, Finland, the Baltic states, Ukraine and part of Belarus, and also cedes Kars, Ardagan and Batum to Turkey. In general, losses amount to 1/4 of the population, 1/4 of cultivated land, about 3/4 of coal and metallurgical industry. After the signing of the treaty, Trotsky resigned from the post of People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs and from April 8. becomes People's Commissar for Naval Affairs.
	March 6-8. VIII Congress of the Bolshevik Party (emergency), which takes on a new name - the Russian Communist Party (Bolsheviks). The congress approved Lenin's theses against the "left communists" supporting Line II. Bukharin to continue the revolutionary war.
	The landing of the British in Murmansk (initially, this landing was planned to repel the offensive of the Germans and their Finnish allies).
	Moscow becomes the capital of the Soviet state.
	March 14-16. The IV Extraordinary All-Russian Congress of Soviets is taking place, ratifying the peace treaty signed in Brest-Litovsk. In protest, the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries leave the government.
	The landing of Japanese troops in Vladivostok. The Japanese will be followed by the Americans, the British and the French.
	L.G. was killed near Ekaterinodar. Kornilov - A.I. replaces him at the head of the Volunteer Army. Denikin.
	II was elected Ataman of the Don Cossacks. Krasnov
	The People's Commissariat of Food has been given emergency powers to use force against peasants who do not want to hand over grain to the state.
	The Czechoslovak Legion (formed from about 50 thousand former prisoners of war who were supposed to be evacuated through Vladivostok) takes the side of the opponents of the Soviet regime.
	Decree on general mobilization into the Red Army.

The second stage of the civil war (spring - December 1918)

Key events: the formation of anti-Bolshevik centers and the beginning of active hostilities.

	In Samara, a Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly was formed, which includes Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks.
	Committees of the poor (combeds) were formed in the villages, which were tasked with fighting the kulaks. By November 1918, there were more than 100,000 commanders, but soon they would be disbanded due to numerous cases of abuse of power.
	The All-Russian Central Executive Committee decides to expel the Right Socialist-Revolutionaries and Mensheviks from the Soviets at all levels for counter-revolutionary activities.
	Conservatives and monarchists form the Siberian government in Omsk.
	General nationalization of large industrial enterprises.
	The beginning of the White offensive on Tsaritsyn.
	During the congress, the Left Social Revolutionaries attempted a coup in Moscow: J. Blumkin kills the new German ambassador, Count von Mirbach; F. E. Dzerzhinsky, chairman of the Cheka, was arrested.
	The government suppresses the rebellion with the support of the Latvian riflemen. There are wholesale arrests of the Left SRs. The uprising, raised in Yaroslavl by the SR-terrorist B. Savinkov, continues until July 21.
	At the V All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the first Constitution of the RSFSR is adopted.
	The landing of the Entente troops in Arkhangelsk. Formation of the Government of the North of Russia" headed by the old populist N. Tchaikovsky.
	All "bourgeois newspapers" are banned.
	White take Kazan.
	Aug 8-23 In Ufa, a meeting of anti-Bolshevik parties and organizations is held, at which the Ufa directory was created, headed by the Socialist-Revolutionary N. Avksentiev.
	The murder of the chairman of the Petrograd Cheka M. Uritsky student-Socialist-Revolutionary L. Kanegisser. On the same day in Moscow, Socialist-Revolutionary Fanny Kaplan severely wounds Lenin. The Soviet government declares that it will respond to the "White Terror" with the "Red Terror".
	Decree of the Council of People's Commissars on the Red Terror.
	The first major victory of the Red Army: Kazan was taken.
	Faced with the threat of a White offensive and foreign intervention, the Mensheviks declare their conditional support for the authorities. Their exclusion from the Soviets was canceled on November 30, 1919.
	In connection with the signing of an armistice between the Allies and defeated Germany The Soviet government cancels the Brest peace treaty.
	In Ukraine, a directory was formed headed by S. Petlyura, who overthrew Hetman P. Skoropadsky and on 14 December. Occupies Kyiv.
	The coup in Omsk, committed by Admiral A.V. Kolchak. With the support of the forces of the Entente, he overthrows the Ufa directory and declares himself the supreme ruler of Russia.
	Nationalization of domestic trade.
	The beginning of the Anglo-French intervention on the Black Sea coast
	The Council of Workers' and Peasants' Defense was created, headed by V. I. Lenin.
	The beginning of the offensive of the Red Army in the Baltic States, which continues until Jan. 1919. With the support of the RSFSR, ephemeral Soviet regimes are established in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Third stage (January - December 1919)

Key events: the climax of the Civil War is the equality of forces between reds and whites, large-scale operations are taking place on all fronts.

By the beginning of 1919, three main centers of the White movement had formed in the country:

1. troops of Admiral A.V. Kolchak (Urals, Siberia);

2. Armed forces of the South of Russia, General A.I. Denikin (Don region, North Caucasus);

3. troops of General N. N. Yudenich in the Baltic.

	Formation of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic.
	General A.I. Denikin unites under his command the Volunteer Army and the Don and Kuban Cossack armed formations.
	A food allocation was introduced: the peasants were obliged to hand over their surplus grain to the state.
	American President Wilson proposes to organize a conference on the Princes' Islands with the participation of all the warring parties in Russia. White refuses.
	The Red Army occupies Kyiv (the Ukrainian directory of Semyon Petliura accepts the patronage of France).
	Decree on the transfer of all lands to state ownership and on the transition "from individual forms of land use to comradely."
	The beginning of the offensive of the troops of Admiral A.V. Kolchak, which are moving towards Simbirsk and Samara.
	Consumer cooperatives have complete control over the distribution system.
	The Bolsheviks occupy Odessa. French troops leave the city, and also leave the Crimea.
	By a decree of the Soviet government, a system of forced labor camps was created - the beginning of the formation of the Gulag archipelago was laid.
	The beginning of the counteroffensive of the Red Army against the forces of A.V. Kolchak.
	The offensive of the white general N.N. Yudenich to Petrograd. It is shown at the end of June.
	The beginning of Denikin's offensive in Ukraine and in the direction of the Volga.
	The Supreme Council of the Allies grants support to Kolchak on the condition that he establish democratic government and recognize the rights of national minorities.
	The Red Army knocks out Kolchak's troops from Ufa, who continues to retreat and in July-August completely loses the Urals.
	Denikin's troops take Kharkov.
	Denikin launches an attack on Moscow. Kursk (September 20) and Orel (October 13) were taken, a threat loomed over Tula.
	The Allies establish an economic blockade of Soviet Russia, which will last until January 1920.
	The beginning of the counter-offensive of the Red Army against Denikin.
	The counteroffensive of the Red Army pushes Yudenich back to Estonia.
	The Red Army occupies Omsk, driving out the Kolchak forces.
	The Red Army knocks out Denikin's troops from Kursk
	The First Cavalry Army was created from two cavalry corps and one rifle division. S. M. Budyonny was appointed commander, and K. E. Voroshilov and E. A. Shchadenko were members of the Revolutionary Military Council.
	The Supreme Council of the Allies establishes the temporary military frontier of Poland along the "Curzon Line".
	The Red Army again takes Kharkov (12th) and Kyiv (16th). "
	L.D. Trotsky declares the need to "militaryize the troops."

Fourth stage (January - November 1920)

Key events: the superiority of the Reds, the defeat of the White movement in the European part of Russia, and then in the Far East.

	Admiral Kolchak renounces his title of supreme ruler of Russia in favor of Denikin.
	The Red Army again occupies Tsaritsyn (3rd), Krasnoyarsk (7th) and Rostov (10th).
	Decree on the introduction of labor service.
	Deprived of the support of the Czechoslovak corps, Admiral Kolchak was shot in Irkutsk.
	Feb - March. The Bolsheviks again take control of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk.
	The Red Army enters Novorossiysk. Denikin retreats to the Crimea, where he transfers power to General P.N. Wrangel (April 4).
	Formation of the Far Eastern Republic.
	The beginning of the Soviet-Polish war. The offensive of the troops of J. Pilsudski in order to expand the eastern borders of Poland and create a Polish-Ukrainian federation.
	The People's Soviet Republic was proclaimed in Khorezm.
	Establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan.
	Polish troops occupy Kyiv
	In the war with Poland, the Soviet counter-offensive began in the South Western front. Zhytomyr taken and Kyiv taken (June 12).
	taking advantage of the war with Poland, the white army of Wrangel undertakes an offensive from the Crimea to Ukraine.
	Offensive unfolds on the Western Front Soviet troops under the command of M. Tukhachevsky, who approached Warsaw in early August. According to the Bolsheviks, entry into Poland should lead to the establishment of Soviet power there and cause a revolution in Germany.
	"Miracle on the Vistula": near Vepshem, Polish troops (supported by the Franco-British mission led by General Weygand) enter the rear of the Red Army and win. The Poles liberate Warsaw, go on the offensive. The hopes of the Soviet leaders for a revolution in Europe are crumbling.
	People's Soviet Republic proclaimed in Bukhara
	Armistice and preliminary peace talks with Poland in Riga.
	In Dorpat, a peace treaty was signed between Finland and the RSFSR (which retains eastern part Karelia).
	The Red Army begins an offensive against Wrangel, crosses the Sivash, takes Perekop (November 7-11) and by November 17. occupies the whole Crimea. Allied ships are evacuating to Constantinople more than 140 thousand people - civilians and military personnel of the White Army.
	The Red Army occupies Crimea completely.
	Proclamation of the Armenian Soviet Republic.
	In Riga, Soviet Russia and Poland sign the Border Treaty. The Soviet-Polish war of 1919-1921 ended.
	Defensive battles began during the Mongolian operation, defensive (May - June), and then offensive (June - August) actions of the troops of the 5th Soviet army, the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic and the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Army.

Results and consequences of the Civil War:

A very severe economic crisis, devastation in the economic sphere, the fall industrial production 7 times, agricultural - 2 times; huge demographic losses - during the years of the First World War and the Civil War, about 10 million people died from hostilities, famine and epidemics; the final formation of the Bolshevik dictatorship, while the harsh methods of governing the country during the Civil War began to be considered as quite acceptable for peacetime.

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A source of information: History in tables and diagrams. / Edition 2e, St. Petersburg: 2013.