Who were the White armies in the Russian Civil War?
The White armies. The White armies (also known as White Guards or just ‘the Whites’) were counter-revolutionary groups that participated in the Russian Civil War. These White armies fought against the Bolshevik-controlled Red Army for the control of Russia.
Who commanded the White Russians in WW1?
Most White forces were commanded by former tsarist generals of varying skill and expertise. The infamous General Kornilov commanded a White force in southern Russia before his early death in April 1918. His successor, General Anton Denikin, attempted an assault on Moscow in 1919, before being pushed back toward Crimea.
Who led the White Army in the south during WWI?
Also leading a White army in the south was Pyotr Wrangel, a distinguished veteran of World War I who had attained general rank in 1917. Wrangel proved a more patient and perceptive leader than Denikin.
Who supported the White Russians in the war of Independence?
…held Odessa, supported the Russian Whites, whose army was grouping around Gen. Anton Denikin in southern Russia.
Who commanded the White Russian armies?
Whites in northern Russia General Nikolai Yudenich, the oldest of the White military commanders, controlled the White army in north-western Russia. A 40-year army veteran, Yudenich was leading operations against the Ottoman Empire in the Caucasus when the revolution erupted.
Who supported the White Army in the Russian Civil War?
The Whites had backing from Great Britain, France, the U.S., and Japan, while the Reds possessed internal support which proved much more effective. The Red Army defeated the White Armed Forces of South Russia in Ukraine and the army led by Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak in Siberia in 1919.
Who organized the White Army?
General Lavr Kornilov now organized a Volunteer Army and in January 1918 his forces numbered 3,000 men. Over the next few months other groups who opposed the Bolshevik government joined the struggle. Eventually these soldiers became known as the Whites.
Who were the red and White Army in the Russian revolution?
The Red Army fought for the Lenin's Bolshevik government. The White Army represented a large group of loosely allied forces, including monarchists, capitalists and supporters of democratic socialism.
Who were the Greens and Whites in Russia?
During 1918 and 1919, the 'greens' (socialist revolutionaries) and the 'whites' (pro-Tsarists) controlled most of the Russian empire. They were backed by French, American, British and Japanese troops who were opposed to the growth of socialism in Russia.
Who supported the Red Army?
Helped by aid from the United States and Britain, the Soviet Union was able to build up the Red Army. The large tank corps were replaced by independent tank brigades of about 90 tanks. In late 1942 the Red Army created tank corps that contained one motorized infantry and two tank brigades.
What groups made up the White Army?
The Red Army was made up of people who supported Lenin and the establishment of socialism in Russia whereas the White Army was composed of Tsarists who remained faithful to the Imperial family and refused the victory of Bolsheviks.
Who was the leader of the Bolsheviks?
leader Vladimir LeninLed by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin, leftist revolutionaries launch a nearly bloodless coup d'État against Russia's ineffectual Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks and their allies occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in the Russian capital of Petrograd (now St.
Why the White Army lost the Russian Civil War?
White Army weaknesses The Whites had a number of weaknesses that led to their defeat. Low moral- their lack of a clear aim or plan was less enticing than the Bolshevik cause- the establishment and survival of the revolution and a communist Russia.
Who were known as white in Russia?
Beloye dvizheniye, IPA: [ˈbʲɛləɪ dvʲɪˈʐenʲɪɪ]) also known as the Whites (Бѣлые / Белые, Beliye), was a loose confederation of anti-communist forces that fought the communist Bolsheviks, also known as the Reds, in the Russian Civil War (1917–1922/1923) and that to a lesser extent continued operating as militarized ...
Who was the leader of the Red Army?
Leon TrotskyIts founder was Leon Trotsky, with the title People's Commissar, which he lost in the power struggle against Stalin in 1924. Red Army soldiers man the artillery. The Red Army faced the problem of creating a competent and reliable officers' corps, leading Trotsky to mobilize former officers of the imperial army.
What was the Russian Civil War?
The Russian Civil War pitted communist Red armies against counter-revolutionary White armies in a six year long armed struggle. This is a look at those White forces. With the fall of the Provisional Government of Alexander Kerensky to the Bolshevik ‘Red Army’ in November 1917, a number of anti-Bolshevik forces assembled all over Russia ...
How was the Southern Army formed?
For instance, the Southern Army was formed from a small regiment-sized force that had been led away from the Rumanian front.
Where did the Northwest Army come from?
The Northwest Army started from bands of freed Russian Army prisoners of war held and organized by the Germans. In the Pacific and Siberia the core of the armies came from new units that were being organised to fight in World War One.
What was the White Army's main goal in 1917?
The White Army had the stated aim to keep law and order in Russia as the Tsar's army before the civil war and the revolution of Russia.
What did the White leaders accept?
Many of the White leaders accepted autocracy while remaining suspicious of "politics," which they characterized as consisting of speeches, elections, and party activities. Aside from being anti-Bolshevik and anti-Communist and patriotic, the Whites had no set ideology or main leader.
What was the 8th Army?
Kornilov's Shock Detachment ( 8th Army ), later became the Volunteer Army's elite Shock Regiment. The Volunteer Army in South Russia became the most prominent and the largest of the various and disparate White forces. Starting off as a small and well-organized military in January 1918, the Volunteer Army soon grew.
What is the White movement?
Beloye dvizheniye, IPA: [ˈbʲɛləɪ dvʲɪˈʐenʲɪɪ]) also known as the Whites (Бѣлые/Белые, Beliye ), was a loose confederation of anti-communist forces that fought the communist Bolsheviks, also known as the Reds, in the Russian Civil War ...
Where did the Russians go to exile?
White propaganda poster. The defeated anti-Bolshevik Russians went into exile, congregating in Belgrade, Berlin, Paris, Harbin, Istanbul, and Shanghai. They established military and cultural networks that lasted through World War II (1939–1945), e.g., the Russian community in Harbin and the Russian community in Shanghai.
Where did the Reds and Whites fight?
The Whites and the Reds fought the Russian Civil War from November 1917 until 1921, and isolated battles continued in the Far East until 1923. The White Army—aided by the Allied forces ( Triple Entente) from countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy and the United States and (sometimes) the Central Powers forces such as Germany and Austria-Hungary —fought in Siberia, Ukraine, and the Crimea. They were defeated by the Red Army due to military and ideological disunity, as well as the determination and increasing unity of the Red Army.
Who was the commander of the Kuban Cossacks?
In late February 1918, 4,000 soldiers under the command of General Aleksei Kaledin were forced to retreat from Rostov-on-Don due to the advance of the Red Army.
What was the Russian Civil War?
Grazhdanskaya voyna v Rossii) was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire immediately after the two Russian revolutions of 1917, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. The two largest combatant groups were the Red Army, ...
Who was the new war minister in Russia?
In Omsk the Russian Provisional Government quickly came under the influence – then the dominance – of its new War Minister, Rear-Admiral Kolchak. On 18 November a coup d'état established Kolchak as dictator. The members of the Directory were arrested and Kolchak proclaimed the "Supreme Ruler of Russia".
What were the main articles of the Russian Civil War?
Main articles: White movement, Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine, Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, Pro-independence movements in Russian Civil War, and Left-wing uprisings against the Bolsheviks.
How many people died in the Polish-Soviet war?
Soviet demographer Boris Urlanis estimated the total number of men killed in action in the Civil War and Polish–Soviet War as 300,000 (125,000 in the Red Army, 175,500 White armies and Poles) and the total number of military personnel dead from disease (on both sides) as 450,000.
What was the Russian Provisional Government?
As a result, the Russian Provisional Government was established , and soviets, elected councils of workers, soldiers, and peasants, were organized throughout the country, leading to a situation of dual power. Russia was proclaimed a republic in September of the same year.
How many men were left behind in the Novorossiysk evacuation?
Russian and Allied ships evacuated about 40,000 of Denikin's men from Novorossiysk to the Crimea, without horses or any heavy equipment, while about 20,000 men were left behind and either dispersed or captured by the Red Army.
What happened in 1918?
In May 1918, the Czech Legion in Russia revolted in Siberia. Reacting to this, the Allies began an intervention in Northern Russia and Siberia. This, combined with the creation of the Provisional All-Russian Government, saw the reduction of the Bolsheviks to most of European Russia and parts of Central Asia.
When did the Red Army invade Ukraine?
At the beginning of 1919 Red Army forces invaded Ukraine. The remnants of the forces of the Socialist Revolutionaries, headed by Symon Petlyura, retreated westward, where they joined forces with Ukrainian nationalist forces from formerly Austrian Galicia.
What was the name of the army that landed in Vladivostok?
On April 5 Japanese forces landed at Vladivostok, without any approval. A further factor was the Czechoslovak Legion, composed of Czech and Slovak deserters from the Austro-Hungarian army, whom previous Russian governments had allowed to form their own units.
What were the two anti-Bolshevik authorities?
In the vacuum created by this action, two anti-Bolshevik authorities appeared: the West Siberian Commissariat, of predominantly liberal complexion, based at Omsk; and the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly, composed of Socialist Revolutionaries, based at Samara. Czechoslovak Legion. Members of the Czechoslovak Legion in Vladivostok ...
What were the causes of the Russian Revolution?
Russia’s disastrous performance in World War I was one of the primary causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917, which swept aside the Romanov dynasty and installed a government that was eager to end the fighting. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) whereby Russia yielded large portions of its territory to Germany caused a breach between the Bolsheviks ( Communists) and the Left Socialist Revolutionaries, who thereupon left the coalition. In the next months there was a marked drawing together of two main groups of Russian opponents of Lenin: (1) the non-Bolshevik left, who had been finally alienated from Lenin by his dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and (2) the rightist whites, whose main asset was the Volunteer Army in the Kuban steppes. This army, which had survived great hardships in the winter of 1917–18 and which came under the command of Gen. Anton I. Denikin (April 1918), was now a fine fighting force, though small in numbers.
What happened in 1918?
At the same time, the Western Allies, desperately pressed by a new German offensive in northern France in the spring of 1918, were eager to create another front in the east by reviving at least a part of the Russian army.
What happened in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk?
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (1918) whereby Russia yielded large portions of its territory to Germany caused a breach between the Bolsheviks ( Communists) and the Left Socialist Revolutionaries, who thereupon left the coalition.
Who were the two main groups of Russian opponents of Lenin?
In the next months there was a marked drawing together of two main groups of Russian opponents of Lenin: (1) the non-Bolshevik left, who had been finally alienated from Lenin by his dissolution of the Constituent Assembly and (2) the rightist whites, whose main asset was the Volunteer Army in the Kuban steppes.
What happened to Russia in 1918?
Areas on the outskirts of the Russian empire took advantage of the chaos to declare independence and in 1918 almost the whole periphery of Russia was lost to the Bolsheviks by localized military revolts.
Who took over the Siberian Provisional Government?
However, a coup led by Admiral Kolchak took it over, and he was proclaimed Supreme Ruler of Russia.
What did the Bolsheviks see in the war?
The Bolsheviks saw the war as a struggle between their workers and Russia’s upper and middle classes, and as a war of socialism against international capitalism.
How did the Bolsheviks consolidate power?
The Bolsheviks have consolidated their power, with the party expanding, dissidents being quelled and institutions taking shape. Quite what effect the war had on the Bolsheviks, who started with a loose grip on Russia with little established, and ended firmly in charge, is debated.
What was the nature of the Reds and Whites?
The Nature of the Reds and Whites. The ‘Reds’ were clustered around the capital. Operating under the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, they had a uniform agenda, albeit one that shifted as the war continued. They were fighting to retain control and keep Russia together.
What happened in 1917?
In 1917, after the second revolution in one year, the socialist Bolsheviks had seized command of Russia’s political heart. They dismissed the elected Constitutional Assembly at gunpoint and banned opposition politics; it was clear they wanted a dictatorship.
What happened in 1918 in the Far East?
Japanese troops had also landed in the Far East, while in late 1918 the French arrived through the south in the Crimea and British in the Caucuses. The Don Cossacks, after initial problems, rose and seized control of their region and started pushing out.
Who led the White Army in Ukraine?
The main resistance came from Nestor Makhno, the leader of an Anarchist army in the area. Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko, led the Red Army and gradually pro-Bolsheviks took control of the Ukraine.
Who was the commander of the Red Army in the Volga?
Vladimir Lenin appointed Leon Trotsky as commissar of war and was sent to rally the Red Army in the Volga. Trotsky proved to be an outstanding military commander and Kazan and Simbirsk were recaptured in September, 1918.
How many men were in the Volunteer Army in 1918?
General Lavr Kornilov now organized a Volunteer Army and in January 1918 his forces numbered 3,000 men. Over the next few months other groups who opposed the Bolshevik government joined the struggle. Eventually these soldiers became known as the Whites.
What was the main threat to the Bolsheviks?
The main threat to the Bolsheviks was the German Army that was advancing towards Petrograd. On 3rd March, 1918, Vladimir Lenin ordered his team of negotiators to sign the Brest-Litovsk Treaty. This resulted in the Russians having to surrendering the Ukraine, Finland, the Baltic provinces, the Caucasus and Poland.
What happened in 1918 in Russia?
This decision increased the hostility inside Russia towards the Bolsheviks. In May, 1918, the Czechoslovak Corps revolted after being badly treated by local Red Guards. Over the next four months the Czech Legion took a vast area of land east of the Volga. The White Army also won battles at Simbirsk and Kazan.
How many soldiers were in the Red Army in 1918?
By December, 1918, there were 200,000 foreign soldiers supporting the anti-Bolshevik forces. The Red Army continued to grow and now had over 500,000 soldiers in its ranks. This included over 40,000 officers who had served under Nicholas II.
What was the White Disaster?
The White disaster was the result of two cardinal errors: their failure to have the intelligence and courage to carry out agrarian reform in the territories they wrested from the Revolution, and their reinstatement everywhere of the ancient trinity of generals, high clergy, and landlords.
Who were the leaders of the Bolsheviks?
While the Bolsheviks had Lenin as their leader, no one person was in charge of the White forces. The Whites had several leaders - Yudenich, Kolchak, Deniken and Wrangel. All wanted glory for themselves. While trying to defeat the Reds, they were also often in competition with each other.
What were the reasons for the victory of the Reds in the Russian Civil War?
Reasons for the victory of the Reds in the Civil War. In Lenin and Trotsky, the Bolsheviks had strong leaders. They used ruthless tactics and propaganda to great effect. Geographical position also contributed to the Reds victory in the Russian Civil War. Part of.
What were the advantages of the White Armies in the Civil War?
The White Armies appeared to have a number of advantages in the Civil War: Their leaders were experienced military commanders. They controlled huge areas of Russia. They had the Bolsheviks surrounded. They had the active support of foreign countries, which intervened in the Civil War on their behalf.
What were the problems of the White Armies during the Civil War?
However, as the Civil War developed, the White Armies began to face major problems and difficulties in organising their campaigns. Against the drive and ruthless energy of the Bolsheviks, their campaigns faltered.
Overview
Structure and ideology
In the Russian context after 1917, "White" had three main connotations:
1. Political contra-distinction to "the Reds", whose revolutionary Red Army supported the Bolshevik government.
2. Historical reference to absolute monarchy, specifically recalling Russia's first Tsar, Ivan III (reigned 1462–1505), at a period when some styled the ruler of Muscovy Albus Rex ("the White King").
Theatres of operation
The Whites and the Reds fought the Russian Civil War from November 1917 until 1921, and isolated battles continued in the Far East until 1923. The White Army—aided by the Allied forces (Triple Entente) from countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Italy and the United States and (sometimes) the Central Powers forces such as Germany and Austria-Hungary—fought in Siberia, Ukraine, and the Crimea. They were defeated by the Red Army due to military a…
Post-Civil War
The defeated anti-Bolshevik Russians went into exile, congregating in Belgrade, Berlin, Paris, Harbin, Istanbul, and Shanghai. They established military and cultural networks that lasted through World War II (1939–1945), e.g., the Russian community in Harbin and the Russian community in Shanghai. Afterward, the White Russians' anti-Communist activists established a home base in the United States, to which numerous refugees emigrated.
Prominent people
• Mikhail Alekseyev
• Vladimir Antonov
• Nicholas Savich Bakulin
• Pavel Bermondt-Avalov
• Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz
Related movements
After the February Revolution, in western Russia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania declared themselves independent, but they had substantial Communist or Russian military presence. Civil wars followed, wherein the anti-Communist side may be referred to as White Armies, e.g. the White Guard-led, partially conscripted army in Finland (valkoinen armeija). However, since they were nationalists, their aims were substantially different from the Russian White Army proper; for inst…
See also
• 1st Infantry Brigade (South Africa)
• Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
• Basmachi movement
• Czechoslovak Legions
External links
• Anti-Bolshevik Russia in pictures
• Museum and Archives of the White Movement
• (in Russian) Memory and Honour Association
• (in Russian) History of the White Movement
Overview
The Russian Civil War (Russian: Гражданская война в России, tr. Grazhdanskaya voyna v Rossii; 7 November 1917 — 16 June 1923) was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the overthrowing of the monarchy and the new republican government's failure to maintain stability, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future, resulting in the forma…
Background
The Russian Empire fought in World War I from 1914 alongside France and the United Kingdom (Triple Entente) against Germany, Austria-Hungary and later the Ottoman Empire (Central Powers).
The February Revolution of 1917 resulted in the abdication of Nicholas II of Russia. As a result, the Russian Provisional Government was established, and soviets, elected councils of workers, soldiers, and peasants, were organized throughout the country, leading to a situation of dual power. …
Geography and chronology
In the European part of Russia the war was fought across three main fronts: the eastern, the southern and the northwestern. It can also be roughly split into the following periods.
The first period lasted from the Revolution until the Armistice. Already on the date of the Revolution, Cossack General Alexey Kaledin refused to recognize it a…
Warfare
In the October Revolution, the Bolshevik Party directed the Red Guard (armed groups of workers and Imperial army deserters) to seize control of Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) and immediately began the armed takeover of cities and villages throughout the former Russian Empire. In January 1918 the Bolsheviks dissolved the Russian Constituent Assembly and proclaimed the Soviets (work…
Aftermath
In Central Asia, Red Army troops continued to face resistance into 1923, where basmachi (armed bands of Islamic guerrillas) had formed to fight the Bolshevik takeover. The Soviets engaged non-Russian peoples in Central Asia, like Magaza Masanchi, commander of the Dungan Cavalry Regiment, to fight against the Basmachis. The Communist Party did not completely dismantle the group unti…
In fiction
• The Road to Calvary (1922–41) by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
• Chapaev (1923) by Dmitri Furmanov
• The Iron Flood (1924) by Alexander Serafimovich
• Red Cavalry (1926) by Isaac Babel
See also
• Bibliography of the Russian Revolution and Civil War
• Index of articles related to the Russian Revolution and Civil War
• Nikolayevsk incident
• Revolutionary Mass Festivals
Further reading
• Acton, Edward, V. et al. eds. Critical companion to the Russian Revolution, 1914–1921 (Indiana UP, 1997).
• Brovkin, Vladimir N. (1994). Behind the Front Lines of the Civil War: Political Parties and Social Movements in Russia, 1918–1922. Princeton UP. excerpt Archived 28 July 2020 at the Wayback Machine