Civil war chronology of events table. Civil war: participants, stages, main fronts

Civil War - armed confrontation between different groups of the population, as well as a war of different national, social and political forces for the right to gain dominance within the country.

The main causes of the Civil War in Russia

1. A nationwide crisis in the state, which sowed irreconcilable contradictions between the main social strata of society;
2. Getting rid of the Provisional Government, as well as the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly by the Bolsheviks;
3. A special character in the anti-religious and socio-economic policy of the Bolsheviks, which consisted of inciting hostility between groups of the population;
4. An attempt by the bourgeoisie and nobility to regain their lost position;
5. Refusal of cooperation of the Socialist Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and anarchists with the Soviet regime;
6. Signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Germany in 1918;
7. Loss of value of human life during war.

Key dates and events of the Civil War

First stage lasted from October 1917 to the spring of 1918. During this period, armed clashes were local in nature. The Central Rada of Ukraine opposed the new government. Türkiye launched an attack on Transcaucasia in February and was able to capture part of it. A Volunteer Army was created on the Don. During this period, the victory of the armed uprising in Petrograd took place, as well as liberation from the Provisional Government.

Second phase lasted from spring to winter 1918. Anti-Bolshevik centers were formed.

Important dates:

March, April - Germany's seizure of Ukraine, the Baltic states and Crimea. At this time, the Entente countries are planning to enter Russian territory with their army. England sends troops to Murmansk, and Japan - to Vladivostok.

May June - The battle takes on national proportions. In Kazan, the Czechoslovaks took possession of Russia's gold reserves (about 30,000 pounds of gold and silver, at that time their value was 650 million rubles). A number of Socialist Revolutionary governments were created: the Provisional Siberian Government in Tomsk, the Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly in Samara, and the Ural Regional Government in Yekaterinburg.

August— the creation of an army of about 30,000 people due to a workers' uprising at the Izhevsk and Botkin factories. Then they were forced to retreat with their relatives to Kolchak's army.

September - An “all-Russian government” was created in Ufa - the Ufa Directory.

November - Admiral A.V. Kolchak dissolved the Ufa Directory and presented himself as the “supreme ruler of Russia.”

Third stage lasted from January to December 1919. Large-scale operations took place on different fronts. By the beginning of 1919, 3 main centers of the White movement were formed in the state:

1. Army of Admiral A.V. Kolchak (Ural, Siberia);
2. Troops of the South of Russia of General A.I. Denikin (Don Region, North Caucasus);
3. Armed forces of General N. N. Yudenich (Baltic states).

Important dates:

March, April - There was an offensive of Kolchak’s army on Kazan and Moscow, attracting many resources by the Bolsheviks.

April-December— The Red Army makes a counter-offensive led by (S. S. Kamenev, M. V. Frunze, M. N. Tukhachevsky). Kolchak's armed forces are forced to retreat beyond the Urals, and then they are completely destroyed by the end of 1919.

May June - General N.N. Yudenich makes the first attack on Petrograd. They barely fought back. General offensive of Denikin's army. Part of Ukraine, Donbass, Tsaritsyn and Belgorod were captured.

September October - Denikin makes an attack on Moscow and advances to Orel. The second offensive of the armed forces of General Yudenich on Petrograd. The Red Army (A.I. Egorov, SM. Budyonny) launches a counter-offensive against Denikin’s army, and A.I. Kork against Yudenich’s forces.

November - Yudenich's detachment was thrown back to Estonia.

Results: at the end of 1919 there was a clear preponderance of forces in favor of the Bolsheviks.

Fourth stage lasted from January to November 1920. During this period, the White movement was completely defeated in the European part of Russia.

Important dates:

April-October — Soviet-Polish war. Polish troops invaded Ukraine and captured Kyiv in May. The Red Army launches a counteroffensive.

October - The Riga Peace Treaty was signed with Poland. Under the terms of the treaty, Poland took Western Ukraine and Western Belarus. However, Soviet Russia was able to free troops for an attack in Crimea.

November - the war of the Red Army (M.V. Frunze) in Crimea with Wrangel’s army. The end of the Civil War in the European part of Russia.

Fifth stage lasted from 1920 to 1922. During this period, the White movement in the Far East was completely destroyed. In October 1922, Vladivostok was liberated from Japanese forces.

Reasons for the Red victory in the Civil War:

1. Widespread support from various popular masses.
2. Weakened by the First World War, the Entente states were unable to coordinate their actions and carry out a successful attack on the territory of the former Russian Empire.
3. It was possible to win over the peasantry with an obligation to return the seized lands to the landowners.
4. Weighted ideological support for military companies.
5. The Reds were able to mobilize all resources through the policy of “war communism”; the Whites were unable to do this.
6. There is a greater number of military specialists who strengthened and made the army stronger.

Results of the civil war

• The country was virtually destroyed, a deep economic crisis, the loss of efficiency of many industrial production, and a decline in agricultural work.
• Estonia, Poland, Belarus, Latvia, Lithuania, Western, Bessarabia, Ukraine and a small part of Armenia were no longer part of Russia.
• Population loss of about 25 million people (famine, war, epidemics).
• The absolute establishment of the Bolshevik dictatorship, strict methods of governing the country.

Civil War

Poster from the Civil War period.

Artist D. Moore, 1920

Civil War is an armed struggle between various social, political and national forces for power within the country.

When the event took place: October 1917-1922

Causes

Irreconcilable contradictions between the main social strata of society

Features of the Bolshevik policy, which was aimed at inciting hostility in society

The desire of the bourgeoisie and nobility to return to their previous position in society

Features of the Civil War in Russia

Accompanied by the intervention of foreign powers ( Intervention- violent intervention of one or more states in the internal affairs of other countries and peoples, which can be military (aggression), economic, diplomatic, ideological).

Conducted with extreme cruelty (“red” and “white” terror)

Participants

The Reds are supporters of Soviet power.

Whites are opponents of Soviet power

Greens are against everyone

National movements

Milestones and events

First stage: October 1917-spring 1918

The military actions of opponents of the new government were local in nature; they created armed formations ( Volunteer Army- creator and supreme leader Alekseev V.A.). Krasnov P.- near Petrograd, Dutov A.- in the Urals, Kaledin A.- on the Don.

Second stage: spring - December 1918

March, April. Germany occupies Ukraine, the Baltic states, and Crimea. England - lands troops in Murmansk, Japan - in Vladivostok

May. Mutiny Czechoslovak Corps(these are captured Czechs and Slovaks who went over to the side of the Entente and are moving on trains to Vladivostok for transfer to France). Reason for the mutiny: The Bolsheviks tried to disarm the corps under the terms of the Brest Peace. Bottom line: the fall of Soviet power along the entire Trans-Siberian Railway.

June. Creation of Socialist Revolutionary Governments: Committee of Members of the Founding meetings in Samara Komuch, Chairman Socialist Revolutionary Volsky V.K.), Provisional Government Siberia in Tomsk (chairman Vologodsky P.V.), Ural regional government in Yekaterinburg.

July. Revolts of the Left Social Revolutionaries in Moscow, Yaroslavl and other cities. Depressed.

September. Created in Ufa Ufa directory- “All-Russian government” chairman Socialist Revolutionary Avksentyev N.D.

November. The Ufa directory was dispersed Admiral A.V. Kolchak., who declared himself "supreme ruler of Russia" The initiative in the counter-revolution passed from the Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks to the military and anarchists.

Actively acted green movement - not with reds and not with whites. Green color is a symbol of will and freedom. They operated in the Black Sea region, Crimea, the North Caucasus and southern Ukraine. Leaders: Makhno N.I., Antonov A.S. (Tambov province), Mironov F.K.

In Ukraine - detachments Father Makhno (created a republic Walk in the field). During the German occupation of Ukraine, they led the partisan movement. They fought under a black flag with the inscription “Freedom or Death!” Then they began to fight against the Reds until October 1921, until Makhno was wounded (he emigrated).

Third stage: January-December 1919

The culmination of the war. Relative equality of power. Large-scale operations on all fronts. But foreign intervention intensified.

4 white movement centers

Admiral's troops Kolchak A.V..(Ural, Siberia)

Armed Forces of Southern Russia General Denikina A.I.(Don region, North Caucasus)

Armed Forces of Northern Russia General Miller E.K.(Arkhangelsk region)

General's troops Yudenich N.N. in the Baltics

March, April. Kolchak's attack on Kazan and Moscow, the Bolsheviks mobilize all possible resources.

End of April - December. Counter-offensive of the Red Army ( Kamenev S.S., Frunze M.V., Tukhachevsky M.N..). By the end of 1919 - complete defeat of Kolchak.

May June. The Bolsheviks barely repulsed the attack Yudenich to Petrograd. Troops Denikin captured Donbass, part of Ukraine, Belgorod, Tsaritsyn.

September October. Denikin advances towards Moscow, reached Orel (against him - Egorov A.I., Budyonny S.M..).Yudenich for the second time he is trying to capture Petrograd (against him - Kork A.I.)

November. Troops Yudenich thrown back to Estonia.

Bottom line: by the end of 1919, the preponderance of forces was on the side of the Bolsheviks.

Fourth stage: January - November 1920

February March. The defeat of Miller in northern Russia, the liberation of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

March-April. Denikin pushed out to the Crimea and the North Caucasus, Denikin himself transferred command to the baron Wrangel P.N.. and emigrated.

April. Education of the Far Eastern Republic - Far Eastern Republic.

April-October. War with Poland . The Poles invaded Ukraine and captured Kyiv in May. Counter-offensive of the Red Army.

August. Tukhachevsky reaches Warsaw. Help for Poland from France. The Red Army is driven into Ukraine.

September. Offensive Wrangel to southern Ukraine.

October. Riga Peace Treaty with Poland . Western Ukraine and Western Belarus were transferred to Poland.

November. Offensive Frunze M.V.. in Crimea.Destruction Wrangel.

In the European part of Russia, the civil war is over.

Fifth stage: end of 1920-1922

December 1920. The Whites captured Khabarovsk.

February 1922.Khabarovsk is liberated.

October 1922.Liberation of Vladivostok from the Japanese.

Leaders of the white movement

Kolchak A.V.

Denikin A.I.

Yudenich N.N.

Wrangel P.N.

Alekseev V.A.

Wrangel

Dutov A.

Kaledin A.

Krasnov P.

Miller E.K.

Leaders of the Red Movement

Kamenev S.S.

Frunze M.V.

Shorin V.I.

Budyonny S.M.

Tukhachevsky M.N.

Kork A.I.

Egorov A.I.

Chapaev V.I. - leader of one of the Red Army detachments.

Anarchists

Makhno N.I.

Antonov A.S.

Mironov F.K.

The most important events of the civil war

May-November 1918 . - the struggle of Soviet power with the so-called "democratic counter-revolution"(former members of the Constituent Assembly, representatives of the Mensheviks, Socialist Revolutionaries, etc.); beginning of military intervention Entente;

November 1918 – March 1919 g. - the main battles on Southern Front countries (Red Army - army Denikin); the strengthening and failure of direct intervention by the Entente;

March 1919 – March 1920 - major military operations in Eastern Front(Red Army - army Kolchak);

April-November 1920 – Soviet-Polish war; defeat of the troops Wrangel in Crimea;

1921–1922 . - end of the Civil War on the outskirts of Russia.

National movements.

One of the important features of the civil war is national movements: the struggle to gain independent statehood and secession from Russia.

This was especially evident in Ukraine.

In Kyiv, after the February Revolution, in March 1917, the Central Rada was created.

In January 1918. she entered into an agreement with the Austro-German command and declared independence.

With the support of the Germans, power came to Hetman P.P. Skoropadsky(April-December 1918).

In November 1918, arose in Ukraine Directory, at the head - S.V. Petliura.

In January 1919, the Directory declared war on Soviet Russia.

S.V. Petlyura had to confront both the Red Army and Denikin’s army, which fought for a united and indivisible Russia. In October 1919, the “White” army defeated the Petliurites.

Reasons for the Reds' victory

The peasants were on the side of the Reds, since it was promised to implement the Decree on Land after the war. According to the white agrarian program, the land remained in the hands of the landowners.

Single leader - Lenin, single plans for military operations. Whites didn't have this.

The national policy of the Reds, which is attractive to the people, is the right of nations to self-determination. The Whites have the slogan “united and indivisible Russia”

The Whites relied on the help of the Entente - the interventionists, and therefore looked like an anti-national force.

The policy of "war communism" helped to mobilize all the forces of the Reds.

Consequences of the Civil War

Economic crisis, devastation, drop in industrial production by 7 times, agricultural production by 2 times

Demographic losses. About 10 million people died from fighting, hunger, and epidemics

The establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat and the harsh management methods used during the war years began to be seen as completely acceptable in peacetime.

Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

The armed struggle for power in the country is the most acute form of class confrontation, and therefore the dates of the Civil War in Russia are bleeding every single one. Almost all groups of the population fought for their own political, national and social claims, and the interference of foreign forces was exceptionally great.

Historical science has not developed a single date for the main battles in Russia and their results, not all people view them in the same way. And indeed, the confrontation was enormous, and it decided the issue of who owned the power.

Constituent Duma

The dates of the Russian Civil War, important to remember, rightfully begin the inglorious end of the Constituent Assembly. This body was elected in November 1917 in order to determine the future life in the country, including its government structure. Right-wing parties suffered a crushing collapse in the elections (because most of them were already banned, even campaigning for them was dangerous), but it was the right-wing parties that took upon themselves the defense of the Constituent Assembly, and this became, as it were, the reason for the birth of the White movement.

Thus, the dates of the Civil War in Russia begin directly from the end of the first (also the last) meeting of the Constituent Duma - January 6, 1918. First of all, it should be noted that the commission for elections to the Constituent Assembly did not recognize the Great October Socialist Revolution, and although elections were held only in thirty out of seventy-nine districts, the contingent had already been selected accordingly. Kerensky, Dutov, Kaledin, Petliura were elected - one name more beautiful than the other. Some odious enemies of the people were even present at this single meeting.

"The guard is tired"

From the first speeches, accusations of a coup d'etat, a violent seizure of power by the Bolshevik Council of People's Commissars, and the need to continue the First World War to a victorious end began to pour in. This meeting was abandoned by the Bolsheviks almost immediately, as soon as the direction of the anti-people resolutions became clear. Therefore, the start date of the Civil War in Russia is 1917, when hostilities had not yet begun. Then, a couple of hours later, the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries also left the hall due to complete disagreement with the decisions being made.

The sailors and soldiers guarding the Tauride Palace, where the meeting took place, listened to the speeches and became more and more gloomy with each passing minute. Only calls for discipline prevented them from shooting all this “Menshevik scum.” The meeting lasted a long time - it began in the afternoon of January 5, 1918. Many people begin to record the dates of the Civil War in Russia (1917-1922) from this day. Already at six o'clock in the morning on January 6, 1918, sailor Zheleznyak rose to the presidium and said the phrase that went down in history: “The guard is tired. I ask everyone to disperse.” And only after this the premises of the Tauride Palace were freed from the chatty anti-Soviet element. There were no more meetings of the Constituent Assembly. There are also opinions that the dates of the Civil War in Russia (1917-1922) should be listed starting from October 25, 1917, when the Great October Socialist Revolution took place. However, most historians think otherwise.

Spring and summer 1918

Then, in the late autumn of 1917, in the south of Russia, in the Cossack regions, the first shots were heard. There, on the Don, the first volunteer army began to gather under General Alekseev. However, this was not successful at first, and until the spring of 1918 more than three thousand people did not gather. But in the spring the white movement began to grow like a snowball. Anti-Bolshevik forces consolidated in eastern Russia. The main dates of the Civil War in Russia include May 1918, when the revolt of the Czechoslovak Corps occurred.

It was formed from World War I Slav prisoners of war because soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army decided to join the war against Germany. Just in 1918, the corps was on Russian territory in trains and was preparing to return home (and the route was clear only through the Far East). The Entente did not sleep, the uprising was painstakingly prepared, and since the echelons stretched all the way to Vladivostok from Penza, all railway stations, cities and large marshalling centers were captured by armed interventionists literally in one day. This rebellion basically activated the rest of the anti-Bolshevik forces. This is where the real war began.

Samara and Omsk

Local governments rose like mushrooms after rain. One is in Samara (Komuch - Committee of Members of the Constituent Assembly), which declared itself a provisional revolutionary government chaired by the Socialist Revolutionary Volsky. Not everyone agreed with the revolutionary overtones of their leader’s beliefs, and therefore opponents went to Omsk, where the same government was organized by the Cadets. And the very idea of ​​a Constituent Assembly was not too close to the majority of the White Guards, but crushing the “red-bellies” was right from their point of view. And, since there was no agreement among the rebels, Komuch ceased to exist, and its capital Samara was occupied by the Red Army in battle. October 1918 is also one of the important dates of the Russian Civil War.

In the first few months of Soviet power, there were almost no armed clashes; they were sporadic and local in nature, because opponents of Soviet power did not immediately determine their strategy and did not find mutual understanding of their beliefs. The imperialists took advantage of the corps and, of course, the general difficulties in Russia, and therefore quickly and significantly expanded the intervention of our country. During the summer of 1918, the British captured Onega, Kem, and Arkhangelsk. In the south, they occupied Ashgabat, Baku, almost all of Central Asia and Transcaucasia. Let's not forget how the British interventionists dealt with twenty-six Baku commissars! The Germans continued to violate the Brest Peace Treaty and, together with the White Guards, raged throughout the south of the country - Rostov and Taganrog remember this very well.

Red and white

Only in the spring of 1918 did the Civil War in Russia acquire a truly front-line character. Dates and events on military maps from the moment the mutiny of the Czechoslovak Corps began became increasingly dense. Fronts began to form. And only towards the end of 1918 did the second stage begin, when small local forces no longer fought, but two powerful armies appeared - white and red. It is probably impossible to say exactly when the Russian Civil War began. The date can vary from October 25, 1917 to December 1918. It is most convenient to divide all events into three main stages. This was the first one.

The second stage is a real confrontation, when the young woman was put under real threat of destruction. Moreover, the February gains could have been eliminated, since the white movement had, as it were, a good goal of an indivisible Russia without the Bolsheviks, but its base was the generals of the tsarist army, and its political force was the Cadets (this is a constitutional democratic party, not young men from a military school ). The third and final stage can be considered the stage from 1920, marked by the war with the Poles and Wrangel. The end of 1920 is the time when the Civil War in Russia ended. The date is the defeat of Wrangel, about which our military commander Mikhail Vasilyevich Frunze reported to the command on November 15, 1920.

The most important fights

The main war was over, now all that remained was to defeat the small but numerous enemy groups that carried out armed attacks on Soviet power in the early years of Soviet economic policy. And this third stage continued for another two years, until the end of the Civil War in Russia came. The exact date cannot be given. The last battles with the Basmachi attacking from abroad lasted until the beginning of the winter of 1922. You can imagine how bloodless Russia was! brought fourteen intervening countries to her native country, who plundered it with impunity and cruelty in all corners - from edge to edge. All these losses can be traced from the date of the beginning of the Civil War in Russia to its end.

Already in December 1918, the Red Army began to beat the enemy in Ukraine, two months later it liberated Kyiv, Kharkov, Poltava, and in the spring - Crimea. On the Eastern Front, too, at the same time, the White Army suffered one defeat after another. Then power was transferred by all individual formations into one hand - the English protege. There was a groan throughout Siberia. The military dictatorship of Kolchak allowed robbery and murder, and most often it was innocent hostages who suffered - old men, women, children, because the partisan movement grew and expanded, and most men - both workers and peasants - went into the forests. Kolchak decided to reorganize the army, which brought a split to the entire white movement. However, White tried to attack. In December they occupied Perm, but near Ufa the army was smashed to smithereens by the Reds. At first, the Civil War in Russia went on with very variable success. Result of the event, date: the White offensive fizzled out on December 24, 1918.

Events of 1919

Only in March 1919 did the white movement unite into a united front, which allowed them to launch an offensive in the west. The White Guards managed to occupy the entire Urals, but near Samara they were stopped by the Red Army. The date April 28, 1919 is considered a turning point - Kolchak’s troops, under a large-scale offensive by the Reds, rolled back further along the entire front and stopped only in June at the foothills of the Urals. Their final defeat awaited them between the Ishim and Tobol, large Siberian rivers, and the Whites were forced to retreat to Eastern Siberia. And in the south, Denikin, meanwhile, occupied the North Caucasus and at the end of June occupied Crimea, Aleksandrovsk and Kharkov, and in September - Nikolaev, Odessa, Kursk and Orel.

And then the Red Army again split the united army of the White Guards into two parts. In February, the Whites managed to enter Rostov, but their defenses were broken through in the Kuban, there was a big battle where the Whites were completely defeated. In March, the defeat was completed in this direction. And again, at the same time, Yudenich launched two entire attacks on Petrograd: the first in May, the second in September. It was not possible to take the capital, but Pskov and Gdov were occupied, although not for long. In September, in the north, Yudenich was finally defeated and his army was disarmed.

1920

The White Guards, being pushed further and further in the south, had to fight several big battles in the Kuban with the expectation of opening a second front. At first, this idea was even implemented successfully, but still, the Red Army, as the song says, is stronger than everyone else. Already in July, the Whites were pushed back to the Sea of ​​Azov. Wrangel won for some time in Northern Tavria, his army even moved to the Right Bank, but they also failed to build on their success. Maybe this is because the Red Army had a sufficient number of military specialists from tsarist times in the general corps - up to sixty percent, as statistics say.

Not everyone, not everyone, decided to sell their homeland to the British, Austrians, Germans and other interventionists of the Entente and non-Entente. There were senior officers who accepted the historical course of events and shared its justice. The Whites were pushed back beyond the Dnieper in October 1920, and on November 7 the Reds began their assault on Crimea. Yes, so competently that by the middle of this month the whites of Crimea were forced to leave. From April to November, the actions of the Red Army were truly victorious in all directions. The Whites suffered defeats in Transcaucasia and Central Asia (Soviet power was established in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Bukhara).

Ending

All this time, the Japanese ruled our Far East, supporting the White Guards in everything. The Soviet government was forced in April 1920 to form an independent (as if “buffer”) state - the DVR (Far Eastern Republic), and its capital became first Verkhneudinsk (today Ulan-Ude), and then Chita. A republican army was also created, which was not afraid of either the White Guards or the Japanese. The military operations launched by the army of the Far Eastern Republic were successful: the White Guards were defeated, the Japanese were expelled, Vladivostok was occupied, the Far East was cleared of the White Guard evil spirits. Only after this did the Soviet government incorporate the Far Eastern Republic into the RSFSR.

Undoubtedly, only a just cause could end in such a victory. It’s hard to even imagine with what efforts the Far East was liberated. The distances are enormous; the republic has been waging bloody battles for two years against enemy forces that are many times superior. And yet he wins! And in the Far East, whites were unable to settle confidently. They only tried to defend themselves, did not undertake attacks, but constantly retreated - step by step. True, they seized power in Primorye and Vladivostok in 1921 and were able to hold it for six months - until November. Then they were defeated again - this time completely. And on December 1, 1922, the last remaining White Guards left the territory of Russia - straight from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, from its very edge. This is the date of the end of the Civil War in Russia.

About the intervention

It is strange to listen to those who consider the white movement to be a good initiative. Foreign intervention, thanks to whose support the white movement could exist at all, had a huge impact on the entire balance of power. The Entente and the Fourth Alliance (by the way, the opposing sides of the First World War) actively intervened in the war. Fourteen countries hostile to Russia were brought by the White Guards to their land. They called the goal of the intervention the eradication of revolutionary ideas, but in reality they wanted, as always, to plunder. And they robbed. And, of course, the Entente had a great desire to continue the world war, and therefore it was impossible to let Russia go without complete victory in it. This agreement was signed by Tsarist Russia, and the Bolsheviks were absolutely not obliged to fulfill these conditions.

But the Whites agreed, in case of victory over the Soviet regime, to meet all the wishes of the Entente. The Entente, as always, was afraid of Russia, and it was very desirable for it to weaken our state so that our country would have neither political nor economic influence in the world. That is why the Entente subsidized the white movement. But not for long. In fact, the whites were betrayed by their patrons. But besides the White Guards, the Japanese, Turks and Romanians committed atrocities in Russia, wanting to seize a tasty piece of our territory. The French are in Crimea. The British are in the North and the Caucasus. The Germans are all over Ukraine, Belarus, and the Baltic states. And this continued until the end of 1920. The Japanese ruled the Far East until 1922. But young Soviet Russia survived.

Chronology of the Civil War.

October 27 - 30, 1917 - an unsuccessful attempt by troops loyal to the Provisional Government led by General P.N. Krasnov and A.F. Kerensky recapture Petrograd from the Bolsheviks.

December 2, 1917: the Volunteer Army created by generals Alekseev and Dukhonin occupies Rostov-on-Don.

On February 22, 1918, General Kornilov gave the order to his units to retreat beyond the Don. The beginning of the “Ice Campaign” of the Volunteer Army.

March 9, 1918 - the landing of British infantry from the battleship Gloria in Murmansk. The beginning of foreign intervention against Soviet Russia.

April 13, 1918 - during the assault on Yekaterinodar, the commander and founder of the Volunteer Army, the founder of the “white” movement, General L.G., was killed. Kornilov.

May 29, 1918 - Resolution of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee on compulsory recruitment into the Red Army. Previously, it was formed on the basis of military democracy, which presupposed the voluntary principle of entering military service and the election of command personnel. From May 29, Soviet Russia introduced universal military service for workers from 18 to 40 years of age. The election of command personnel is abolished, and the recruitment of old specialists from among former officers and generals into the army begins. In the same year, the main governing structures of the armed forces of Soviet Russia were created: the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, the Defense Council, and the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Forces. The positions of commanders-in-chief and division staffs are established. A distinctive feature of the new army was the sharp increase in ideological work among military personnel. For this purpose, the Political Directorate of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic was created, and political departments were organized in the armies.

July 22, 1918 ᴦ. The defense of Tsaritsyn by the Red Army began from the troops of the Don Ataman P.N. Krasnova.

August 6 – The Czechoslovak Corps and the White Guards capture Kazan, where part of Russia’s gold reserves evacuated here by the Bolsheviks falls into their hands. (40 thousand pounds of gold). The gold was transferred to the Committee of the Constituent Assembly, which ordered the transfer of gold reserves to Samara and then to Siberia. There, gold soon fell into the hands of Admiral Kolchak, who captured Omsk in November 1918. By order of the admiral, in May 1919, a complete inventory of the gold reserves was carried out. Valuables with a nominal value of 651532117 rubles 86 kopecks were available. At the end of December, Kolchak, retreating, again transferred the gold under the protection of the Czechoslovak Corps. By agreement with the Reds on February 7, 1920. The Czechs gave up the gold in exchange for guarantees to let them through to Vladivostok to be sent home. 18 wagons were transferred. ʼʼGold evaporated for 241,906,247 rubles, or 1/3. According to the most common version, Admiral Kolchak spent this amount on combat operations and maintaining his power.

August 15, 1918 ᴦ. - landing of the 9 thousandth American Expeditionary Force in Vladivostok.

September 2, 1918 ᴦ. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee adopts a resolution to turn the country into a military camp. The Revolutionary Military Council is created, headed by Trotsky. The beginning of the “red terror”. Until the end of 1918. The press published reports of the execution of 50 thousand people.

September 10, 1918 ᴦ. The Red Army captured Kazan - the first major victory of the Reds in the Civil War.

November - December 1918 ᴦ. – the Reds occupy part of the territory of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Belarus.

November 18 – in Omsk A.V. Kolchak, who returned from the USA and was recognized by the Entente as the “supreme ruler of Russia,” overthrows the Ufa Directory and declares himself the supreme ruler of Russia. This draws a line under the democratic counter-revolution, which showed its inconsistency in the fight against Bolshevism, and opens a new page in the history of the fight against Bolshevism - the military-patriotic counter-revolution, expressed through the dictatorship of the military. At the same time, such zealous support for Kolchak by the West alienated other leaders of the white movement from him. The patriotic A. Denikin, N. Yudenich and other generals considered the “supreme ruler of Russia” to be just a puppet in the hands of the Entente, who would be able to thank the “Western helpers” with Russian territory. From their point of view, none of the commanders of the white armies had the right to declare themselves “master of the country.” The fate of Russia and the form of government in it were to be decided only by the peoples of the former empire through the elected deputies of the Constituent Assembly.

January 8, 1919 ᴦ. General A.I. Denikin unites under his command the Volunteer Army, Don and Kuban Cossack formations.

February 5, 1919 ᴦ. The Red Army entered Kyiv. At the same time, in a little over a year she will have to recapture the city again, this time from the Poles. Kyiv was the most unlucky - during the years of the civil war it changed hands 18 times!

August 1919 ᴦ. fall of Soviet power in Lithuania. Units of the Red Army finally leave the territory of the Baltic republics.

October 10 – The Supreme Council of the Entente and the United States declare an economic blockade of Soviet Russia.

October 13 – Denikin’s troops occupied the city of Orel. The last success of the white army in the Moscow campaign.

October – November 1919 ᴦ. - defeat of Yudenich's troops near Petrograd.

November 14, 1919 ᴦ. The Red Army captured Kolchak's capital, the city of Omsk. Liquidation of the largest front of the Civil War - the Eastern.

January 4, 1920 ᴦ. Kolchak renounces his title of Supreme Ruler in favor of Denikin.

January 10 – The Red Army occupied Rostov-on-Don, the center of Denikin’s armed forces in southern Russia.

January 16, 19120 ᴦ. – The Supreme Council of the Entente decided to lift the economic blockade of Soviet Russia.

On March 27, the Red Army captured Novorossiysk. The remnants of Denikin's troops are evacuated to Crimea.

April 25, 1920 - Polish troops went on the offensive to expand the borders of Poland in the east. The beginning of the Soviet-Polish war.

On August 16, 1920, the Red Army under the command of Tukhachevsky was defeated near Warsaw. The victory of the Poles stopped the communist invasion of Europe (Mikhail Tukhachevsky’s army fought 500 km in a month and numbered 55 thousand soldiers against 110 thousand Polish troops). The attempt to “export communism” by means of bayonets failed. Leon Trotsky's doctrine of “permanent revolution” suffered its first defeat.

On October 12, a truce was concluded with Poland, which retained the western part of Ukraine and Belarus.

On October 14, a peace treaty was signed with Finland. Finland left behind the Karelian Isthmus.

November 17, 1920 ᴦ. the remnants of Wrangel's army and refugees with a total number of 140 thousand people left the Crimean peninsula on English ships.

On February 25, 1921, the Red Army occupied Tiflis (Tbilisi). Victory of Soviet power in Transcaucasia.

March 18, 1921 ᴦ. A peace treaty was signed with Poland. The western regions of Belarus and Ukraine were returned to the Poles.

On March 12, 1922, the Transcaucasian Federation - TSFSR was formed, consisting of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

On October 25, 1922, the Red Army occupied Vladivostok. The generally accepted date for the end of the Russian Civil War.

III. ʼʼWar communismʼʼ.

The internal policy of the Bolsheviks from the October Revolution to the spring of 1921 was formed under the influence of three basic components:

· Russian historical tradition (active state intervention in the economy;

· emergency conditions of war;

· ideas of socialist theory.

The Bolsheviks, having come to power, not only inherited a destroyed economy, but also state distribution and production under wartime conditions. By 1918, the situation worsened even more, war and famine took their toll. The central regions of the country were cut off from the grain producing regions and in May 1918 a food dictatorship and a system of emergency measures were introduced.
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All this is superimposed on the so-called “doctrinal syndrome” of socialist theory, according to which the new society was presented in the form of a state - a commune without commodity and monetary relations, replaced by direct product exchange between city and countryside.

By mid-1918, the policy of “war communism” gradually took shape and included the following directions:

* nationalization of industry, incl. medium and small;

* naturalization of economic relations and prohibition of private trade;

* state centralized distribution of food and goods based on cards and class principles;

* introduction of universal labor conscription and militarization of labor;

* abolition of money, free utilities;

* prohibition of land leasing and the use of hired labor in agriculture;

* policy of “red terror”;

* over-centralization of economic and army management.

Naturally, not all of these measures were fully implemented during the period of “war communism”. Thus, the liquidation of free trade announced by the Bolsheviks only confirmed the vitality of this ancient type of commodity-money relations, which was actually replaced by the spontaneously operating “black market” and railway fraud.

The policy of “war communism” had the most profound and negative impact on the basic methods of managing social and economic development. Forceful methods, transferred from emergency situations, have become the main ones for regulating all aspects of life. Soviet power at that time did not have a clearly defined economic policy; each stage was characterized by a contradictory combination of various trends. For this reason, the economic policy of “war communism” can least of all be considered as an integral economic program. Most likely, this is a set of hasty, forced and emergency measures based on the euphoric basis of socialist theory.

The results of “war communism,” as well as its essence, turned out to be contradictory. In military-political terms, it was successful, as it ensured victory for the Bolsheviks in the civil war. But victory stimulated barracks spirit, militarism, violence and terror.
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This was not enough for economic success. Industrial production decreased by 7 times compared to 1913, agricultural production by 40%. Coal production was less than a third of the pre-war level, cast iron - 2 times, 31 railways did not work, trains with grain got stuck on the way. Due to the lack of raw materials and fuel, and labor, most factories and factories were inactive. Gross agricultural output in 1921 was 60% of the level in 1913, the number of livestock and livestock products decreased. Cultivated areas decreased by 25% in 1920, and yields decreased by 43%. The crop failure of 1920, the drought of 1921, famine in the Volga region and the North Caucasus claimed the lives of about 5 million people.

The country lacked soap, kerosene, glass and shoes, bricks and matches. In January 1919, the minimum daily allowance of bread was 50 grams.
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The price of one ruble fell 800 times. The modest lunch cost several million rubles.

Economic devastation entailed serious social consequences. The population of Russia decreased by 10.9 million people compared to 1917. The number of industrial workers has halved. Many workers went to the village. The peasantry became more and more active in opposing the surplus appropriation system.

The policy of “war communism” after the end of the Civil War did not meet the interests of the people. A wave of peasant uprisings and anti-Soviet riots swept across the country in Ukraine, Siberia, Central Asia, Tambov, Voronezh and Saratov provinces. The social support of these revolts was the peasantry, dissatisfied with the surplus appropriation system. The military anti-communist mutiny of sailors in Kronstadt - the general political crisis in March 1921, the threat of loss of power, forced the Soviet government to realize the inevitability of a turn in politics. However, the turn to the new economic policy was carried out under the severe pressure of general discontent in the country in order to normalize internal economic, social and political relations.

Chronology of the Civil War. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Chronology of the Civil War." 2017, 2018.

The armed conflicts of the Civil War took place in the period 1917-1922/23. 1917 is the start of events that led to a radical change in the political regime. The main reasons for the war were unresolved political and economic problems and ethnic tensions.

The Russian Civil War began with the Bolsheviks coming to power during the October Revolution in 1917. The beginning of the events is not controversial among historians, but the end date has been the subject of debate for many years:

• 1918 - this date was called by Soviet historians, based on the works of Lenin. He called the period 1917-1918 the time of the Bolsheviks’ ascent to the pinnacle of power.
• 1920 is a date popular among historians of the Soviet period, but many modern researchers are inclined to believe that it was then that the events of the war ended. Arguments in favor of this statement are that active hostilities between the parties to the conflict ended in 1920.
• 1922/1923: modern researchers of the war period are inclined to believe that this date completes the logical chain of events. Then the Bolsheviks finally established themselves at the pinnacle of power.

Historians divide the Civil War period into stages– they differ in the internal and foreign political conditions of the development of the conflict, the level of activity of the warring parties, the composition and number of participants.

Preparation period: February - October 1917. The stage began with the February coup or revolution, during which the monarchical system was overthrown. The events of February 1917 were caused by a deep political crisis. During the preparatory stage, there was a consolidation of forces in the Bolshevik environment in order to implement global plans.

First phase of the war: October 1917 – November 1918. At the beginning of the first stage, the accumulation of military power of the parties to the conflict and the formation of combat zones took place. During the storming of the Winter Palace by the Bolsheviks, under the chairmanship of A. Gots, the Committee for the Salvation of the Motherland and the Revolution was formed. His goal was to protect statehood, the Provisional Government from the Bolsheviks. By the end of November the body had transformed into the Union for the Defense of the Constituent Assembly. At the beginning of 1918, the Constituent Assembly was dissolved and the Union was liquidated. On January 15, the Red Army was formed, and at the end of January the Red Fleet was formed.

The Bolsheviks had a strong enemy - the White Movement. The ideas and goals of the “white” struggle were radically different - they became the force that set the overthrow of the Bolshevik system as its main task. A characteristic feature of the first stage is that it developed simultaneously with the hostilities of the First World War, which continued in Europe. Despite the fact that Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, under which it undertook not to participate in hostilities, both the Entente and the Quadruple Alliance actively interfered in the internal affairs of the country. The Civil War began with local battles, which gradually turned into large-scale hostilities.

During the first stage, the “whites” had a strategic advantage. The destabilizing factor was the events on the territory of modern Ukraine - the struggle for autonomy and independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic coincided with the first stage of the civil war. Detachments of “Basmachi” in Central Asia were active against the Bolsheviks, and for some time an alliance was concluded with the “Whites”. The stage ended with the recognition of Alexander Kolchak as the Supreme Ruler of Russia and the establishment of large “white” centers in different regions of the country. In 1918, the “whites” had the greatest advantage, their actions were the most united. The main reason for the victories of the “whites” at the first stage was the professionalism of the army.

Second phase(November 1918 – April 1920) is considered the turning point of the war. The command cadres were finally formed. As a result of the battles between the “Reds” and the “Whites”, the strategic advantage passed to the former; the “Reds” under the leadership of M. Frunze defeated the army of A. Kolchak in April 1919. At the beginning of the stage, we can talk about the successes of the White Movement, but with the end of the First World War, the foreign contingent was withdrawn from Russian territory, and the “Whites” lost their support. The Entente, which supported the “Whites” at the first stage, was not able to continue to provide assistance, so the “Reds” managed to establish control over most of the country in a short period of time. The counter-offensive of the “Reds” began in October 1919; at the beginning of 1920, one of the leaders of the White movement, A. Kolchak, was shot. During the second stage of the Civil War, the balance of power changed. The second stage coincided with the beginning of the war with Poland.

At the third stage(April 1920 - October 1922/1923) the Bolsheviks finally established themselves throughout the country. This period is called the Little Civil War. Active, large-scale hostilities were no longer conducted - pockets of military activity remained only on the outskirts of the country in the border regions. The “Whites” completely lost control of the situation and the Bolshevik power was no longer threatened. In 1920, the “Reds” completely occupied Crimea, which was controlled by the “Whites”. Some researchers call the seizure of Crimea the official date of the end of the Civil War - this event confirmed the advantage of the “Reds”. In November of the same year, the Bolsheviks organized a large-scale celebration to mark the anniversary of the October Revolution.

Party conferences and nationalization of large enterprises are being held.

The absence of a clear date for the end of the Civil War is due to the non-simultaneity of the establishment of Soviet power - in 1922 the Ukrainian, Belarusian, Transcaucasian SFSR and RSFSR were united, and only a year later Soviet power was established in the territory of Kamchatka and Chukotka. In March 1921, peace was signed with Poland, ending the Russian-Polish war. In addition, until the end of 1923, individual anti-Bolshevik detachments continued to be active.

It is worth noting that the “Basmachi”, who fought in Central Asia, operated until the end of the 30s, but they could not cause serious damage to Soviet power.