With much of the Red Army occupied in Siberia and southern Russia, Yudenich’s offensive was very nearly successful, coming within just a few miles of the capital. Given the choice between the Bolsheviks and the Whites, it was hardly surprising that Bolshevik support increased dramatically. Most remember the Russian Civil War as a fight between the Bolsheviks or Red Army and the anti-communist White Russian forces.. The Whites had a number of weaknesses that led to their defeat. Copyright © 2020 Multiply Media, LLC. Many White commanders relied on the same brutal tactics – conscription, grain requisitioning, coercion and terror – as their Bolshevik counterparts. These White generals were often mocked or satirised in Soviet propaganda. Geographical position also contributed to the Reds victory in the Russian Civil War. First, for the duration of the Civil War, White forces were divided, geographically separated and either unable or unwilling to coordinate their efforts. Corruption was widespread in White-controlled areas. A black market was created for goods originally intended to help fight the war. Russian Revolution of 1905 . They fought independently and this made it easier for the Red Army to defeat them individually. Why don't libraries smell like bookstores? By late 1919, Kolchak was extremely unpopular, both with the Russians under his rule and the foreign governments who had backed him. The White armies were anti-Bolshevik forces who participated in the Russian Civil War. Unlike most of his fellow White generals, Wrangel was also a capable administrator, who recognised the need for public support. They had the active support of foreign countries, which intervened in the Civil War on their behalf. The material on this site can not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Multiply. His successor, General Anton Denikin, attempted an assault on Moscow in 1919, before being pushed back toward Crimea. These differences and divisions, coupled with their inability to gain popular support, prevented the White armies from winning the Civil War. While the Bolsheviks had Lenin as their leader, no one person was in charge of the White forces. Against the drive and ruthless energy of the Bolsheviks, their campaigns faltered. This disunity and lack of coordination proved militarily fatal. It contains 179,175 words in 288 pages and was updated on October 10th 2020. 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. Second, the Whites failed to offer Russians a viable alternative to the Bolshevik regime. The infamous General Kornilov commanded a White force in southern Russia before his early death in April 1918. As a result, there was virtually no co-operation between the various White Armies. The October 1917 Russian Revolution . In Lenin and Trotsky, the Bolsheviks had strong leaders. The ability of the generals to maximise the resource potential of often vast regions remained pitifully weak and largely depended on non-Bolshevik and mainly leftist parties to supply the necessary cadres for administration.” One Viktor Deni cartoon, Dogs of War, shows Denikin, Kolchak and Yudenich controlled by a leash wielded by these foreign powers. General Nikolai Yudenich, the oldest of the White military commanders, controlled the White army in north-western Russia. There was often little to distinguish between Red and White rule, leading many Russians to support neither. For the entirety of the Civil War, it was unclear what kind of government Russia might have if the Whites were victorious. His forces failed to gain control of the railways, however, which allowed the Bolsheviks to quickly bring in reinforcements from the south. Mark Levene. Title: “The White armies” They were led by conservative or moderate generals and political leaders who had different agendas and used different methods. If civilians objected, they faced torture and execution. Rumor and Collective Identity in the Russian Civil War ERIK C. LANDIS I n the volost center of Kostino-Otdelets, located near the southern border of Borisoglebsk uezd in Tambov province, there occurred what was identified as a “deserters’ revolt” in May 1919. Suggests internal struggle coordinate, meaning their forces were led by former commanders. Was forced into retirement by Alexander Kerensky and spent much of 1918 in from... Were often formed spontaneously in response to local conditions, events or actions! 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