This PowerPoint helps students to consider the concept of infinity.
Civil War in Russia - Why the Red Won
1. Russia Civil War
Key Terms, Events,
Names: Brest – Litovsk,
Sovnarkom, Cheka, The
Whites, The Czech
Legion, Comintern,
General Anton Denikin,
Mikhail Tukhachevsky,
Admiral Alexander
Kolchak, General Peter
Wrangel, General Nikolai
Yudenich
2. Identify two groups portrayed
as ‘filth’ in the representation?
Starter: ‘Comrade Lenin Sweeps the
World Clean of Filth’
Identify two features of the
representation that symbolise class
conflict in the new society?
Evaluate the extent to which the
representation provides an
accurate depiction of the policies
and actions of the Bolsheviks from
October 1917 to March 1918
3. Key Parties of the Russian
Civil War
Make notes on who where the key
players of the Russian Civil War and
why were they involved
Make notes on who where the key
players of the Russian Civil War and
why were they involved
4. The Whites: Key Players of
the Russian Civil War
December 1917-1920: General Denikin’s southern threat - Denikin
wanted to restore the old regime and commanded 150,000 soldiers
who advanced through the Ukraine and Kiev close to Moscow.
1918-1920: Admiral Kolchak’s eastern threat - Kolchak hated socialism
and focused on establishing a anti-Bolshevik government in Siberia. He
commanded 100,000 soldiers and was supplied with 1 million rifles and
700 field guns by the Allies. Kolchak was described as having ‘the
support of the entire outside world’. However, he resigned in January
1920 after 80% of his anti-Bolsheviks peasant conscripts deserted. He
was shot by the Red Army.
October 1919: General Yudenich’s north-western threat - General
Yudenich led an army of 14400 Russian soldiers who had been
captured and released by the Germans. They attacked Petrograd in
October 1919 but were defeated by the Reds.
5. The Greens: Key Players of
the Russian Civil War
• The Green Armies were a separate collection of peasant and
cossack forces that did not support the Reds or the Whites.
• They had their own interests and different reasons for
engaging in the war.
• They demanded greater autonomy from Moscow and mostly
operated in the outer provinces - an example was a group of
40,000 led by Antonov who managed to control the Tambov
region successfully until 1921.
• The Green Armies became a serious problem for the
government in 1920-1921 as they began to challenge the
benefits of the 1917 Revolution - they did not want to be
leaders of Russia but rather wanted local independence.
6. Foreign Intervention: Key
Players of the Russian Civil War
• The Allied countries refused to recognise the Treaty of Brest
Litovsk and prefered to support a White government that
would continue the war.
• Foreign intervention occurred in January 1918 when Lenin
declared that all foreign debts be cancelled
“unconditionally and without any exception” - saving 80
billion roubles in gold which was of their total national⅔
wealth.
• Lenin also confiscated all foreign-owned property in Russia.
• As a consequence, foreign powers supported the White
armies - although they were rarely involved in any actual
fighting.
7. Foreign Intervention: Key
Players of the Russian Civil War
• British threat - marines landed in two of Russia’s northern ports,
Archangel and Murmansk to provide support to White armies.
Winston Churchill claimed that between 1918-1919 Great Britain
had spend 70,000,000 pounds in support of anti-Bolshevik forces.
• French threat - supported the British at Archangel but were the
first nation to withdraw in April 1919.
• Japanese threat - 70,000 troops to Siberia hoping to gain new
territory.
• American threat - August 1918 - send troops to protect Tran-
Siberian railway from the Japanese and to support Admiral
Kolchak’s new government.
• Czech Legion - aligned themselves with anti-Bolshevik SRs to
form an independent republic in the Volga region.
8. This 1919 Bolshevik poster shows the three White generals Denikin,
Kolchak and Yudenich as three vicious dogs who are under the
control of America, France and Britain.
Explain the meaning and symbolism of this poster.
The Entente was the
First World War
alliance between
Britain, France and
Russia - this Bolshevik
poster see an evil
entente between
Britain, France,
America and the
remaining supporters
of the Tsar
The Entente was the
First World War
alliance between
Britain, France and
Russia - this Bolshevik
poster see an evil
entente between
Britain, France,
America and the
remaining supporters
of the Tsar
(A poem
accompanied the
picture.)
9. The Reasons the Reds
Won!
On the next slides you will find some
reasons as to why the Bolsheviks
were able to win the civil war. Use
the sources opposite to develop
your understanding of each of
these reasons and ensure that you
record further contextual evidence
as you go.
Identify also whether there were
any additional reasons beyond the
seven that have been stated.
For each reason highlight the
Bolshevik advantages and the
White disadvantages
BBC Bitsize – The Russian
Revolution
Why did the Bolsheviks win the
Civil War
10. Why The Bolsheviks Won The War
Leadership
Geographical Position
Red & White Army
Organisation
Foreign
Intervention
Terror
War
Communism
Propaganda
11. The Reasons the Reds
Won!
Review the worksheet which is
called ‘factors cards the reds
success in civil war’.
Cut these cards out and reorder
them as a diamond with the
factor you feel was the most
significant for the reds success
at the top and the least
significant at the bottom.
Glue these into your book or on
a sheet a paper and give it a
title.
12. Task 1: In groups of three
come up with categories
that you might use to sort
the 10 causes given in the
hexagons.
Task 2: From the notes that
you took last lesson add any
addition causes and/or
further contextual detail to
the the 10 causes given in
the blank hexagons.
How did the Bolsheviks keep power
after 1917?
Connect Connect
The The
Causes Causes
Togeth
er
Togeth
er
13. Task 3: Glue all the
hexagons to the page in
categories and show how
the evidence you have
given is linked by having the
hexagon touch another.
Task 4: Draw lines between
the different causes in other
categories and on these
lines explain how the causes
are linked.
Connect Connect
The The
Causes Causes
Togeth
er
Togeth
er
How did the Bolsheviks keep power
after 1917?
14. How important was the
role of Trotsky?
Source Analysis: From what you
have read on the leadership of the
Reds during the Civil War and using
the sources in the document
‘Trotsky and the Civil War’, write a
paragraph explaining why Trotsky’s
role in the Civil War was so
important.
You must support your answer with
evidence to justify your opinion.
Editor's Notes
Waste-deep in blood, the malicious hordeIs knitting brows and looking atFree-labour land, the land of free.Entente’s evil thoughts concealThe dreams to let the Soviet landBe tortured by the group of dogs. To please the clique of fat who trampledThe flag of freedom, flag of freeYudenich growls, Denikin growlsAnd whines the hungry dog Kolchak.The smell of gold, the scent of gold,Pricks up the ears of the dogs.They all come on, just to protectThe bourgeois horde, the world of hordes.But hands of workers, hands of power, Raised high the red flag, flag of freedomWith every battle, every hour,They squander dogs, they make them flee.Entente’s plans – apart at seams,The battle sharpens every day.Down the drain the empty pocketsOf modern masters, of allied, of rich.No hope for dogs – the path of winIs not as easy as may seem.The Urals hurt the dog Kolchak – The poor fellow’s tail got stuck.The mangy dog Kolchak was made to whine – He got squeezed paws, he got a black eye.The allied horde can only lookAt the precious flag, red flag of free.With pile of duties, pile of rents,The League of Nations solves by threeDejected cases in its guild,The guild of dogs, the guild of ‘free’.
