The Russian Civil War, 1917???1922

Stanley G. Payne

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511820465.006

2 - The Russian Civil War, 1917???1922

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012

Stanley G. Payne

Show author details

Stanley G. Payne: Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Book contents

Get access

Summary

The Russian civil war was the paradigmatic revolutionary civil war of the twentieth century, but the term is an oversimplification for the extensive series of military conflicts waged in the remnants of the tsarist empire between 1917 and 1922. “The wars of the tsarist succession” would be a more adequate description. There was indeed a massive civil war among Russians, but in addition both Russian sides sought to extend their control over all the non-Russian peoples of the former empire, among whom a lengthy and confusing series of campaigns were waged. One historian has counted eleven different armies that at one time or another fought in Ukraine. Independent rulers briefly emerged in remote areas, while criminal bands ravaged sizable districts. The major powers intervened militarily on the periphery, but without determination or effectiveness, except in the Baltic. Even before winning the civil war in Russia proper, the new Bolshevik dictatorship attempted to send its poorly organized forces into Europe, producing a major war with Poland in 1920 and, more successfully, carrying out the conquest of Mongolia in 1921, extending its control even beyond the former tsarist domains. All the while, the last phases of the intra-Russian civil war were being fought within ethnic Russia. This enormous series of struggles, which lasted for five years, produced immense collateral damage among civilians in terms of executions, famine, and mass epidemics, and cost nearly five times as many lives as were lost on the eastern front in World War I.

Type: Chapter
Information: Civil War in Europe, 1905–1949 , pp. 33 - 68

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511820465.006 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Förster, S.Der deutsche Generalstab und die Illusion des kurzen Krieges, 1871–1914Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen 54 1995Google Scholar

Berghahn, V. R.Europe in the Era of Two World Wars: From Militarism and Genocide to Civil Society, 1900–1950Princeton, N.J. 2006Google Scholar

Stone, N.World War OneLondon 2007Google Scholar

Anweiler, O.The Soviets: The Russian Workers Peasants and Soldiers Councils, 1905–1921New York 1974Google Scholar

Figes, O.Kolonitskii, B.Interpreting the Russian Revolution: The Language and Symbols of 1917New Haven, Conn 1999Google Scholar

Wade, R.Red Guards and Workers’ Militias in the Russian RevolutionStanford, Calif 1984Google Scholar

Trotsky, L.History of the Russian RevolutionLondon 1967Google Scholar

McMeekin, S.History’s Greatest Heist: The Looting of Russia by the BolsheviksNew Haven, Conn 2009Google Scholar

Radkey, O. H.The Election to the Russian Constituent Assembly of 1917Cambridge, Mass 1950Google Scholar

Ezergailis, A.The 1917 Revolution in LatviaNew York 1974Google Scholar

Mangulis, V.Latvia in the Wars of the 20th CenturyPrinceton Junction, N.J 1983Google Scholar

Wheeler-Bennett, J. W.Brest-Litovsk: The Forgotten PeaceLondon 1938Google Scholar

Baumgart, W.Deutsche Ostpolitik 1918Vienna 1966Google Scholar

Pearce, B.How Haig Saved LeninLondon 1986Google Scholar

Pipes, R.The Russian RevolutionNew York 1990Google Scholar

Freund, G.Unholy Alliance: Russian-German Relations from the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk to the Treaty of BerlinLondon 1957Google Scholar

Haffner, S.Der Teufelspakt: Die deutsch-russische Beziehungen vom Ersten zum Zweiten WeltkriegZurich 1989Google Scholar

Brovkin, V.Behind the Front Lines of the Civil War: Political Parties and Social Movements in Russia, 1918–1922Princeton, N.J 1994Google Scholar

Mawdsley, E.The Russian Civil WarBoston 1987Google Scholar

Lincoln, W. B.Red Victory: A History of the Russian Civil WarNew York 1989Google Scholar

Swain, G.The Origins of the Russian Civil WarLondon 1996Google Scholar

Marie, J.-J.La guerre civile russe. Armées paysannes, rouges, blanches et vertesParis 2005Google Scholar

Figes, O.Peasant Russia, Civil War: The Volga Countryside in Revolution (1917–1921Oxford 1987Google Scholar

Raleigh, D. J.Experiencing Russia’s Civil War: Politics, Society and Revolutionary Culture in Saratov, 1917–1922Princeton, N.J 1992Google Scholar

Figes, O.A People’s Tragedy. The Russian Revolution: 1891–1924New York 1996Google Scholar

Holquist, P.Making War, Forging Revolution: Russia’s Contiunuum of Crisis, 1914–1921Cambridge, Mass 2002Google Scholar

Kaplan, F. I.Bolshevik Ideology and the Ethics of Soviet Labor, 1917–1920New York 1968Google Scholar

Fic, V. M.The Bolsheviks and the Czechoslovak Legion: The Origins of Their Armed Conflict March–May 1918New Delhi 1978Google Scholar

Zharov, V. M.Internatsionalnye chasti krasnoi armii v boiakh za vlast sovetov v gody innostrannoi interventsii i grazhdanskoi voinyMoscow 1960Google Scholar

Bradley, J. N.La Légion Tchécoslovaque en Russie 1914–1920Paris 1965Google Scholar

Fic, V. M.The Bolsheviks and the Czechoslovak Legion and Revolutionary War for Independence and the Russian Question: Czechoslovak Army in Russia 1914–1918New Delhi 1977Google Scholar

Gerson, L. D.The Secret Police in Lenin’s RussiaPhiladelphia 1976Google Scholar

Kautsky, K.Terrorism and CommunismNew York 1973Google Scholar

Leggett, G.The Cheka: Lenin’s Political PoliceOxford 1981Google Scholar

Melgunov, S.The Red Terror in RussiaWestport, Conn 1974Google Scholar

Baynac, J.La Terreur sous LenineParis 1975Google Scholar

Fedotoff-White, D.The Growth of the Red ArmyPrinceton, N.J 1944Google Scholar

Benvenuti, F.The Bolsheviks and the Red Army, 1918–1922New York 1988CrossRef Google Scholar

Avrich, P.The Russian AnarchistsPrinceton, N.J 1967Google Scholar

Skirda, A.Les anarchistes russes, les soviets et la révolution de 1917Paris 2000Google Scholar

Avrich, P.The Anarchists in the Russian RevolutionLondon 1973Google Scholar

Brovkin, V. N.The Mensheviks after October: Socialist Opposition and the Rise of the Bolshevik DictatorshipIthaca, N.Y 1987Google Scholar

Broido, V.Lenin and the Mensheviks: The Persecution of Socialists under BolshevismAldershot 1987Google Scholar

Haimson, L. H.The Mensheviks: From the Revolution of 1917 to the Second World WarChicago 1974Google Scholar

Bisher, J.White Terror: Cossack Warlords of the Trans-SiberianNew York 2005CrossRef Google Scholar

Katzer, N.Die Weisse Bewegung in Russland: Herrschaftsbildung, praktische Politik und politische Programmatik im BürgerkriegCologne 1999Google Scholar

Bordiugov, G. A.Beloe delo: Ideologiya, osnovy rezhimy, vlastiMoscow 1998Google Scholar

Smith, C. J.Finland and the Russian Revolution, 1917–1922Athens, Ga 1958Google Scholar

von Rauch, G.The Baltic States: The Years of Independence 1917–1922Berkeley, Calif 1970Google Scholar

Page, S. W.The Formation of the Baltic States: A Study of the Effect of Great Power Politics upon the Emergence of Lithuania, Latvia and EstoniaCambridge, Mass 1959CrossRef Google Scholar

Raun, T. U.Estonia and the EstoniansStanford, Calif 1987Google Scholar

Blondnieks, A.The Undefeated NationNew York 1960Google Scholar

Hulse, J. W.The Forming of the Communist InternationalStanford, Calif 1964Google Scholar

Bradley, J. F. N.Allied Intervention in RussiaLondon 1968Google Scholar

Carley, M. J.Revolution and Intervention: The French Government and the Russian Civil War 1917–1919Montreal 1983Google Scholar

Morley, J. W.The Japanese Thrust into Siberia, 1918New York 1957Google Scholar

White, J. A.The Siberian InterventionNew York 1969Google Scholar

Graves, W. S.America’s Siberian Adventure, 1918–1920New York 1941Google Scholar

Kinvig, C.Churchill’s Crusade: The British Invasion of Russia 1918–1920London 2006Google Scholar

Schmid, A. P.Churchills privater Krieg. Intervention und Konterrevolution im russischen Bürgerkrieg November 1918-März 1920Munich 1994Google Scholar

Ellis, C. H.The British “Intervention” in Transcaspia: 1918–1919Berkeley, Calif 1963Google Scholar

Jeffery, K.The British Army and the Crisis of Empire 1918–22Manchester 1984Google Scholar

Ullman, R. H.Anglo-Soviet Relations, 1917–1921Princeton, N.J 1968Google Scholar

Occleshaw, M.Dances in Deep Shadows: The Clandestine War in Russia 1917–20New York 2006Google Scholar

Jackson, R.Battle of the BalticBarnsley, UK 2007Google Scholar

Sanborn, J. A.Drafting the Russian Nation: Military Conscription, Total War, and Mass Politics 1905–1925De Kalb, Ill 2003Google Scholar

Pereira, N. G. O.White Siberia: The Politics of Civil WarMontreal 1996Google Scholar

Dotsenko, P.The Struggle for Democracy in Siberia, 1917–1920: Eyewitness Account of a ContemporaryStanford, Calif 1983Google Scholar

Fleming, P.The Fate of Admiral KolchakLondon 1963Google Scholar

Brinkley, G. A.The Volunteer Army and Allied Intervention in South Russia, 1917–1921: A Study in the Politics and Diplomacy of the Russian Civil WarNotre Dame, Ind 1966Google Scholar

Kenez, P.Civil War in South Russia, 1918: The First Year of the Volunteer ArmyBerkeley, Calif 1971Google Scholar

Lehovich, D. V.White against Red: The Life of General Anton DenikinNew York 1974Google Scholar

Luckett, R.The White Generals: An Account of the White Movement and the Russian Civil WarHarlow, UK 1971Google Scholar

Dziewanowski, M. K.Pilsudski – A European FederalistStanford, Calif 1969Google Scholar

Wandycz, P. S.Soviet-Polish Relations, 1917–1921Cambridge, Mass 1969CrossRef Google Scholar

Palij, M.The Ukrainian-Polish Defensive Alliance 1919–1921Edmonton 1995Google Scholar

Davies, N.White Eagle, Red Star: The Polish-Soviet War, 1919–1920London 1972Google Scholar

Reshetar, J. S.The Ukrainian Revolution, 1917–1920: A Study in NationalismNew York 1972Google Scholar

Dorosenko, D.The Ukrainian Hetman State of 1918Winnipeg 1973Google Scholar

Hunczak, T.The Ukraine, 1917–1921: A Study in RevolutionCambridge, Mass 1977Google Scholar

Adams, A. E.Bolsheviks in the Ukraine: The Second Campaign, 1918–1919New Haven, Conn 1963Google Scholar

Borys, J.The Sovietization of Ukraine 1917–1923: The Communist Doctrine and Practice of National Self-DeterminationEdmonton 1980Google Scholar

Motyl, A. J.The Turn to the Right: The Ideological Origins and Development of Ukrainian Nationalism, 1919–1929Boulder, Colo 1980Google Scholar

Zamoyski, A.Varsovia 1920. El intento fallido de Lenin de conquistar EuropaMadrid 2008Google Scholar

Diner, D.Cataclysms: A History of the Twentieth Century from Europe’s EdgeMadison, Wisc 2008Google Scholar

Arnot, R. P.The Impact of the Russian Revolution in BritainLondon 1967Google Scholar

Adramenko, L. M.Poslednaya obitel: Krim, 1920–1921 godyKiev 2005Google Scholar

Nilostonski, R.Der Blutrausch des Bolschewismus. Berichte eines AugenzeugenBerlin 1920Google Scholar

Osipova, T.The Bolsheviks in Russian SocietyNew Haven, Conn 1997Google Scholar

Arshinov, P.History of the Makhnovist Movement (1918–1921Detroit 1974Google Scholar

Palij, M.The Anarchism of Nestor Makhno, 1918–1921: An Aspect of the Ukrainian RevolutionSeattle 1976Google Scholar

Malet, M.Nestor Makhno in the Russian Civil WarLondon 1982CrossRef Google Scholar

Navall, D.A Russian Dance of Death: Revolution and Civil War in the UkraineWinnipeg 1977Google Scholar

Besançon, A.The Rise of the Gulag: Intellectual Origins of LeninismNew York 1981Google Scholar

Getzler, I.Kronstadt 1917–1921: The Fate of a Soviet DemocracyCambridge, UK 1983CrossRef Google Scholar

Avrich, P.Kronstadt 1921Princeton, N.J 1970Google Scholar

Kazemzadeh, F.The Struggle for Transcaucasia (1917–1921New York 1951Google Scholar

Smith, C. F.Vladivostok under Red and White Rule: Revolution and Counter-revolution in the Russian Far East, 1920–1922Seattle 1975Google Scholar

Pipes, R.The Formation of the Soviet Union: Communism and Nationalism: 1917–1923Cambridge, Mass 1954Google Scholar

Palmer, J.The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of MongoliaNew York 2009Google Scholar

Hammond, T. T.The Anatomy of Communist TakeoversNew Haven, Conn 1975Google Scholar

Murphy, G. G. S.Soviet Mongolia: A Study of the Oldest Soviet SatelliteBerkeley, Calif 1966Google Scholar

Service, R.The Bolshevik Party in Revolution: A Study in Organisational Change 1917–1923London 1979CrossRef Google Scholar

Wilkinson, D.Revolutionary War: The Elements of Victory and DefeatPalo Alto, Calif 1975Google Scholar

Obshchestvennykh Nauk, AkademiyaPochemu pobedili Bolsheviki. Otvet falsifikatoram istorii Velikogo OktyabryaMoscow 1987Google Scholar

Karmann, R.Der Freiheitskampf der Kosaken: Die weisse Armee in der Russischen Revolution 1917–1920Puchheim 1985Google Scholar

Biraben, J.-N.Révolution et population. Aspects démographiques des grandes révolutions politiquesLouvain 1990Google Scholar

Geyer, M.Fitzpatrick, S.Beyond Totalitarianism: Stalinism and Nazism ComparedCambridge, UK 2009Google Scholar

Book contents

2 - The Russian Civil War, 1917???1922

Summary

Access options

References

Save book to Kindle

Save book to Dropbox

Save book to Google Drive