Episode 4: we covered 1917, 1918, Ukraine South Now East

Stage 2 of the Front Line Civil War

Definitions: What is a Front Line civil war, like US civil war

Gov against the people: Sherman Atlanta

In Russia BOTH: gov vs gov. Gov vs people

So stage one: in Russia 1918 July to 11 November Bols vs. Socialist Komuch gov.

Kolchak coup d’etat Second stage.

Nov. 1918 - August 1920.

Within it: Kolchak offensive Nov 1918 - August 1919

Denikin offensive: JUne 1919 - Jan 1920.

Vrangel Jan 1920 - November 1920

So Eastern Front:

The Beginning: December 1918:

Kochak coup Etat and first actions

Arrests of SRs, British Support.

Random executions, arrests of all and any labels socialists. No difference Bolsheviks Srs any socialist traitor to be shot.

First Successes:

December 1918. Perm Pepeliaev. Cossacks 40 trains with ammunition, requisitioned property and Gold of Russia seized.

Mobilization in the Volga area. 150K army

Population welcoming. Tired of requisitions,

My thesis: not covered in Soviet Histories.

Kolchak offensive successful from Urals to Volga BECAUSE peasant rebellions. My book Lunacharsky to Lenin People wait for Kolchak.

US forces in Siberia History of engagement

General Graves cables to State Department

Red Cross doctors: executions, mutilations, of priests, nobles, merchants, photos taken, Motovilikha story 102 workers shot.

Red Terror documented as systematic slaughter by class principles.

Kolchak Government:

Atamanshchina, no gov. Local warlords, no governing, just robbery

Corruption, theft, lawlessness, reports of Graves.

On paper 400K army, in fact 50K fighting. The most dedicated were Workers detachments of People’s army who stayed with Kolchak.

Slow collapse only thanks to huge territory.

War on railroads, along railroads,

Irkutsk jan 4 1920 arrested. Finished.

Remnants retreat to Manchuria, San Francisco. I talked to some in 1980.

Conclusion: Kolchak had a chance but blew it. Main cause hatred of socialists non-inclusive, inability to govern, no central authority.

This is episode three in my series on Modern Russian History that appears every Sunday. The information here is taken from my book: Behind Front Lines of the Civil War. Political Parties and Social Movements in Russia. 1917-1921 (Princeton University press). Obviously 20 minutes video is a short summary from a book of 400 pages.

Dr. Brovkin served as an Associate Professor of Soviet History at Harvard University, he is the author of numerous books on Russian History and politics. His latest book: From Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin: Russia in Search of Its identity (Routledge, London 2024) is available from Amazon and Routledge.com. In addition to Issues of Contemporary Politics playlist, you can find: Russia under Yeltsin and Putin, Russia under the Communist Regime, War in Ukraine, European History and others. FOLLOW me ON X TWITTER https://x.com/BrovkinVla97791. Follow me at Vbrovkin51.substack.com and listen to my podcasts at RSS.com

This is a weekly series of presentations on the History of Modern Russia starting with the Revolution of 1917. In this episode we consider the following questions: How to explain the sudden collapse of Nicholas II? Was that a revolution or a simple collapse of the state? What were the major political parties in Russia and what did they want ? Who were the Bolsheviks, the Mensheviks, the Socialist Revolutionaries and what was the dynamics of political struggle in 1917. Why did the politics of 1917 always escalated to the extreme demands? Why were the Bolsheviks popular. Was there an alternative to Bolshevik seizure of power? If they were so popular why did the Bolsheviks lose the first free and open universal franchise elections?

What did the Bolsheviks promise and could they fulfill their promises?