...To a large extent, the Red victory in the Russian Civil War was due to the White’s weaknesses. However, a combination of these weaknesses together with the Bolsheviks own strengths were responsible for the defeat of the Whites, in terms of resources and geographical location, political support, leadership and foreign help. In terms of geography and resources, the Reds had control over the more densely populated areas in western Russia. That area was populated by some 70 million people, in comparison to the 20 million in the Whites controlled areas, which meant they could recruit more people. This gave the Reds a huge numerical advantage, White generals only had between 250,000 men at their disposal whereas the Red army counted with 400,000 men in 1919 and over 5 million by the end if the Civil War. It was a central area that was easier to defend and in which to keep internal lines of communication. In contrast, the White armies were physically separated, which made the coordination of their military actions more difficult. For example, in 1919 General Denikin’s forces were defeated in the south-east region of Russia due to his inability to organize a strategic plan with Kolchak, which would have proved a great danger for the Bolsheviks. Another key advantage was that the areas under Red control included the industrial centres of the country, Petrograd and Moscow, which meant they had the capacity to manufacture armaments and not be dependent on foreign assistance, as the Whites...
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...The Bolsheviks acted in a brutal manner during the year 1917-1924; however this was why they remained in power after the October/November revolution. However their survival can also be attributed to the weakness of their opposition, who displayed a lack of organisation and unification. There were other reasons for the Bolsheviks' remaining in power after the revolution, such as the efficiency and strong leadership of the Bolsheviks, and their geographical advantages; but these were ultimately not as significant as the weaknesses of their opposition, as their survival was dictated by how they exploited their enemies' flaws. The brutal methods of violence employed by the Bolsheviks certainly helped the Bolsheviks to remain in power. The use of the Cheka was one such brutal method; it ensured that the Bolsheviks remained the dominant authority, by suppressing their opponent’s activity through the use of terror. However the Bolsheviks were only able to do this because their opposition was too weak to rebel; the Bolsheviks had gained dominance, while all others were clearly weak and submissive. This meant that the Bolsheviks use of terror only had the effect of making a weak opposition even weaker, therefore this form of brutality was only successful due to an already weak opposition. Violence was also seen as key for maintaining power as the freely elected Constituent Assembly was dissolved at gunpoint in January 1918. This showed that the Bolsheviks were prepared to go to brutal...
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...The Russian Civil war was the Bolsheviks fight to stay in power and get rid of all their competitors which they successfully achieved. The Reds At the time, the political party of the Bolsheviks was called the All-Russian Communist Party. In politics, the colour red is traditionally associated with leftist groups, socialism, and communism. The colour red on a flag can symbolize courage, toughness, and revolutionary political views, the bridge being shed blood and violence The Whites The terms White Movement, White Army, White Guards and the like have their roots in the historic connection between the colour white and royalism. Russian emperors were also called White Tsars. The colour white has been associated with royalist causes since the late 18th century In spite of this general connection that exists between white and royal, it does not mean that everybody connected with the White Movement during the Russian Civil War was in favour of a return to the monarchy. Some were, some weren't. However, white was a good contrast to red, so the name stuck. Let's keep in mind that the expression White Movement, when used in context of the Russian Civil War, refers to a group of people with different agendas and different ideas. But what they all had in common was their disagreement with the Red Bolshevik Communists. Note that the Whites did not get their name from White Russia, which is another name for Belarus, a country in Eastern Europe, nor from the White Russian cocktail,...
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...To What Extent Was the Red Victory in the Civil War Due to the Skill and Leadership of Trotsky? The red victory in the civil war in 1919 may have been due to the skill and leadership of Trotsky who was the founder and first leader of the Red Army. As well as this there were other factors which contributed such as geographical factors, the unity and organisation of the reds and the support that they had. The reds were victorious in the civil war due to the skill and leadership of Trotsky who had been made commissar for war in 1918. He restored harsh military discipline and professionalism to the ‘worker’s and peasants red army’ by reintroducing the death penalty for those who did wrong which meant that men were made to fight as more of an effective fighting force. He also reorganised the army and so it had a strict hierarchy and he brought back thousands of former Tsarist officers to train and command the units. To do this he held their families hostage which meant that their loyalty was ensured. In addition to this he attached a political commissar to each army of the unit and ended soldiers committee’s and officer’s elections which meant that the loyalty of the officers was ensured so he would retain power, For those men who were unable to fight, due to age or physical inability, formed labour battalions. This meant that the Front received more help and nobody had an excuse to not fight in the army and so it would prevent people from thinking they could use injuries to get...
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...The Russian Civil war was the Bolsheviks fight to stay in power and get rid of all their competitors which they successfully achieved. The Reds At the time, the political party of the Bolsheviks was called the All-Russian Communist Party. In politics, the colour red is traditionally associated with leftist groups, socialism, and communism. The colour red on a flag can symbolize courage, toughness, and revolutionary political views, the bridge being shed blood and violence The Whites The terms White Movement, White Army, White Guards and the like have their roots in the historic connection between the colour white and royalism. Russian emperors were also called White Tsars. The colour white has been associated with royalist causes since the late 18th century In spite of this general connection that exists between white and royal, it does not mean that everybody connected with the White Movement during the Russian Civil War was in favour of a return to the monarchy. Some were, some weren't. However, white was a good contrast to red, so the name stuck. Let's keep in mind that the expression White Movement, when used in context of the Russian Civil War, refers to a group of people with different agendas and different ideas. But what they all had in common was their disagreement with the Red Bolshevik Communists. Note that the Whites did not get their name from White Russia, which is another name for Belarus, a country in Eastern Europe, nor from the White Russian cocktail,...
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...Lincoln High School IB History Internal Assessment Student Handbook Table of Contents What is the History IA? Planning Your Historical Investigation Examples of Types of Investigations Examples of Research Questions Choice of Topic 20th Century History of the Americas Alternative The Written Account & Assessment Criteria A. Plan of the Investigation B. Summary of Evidence C. Evaluation of Sources D. Analysis E. Conclusion F. Sources and Word Limit Sample History IAs 1Trotsky and the Russian Civil War 2US in Chile 3Women in the French Revolution 4PreWWI Alliances 4 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 14 1 2 2 3 4 10 16 Information in this guide is gathered from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to: The IB History Course Guide, Oxford’s IB Skills and Practice, IBOCC, and anecdotal experience. What is the History IA? The History IA is your chance to explore a period, theme, or event in history that you are interested in. For full IB Candidates, it also serves as 20% of your final History Grade. The final paper will be assessed by your teacher, with a sampling sent off to IB for score moderation. The History IA asks you to use the full range of skills you have been taught in class. In particular: ● knowledge and understanding ● application and interpretation ● synthesis and evaluation...
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...How important was Lenin in enabling the communist government to survive war and rebellion in the years 1918-1922. The communist government survived war and rebellion because of a variety of key figures including Lenin. However to say that Lenin was important is speculative, there were many events that occurred which Lenin didn’t contribute to which helped the communist government survive. It is possible to think that Lenin was not important in enabling the communist government to survive war and rebellion because of the kronstadt revolt. This was a key event in which Lenin did not contribute and therefore unimportant. The kronstadt revolt occurred because sailors at the Kronstadt naval base had long been a source of radical dissent and by 1921 they were angry about the lack of democracy and the policy of War Communism. On 28th February 1921, the crew of the battleship Petropavlovsk, passed a resolution calling for a return of full political freedoms. Lenin denounced the Kronstadt Uprising as a plot instigated by the White Army and their European supporters making him unimportant to this relevant event. On 6th March, Trotsky announced that he was going to order the Red Army to attack the Kronstadt sailors, making Trotsky the key figure in the Kronstadt revolt not Lenin. 60,000 red army troops stormed the base under the command of Mikhail Tukhachevskii on March 5th, by March 16th they numbered 45,000. Trotsky managed all the conflict and therefore was shown the most important...
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...successfully managed to remain in control of Russia. Consolidating their power meant that they were able to increase their influence within Russia. However, the process to becoming the absolute power was very gradual and involved some very key decisions. To determine how successful we must consider whether the Bolsheviks made any mistakes or could have done anything more effectively. Firstly, we must look at the initial problems facing the Bolsheviks when they came to power in 1917. After completing the revolution many of the problems of Tsarist Russia still remained, leaving Lenin and the Bolsheviks to solve the problems swiftly in order to increase their claim to power. The problems of lawlessness, land redistribution, attitude of peasantry, the war, economic problems and issues to do with the Constituent Assembly all had to be resolved. The party also had created new problems when it came to power; these were mainly caused by groups and people not supporting the party. On top of all this, the Bolsheviks had no real plans for their Government, they had no experience of Government, they had expected a world revolution and they had expected the State to just wither away. The Bolsheviks also did not control the whole of Russia. Most of the country was oblivious to the fact that they were in power, the Revolution occurred in towns and cities, not in the countryside where 82% of the population lived. The Bolsheviks also had to contend with threats from other Socialist groups such as the Socialist...
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...The Russian Revolution as important a revolution of the 20th century as were the American and French Revolutions. Like most revolutions, the Russian Revolution was against economic oppression. Russia came into the 20th century as an extremely oppressed country that was ruled by the Czars. Through acts of “terrorism” and rebellion a small group of revolutionaries overthrew the Czars, which resulted in a state of anarchy and turmoil. The Bolshevik Party of Lenin masterminded the Bolshevik take-over of power in Russia in 1917, and was the architect and first head of the USSR. History, nonetheless, as history often does has opened up a series of questions, It is generally accepted that Leon Trotsky played a greater role in organising and executing the Bolshevik revolution. Even Joseph Stalin acknowledges his major rival’s role in the events in Pravda on the 10th November, 1918, “All practical work in connection with the organisation of the uprising was done under the immediate direction of Comrade Trotsky, the President of the Petrograd Soviet...the Party is indebted primarily and principally to Comrade Trotsky...” This statement by Stalin confirms the role of Trotsky in the revolution, however Terry Brotherstone, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen, argues that “The Bolshevik victory in the October Revolution would have been just as unthinkable and unrealisable without Trotsky as it would have been unthinkable and unrealisable without Lenin”. It has been suggested...
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...Trotsky’s first contribution was in his role as Commisar of Foreign Affairs in the newly created Council of People's Commissars. Lenin gave him the task of negotiating a peace treaty with Germany. Initially, Trotsky had hoped to end the war without the loss of territory. However, when the Germans rejected his demands and resumed the offensive, he was forced to agree to their terms. Despite the treaty’s onerous clauses – the loss of 25 percent of Russia’s land, 30 percent of its population, and 6 billion gold marks in reparations – it gave the Bolsheviks the breathing space they needed to remain in power. With the war over, they could honour the promises they had made before coming to power – to provide land, bread and peace to the peasants, workers and soldiers. This allowed them to consolidate their support with these groups. Even so, the Bolsheviks still faced considerable opposition in 1918, and soon found themselves at war with an alliance of monarchists, liberals and disaffected leftists. While Lenin confined his attention to political and economic matters, he gave Trotsky the task of defeating the White Armies, appointing him Commissar for War in March 1918. Lenin’s confidence in Trotsky’s abilities was not misplaced. Although the new War Commissar had no military training and no experience of...
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...History essay How far was the Communist government of Lenin from 1917 - 1921 a government of the people? Communism first occurred in Russia in 1917 due to Karl Marx’s vision of communism which was for the government could decide how much is made and what things in the country cost, everyone will be equal, education will be free to all, everyone will own everything(there will no longer be private property and farms will be collective ownership so will everything else, no more religion they believed that it distracted people from the “proper communism” beliefs and wanting people to concentrate on the country, everyone will work to their strengths. Many people believe it was the worst thing to happen to Russia, Robert V Daniels believes it was a stroke of accident and that it was the wrong thing to occur. Lenin began to push for a revolution, during 1917 he attempted an uprising in April and July, he led a successful revolution in October 1917, Lenin led the bolshieks which were the people that supported him and were opposed by the menshelkis. In Lenin’s early government he formed the government so no one could be an outside, he put into place three decrees, decree on land in October 1917 which meant that peasants were given the power the right to seize land from the nobility and the church, this is a pro and con it portrayed that they government were against religion which caused up road with religious people and the church but couldn’t speak out due to the red army which...
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...Comparison Paper ANNA KARENINA/DOCTOR ZHIVAGO Sonya | Russian Literature | February 10, 2016 Summary of Anna Karenina A crisis develops in the Oblonsky household when Dolly finds out about her husband's affair. Stiva's sister, Anna Karenina, arrives to reconcile the couple and dissuades Dolly from getting a divorce. Konstantin Levin, Stiva's friend, arrives in Moscow to propose to the eighteen year old Kitty Shtcherbatsky. She refuses him, for she loves Count Vronsky, a dashing army officer who has no intentions of marrying. Meeting the lovely Madame Karenina, Vronsky falls in love and begins to pursue her. Kitty falls ill after a humiliating rejection by Vronsky. At the German spa where she takes a rest cure she tries to deny her womanly nature by becoming a religious do-gooder. Realizing the hypocrisy of this new calling, Kitty returns to Russia cured of her depression and ready to accept her ultimate wifehood. Consummating her union with Vronsky, Anna steps into a new life with much foreboding for the future. By the time she confesses her adultery to the suspecting Karenin, she is already pregnant with Vronsky's child Devoting himself to farming, Levin tries to find life meaningful without marriage. He expends his energies in devising a cooperative landholding system with his peasants to make the best use of the land. Seeing his brother Nicolai hopelessly ill with tuberculosis, he realizes he has been working to avoid facing the problem of death....
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...How important were the mistakes of his opponents in explaining Stalin’s victory in the power struggle between 1924 and 1928? Many historians would argue that the mistakes of his opponents played a vital role in explaining Stalin’s victory in the power struggle. However, whilst this did contribute, it is likely that Stalin’s role as General Secretary was the most important factor, with the Lenin Legacy also playing a role. The mistakes of Stalin’s opponents aided him in his victory in the power struggle because these mistakes made them easier to defeat and led instead to Stalin becoming increasing popular. For instance, Stalin’s main opponent was Trotsky, but that face that Trotsky supported the notion of “World Revolution” made him unpopular, as it was a policy that was viewed as putting the needs of other countries before those of Russia and it didn’t show faith in the Soviet people. Additionally, Zinoviev and Kamenev made the mistake of not initially supporting the 1917 October Revolution, which meant that they were therefore considered disloyal to the Bolshevik party and to Lenin. Stalin was consequently able to accuse them of factionalism and eliminate them as opposition. However, another historical interpretation could be that the Lenin Legacy contributed to Stalin’s victory. This is because, by linking himself to Lenin, Stalin portrayed himself to be loyal to Lenin and a suitable successor. For instance, by expanding the party in tribute to Lenin through the...
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...Was war communism the main reason why the Bolsheviks were able to remain in power between 1918-1924? There were many reasons why the Bolsheviks were able to remain in power. Lenin and Trotsky teamwork and leadership gave them a great advantage because they really knew how to control their team. The red army was incredibly stronger than the whites. The red army knew what they were fighting for whereas the whites really didn’t have any idea of what their ambition was. The Bolsheviks also had the central lines, which enabled them to travel all around the country guaranteeing that the red army troops could get all the necessities that they needed. Finally, war communism was also a contributor to why the Bolsheviks were able to remain in power. Although it kept the troops fed and healthy, it had devastating effects on the rest of the public who weren’t soldiers. This caused havoc in Russia, but was unfortunately vital during the Civil War. Lenin and Trotsky were responsible for everything that the Bolsheviks were linked to; Lenin was more based in the organisation and policies of the party. Lenin created and put the War Communism in order, which caused disruption and huge complications in Russia. This caused anger between the peasants, working class and the Bolsheviks. Lenin also solved his own problem, by creating the New Economic Policy. The new economic policy again, created and solved lots of Russia’s problems. Trotsky was more in charge of the military side of...
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...The process of practice is for everyone to go through the route, on the way to this. You are not a child, in the exercise, in the growth, stumbled, and song and line. Leaving the youth time we more ahead of the horn and passionate music, maybe the day dragged his exhausted body back, perhaps every day to completed the day's task and battered, perhaps every day to tomorrow's trip to prepare for, but we are happy. Is no longer a trend for the cloud, in the mountains in a body. Sun Zhongshan said, "the people are both doing their best, they are all for a Pepsi, Pepsi, then the problem is also rich and powerful." Everyone in for a period of two days of "re take the road of the Red Army, red Fujian" theme activities, their contribution, two days we in this team care for each other, truly solidarity, forge ahead. There is excitement, there is moved, there is a touch. This practice I relive the revolutionary struggle history, visited the site of a major Communist China, the site of the second congress, the former residence of Qiu Jin, Zhou Enlai Memorial Hall, the former residence of Lu Xun, South Lake revolution memorial hall, to pay tribute to the martyrs relics, relive the revolutionary struggle history, cherish the memory of revolutionary martyrs. Listen to the story of the struggle, the image of the hero of the revolution. Inspired me to love the party's enthusiasm, to further realize the deep connotation of the red spirit. Although time is short, but I learned something many...
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