The civil war in Russia, which began in 1917 (according to other sources in 1918), and ended with the victory of the Red Army in 1922, was the result of political, social and national contradictions that appeared in the country after the February Revolution of 1917.
The causes of the Civil War to this day are the subject of discussion by historians. Despite the fact that many political groups participated in the war, the main struggle was unfolding between the White movement and the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army. Both sides, in the event of their victory, proposed to establish a dictatorship regime in the country. The Bolsheviks proclaimed their intention to establish a communist society in Russia and Europe based on the equality of all people, and supporters of the White movement declared their goal to convene a new Constituent Assembly, which could solve the question of political structure.
The Bolsheviks were not only ready for war, but also sought to bring it closer, considering military action the only possible way to resolve the contradictions in society.
The following causes of the Civil War are:
- The seizure of power by the Bolsheviks, who overthrew the Provisional Government.
- Refusal of the Bolsheviks to observe the principles of parliamentarism
These measures aroused indignation not only of the monarchists, but also of liberal citizens. The repression, dictatorship and the emergence of the Red Terror negatively set the intelligentsia against the Bolsheviks, as well as the workers and peasants. These sentiments led to the revival of the Menshevik movement.
In addition, some researchers cite the following causes of the Civil War:
- The way out of the First World War through the conclusion of the Brest Peace with Germany on extremely unfavorable conditions.
- The activity of the Bolsheviks in the villages, which consisted of predatory actions against peasants.
- Nationalization of banks, real estate and capital goods.
- The solution of the agrarian question contrary to the interests of landowners.
We can say that the causes of the Civil War lie in the proletarian revolution, when there was a division of society, and there were contradictions that could not be resolved peacefully. The lack of a clearly defined government, the dictatorship of the Bolsheviks led to the outbreak of hostilities.
Foreign states (England, France and Italy) decided to take part in the Civil War in Russia in order to support anti-Bolshevik forces. In addition, they considered the possibility of spreading their influence in Russia, taking advantage of the emerging separatist sentiments.
However, despite all measures, the Red Army won the war. Historians have been arguing for a long time about the reasons for the defeat of the White movement.
The reasons for the Reds' victory in the Civil War were not their numerical superiority. Throughout the war, more soldiers deserted from the Red Army than there were in the White Army. And it is unlikely that the population supported the Bolsheviks. According to the researchers, the white movement ruined the fragmentation and inability of the leaders to unite everyone dissatisfied with the new government.
In addition, the peasantry did not want to join any of the armies or to unite with other opponents, since they did not want to leave their lands. As a result, the Bolsheviks had the opportunity to crush solitary peasant uprisings without much difficulty.
The reasons for the defeat of whites in the Civil War were also that the Reds controlled the most densely populated areas. The inability of the leaders of the White movement to negotiate became the reason for the insufficient assistance from the Entente.
So, the main causes of the Civil War were the political situation of that time, and the defeat of the White movement was associated with poor organization of military operations and the fragmentation of individual resistance forces.