After the overthrow of the provisional government on 7th november, 1917, the all russian congress of soviets met and handed over power to the soviet council of people's commissars. Vladimir lenin was elected chairman and other appointments included leading bolsheviks such as leon trotsky foreign affairs alexei rykov internal affairs , anatoli lunacharsky education and joseph stalin nationalities. Who had managed to escape arrest, assembled loyal troops from the northern front. Led by general krasnov, the cossacks were defeated by bolshevik forces at pulkova. By december, 1917, central russia and siberia was under the control of lenin's government. General lavr kornilov now organized a volunteer army and in january 1918 his forces numbered 3,0 men.

Over the next few months other groups who opposed the bolshevik government joined the struggle. Some mensheviks and socialist revolutionaries that were opposed to the dictatorial powers of the new regime also joined the resistance. Others who joined included landowners who had lost their estates, factory owners who had their property nationalized, devout members of the russian orthodox church who objected to the government's atheism and royalists who wanted to restore the monarchy. Alexander kolchak joined the rebellion and agreed to become a minister in the provisional all russian government based in omsk. In november 1918, ministers who were members of the socialist revolutionary party were arrested and kolchak was named supreme ruler with dictatorial powers. The socialist revolutionaries sr now changed sides and joined forces with the red army. Kolchak reacted by bring in new laws which established capital punishment for attempting to overthrow the authorities.

He also announced that ldquo insults written, printed, and oral, are punishable by imprisonment. Other measures imposed by kolchak included the suppression of trade unions, disbanding of soviets, and resturned factories and land to their previous owners. Kolchak was accused of committing war crimes and one report claimed that he had 25,0 people killed in ekaterinburg. The white army initially had success in the ukraine where the bolsheviks were unpopular.

The main threat to the bolsheviks was the german army that was advancing towards petrograd. On 3rd march, 1918, vladimir lenin ordered his team of negotiators to sign the brest litovsk treaty. This resulted in the russians having to surrendering the ukraine, finland, the baltic provinces, the caucasus and poland. In may, 1918, the czechoslovak corps revolted after being badly treated by local red guards.

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Over the next four months the czech legion took a vast area of land east of the volga. Vladimir lenin appointed leon trotsky as commissar of war and was sent to rally the red army in the volga. Trotsky proved to be an outstanding military commander and kazan and simbirsk were recaptured in september, 1918. The following month he took samara but the white army did make progress in the south when general anton denikin took control of the kuban region and general peter wrangel began to advance up the volga.

Red guard units were established amongst industrial workers and the rail network was used to bring troops from moscow. By december, 1918, there were 200,0 foreign soldiers supporting the anti bolshevik forces. In march, 1919, admiral alexander kolchak captured ufa and was posing a threat to kazan and samara.

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However, his acts of repression had resulted in the formation of western siberian peasants' red army. Kolchak fled eastwards and was promised safe passage by the czechoslovaks to the british military mission in irkutsk. This was an unpopular decision with many bolsheviks who feared that given the opportunity, they would betray their own troops. Trotsky tried to overcome this problem by imposing a strict system of punishment for those who were judged to be disloyal. Photograph of red army soldier about to be executed by members of the white army. He made a brief stand at rostov before again retreating to novorossiysk on the black sea. General peter wrangel now took control of the white army in the crimea but he was unable to make much impression against general mikhail frunze and the red army and in november the remaining members of his army left russia.

It has estimated that another 8 million died as from starvation and disease as result of the war. He wrote about the russian civil war while living in exile in the usa. in the don region, generals alexeyev and kornilov, former commanders in chief of the russian army, organized a white army. Since the peasant population of the region was not in sympathy with the programme of the generals, their troops were forced to retreat to the steppes. Two months later the remnants of the volunteer army, numbering only about one thousand men, organized a new offensive and this time found recruits among the cossacks.

By october 1918 this army swelled to 100,00 and occupied a front of two hundred miles, under the command of general denikin. Unwin published six weeks in russia in 1919 and sold enormous quantities of it at the lowest possible price. No one could read the plain statements of fact without feeling that the russian war could not be justified, if only because the people in the book, from lenin downwards, were quite obviously human beings and not the fantastic bogies that the interventionists pretended. The little book makes no claim to knowledge of politics or economics, but it does give a clear picture of what moscow was like in those days of starvation, high hope and unwanted war.

3 in november, 1918, general peter wrangel was fighting with general anton denikin in the kuban area.

in the course of the last few months my command had received considerable reinforcements.

We were well supplied with artillery, technical equipment, telephones, telegraphs, and so on, which we had taken from the enemy. When the reds had succeeded in making themselves masters of the kuban district they had recourse to conscription there. Now these forced recruits were deserting en masse, and coming over to us to defend their homes. They were good fighters, but once their own village was cleared of reds, many of them left the ranks to cultivate their land once more. Our aim is to fight against the enemies of the soviet government and of the new order of life.

In most cases only a day passes between the apprehension of the criminal and his sentence. When confronted with evidence criminals in almost every case confess and what argument can have greater weight than a criminal's own confession. For the first time in history the working people have got control of their country. We ask you, are you going to crash us? to help give russia back to the landlords, the capitalists and tsar? i give warning that if any unit retreats without orders, the first to be shot down will be the commissary of the unit, and next the commander.

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7 letter by general peter wrangel that was sent to general anton denikin on 9th december, 1919.

the continual advance has reduced the army's effective force. Disorganization is all the greater because of the re equipment system which supreme headquarters have adopted they have turned over this duty to the troops and take no share in it themselves. The war is becoming to some a means of growing rich re equipment has degenerated into pillage and peculation.

Each unit strives to secure as much as possible for itself, and seizes everything that comes to hand. What cannot be used on the spot is sent back to the interior and sold at a profit. The rolling stock belonging to the troops has taken on enormous dimensions some regiments have two hundred carriages in their wake. A considerable number of troops have retreated to the interior, and many officers are away on prolonged missions, busy selling and exchanging loot. The army is absolutely demoralized, and is fast becoming a collection of tradesmen and profiteers.