Where did the terms "red" and "white" come from? The Civil War also saw the “Greens”, “Cadets”, “Socialist Revolutionaries” and other formations. What is their fundamental difference?

In this article, we will answer not only these questions, but also briefly get acquainted with the history of its formation in the country. Let's talk about the confrontation between the White Guard and the Red Army.

Origin of the terms "red" and "white"

Today, the history of the Fatherland is of less and less concern to young people. According to surveys, many have no idea, let alone Patriotic War 1812...

However, such words and phrases as “red” and “white”, “Civil War” and “October Revolution” are still heard. Most people, however, do not know the details, but they have heard the terms.

Let's take a closer look at this issue. We should start with where the two opposing camps came from - “white” and “red” in the Civil War. In principle, it was simply an ideological move by Soviet propagandists and nothing more. Now you will figure out this riddle yourself.

If you turn to textbooks and reference books of the Soviet Union, they explain that the “whites” are the White Guards, supporters of the Tsar and enemies of the “reds”, the Bolsheviks.

It seems that everything was so. But in fact, this is another enemy that the Soviets fought against.

The country has lived for seventy years in confrontation with fictitious opponents. These were the “whites,” the kulaks, the decaying West, the capitalists. Very often, such a vague definition of the enemy served as the foundation for slander and terror.

Next we will discuss the reasons Civil War. “Whites,” according to Bolshevik ideology, were monarchists. But here’s the catch: there were practically no monarchists in the war. They had no one to fight for, and their honor did not suffer from this. Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and his brother did not accept the crown. So everything tsarist officers found themselves free from the oath.

Where then did this “color” difference come from? If the Bolsheviks really had a red flag, then their opponents never had a white one. The answer lies in the history of a century and a half ago.

The Great French Revolution gave the world two opposing camps. The royal troops carried a white banner, the symbol of the dynasty of French rulers. After seizing power, their opponents hung a red canvas in the window of the city hall as a sign of the introduction of wartime. On such days, any gatherings of people were dispersed by soldiers.

The Bolsheviks were opposed not by monarchists, but by supporters of the convocation Constituent Assembly(constitutional democrats, cadets), anarchists (Makhnovists), “green army” (fought against the “red”, “white”, interventionists) and those who wanted the separation of their territory into a free state.

Thus, the term "white" was cleverly used by ideologues to define a common enemy. His winning position was that any Red Army soldier could explain in a nutshell what he was fighting for, unlike all the other rebels. This attracted ordinary people on the side of the Bolsheviks and made it possible for the latter to win the Civil War.

Prerequisites for the war

When studying the Civil War in class, a table is essential for a good understanding of the material. Below are the stages of this military conflict, which will help you better navigate not only the article, but also this period in the history of the Fatherland.

Now that we have decided who the “reds” and “whites” are, the Civil War, or rather its stages, will be more understandable. You can begin to study them in more depth. It's worth starting with the premises.

So, the main reason for such intense passions, which later resulted in a five-year Civil War, was the accumulated contradictions and problems.

Firstly, participation Russian Empire in World War I destroyed the economy and depleted the country's resources. The bulk of the male population was in the army, agriculture and urban industry fell into decay. The soldiers were tired of fighting for other people's ideals when there were hungry families at home.

The second reason was agricultural and industrial issues. There were too many peasants and workers who lived below the poverty line. The Bolsheviks took full advantage of this.

In order to turn participation in the world war into an inter-class struggle, certain steps were taken.

First, the first wave of nationalization of enterprises, banks, and lands took place. Then the Brest-Litovsk Treaty was signed, which plunged Russia into the abyss of complete ruin. Against the backdrop of general devastation, the Red Army men carried out terror in order to stay in power.

To justify their behavior, they built an ideology of struggle against the White Guards and interventionists.

Background

Let's take a closer look at why the Civil War began. The table we provided earlier illustrates the stages of the conflict. But we will start with those events that occurred before the Great October Revolution.

Weakened by its participation in the First World War, the Russian Empire declines. Nicholas II abdicates the throne. More importantly, he does not have a successor. In light of such events, two new forces are being formed simultaneously - the Provisional Government and the Council of Workers' Deputies.

The former are beginning to deal with the social and political spheres of the crisis, while the Bolsheviks concentrated on increasing their influence in the army. This path subsequently led them to the opportunity to become the only ruling force in the country.
It was the confusion in government that led to the formation of the “reds” and “whites”. The civil war was only the apotheosis of their differences. Which is to be expected.

October Revolution

In fact, the tragedy of the Civil War begins with the October Revolution. The Bolsheviks were gaining strength and moving more confidently to power. In mid-October 1917, a very tense situation began to develop in Petrograd.

October 25 Alexander Kerensky, head of the Provisional Government, leaves Petrograd for Pskov for help. He personally assesses the events in the city as an uprising.

In Pskov, he asks for help with troops. Kerensky seems to be receiving support from the Cossacks, but suddenly regular army the cadets come out. Now constitutional democrats refuse to support the head of government.

Not finding adequate support in Pskov, Alexander Fedorovich goes to the city of Ostrov, where he meets with General Krasnov. At the same time, the Winter Palace was stormed in Petrograd. IN Soviet history this event is presented as key. But in fact, it happened without resistance from the deputies.

After a blank shot from the cruiser Aurora, sailors, soldiers and workers approached the palace and arrested all members of the Provisional Government present there. In addition, it took place where a number of major declarations were adopted and executions at the front were abolished.

In view of the coup, Krasnov decides to provide assistance to Alexander Kerensky. On October 26, a cavalry detachment of seven hundred people leaves towards Petrograd. It was assumed that in the city itself they would be supported by an uprising by the cadets. But it was suppressed by the Bolsheviks.

In the current situation, it became clear that the Provisional Government no longer had power. Kerensky fled, General Krasnov negotiated with the Bolsheviks the opportunity to return to Ostrov with his detachment without hindrance.

Meanwhile, the Socialist Revolutionaries begin a radical struggle against the Bolsheviks, who, in their opinion, have acquired great power. The response to the murders of some “red” leaders was terror by the Bolsheviks, and the Civil War (1917-1922) began. Let us now consider further events.

Establishment of "red" power

As we said above, the tragedy of the Civil War began long before the October Revolution. The common people, soldiers, workers and peasants were dissatisfied with the current situation. If in the central regions many paramilitary detachments were under the close control of Headquarters, then in the eastern detachments completely different moods reigned.

It was the presence of a large number of reserve troops and their reluctance to enter into a war with Germany that helped the Bolsheviks quickly and bloodlessly receive the support of almost two-thirds of the army. Only 15 major cities opposed the “red” authorities, but 84 passed into their hands on their own initiative.

An unexpected surprise for the Bolsheviks in the form of stunning support from confused and tired soldiers was declared by the “Reds” as a “triumphant procession of the Soviets.”

The civil war (1917-1922) only worsened after the signing of the ruinous treaty for Russia. former empire lost more than a million square kilometers of territory. These included: the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, the Caucasus, Romania, Don territories. In addition, they had to pay six billion marks of indemnity to Germany.

This decision caused protest both within the country and from the Entente. Simultaneously with the intensification of various local conflicts, military intervention by Western states on Russian territory begins.

The entry of Entente troops in Siberia was reinforced by the revolt of the Kuban Cossacks under the leadership of General Krasnov. The defeated detachments of the White Guards and some interventionists went to Central Asia and continued the struggle against Soviet power for many years.

Second period of the Civil War

It was at this stage that the White Guard Heroes of the Civil War were most active. History has preserved such surnames as Kolchak, Yudenich, Denikin, Yuzefovich, Miller and others.

Each of these commanders had his own vision of the future for the state. Some tried to interact with the Entente troops in order to overthrow the Bolshevik government and still convene the Constituent Assembly. Others wanted to become local princelings. This includes people like Makhno, Grigoriev and others.

The difficulty of this period is that as soon as the First world war, German troops were supposed to leave Russian territory only after the arrival of the Entente. But according to a secret agreement, they left earlier, handing over the cities to the Bolsheviks.

As history shows us, it is after this turn of events that the Civil War enters a phase of particular cruelty and bloodshed. The failure of commanders oriented towards Western governments was further aggravated by the fact that they had a catastrophic shortage of qualified officers. Thus, the armies of Miller, Yudenich and some other formations disintegrated only because, with a lack of mid-level commanders, the main influx of forces came from captured Red Army soldiers.

Messages in newspapers of this period are characterized by headlines of this type: “Two thousand military personnel with three guns went over to the side of the Red Army.”

Final stage

Start last period Historians tend to associate the wars of 1917-1922 with the Polish War. With the help of his western neighbors, Piłsudski wanted to create a confederation with territory from the Baltic to the Black Sea. But his aspirations were not destined to come true. The armies of the Civil War, led by Egorov and Tukhachevsky, fought their way deep into Western Ukraine and reached the Polish border.

Victory over this enemy was supposed to rouse the workers in Europe to fight. But all the plans of the Red Army leaders failed after a crushing defeat in the battle, which was preserved under the name “Miracle on the Vistula.”

After the conclusion of a peace treaty between the Soviets and Poland, disagreements begin in the Entente camp. As a result, funding for the “white” movement decreased, and the Civil War in Russia began to decline.

In the early 1920s, similar changes in foreign policy Western states have led to the fact that Soviet Union recognized by most countries.

The heroes of the Civil War of the final period fought against Wrangel in Ukraine, the interventionists in the Caucasus and Central Asia, in Siberia. Among the particularly distinguished commanders, Tukhachevsky, Blucher, Frunze and some others should be noted.

Thus, as a result of five years of bloody battles, a new state was formed on the territory of the Russian Empire. Subsequently, it became the second superpower, whose only rival was the United States.

Reasons for victory

Let's figure out why the “whites” were defeated in the Civil War. We will compare the assessments of the opposing camps and try to come to a common conclusion.

Soviet historians saw the main reason for their victory in the fact that there was massive support from the oppressed sections of society. Particular emphasis was placed on those who suffered as a result of the 1905 revolution. Because they unconditionally went over to the side of the Bolsheviks.

“Whites,” on the contrary, complained about the lack of human and material resources. In occupied territories with a population of millions, they could not carry out even the minimum mobilization to replenish their ranks.

Particularly interesting are the statistics provided by the Civil War. “Reds” and “Whites” (the table below) especially suffered from desertion. Unbearable living conditions, as well as the lack of clear goals, made themselves felt. The data concerns only the Bolshevik forces, since the White Guard records did not preserve clear figures.

The main point that modern historians note was the conflict.

The White Guards, firstly, had no centralized command and minimal cooperation between units. They fought locally, each for their own interests. The second feature was the absence of political workers and a clear program. These aspects were often assigned to officers who only knew how to fight, but not how to conduct diplomatic negotiations.

The Red Army soldiers created a powerful ideological network. A clear system of concepts was developed that was drummed into the heads of workers and soldiers. The slogans made it possible for even the most downtrodden peasant to understand what he was going to fight for.

It was this policy that allowed the Bolsheviks to receive maximum support from the population.

Consequences

The victory of the “Reds” in the Civil War was very costly for the state. The economy was completely destroyed. The country lost territories with a population of more than 135 million people.

Agriculture and productivity, food production decreased by 40-50 percent. The surplus appropriation system and the “red-white” terror in different regions led to the death of a huge number of people from starvation, torture and execution.

Industry, according to experts, has slipped to the level of the Russian Empire during the reign of Peter the Great. Researchers say production levels have fallen to 20 percent of 1913 levels, and in some areas to 4 percent.

As a result, a massive outflow of workers from cities to villages began. Since there was at least some hope of not dying of hunger.

“Whites” in the Civil War reflected the desire of the nobility and higher ranks to return to their previous living conditions. But their isolation from the real sentiments that reigned among the common people led to the total defeat of the old order.

Reflection in culture

Civil War leaders were immortalized in thousands of different works - from cinema to paintings, from stories to sculptures and songs.

For example, such productions as “Days of the Turbins”, “Running”, “Optimistic Tragedy” immersed people in the tense wartime environment.

The films “Chapaev”, “Little Red Devils”, “We are from Kronstadt” showed the efforts that the “Reds” made in the Civil War to win their ideals.

The literary work of Babel, Bulgakov, Gaidar, Pasternak, Ostrovsky illustrates the life of representatives of different strata of society in those difficult days.

One can give examples almost endlessly, because the social catastrophe that resulted from the Civil War found a powerful response in the hearts of hundreds of artists.

Thus, today we learned not only the origin of the concepts “white” and “red”, but also became briefly acquainted with the course of events of the Civil War.

Remember that any crisis contains the seeds of future changes for the better.

Every Russian knows that in the Civil War 1917-1922 two movements were opposed for years - "red" and "white". But among historians there is still no consensus on where it began. Some believe that the reason was Krasnov's March on the Russian capital (October 25); others believe that the war began when, in the near future, the commander of the Volunteer Army Alekseev arrived on the Don (November 2); There is also an opinion that the war began with Miliukov proclaiming the “Declaration of the Volunteer Army”, delivering a speech at the ceremony, called the Don (December 27). Another popular opinion, which is far from unfounded, is the opinion that the Civil War began immediately after the February Revolution, when the entire society was split into supporters and opponents of the Romanov monarchy.

"White" movement in Russia

Everyone knows that “whites” are adherents of the monarchy and the old order. Its beginnings were visible back in February 1917, when the monarchy was overthrown in Russia and a total restructuring of society began. The development of the “white” movement was during the period when the Bolsheviks came to power, the formation Soviet power. They represented a circle of people dissatisfied with the Soviet government, who disagreed with its policies and principles of its conduct.
The “Whites” were fans of the old monarchical system, refused to accept the new socialist order, and adhered to the principles of traditional society. It is important to note that the “whites” were often radicals; they did not believe that it was possible to agree on anything with the “reds”; on the contrary, they had the opinion that no negotiations or concessions were acceptable.
The “Whites” chose the Romanov tricolor as their banner. The white movement was commanded by Admiral Denikin and Kolchak, one in the South, the other in the harsh regions of Siberia.
A historical event that became the impetus for the activation of the “whites” and the transition to their side of the majority former army the Romanov Empire, was the rebellion of General Kornilov, who, although suppressed, helped the “whites” strengthen their ranks, especially in the southern regions, where under the leadership of General Alekseev huge resources and a powerful, disciplined army began to accumulate. Every day the army was replenished with new arrivals, it grew rapidly, developed, hardened, and trained.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the commanders of the White Guards (that was the name of the army created by the “white” movement). They were unusually talented commanders, prudent politicians, strategists, tacticians, subtle psychologists, and skillful speakers. The most famous were Lavr Kornilov, Anton Denikin, Alexander Kolchak, Pyotr Krasnov, Pyotr Wrangel, Nikolai Yudenich, Mikhail Alekseev. We can talk about each of them for a long time; their talent and services to the “white” movement can hardly be overestimated.
White Guards in the war long time won, and even let down their troops in Moscow. But the Bolshevik army grew stronger, and they were supported by a significant part of the Russian population, especially the poorest and most numerous layers - workers and peasants. In the end, the forces of the White Guards were smashed to smithereens. For some time they continued to operate abroad, but without success, the “white” movement ceased.

"Red" movement

Like the “Whites,” the “Reds” had many talented commanders and politicians in their ranks. Among them, it is important to note the most famous, namely: Leon Trotsky, Brusilov, Novitsky, Frunze. These military leaders showed themselves excellently in battles against the White Guards. Trotsky was the main founders Red Army, acting as a decisive force in the confrontation between “whites” and “reds” in the Civil War. The ideological leader of the “red” movement was known to every person Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. Lenin and his government were actively supported by the masses of the population Russian State, namely, the proletariat, the poor, land-poor and landless peasants, and the working intelligentsia. It was these classes that most quickly believed the tempting promises of the Bolsheviks, supported them and brought the “Reds” to power.
The main party in the country became Russian Social Democratic workers' party Bolsheviks, which was later turned into a communist party. In essence, it was an association of intelligentsia, adherents of the socialist revolution, whose social base was the working classes.
It was not easy for the Bolsheviks to win the Civil War - they had not yet completely strengthened their power throughout the country, the forces of their fans were dispersed throughout the vast country, plus the national outskirts began a national liberation struggle. A lot of effort went into the war with the Ukrainian People's Republic, so the Red Army soldiers had to fight on several fronts during the Civil War.
Attacks by the White Guards could come from any direction on the horizon, because the White Guards surrounded the Red Army from all sides with four separate military formations. And despite all the difficulties, it was the “Reds” who won the war, mainly thanks to the broad social base of the Communist Party.
All representatives of the national outskirts united against the White Guards, and therefore they became forced allies of the Red Army in the Civil War. To attract residents of the national outskirts to their side, the Bolsheviks used loud slogans, such as the idea of ​​​​a “united and indivisible Russia.”
The Bolsheviks won the war thanks to the support of the masses. The Soviet government played on the sense of duty and patriotism of Russian citizens. The White Guards themselves also added fuel to the fire, since their invasions were most often accompanied by mass robbery, looting, and violence in other forms, which could not in any way encourage people to support the “white” movement.

Results of the Civil War

As has already been said several times, victory in this fratricidal war went to the “reds”. The fratricidal civil war became a real tragedy for the Russian people. Material damage The damage caused to the country by the war was estimated to be about 50 billion rubles was unimaginable money at that time, several times greater than the amount of Russia’s external debt. Because of this, the level of industry decreased by 14%, and agriculture– by 50%. According to various sources, human losses amounted to about t 12 to 15 million.. Most of these people died from hunger, repression, and disease. More than one person gave their lives during the hostilities 800 thousand soldiers on both sides. Also during the Civil War, the balance of migration fell sharply - about 2 million Russians left the country and went abroad.

During the Civil War in Russia of 1918-1920, two opposing forces came to the forefront of the political struggle, which went down in history as “red” and “white”. The choice of such a color palette was far from accidental, since it has deep historical roots.

White

According to historian Sergei Melgunov, the term “white guard” in relation to opponents of revolutionary changes in Russia was first used in October 1917, when a detachment of anti-Bolshevik-minded youth with white armbands took to the streets of Moscow.

Doctor historical sciences, David Feldman, believed that the term "white" was coined to show continuity between the Great French and Great October Revolutions. Installed in the country new order and the ideologists of the Great French Revolution, who destroyed the monarchy, called their political opponents “white,” since supporters of the preservation of royal power acted under the traditional dynastic banner of the Bourbons - a white flag with the image of a lily. By calling their ideological enemies “Whites,” the Bolsheviks sought to connect their image in the popular consciousness with the conservative monarchists pulling the country back, although there were not so many advocates for the return of autocracy among the opponents of the “Reds.”

The historian, Vasily Tsvetkov, noted that this movement consisted of representatives of different political leanings, acting on the basis general principle"Great, United and Indivisible Russia." Socialists, democrats, patriotic military personnel who made up the backbone of the “whites” fought not for the return of Russia to the status of an empire, not for the abdicated emperor, but for the restoration of the work of the Constituent Assembly. However, propagandists deliberately omitted this fact, turning heterogeneous opponents who wanted Russia to develop along a democratic path into a generalized flawed enemy who did not want change. The agitators called the nobles, representatives of the bourgeoisie, officers, kulaks and landowners who fought against the Soviet regime ideological enemies, and the peasants and Cossacks who fought on their side as confused and deceived victims.

The “Big Linguistic and Regional Dictionary,” edited by Yuri Prokhorov, notes that the term “White Guard” first appears when describing the bourgeois militia formed in 1906 in Finland to confront revolutionary forces. To better identify each other, they wore white armbands. By the way, the forces opposing them called themselves the “Red Guard.”

Vasily Tsvetkov states that the terms “white guard” and “white movement” appeared as universal concepts after the end of the Civil War, when the losers who found themselves in exile began to call themselves “white” in order to indicate their position in relation to Soviet power.

"Reds"

When the term “red guard” was introduced into the text of the resolution of the Central Committee of the RSDLP (b) “On the Provisional Government”, published on March 26, 1917, it became obvious that the representatives revolutionary movement completely associate themselves with the followers of the ideas of the Great French Revolution the end of the 18th century. David Feldman wrote about this, analyzing the history of the emergence of the color symbol of the communists in the article “Red White: Soviet Political Terms in a Historical and Cultural Context.”

It is known for certain that when in 1789, King Louis XVI of France gave power into the hands of the Republican revolutionaries, but at the same time was proclaimed the guarantor of their conquests, he issued the “Martial Law Law.” According to his articles, the Parisian municipality under emergency situations, capable of resulting in an uprising against the revolutionary government, was obliged to hang a signal red banner at the town hall and on the streets.

But when desperate radicals settled in the city government, wanting the complete overthrow of the monarchy, they began to call their supporters to rallies with red flags. So a simple warning sign turned into a symbol of the fight against royal power and became the reason for the emergence of an irreconcilable “red/white” opposition.

Since then, the color red has increasingly become associated with radical revolutionary forces: in 1834, the workers who organized the Lyon uprising chose it as their amulet; in 1848, residents of Germany took it to demonstrations; in 1850-1864, it was used in China during Taiping rebellion. The final endowment of the color red with the status of a symbol of the international revolutionary movement of workers occurred in the days Paris Commune 1871, which Marxists called the first true example of the dictatorship of the proletariat in history. By the way, the Soviet Bolsheviks openly called themselves the heirs of the French communards, and that is why they were called communists.

Red and white Poles

The Poles made their contribution to the popularization of red-white antagonism in 1861, who, speaking against a common enemy in the person of the Russian Empire, were divided into two opposing camps. The patriotic demonstrations in the Kingdom of Poland that marked the beginning of the Polish uprising of 1863-1864 became the birthplace of the “white” and “red” revolutionary wings, which adhered to different methods of achieving a common goal. Historian Ivan Kovkel notes that the “Whites,” which included large landowners and the bourgeoisie, believed that it was necessary to achieve Polish independence from the Russian Empire and restore it within the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1772, counting on the support of Western countries. The “Reds,” consisting of small gentry, intelligentsia, urban lower classes, students and part of the peasantry, advocated not only a more radical solution to the issue of sovereignty, but also advocated for social transformations in the country, primarily for the abolition of serfdom. The “reds” acted with the help of revolutionary terror, political victims which became 5000 people. Red and white have been the national colors of Poland since May 3, 1792, as reflected in their national flag.

And there were also “greens”

Along with the “reds” and “whites”, a few “green” detachments took part in the Civil War, the basis of which consisted of anarchists, bandits and nationalists who joined them, fighting for the independence of a particular region. Openly robbing the population, they did not have a clearly formulated political program, and simply rampaged through the occupied territory.

1917 divided us into “red” and “white”. Not all of them, really. Actually, there are not so many real “reds” and “whites”. The trouble is that everyone who remained, that is, the majority, caught up in the whirlwind of events, was forced to choose who to follow. And it’s not a simple task to solve: which of them is right? And even today the question: “Who are you for: the Reds or the Whites?” still causes serious difficulties. To solve it, you need to figure out who the “reds” are and who the “whites” are.

At first glance, everything is clear. “Whites” are those who did not accept the seizure of power by the “red” Bolsheviks. But this is a picture of 1918, and a year earlier the political picture was different. Irreconcilable anti-Bolsheviks were equally irreconcilable towards Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich. That is, they were revolutionaries, and therefore “red”. Literally and figuratively. Decorated with red bows, they happily breathed in the intoxicating air of freedom. The following months were spent deepening the revolution and consolidating all kinds of freedoms. But, as you know, for every revolution there is a counter-revolution. In the autumn of the same year they were overthrown by the “red” Bolsheviks in alliance with the left Socialist Revolutionaries. Now attention! Question: which main parties made up the coalition of the Provisional Revolutionary Government? Cadets (constitutional democrats), Social Revolutionaries (social revolutionaries), Mensheviks (social democrats) and radical democrats. What coalition came to power? Also social democrats (so-called Bolsheviks) social revolutionaries (socialist revolutionaries). True, without the cadets. It turns out that the “red” coalition of democrats-socialists-revolutionaries was overthrown by an “even redder” coalition of the same combination. But that's not all. A month later, the parties of the overthrown coalition won the elections to the Constituent Assembly. But the coalition that won in October and lost the elections closed the Constituent Assembly after the first day of meetings “for not submitting to the will of the people.” The few demonstrations in defense of the establishment were dispersed. In fact, this was the second force victory over representatives of the Provisional Government. And now the former revolutionaries have become counter-revolutionaries in relation to the “real revolutionaries.” This is the tangled knot that has tightened around Russia’s neck as a result of the “bloodless February revolution" The usual political palette of the civil war was established. The "Reds" are fighting against the "Whites". But not only that. Also against their recent allies, the “very red” Left Social Revolutionaries. And also against the “orange” separatists (as well as the “white” ones, however). And against the autocratic “greens”, who in turn fought against everyone. On top of everything else, the invasion has begun foreign troops. Let's call them "black". The “Red” Bolsheviks managed to defeat everyone.

"Whites" left their homeland. But even in exile, the civil war continued. Between monarchists and supporters of the Constituent Assembly. Another stumbling block was the attitude towards the Bolsheviks. Far from their native land, emigrants (refugees), having experienced the tragedy of the loss of their homeland, tried to understand the causes of this common misfortune and look for ways out of it. It was then that the formulation “not red and not white - but Russian” was born. A movement to return to the homeland began. Pure “Whites” called all those who sympathized with the Soviets “pink”, and those collaborating with them as “red”.

In Russia itself, the political color scheme did not change outwardly until the mid-1930s, when the destruction of the “very, very red” began. The old guard of the revolution - the Trotskyists - were put to waste (pardon the expression).

The World War again stirred up the political palette. The “Whites” again relied on the “Blacks” and opposed the “Reds”. And again they were defeated. P.N. Krasnov was executed, adding to the list of dead “white” leaders (M.V. Alekseev, L.G. Kornilov). The survivor A.I. Denikin was among those who sympathized with the Red Army’s struggle against the Germans. The “Reds” returned almost all of the Russian lands lost as a result of the revolution and intervention. The persecution of the Church was stopped. In essence, they carried out a “white deed” under a red flag. Nikolai Vasilyevich Ustryalov spoke about this back in the thirties, comparing the Soviet Union to a radish - “red on the outside, white on the inside.”

But the struggle for Russia continued. The “very reddest”, defeated in 1937, returned to power. The “Khrushchev thaw” has arrived. “Give the revolution a deepening!” And again persecution of the Church. But the construction is peaceful Soviet life they failed again. The “Red-White” (they can be called “statist-traditionalists”) were able to remove the “very, very red.” This is how the country survived until 1991. To new revolution. This time, to fight the “red-whites”, ideas inherent in the “pure whites” were brought in. First of all, hatred of everything Soviet, as a Bolshevik legacy. But this was not enough. The enormous resources of the “blacks” were used, who, in fact, were the main customers of the new revolution. Or rather, the “blacks” used for their own purposes the “very, very red” ones, raised on freely convertible currency, and the “whites,” as they say, “in the dark” (pardon the expression again).

The fact that the revolution of 1991 was a direct continuation of the revolution of the 17th is evidenced by the fact that the country was again divided into parts. And these breakaway units were set against Russia. As under the Februaryists, the country went downhill. With the direct participation of “blacks”.

Fortunately, Russia survived. And she began to rise from her knees.

Our “partners” did not expect this. And so... the “very, very reds”, who now call themselves “democrats”, simply “reds” and... “whites”, who consider themselves real patriots, came out to Bolotnaya Square in unison. What a picture!

This time the people did not let themselves be deceived. Now the whiteness that has ripened under the red shell of our native “radish” has already clearly appeared. The idea “not “Reds” and not “Whites” - but Russians”, hard-won in exile, turned out to be saving for us. She is Russian in spirit. This statement restores the unity of the history of our long-suffering Motherland, and therefore the unity of the entire people.

At the first stage of the Civil War of 1917 - 1922/23, two powerful opposing forces took shape - “red” and “white”. The first represented the Bolshevik camp, whose goal was a radical change in the existing system and the construction of a socialist regime, the second - the anti-Bolshevik camp, striving for a return to the order of the pre-revolutionary period.

The period between the February and October revolutions is the time of formation and development of the Bolshevik regime, the stage of accumulation of forces. The main tasks of the Bolsheviks before the outbreak of hostilities in the Civil War: the formation of a social support, transformations in the country that would allow them to gain a foothold at the top of power in the country, and the defense of the achievements of the February Revolution.

The Bolsheviks' methods in strengthening power were effective. First of all, this concerns propaganda among the population - the slogans of the Bolsheviks were relevant and helped to quickly form the social support of the “Reds”.

The first armed detachments of the “reds” began to appear on preparatory stage– from March to October 1917. Home driving force Such detachments were workers from industrial regions - this was the main force of the Bolsheviks, which helped them come to power during the October Revolution. For a moment revolutionary events The detachment numbered about 200,000 people.

The stage of the establishment of Bolshevik power required the protection of what was achieved during the revolution - for this, at the end of December 1917, the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission was created, headed by F. Dzerzhinsky. On January 15, 1918, the Cheka adopted a Decree on the creation of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, and on January 29, the Red Fleet was created.

Analyzing the actions of the Bolsheviks, historians do not come to a consensus about their goals and motivation:

The most common opinion is that the “Reds” initially planned a large-scale Civil War, which would be a logical continuation of the revolution. Fighting, whose goal was to promote the ideas of revolution, would consolidate the power of the Bolsheviks and spread socialism throughout the world. During the war, the Bolsheviks planned to destroy the bourgeoisie as a class. So based on this, final goal“Reds” - world revolution.

V. Galin is considered one of the fans of the second concept. This version is radically different from the first - according to historians, the Bolsheviks had no intention of turning the revolution into a Civil War. The goal of the Bolsheviks was to seize power, which they succeeded in during the revolution. But continuation of hostilities was not included in the plans. Arguments of fans of this concept: the transformations that the “Reds” planned demanded peace in the country; at the first stage of the struggle, the “Reds” were tolerant of other political forces. A turning point regarding political opponents occurred when in 1918 there was a threat of losing power in the state. By 1918, the “Reds” had a strong, professionally trained opponent - White Army. Its backbone was the military of the Russian Empire. By 1918, the fight against this enemy became purposeful, and the “Red” army acquired a distinct structure.

At the first stage of the war, the actions of the Red Army were not successful. Why?

Recruitment into the army was carried out on a voluntary basis, which led to decentralization and disunity. The army was created spontaneously, without a specific structure - this led to low level discipline, management problems a large number volunteers. The chaotic army was characterized by high level combat effectiveness. Only in 1918, when Bolshevik power was under threat, did the “Reds” decide to recruit troops according to the mobilization principle. From June 1918, they began to mobilize the military of the tsarist army.

The second reason is closely related to the first - the chaotic, unprofessional army of the “Reds” was opposed by organized, professional military men who, at the time of the Civil War, participated in more than one battle. The “Whites”, with a high level of patriotism, were united not only by professionalism, but also by an idea - the White movement stood for a united and indivisible Russia, for order in the state.

Most characteristic feature The Red Army is homogeneous. First of all, this concerns class origin. Unlike the “whites,” whose army included professional soldiers, workers, and peasants, the “reds” accepted only proletarians and peasants into their ranks. The bourgeoisie was subject to destruction, therefore important task was to prevent hostile elements from joining the Red Army.

In parallel with military operations, the Bolsheviks implemented a political and economic program. Against hostile social classes The Bolsheviks pursued a policy of “red terror”. IN economic sphere"War communism" was introduced - a set of measures in domestic policy Bolsheviks throughout the Civil War.

The Reds' biggest wins:

• 1918 – 1919 – establishment of Bolshevik power in the territory of Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia.
• Beginning of 1919 - The Red Army launches a counteroffensive, defeating Krasnov’s “white” army.
• Spring-summer 1919 - Kolchak’s troops fell under the attacks of the “Reds”.
• Beginning of 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from the northern cities of Russia.
• February-March 1920 - defeat of the remaining forces Volunteer Army Denikin.
• November 1920 - the “Reds” ousted the “Whites” from Crimea.
• By the end of 1920, the “Reds” were opposed by disparate groups of the White Army. The civil war ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.