Peace In Their Time

The final White offensives kicked off as Denikin made his play on Moscow in summer 1919. While we all know the attacks wouldn't succeed, they came close enough to panic the Bolshevik leadership and stretch the Red Army to its limit.  

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The first attempt to bring the Bolsheviks down once and for all didn't go very well. Striking beyond its capabilities, Admiral Kolchak's White armies stalled out on the Volga. One determined Red Army counteroffensive later, and they were in a full retreat. The Siberian Whites, the biggest group of that faction and the one most supported by the Entente, fell apart like a... well, a house of cards. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The opening moves of the 1919 campaigns saw action all across Russia once again, but this year opened with the White faction in a far stronger position. With bases all around Russia secured, they began positioning for attacks to bring down the Bolsheviks once and for all. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today I wrap up coverage of the Russian Civil War in 1918. Mostly I'll be talking about the total mess that was Siberia, but the mess that was Central Asia gets some attention too. 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

This is kind of a grab-bag episode, as I cover the Red counter-offensive against the Komuch government, the Entente landings in northern Russia, and all sorts of events in the south. 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Still mostly making things up as they went along, the Bolsheviks worked to sort themselves out in order to confront the rising military threats against them. For most of the first half of 1918 it was slow going, but under Trotsky's leadership the Red Army started to take shape. 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The Russian Civil War kicked off with a freezing micro-army trudging through southern Russia, but in only half a year growing dissatisfaction with the Bolsheviks would cause it to spread across the country. 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

The last major political obstacle to the Bolsheviks was the Constituent Assembly, which as it turned out was more of a minor bump. A much bigger obstacle was the German army, and how to satisfactorily end a fight that had long since been lost. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Today we take a break from the center and look at what was going on in the borderlands of Russia in 1917. The chaos of that empire's fall created new opportunities for autonomy for the peoples living away from the heartlands. Plus, the displaced officers of the army began to link up in Russia's south with the intent of challenging the Bolsheviks. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]

Do I even need to introduce this one? The Bolsheviks overcame all the odds against them, and did the dang the thing. 

Bibliography for this episode: 

1. Hosking, Geoffrey Russia and the Russians: A History The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press 2001

Questions? Comments? Email me at [email protected]