Civil War in Siberia: The Anti-Bolshevik Government of Admiral Kolchak, 1918 1920

The Russian Civil War of 1917SH1921 was a pivotal event in modern history. It was the Bolshevik victory in this bloody struggle, not the fighting in the streets of Petrograd and Moscow in October 1917, that secured the victory of Soviet Communism. This book traces the clash between the "Reds" and the "Whites," the counter-revolutionary governments established around the periphery of Russia and aided by the Allies. In particular, it details the epic history of the White movement in Siberia, and the fortunes of its leader, Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak, using a wide range of contemporary sources. The Russian Civil War of 1917-1921, a cataclysmic series of overlapping conflicts, was a pivotal event in modern history. It was the Bolshevik victory in this bloody struggle, not the skirmishes on the streets of Petrograd and Moscow in October 1917, which secured the victory of Soviet Communism and provided its legitimacy for seventy years of rule. This book traces the clash between the 'Reds' of the Moscow-based Soviet regime and the 'Whites', the militaristic, counter-revolutionary governments which were established around the periphery of Russia and aided by Allied interventionists. In particular, it details the epic history of the White movement in Siberia, and the fortunes of its leader, Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak. Using a wide range of contemporary sources, Jonathan Smele examines Kolchak's political and military record, and concludes that the White defeat resulted as much from the harsh facts of Siberian economy and geography as from failures of White policy and leadership The Russian Civil War of 1917-1921 was a cataclysmic series of overlapping conflicts. It was a pivotal event in modern history, and left a deep imprint on the participants and their descendants for decades after its end. It was the Bolshevik victory in this bloody struggle, not in the skirmishes on the streets of Petrograd and Moscow in October 1917, which secured the victory of Soviet Communism and provided its legitimacy for seventy years of rule. The narrowness of Lenin's victory, and the principles for which his opponents fought, have been largely neglected. This book traces the clash between the 'Reds' of the Moscow-based Soviet regime and the 'Whites', the militaristic, counter-revolutionary governments which were established around the periphery of Russia and aided by Allied interventionists. In particular, it details the epic history of the White movement in Siberia, and the fortunes of its leader, Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak, the 'Supreme Ruler' of Russia Contents 10 Maps 12 Preface 14 Glossary and abbreviations 18 Introduction 26 Chapter 1 The triumphal march of reaction 35 Chapter 2 The establishment of the Kolchak Government 133 Chapter 3 'What Kolchak Wants!': military versus polity in White Siberia 208 Chapter 4 Inside Kolchakia: from 'a land of milk and honey' to 'the dictatorship of the whip' 352 Chapter 5 White debacle 497 Chapter 6 White agony 576 Conclusion 693 Appendix The Anti-Bolshevik Governments in Siberia, 1918-1920 704 Bibliography 708 Index 776 Such was the verdict of the first underground conference of Siberian Bolsheviks at Tomsk on August 23rd 1918.