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

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 Frontmatter List of maps (page xi) Preface (page xiii) Glossary and abbreviations (page xvii) Introduction (page 1) 1 The triumphal march of reaction (page 10) 2 The establishment of the Kolchak government (page 108) 3 'What Kolchak wants!': military versus polity in White Siberia (page 183) 4 Inside Kolchakia: from 'a land of milk and honey' to 'the dictatorship of the whip' (page 327) 5 White débâcle (page 472) 6 White agony (page 551) Conclusion (page 668) Appendix: The Anti-Bolshevik Governments in Siberia, 1918-1920 (page 679) Bibliography (page 683) Index (page 751) Such was the verdict of the first underground conference of Siberian Bolsheviks at Tomsk on August 23rd 1918.