Reasons why there was a Civil War

In the 6 months following the October Revolution, what had the Bolsheviks failed to deal with?

In the 6 months following the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks had failed to deal with food shortages and starvation

In March 1918, the bread ration… what?

In March 1918, the bread ration reached its lowest ever allocation of 50 grams per day

How did the low rations affect industry in Russia?

Hunger drove many industrial workers out of the major industrial cities in search of food

By June 1918, how much had the workforce in Petrograd shrunk by and the overall population?

By June 1918, the workforce in Petrograd had shrunk by 60% and the overall population had declined by between 2 and 3 million

How did the decree on land affect specific parts of Russian society?

Decree on land meant that land was seized from nobles, landlords and the Church

How did the decree on peace affect specific parts of Russian society?

Decree on peace alienated nationalists who wanted to continue the war and objected to losing land to the Germans

How did the decree on banking affect specific parts of Russian society?

Decree on banking meant bankers and industrialists lost their wealth and businesses

How did the Bolsheviks’ dissolving of the Constituent Assembly impact Bolshevik support?

The Socialist Revolutionaries and Cadets accused the Bolsheviks of seizing power by force and demanded the recalling of the Assembly

What did giving away large chunks of Russian homeland mean for many Russians? TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK

Giving away large chunks of Russian homeland antagonised many Russians, irrespective of class or party

What did the Russians disagree with about the nature of the peace? TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK

They disagreed with the dictated nature of the peace

What did the Russians disagree with about Lenin and Trotsky’s attitude? TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK

They disagreed with the way in which Lenin and Trotsky were prepared to sacrifice national interest to secure peace at almost any price

What did the Russians disagree with about the sanctions on Russia? TREATY OF BREST-LITOVSK

They disagreed with the amount of land and population lost and the amount of reparations