CANADIANS IN RUSSIAThe Bolshevik Revolution

During the First World War, Russia was an ally of Canada, Britain, and France until 1917. Then, a new government (Lenin) took power in Russia and withdrew from

the war. Why were Canadian soldiers sent to Russia in 1918-1919?

Political Unrest

During the First World War, Russia went through a cataclysmic upheaval. The war devastated the country. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed and injured in battles with Germany. Millions of civilians were left homeless and starving. More people died in Russia during the war than in any other country. Made desperate by the suffering, Russians turned on their political leaders.

The Russian government was a corrupt dictatorship, headed by the tsar and his family. But it was an important partner of the Allies during the war. By keeping the Germans occupied on their eastern flank, the Russian army prevented the Germans from massing all their forces to overwhelm the Allies in Western Europe.

Finally, the misery caused by the war became too much for the Russian people to bear. Early in 1917, a group of reformers seized control of the government, forcing Tsar Nicholas II from the throne in what became known as the February Revolution. The new government led by Alexander Kerensky, introduced many reforms, but it made the fatal decision to continue the war. When the slaughter of Russian soldiers persisted, there was a second uprising known as the October Revolution. This time a group of radical socialist, the Bolsheviks, took power. Their leader, Vladimir Lenin, promised the people “peace, land and bread” and made a separate treaty with Germany, withdrawing Russia from the war.

Intervention

The Bolsheviks hoped to bring peace to Russia so that they could carry out their plans for full-scale political and economic change. It was not to be. Their opponents rallied together, formed an army of their own, and attempted to overthrow the new government. The result was a civil war that lasted four years, pitting the so-called “White” army against the Bolshevik “Red” army.

While these events convulsed Russia, the First World War continued. The Allied powers felt betrayed by Russia’s withdrawal from the conflict. They hoped that the White army would win the civil war and bring Russia back into the war against Germany. More than that, the Allies hated the Bolshevik regime and its radical socialist policies. The Bolshevik were calling for revolution by working people all over the world. Allied governments including Canada, feared the influence of Bolshevik ideas in their own countries, where many labour leaders spoke out in support of the “Red” regime in Russia, as well as the disappearance of the monarchy.

In mid-1918, with the world war still raging, the Allies sent a force of soldiers, including a handful of Canadians, to Murmansk in northern Russia. Supposedly, the objective of these troops was simply to take possession of supplies the Allies had been stockpiling there before Russia pulled out of the war. However, the troops remained in northern Russia long after the war with Germany ended in November 1918. It appeared as though the Allies were there to support the White army.

At the other end of Russia, in Vladivostock, another force of Canadian soldiers arrived on a similar mission: to protect supplies that had been sent when Russia was an ally. Once again this force stayed on after the war ended, although it did not engage in any serious fighting.

In Canada, public opinion turned against the intervention in Russia. There seemed to be no pressing reason for Canadian soldier to be there. The war was over. Most Canadians felt that Canada had no business in Russia’s internal conflict. Labour leaders accused the government of waging war against the Bolshevik regime. In the end, Prime Minister Robert Borden gave in to public pressure and brought the Canadian soldiers home.

Canada intervened in Russia in 1918-1919 in response to a request from Britain. The intervention began as part of the strategy of the war. It continued because some Allied leaders wanted to help the White army overthrow the Bolsheviks. In itself, it was a minor incident, but it had important long-term consequences. The Bolsheviks viewed the intervention as a conspiracy by the Allies to drive them from power. When the Bolsheviks won the civil war and secured control of the Russian government, they never forgot this interference. It played an important role in creating the tensions that existed between Russia and the West for most of the century.

Socials 11 Name: _____________________ Chapter 5

The Bolshevik Revolution

1. List the impact of the First World War on Russia.

a) ________________________________________________________________b) ________________________________________________________________c) ________________________________________________________________

2. What was the February Revolution and why was it unsuccessful?

a) ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who took power in the October Revolution? __________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What did this person promise? a) _____________________________ b) ______________________________c) _____________________________

5. What happened next in Russia? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Why did the Allies intervene in the civil war? a) ________________________________________________________________b) ________________________________________________________________c) ________________________________________________________________

7. Where did the Canadians take part? a) ________________________________________________________________b) ________________________________________________________________

8. How did the Canadian public react to this intervention? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. How did the Bolsheviks view this intervention and what was the lasting result?______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Canadians In Spain1. What was the noble cause? ______________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What started the Spanish Civil War? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who led the army rebellion? _____________________________________________

4. Who supported Franco’s Nationalist forces? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. How did the Spanish government respond to the rebellion? _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Why did some Canadians want to help either side?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What was Prime Minister MacKenzie King’s official policy? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. How many Canadians volunteered anyway? _________________________________

9. What did these volunteers call themselves? _________________________________

10. Who won the war? ____________________________________________________

11. Why did Bethune believe the war in Spain was so important? ___________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Failure of the League of Nations

1. Why was the League of Nations created in 1919? __________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How did the Great Powers treat the League of Nations throughout the 1920s? (Give examples) a) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________b) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________c) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Who controlled Japan in the early 1930s? ________________________________

4. What did Japan do in 1931? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. When the League of Nations condemned this action, what was Japan’s response? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is the agreement between Germany and Japan in 1936 and why was it signed? a) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________b) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What did Italy do in 1935? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What was the League’s response? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What was the problem with this response? a) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________b) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________c) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________d) _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What three world powers were not members of the League of Nations at the beginning?

a) _____________________________ b) ________________________________c) _____________________________