Questions about Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War?
The Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War was a series of multi-national military expeditions that began in 1918, involving forces from Britain, the United States, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, Greece, Romania and others. The initial purpose was to prevent Allied munitions and supplies from falling into German hands after Russia signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. After the November 1918 armistice ended World War I, the mission shifted to supporting White Russian forces against the Bolsheviks.
Why did the Allies intervene in Russia after World War I ended?
After the November 1918 Armistice, the Allied plan changed from protecting supplies to helping the White forces defeat the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. Allied Powers felt betrayed by the Bolsheviks' signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which removed Russia from the war. British and French support for the Whites was also motivated by a desire to protect assets acquired through extensive investment in Tsarist Russia.
How many troops did Japan send to Siberia during the Allied intervention in Russia?
Japan ultimately deployed more than 70,000 troops in Siberia, far exceeding the roughly 7,000 originally expected. The Imperial Japanese Army General Staff viewed the situation in Russia as an opportunity for settling Japan's 'northern problem' and desired the establishment of a buffer state in Siberia. Japan's military remained in the Russian Far East until 1922 and in northern Sakhalin until 1925.
When did Allied forces leave Russia after the Civil War intervention?
The western Allied powers ended the North Russia and Siberian interventions in 1920. The last Allied troops departed Arkhangelsk on the 27th of September 1919, and Murmansk was abandoned on the 12th of October 1919. Japan's forces stayed longest, remaining in the Maritime Provinces until 1922 and in northern Sakhalin until 1925 following the Soviet-Japanese Basic Convention signed in Beijing.
What role did Winston Churchill play in the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War?
Winston Churchill was the loudest Allied voice in favour of the intervention. A vehement anti-socialist, he saw Bolshevism as socialism's worst form and attempted to gain Allied support for intervention on ideological grounds. Most Allied governments did not share his enthusiasm; Churchill was very much in the minority, with the main Allied concern being the defeat of Germany on the Western Front rather than crushing Bolshevism.
What were the long-term consequences of the Allied intervention in Russia according to historians?
Historian Robert Maddox concluded that the intervention's most immediate effect was to prolong the civil war, costing thousands of additional lives. Frederick L. Schuman argued in 1957 that the expedition poisoned East-West relations and contributed to the origins of World War II and the Cold War. William Appleman Williams contended that the intervention made Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor possible by preventing any meaningful relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union.