Russo-Polish War
Google Doc: Russo-Polish War Assignment
Russo-Polish War (1919-1921)
Background
The Russo-Polish War broke out for several reasons.
The nation of Poland had been created in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles. It was under the control of a military dictator named Pilduski, who was eager to expand Polish power.
Further, Russia was locked in a brutal Civil War, with the Red and White factions fighting for control. The Communist Red forces were fighting against the British-French-and-American backed White forces. It was bloody and hard fighting, in which nearly four million people would die.
Pilduski believed that, with the Russians occupied by the Civil War, it would be possible for Polish forces to seize a part of Russia to expand Poland. With some support from Britain, Pilduski launched his attack.
Polish Successes
Early on, the Polish forces made remarkable advances into Ukraine (then a part of Russia) and drove the Reds before them. The Red forces, pushed by the Whites in the east and the Poles in the west, seemed to be struggling.
Pilduski hoped that if he were able to convince enough Ukrainians to support the Polish invasion that he would have enough troops to deal the Reds a deathblow. However, few Ukrainians supported the Polish invasion, most regarding it as simply another foreign attack.
Regardless, Polish forces were achieving remarkable successes, capturing large parts of Ukraine (including the city of Kiev), Russia, and Belarus.
Red Counter-Attack
Leon Trotsky, commander of the Red Army, immediately got to work preparing a counter-offensive. Red Army troops were rushed to the Polish front and Trotsky took personal command of the Red defenses. Trotsky was a brilliant organizer and military commander, who provided important leadership to the Red Army facing the Polish.
The Red Army proved stronger than the Polish forces. While the Polish Army had British and French weapons to support it, the Red Army had a lot more battle experience, as it had been fighting against the Whites for years (and many Red Army soldiers were also World War I veterans.) After a series of battles, the Reds managed to start the Polish invasion and turned it back.
Soon, the Reds went on the offensive, pushing Polish forces back out of Russia and Ukraine. In 1920, Trotsky decided that it was time to invade Poland itself.
International Revolution and Western Response
In 1920, Europe was wracked with socialist uprisings. In Italy, France, Britain, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, and elsewhere, socialist forces were pressuring their capitalist governments. In Germany, the socialist Spartacist Rebels, represented a real challenge to the German government.
And so, it was with fear that the heads of capitalist nations looked on with horror at the Russo-Polish War. Germany, recently defeated in WWI and facing largescale internal rebellions, was badly weakened: if the Red Army could take Poland, many capitalist leaders feared that the Soviets could link-up with German socialist-rebels and conquer all of Europe.
This thought had also occurred to the Red leadership. Lenin, the leader of the Red faction, hoped to spread the Russian Revolution into the heart of Europe, and ordered Trotsky to invade Poland.
Red forces quickly pushed the Polish army back, inflicting a series of defeats on Pilduski’s forces. British and French leaders became alarmed and threatened the Reds, saying that they would support Poland on the battlefield, if necessary.
However, this was unlikely. The British and French populations were exhausted by years of fighting WWI and many were inspired by the Russian Revolution itself. In France, railroad workers refused to load military supplies being sent to Poland, because of their support for Lenin. The British government attempted to send a large supply of military surplus weapons and equipment to Poland, only to find that the British labor unions threatened a General Strike if the government went forward with the plans.
The Reds ignored British and French threats and continued their advance.
The Battle of Warsaw
Soon, Red forces had begun encircling Warsaw, the Polish capital. It appeared as though Pilduski would have to surrender, when a lucky break saved the Polish war effort. Polish military intelligence had manage to break the Red Army’s military code and so could determine Trotsky’s war plans.
Using this valuable intelligence, Pilduski launched a daring attack on the Red forces, forcing them to retreat from Warsaw.
Trotsky reorganized his forces and was preparing to launch another attack on Warsaw, when Pilduski had yet another stroke of luck. In the east, White Forces under Admiral Kolchak launched another offensive, pushing Red Army forces back towards Moscow.
Lenin, realized that they had lost their opportunity to break into Central Europe. His hopes of spreading the revolution into Central Europe dashed, he ordered Trotsky to bring his forces back into Russia to help deal with Admiral Kolchak's attack.
The Reds signed a peace treaty with Pilduski, returning to the borders Poland and Soviet Russia had at the start of the war.
Background
The Russo-Polish War broke out for several reasons.
The nation of Poland had been created in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles. It was under the control of a military dictator named Pilduski, who was eager to expand Polish power.
Further, Russia was locked in a brutal Civil War, with the Red and White factions fighting for control. The Communist Red forces were fighting against the British-French-and-American backed White forces. It was bloody and hard fighting, in which nearly four million people would die.
Pilduski believed that, with the Russians occupied by the Civil War, it would be possible for Polish forces to seize a part of Russia to expand Poland. With some support from Britain, Pilduski launched his attack.
Polish Successes
Early on, the Polish forces made remarkable advances into Ukraine (then a part of Russia) and drove the Reds before them. The Red forces, pushed by the Whites in the east and the Poles in the west, seemed to be struggling.
Pilduski hoped that if he were able to convince enough Ukrainians to support the Polish invasion that he would have enough troops to deal the Reds a deathblow. However, few Ukrainians supported the Polish invasion, most regarding it as simply another foreign attack.
Regardless, Polish forces were achieving remarkable successes, capturing large parts of Ukraine (including the city of Kiev), Russia, and Belarus.
Red Counter-Attack
Leon Trotsky, commander of the Red Army, immediately got to work preparing a counter-offensive. Red Army troops were rushed to the Polish front and Trotsky took personal command of the Red defenses. Trotsky was a brilliant organizer and military commander, who provided important leadership to the Red Army facing the Polish.
The Red Army proved stronger than the Polish forces. While the Polish Army had British and French weapons to support it, the Red Army had a lot more battle experience, as it had been fighting against the Whites for years (and many Red Army soldiers were also World War I veterans.) After a series of battles, the Reds managed to start the Polish invasion and turned it back.
Soon, the Reds went on the offensive, pushing Polish forces back out of Russia and Ukraine. In 1920, Trotsky decided that it was time to invade Poland itself.
International Revolution and Western Response
In 1920, Europe was wracked with socialist uprisings. In Italy, France, Britain, Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, and elsewhere, socialist forces were pressuring their capitalist governments. In Germany, the socialist Spartacist Rebels, represented a real challenge to the German government.
And so, it was with fear that the heads of capitalist nations looked on with horror at the Russo-Polish War. Germany, recently defeated in WWI and facing largescale internal rebellions, was badly weakened: if the Red Army could take Poland, many capitalist leaders feared that the Soviets could link-up with German socialist-rebels and conquer all of Europe.
This thought had also occurred to the Red leadership. Lenin, the leader of the Red faction, hoped to spread the Russian Revolution into the heart of Europe, and ordered Trotsky to invade Poland.
Red forces quickly pushed the Polish army back, inflicting a series of defeats on Pilduski’s forces. British and French leaders became alarmed and threatened the Reds, saying that they would support Poland on the battlefield, if necessary.
However, this was unlikely. The British and French populations were exhausted by years of fighting WWI and many were inspired by the Russian Revolution itself. In France, railroad workers refused to load military supplies being sent to Poland, because of their support for Lenin. The British government attempted to send a large supply of military surplus weapons and equipment to Poland, only to find that the British labor unions threatened a General Strike if the government went forward with the plans.
The Reds ignored British and French threats and continued their advance.
The Battle of Warsaw
Soon, Red forces had begun encircling Warsaw, the Polish capital. It appeared as though Pilduski would have to surrender, when a lucky break saved the Polish war effort. Polish military intelligence had manage to break the Red Army’s military code and so could determine Trotsky’s war plans.
Using this valuable intelligence, Pilduski launched a daring attack on the Red forces, forcing them to retreat from Warsaw.
Trotsky reorganized his forces and was preparing to launch another attack on Warsaw, when Pilduski had yet another stroke of luck. In the east, White Forces under Admiral Kolchak launched another offensive, pushing Red Army forces back towards Moscow.
Lenin, realized that they had lost their opportunity to break into Central Europe. His hopes of spreading the revolution into Central Europe dashed, he ordered Trotsky to bring his forces back into Russia to help deal with Admiral Kolchak's attack.
The Reds signed a peace treaty with Pilduski, returning to the borders Poland and Soviet Russia had at the start of the war.