The Russian Civil War in Early 1919 I THE GREAT WAR

The biggest conflict, or rather series of conflicts, that had their roots in the First World War are today known as the Russian Civil War. After the October Revolution the Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky fought all across the former Russian Empire to consolidate their power.
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» SOURCES
Figes, Orlando. A People’s Tragedy. The Russian Revolution (London: The Bodley Head, 2017 [1996]).
Amazon.com: amzn.to/2CkpZfF
Amazon.co.uk: amzn.to/2Oav6Ug
Amazon.de: amzn.to/2OdW0KR
Amazon.ca: amzn.to/2UDcwGY
Mawdsley, Evan. The Russian Civil War (New York: Pegasus Books, 2005).
Amazon.co.uk: amzn.to/2HFWk48
Amazon.de: amzn.to/2OcvYb4
Amazon.ca: amzn.to/2FalAwv
Robert Gerwarth, The Vanquished. Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917-1923 (Penguin, 2017)
Amazon.com: amzn.to/2X2s3Bt
Amazon.de: amzn.to/2UYlvSS
Amazon.co.uk: amzn.to/2UWaRvA
Amazon.ca: amzn.to/2WSrp9I
Gattrell, Peter. Russia’s First World War (Pearson, 2005).
Leonhard, Jörn. Der überforderte Frieden. Versailles und die Welt 1918-1923 (CH Beck, 2018).
Lloyd George, David. The Truth About the Peace Treaties, vol 1, (London: Victor Glocancz, 1938).
Mawdsley, Evan. “International Responses to the Russian Civil War,” in 1914-1918 online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. encyclopedia.1914-1918-online...
Peeling, Siobhan. “War Communism,” in 1914-1918 online. International Encyclopedia of the First
World War. encyclopedia.1914-1918-online...
Smele, Jonathan. The ‘Russian’ Civil Wars 1916-1926 (London: Hurst, 2015).
Sumpf, Alexandre. “Russian Civil War,” in 1914-1918 online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. encyclopedia.1914-1918-online...
Volkov, Evgenii. “Czech Legions,” in 1914-1918 online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War. encyclopedia.1914-1918-online...
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16 DAYS IN BERLIN: realtimehistory.net/pages/16-...
»CREDITS
Presented by: Jesse Alexander
Written by: Jesse Alexander
Director: Toni Steller & Florian Wittig
Director of Photography: Toni Steller
Sound: Toni Steller
Editing: Toni Steller
Motion Design: Philipp Appelt
Mixing, Mastering & Sound Design: above-zero.com
Maps: Daniel Kogosov ( / zalezsky )
Research by: Jesse Alexander
Fact checking: Florian Wittig
Channel Design: Alexander Clark
Original Logo: David van Stephold
Contains licensed material by getty images
All rights reserved - Real Time History GmbH 2020

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks again to Battlefront Miniatures for sponsoring this episode. Check out The Great War Miniatures Game: bit.ly/BattlefrontMiniatures Use "greatwarchannel1" for 25% off of the Great War Game Book + Use "greatwarchannel2" for 10% off of any Army Deal plus free shipping worldwide. Also: Remember the goats.

[@rukeyazu8669]

The Great War I am trying to use the code greatwarchannel1 to get the discount on the book. I am entering it in the area where it offers to put in a coupon code, yet when I do so it tells me that the code does not exist. I am really excited to try this game, and am only going to wait a day before I buy the book, but if you could somehow get the code to work on your end or talk with the company about it to something, because I have tried to multiple times and I know I am spelling it correctly, so I don’t think it’s anything on my end.

[@Schnabelfreak]

Try "greatwarchannel". They will fix it soon and thanks for waiting. Every dollar helps us :)

[@TheGreatWar]

@Lukas I forwarded this to the team and since they are in New Zealand they should fix it very soon.

[@rukeyazu8669]

Alex at Battlefront yes indeed, figured that out this morning as well.^.^

[@patrickgoode4230]

Any idea what scale the miniatures are? 15mm? 25mm? 28mm? It looks like they might be 15mm, but it's nearly impossible to tell.

[@CruelDwarf]

Like for a decent Russian pronouncation of quite a lot of complex words. It is a rare feat.

[@ge3neva]

Берти Вустер also good french pronunciation, is this a historian or a linguist?!

[@Seppevh]

@@ge3neva why not both

[@mateuszp.6109]

Polish also pretty decent, that's rare!

[@vandoo66]

The Heptarchy French Canadian accent. Definately has a penchant for languages. I like him.

[@olivierlabreche7565]

He definitely has a strange accent though. Not one of a “typical” French Canadian. He sounds like a German speaking English to me.

[@Meatlord69]

I really thought that i will stop watching after Indy leaves.... But damn this guy is actually realy cool ! Love it

[@adrianlarson658]

I really did to but... Indy was the face (talented, hardworking and knows is shit) but the production team (Flo the man!) is truly the mvp of this channel. I never really wanted to follow Indy, I’m subbed to Indy’s other YT channels and I’ve watched a bit but - meh I guess. Not really that interested - at least for now, never know in the future.

[@LightFykki]

I second that.

[@PalmelaHanderson]

@@adrianlarson658 I think the way they cover things is different. I've grown used to Indy's narration style, and I still love it. I also love the new TGW. I hope they do some kind of collaboration in the future.

[@adrianlarson658]

Agreed… Indy - bold and in-your-face! Jesse - Depth and Scrutiny Both work for me also, just different. +100% on the collaboration!

[@RuthlessMcToothless]

I'm glad he's finding his own voice for narrating these. Thankfully he didn't try to be an Indy clone. Indy was awesome, but it's important for the new host to just be himself. I enjoy the new episodes so far.

[@markvorobjov6185]

It's actually the first ever video in English about Russian Civil War, where I didn't cringe on wrong prononcuations or completely wrong facts. Extremely well done research and presentation. As an ethnic Russian, I can say that you can be really proud of your work! And big thank you for continuing your work on the Great War channel!

[@TheGreatWar]

Спаси́бо (that's Flo pretending to speak Russian with a bit of Wikipedia)

[@markvorobjov6185]

@@TheGreatWar Хаха, пожалуйста :) And I feel so honored now - first time you guys answered to my comment on youtube. Keep making great job! Love your channel :)

[@PMaldeev]

Ну, да: "пытались встроить бывших царских офицеров и политических инструкторов, известных как комиссары, в свои ряды". Типа в РИА были политруки.

[@DelusionalDaniel990]

The wrong facts, I understand that but the wrong pronunciation, thats like expecting a Spaniard to speak fluent English on their 10th try :/

[@scottleft3672]

The fellas an ethnic German or Russian...it makes it a bit easier.

[@scipioafricanus6417]

Finally a sensible and honest sponsor, not some shady and inacurate pay-to-win browser game.

[@jeremiahfitzherbert7971]

My thoughts exactly

[@zinckeeper]

mate, I play supremacy all the time, because of it sponsoring this channel, you've just got to give it some time to get used to. The main bit of the game is the interaction with other players, it's actually fun, some interesting diplomacy.

[@otakunthevegan4206]

I know right? I love toy soldiers, I collect them. At last a sponser I can get behind!

[@TheCimbrianBull]

I wonder if the Italian troops under the command of Cardona get to reroll twice? 😂

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

@@TheCimbrianBull Under Conrad or Luigi : you need to roll 13 for a success. And yes there are only 2 dices with 6 sides each.

[@noahg.461]

I miss Indy, but Jessie seems enthusiastic enough

[@christopheromeara1442]

I think he's doing a great job. He seems to be doing better each episode.

[@lucth16]

Is he French Canadian? His french sounded like quebec french.

[@sebsauve34]

@@lucth16 He said he comes from a town near Montréal in the intro video so oui.

[@lucth16]

@@sebsauve34 Must have missed that. Thank you Seb.

[@outdatedtank4542]

I think he's more soft

[@romulusnuma116]

Never forget the Goats.

[@christalbot7527]

We shall remember them

[@user-to2xg7pr4e]

We are still enjoying their work... (

[@robinbeckford314]

At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

[@yuslaven89]

We need that on shirt

[@crazygrainger2006]

RIP All the Goats, never forgetti.

[@LickPersianPussy]

That was a very well done episode and my first post-Indy episode. Onward.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Chaaarge! 😀

[@Jason-en1ue]

Same

[@thearbiter3351]

Same

[@PvtPooter]

Jesse is better in my opinion

[@Bandokker]

"Remember the goats" Jessie starts to warm up! Great job!

[@Ba-gb4br]

Indy can not be replaced but jessy also does a good job

[@vincentlefebvre9255]

Yes he is excellent .

[@gcircle]

This was an excellent introduction into the immediate post-WWI of the Russian Civil War. It not only covers the war situation, but also the victims. _presses F to pay respects to the goats_

[@TheGreatWar]

F

[@mariogaeta8911]

F

[@anasevi9456]

extremely comprehensive and high quality video.. yes i miss Indy, but you are doing more than justice. Thanks for your great video!

[@kaiservilhelm8371]

I miss Indy as much as the first person, but I think It's time for a new perspective on The Great War. Keep doing what you're doing guys!

[@bananabishop]

Do you still play battlefield 1?

[@kaiservilhelm8371]

@@bananabishop I pretty much only play Battlefield 1. Ever since my first day of playing it, I was obsessed with WWI, which later lead me to this channel.

[@charlesdeens8927]

Your ability to explain these complex chaotic events in an understandable presentation is brilliantly executed. I look forward to this branch of the series as much as I did with Indy's episodes.

[@shawngilliland243]

Best presentation on the Russian Civil War I've ever seen! Glad to hear the Greens and the Blacks mentioned as well as the Reds and the Whites. Superb job, Jesse. Never before had I heard the Russian pronunciation of the names before, either. Your documentation is fantastic, and you've chosen some very pithy quotes. I'm already on my second listening/watching of this episode. I am a long-time collector of miniature soldiers, and I will definitely check out the Battle Front Miniatures.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks Shawn, glad you liked it.

[@EverettGuenther]

Nobody ever remembers the Black Army

[@Jesse__H]

So a Tachanka is a horse-drawn machine gun cart? My friends who play Rainbow Six Siege with me will be hearing that bit of trivia tonight! 😊

[@Zwickerly2]

Yes, many of us know and are annoyed that the operator called Tachanka is incredibly static. {-}7

[@Jesse__H]

@@Zwickerly2 Well, he's missing his horse! Can't draw a horse-drawn machine gun without a horse!

[@gueststrivler]

Taczanka if it's Polish!

[@kaczynskis5721]

It was symbolic in a way of the Eastern Front's mixture of the modern and the old-fashioned - a horse-drawn machine-gun. Even in WW2 cavalry saw some use there - a German soldier reported two of his comrades being killed with sabres in a sudden attack by Soviet cavalry in 1941 - remarking that this was "eighty years after Sadowa' (1866 defeat of the Austrians by Prussians).

[@proto-nm9hr]

Tachka( тачка) is slang for a car in today's terms

[@DanielSanchez-tv6vh]

Timestamps 2:40 The Reds Quickly Spread/1918 Recap 5:00 The Allies in Russia 7:30 The Reds/ Red Terror 10:05 The Whites/ Allied Help 12:30 White Propaganda/ Terror 13:50 The Independence Movements 15:15 Humanitarian Crisis 16:00 Combat Tactics/ Disavantages 17:36 Military Developments Across Russia 21:05 Baltics, Poland, & Ukraine 22:50 Wrap Up/ Round Off Segment 25:40 Sources, Credits & Outro

[@bluedevil3765]

I wiped a tear when at 24:48 Jessie didn't mention Louis Franchet d'Esperey's nickname "Desperate Frankie" like Indy always did :'(

[@vincentlefebvre9255]

Jessie is obviously a french speaking canadian . He is obviously bilingual to say the least .

[@TheCimbrianBull]

I have collected stamps for many years and I have also a fairly large number of Russian and Soviet stamps. Recently I got hold of a small bunch from the revolutionary years covering 1917 to 1923. This episode of TGW somehow makes those stamps "come alive" for lack of a better term. Great work! 😀

[@isaackim2514]

I just want to say, THESE are the kinds of sponsors that I am actually interested in!

[@otakunthevegan4206]

I know! Fellow toy soldier collector? :3

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Toy soldiers all the way! 😀

[@otakunthevegan4206]

@@TheCimbrianBull I collect armies in plastic myself.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@otakunthevegan4206 Plastic toy soldiers collectors of the world - unite!

[@Gamecourie]

You know i thought you guys were going to have a difficult time without Indy. But I can already see I was wrong! Great job guys.

[@TheGreatWar]

thanks, the support we are getting makes it a lot easier.

[@Gamecourie]

@@TheGreatWar You definitly deserve it, its still quality material.

[@WildBillCox13]

Ayaaaah! At last! Someone can pronounce both the Russian "X" AND the first "R" in February! I am both pleased and gratified! And-Hi Flo!

[@TheGreatWar]

Hi Bill!

[@Matt_from_Florida]

Wow, your pronunciation was excellent! As someone who's been studying Russian for over a year I applaud you. I'll throw this into the mix; the text of Woodrow Wilson's 14-points addressing his (Wilson's) outlook on how he wished to treat Russia at that time. *"VI. The evacuation of all Russian territory and such a settlement of all questions affecting Russia as will secure the best and freest cooperation of the other nations of the world in obtaining for her an unhampered and unembarrassed opportunity for the independent determination of her own political development and national policy and assure her of a sincere welcome into the society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and, more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need and may herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia by her sister nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their good will, of their comprehension of her needs as distinguished from their own interests, and of their intelligent and unselfish sympathy."*

[@stephengiles2873]

Fascinating to hear about a little talked-about subject trying to get a grip on the different sides. Thanks for taking us along on the ride

[@JobberBud]

I wish my history teachers had been more like Jesse. My 7th grade Texas History teacher was a grizzled 75 year old man who would hit me with a yardstick when I accidentally called Jim Bowie "David Bowie." Anyway, I still love this channel and I learn so much!

[@davidbunner6708]

But i can see how that would be strikeable offense in TX

[@revanbh]

Love the episode. Wealth of information on a war that has little coverage outside of Russia and former Soviet republics. Thank you for the links to your sources. Going to use them. Keep up the great work and I can't wait to watch the next episode.

[@JasonSputnik]

I'm loving these new episodes a lot. It's not easy to try to clarify the Russian Civil War but this episode gave me a lot of notions I ignored. Keep it up guys, Jesse you're doing a great job!

[@victorbruant389]

In Soviet Russia, law breaks you.

[@Happy_Teddy24]

Stop

[@lexfey1220]

This is how communism works

[@user-to2xg7pr4e]

How could country of Antanta fail Great War? Это Россия детка ))))

[@Happy_Teddy24]

@@lexfey1220Russia isn't a communist nation.

[@lexfey1220]

@@Happy_Teddy24 i know

[@taufiqutomo]

This channel refused to die!

[@fristnamelastname5549]

I have a guy feeling that they will do World War two with the the Ghost Army.

[@saguntum-iberian-greekkons7014]

Japan: "Can all we be equal in race?" Usa and Australia: "Hohoho, hell NO!"

[@kaczynskis5721]

The Japanese were mainly interested in being treated on equal terms with other powers after WW1 and in time they would make it clear they had a superiority complex of their own. But it is revealing about racial assumptions current in the USA, Australia, Britain and elsewhere.

[@ricklolkema3340]

Remember the goats people cuz they were one of the true victims of the war. REMEMBER THE GOATS!

[@ScarletImp]

Yes! I've been waiting for this to be made into an episode.

[@KilijHistoryKlcTarihi]

I have to give it to the new owners, you really kept us coming back and I cant wait for more!

[@kalashnikovdevil]

Having worked for Battlefront in the past I can tell you that they put out fantastic product and truly excellent rules.

[@shaunindia]

Wow. Thanks so much for this channel. Came across your channel while looking for context and background information that I felt i needed while reading "we the living" . Love the pacing of your explanations and omg the round up section is the icing. No history channel does that. Historic topics are dealt with in isolation. Thank you 👏👏

[@Jesse__H]

Great episode! Very interesting and about a time and place I knew almost nothing, going in.

[@EoineyMTX125]

Will you be doing videos on the Irish War of Independence?

[@zlatko8051]

Wait for it.

[@halfcantan1208]

Another great informative show thank you guys for all the hard work and this new guy is really growing into the job again thank you

[@markuskalmi2745]

My grandfathers dad fought in Estonian war of independency, he fought in finnish civil war before that. he was a native estonian, thats why im part estonian. he even has his wikipedia page Hans Kalm

[@-morrow]

I read hans kalm led the pow camp Naarajärven sotavankileiri which had the highest death rates. he fled to sweden to avoid persecution for his crimes. later he became a homeopath but eventually lost his doctors license because he was responsible for the death of 2 patients under his care.

[@sigitprabowo363]

hands down, these are remarkable documentary series.

[@Cityinlead]

6:19 *Kaiserreich intensifies*

[@therootofeverything3623]

Mosley has joined the chat

[@HS-su3cf]

Great video with a lot of info on a, to me at least, little known epoch. And I like Jessie doing his own thing, and not trying to be Indy. This channel continues to be great.

[@ryanstewart3640]

Fantastic Video, I'm really enjoying the long video format.

[@bbcmotd]

Hell yeah daddy bring me some delicious Russian civil war with this production value ❤

[@DoraFauszt]

Awsome episode! :) :) Great quality and footage!

[@jeroenboth167]

It is still weird to imagine how the red army won with almost no support while the white army got support from almost every country in europe and still lost.

[@TheGreatWar]

Compared to the size of the country, the Allied support was not a lot though and the Allies were not unified in their ideas how to use it.

[@markvorobjov6185]

The problem with Allied support was that it was extremely limited compared to the scope of the Russian Civil War. 60 tanks and some dozen of airplane are nothing when armies reach the size of hundreds of thousands troops. Even Poland alone received more support from France than all the White Russian armies. Allies were also extremely cautious and at the smallest sight of White Russian forces failures they immedietaly backed down. For example when Kolchaks army started retreating, Czheckoslovak legion with permission from Allied generals handed Kolchak over to local pro-bolshevik government, which later executed him. Almost every single White general complained after the war that Allies basically betrayed White movement.

[@kaczynskis5721]

In terms of military strategy, the Reds were fighting on interior lines - they could shift troops around to prevent breakthroughs. They had a united leadership. The Whites were fighting on exterior lines and could not coordinate their efforts. The foreign aid the Whites received made them look like puppets of foreign interests - somewhat bizarrely, the Bolsheviks benefited from Russian nationalism. A Red ditty went as follows - 'The uniform is British, the epaulettes from France, Japan sends tobacco, Kolchak leads the dance/ The uniform is tattered, the epaulettes are gone, so is the tobacco, and Kolchak's day is done.'

[@DerricktheWhite]

The white army wasnt a single army until the bolsheviks had already gained a strong foothold. And the red army was funded by multiple financiers. Do some research.

[@KingofEuropa07]

I heard a quote that said something like 'Allied support was not enough for a white victory but it was enough to convince the population that the patriotic cause was to fight against the white army.

[@randyherbrechtsmeier4796]

Outstanding again Jesse! I'll watch it again tonight after work and let it all soak in. Tons of Great History on your Videos. Wondeful!!!!!!

[@TheGreatWar]

Thanks Randy!

[@kevinelruler]

Loved it!! Hope to see so much more of you man!!

[@nationradical]

A period of history I have always been fascinated by but have struggled to find in depth documentation of (at least in English!). I’m so happy to see this devastating and transformative period of Russian history covered by you guys!

[@Licinvs]

It must be hard to step into Indy's shoes but Jesse is doing better and better with every episode. Keep it up guys!

[@jungsbodyguard]

These new videos haven’t appeared on my subscription page. Thanks KZbin! Also, I love this new host. Indy was great but this guy adds a different dimension, which was the right route to go down

[@user-vh1sh1xl5k]

Thanks much, Jesse! VERY interesting and informative!

[@Achillez098]

Well researched and well presented. Had you made this video several years ago, I would have written more IB history papers on the Russian Civil War. Looking forward to your future episodes!

[@TheGreatWar]

Timing is not always perfect, glad you enjoyed it nonetheless.

[@noeticjustice1535]

I did a *ton* of primary research about the 1919 peace conference, especially with regards to Eastern Europe. It's great to see videos like this, covering material that until now has exclusively lived in dusty book shelves and microfilm.

[@emmam-rr8qe]

Really strong episode. Well researched and presented as always and the new guy is easy on the eyes and ears 🥰 thanks.

[@liammcg2924]

Love the new feel and host keep doing what you are doing!

[@Kay-lt6ip]

I really enjoy your new videos and the fact that you release one video instead of three per week. Don't get me wrong, they were all awesome but it was hard to watch them all. Amazing work. Jesse, I really respect your pronunciation of foreign words.

[@tylerjerabek5204]

Not sure what you by foreign considering Jesse is a French Canadian

[@LisenToLevel]

excited to hear a new take on a bit of years overlooked by most people.

[@texasRoofDoctor]

Another great episode. Thank you for the great work.

[@absurdist5134]

This is only episode three and I've only seen that about 30 minutes ago, but, Jesse really did find his feet really quickly. I think maybe confidence? Really well presented. And the contest is great as always. I love the longer episodes that go into more detail.

[@socialist-strong]

Kulaks were not just “peasants”. They were land holding people who rented out land and tools to poorer peasants, and in exchange took a large cut of their harvests. They were rural landlords who profited off the labor of poorer peasants.

[@HistoryHustle]

Great overview of the early history of the Russian Civil War, love the maps!

[@jackslipher3432]

Nice to see you continuing content after the end of the war

[@rfonseca9625]

i love the new format! only note is i'd like to see more date stamps (like the in the news segment at the end) during the meaty part of the episode. i get that u guys can't maintain the same currency as during the war, but its still nice to know when a thing happened (eg the battles of the russian civil war)

[@aphexbubblebath]

I think it was necessary to clarify in more detail who the Whites were in the video. Since a lot of people that I talk to about this think they were mostly Czarists and former Imperial generals. The Withes were not only military nationalists and monarchists, there were everyone opposed to the Bolsheviks, including Mensheviks, SRs (Social Revolutionaries), Cadets, Republicans, Narodniks so there were a lot of Socialist Left factions there.

[@Veesaki]

Terrific ! Jesse reminds me of a prof. I had at McGill U. Well done ! 🤓

[@muaddib1236]

Great video! Jesse is doing an amazing job! Keep it up!

[@wheresmyeyebrow1608]

These longer videos are always amazing to watch

[@vincentwitt1810]

next video is soviet polish war?

[@TheGreatWar]

next video Polish uprising. Polish-Soviet war later this year.

[@envinyatar5712]

@@TheGreatWar Are you going to share anything about the Turkish Independence War and the foundation of the Republic of Turkey? Or did you do that already and I missed it?

[@maciek_k.cichon]

@@TheGreatWar Just a quick pointer for the Team, the map of Eastern Europe as you show it first few times is a bit wrong, former Austrian Galizia should be Polish, and Vilnus part of Poland should be Lithuanian until 1920. Moldova should be part of Romania (and the Cordon sanitaire also up until 1920). Great job on the history and story telling front. Keep it up!

[@shawngilliland243]

@Berk Cicik -I don't believe that they have done an episode on that yet (this is only the second episode with the new team), so you haven't missed it.

[@user-lf6qm8yn1k]

Thank you from Russia - Отлично! (Wonderful). My greatgrandfather was a kulak (handy and smart farmer, who hired hundreds of season workers every year) in Moscow region. He survived turmoils of Russian Revolution, but was eventually dispossess by Reds in 1931, cause he resisted to be in kolkhoz to the very end. They didn't killed him, "just" took all his business, all he had in one day. Bolsheviks are the worst what happened with Russia in 20th century.

[@zaco-km3su]

Was he really that smart? Doubt it. Maybe he inherited a lot. That's not a problem in itsellf. Still, it's good to be honest. Thing is that your great grandfather was a victim of the times. The government after the first revolution didn't want to change anything essentially and that gave Lenin the reason or pretext and capability to recruit a lot of people.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Thanks for sharing your story.

[@Matt_from_Florida]

We have the same here in Florida.... all the dispossessed Cuban former owners of property, who fled after Castro seized everything they owned. Communism is not kind.

[@Mentol_]

The kulaks were economic criminals according to the soviet constitution. Here is a brief list of the achievements of the two revolutions of 1917: - The peasants were given more land. - The working day is reduced from 10.5 hours to 8 hours. - Improvement of the health care system. - The policy of eliminating illiteracy of the population. - Equality of men and women is presented. - Elimination of class privileges. - Separation of church from state. - Cessation of economic exploitation of man by man.

[@user-lf6qm8yn1k]

@@Mentol_ seriously? - Elimination of class privileges Except high class communists - Cessation of economic exploitation of man by man And start campaign on exploitation of man by state - The policy of eliminating illiteracy of the population Which also decreased duing Empire period.

[@thomasfield8543]

Was very impressed with how you were able to cover something so vastly complicated so well in a little under a half hour. Will definitely need to rewatch to truly grasp it all but this did a great job getting my feet wet into the Russian Civil War. Great video and a great resource.

[@mykolakanyuk]

Great work. Keep it up!

[@amitabhakusari2304]

Quite a different way of presentation than Indy, but I love it. It may be too early but I hope we can see you as the narrator and writer, after the Inter-War Series is over. Maybe we can go back to examine Russo-Japanese Wars, or go forwards to examine in depth how TGW shaped the world.

[@foreigner8710]

Little sidenote : back in 1917 the Ukrainian Prime minister Volodymyr Vynnychenko after the collapse of Russian Republic was completely against creating the Ukrainian Armed Forces to defend Ukraine against the Bolsheviks and thought of creating an independent prosperous nation where everyone would be equal, have democracy and civil rights, etc. On the other hand, Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian army Symon Petliura was completely against his thoughts of it because he knew that such actions could lead to an imminent downfall of Ukrainian People's Republic. Also he wanted to create the army of 300000 troops . However, he couldn't make it at all, unfortunately. And everybody knows what happened next. P.s Nice Russian, Jesse. A bit more of practice and you'll know Russian fluently. ) Keep up with the good work, guys.

[@pavloskoropadsky1448]

Yes but no. Before Simion Petliura was the Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskiy. During the application of the Brest-Litovsk Treaty the Ukrainian People's Republic at first wasn't very effective and did not cooperate enough with the German Army to give them food and other resources in exchange for protection and recognition, so the German Army stationed at Ukraine decided that the cossack general Skoropadskiy was the ideal man for creating a German-friendly Cossack monarchy that was to cooperate a lot more with the Austro-German powers... Skoropadsky Goverment was by far the most efficient of the three that existed during this time in Ukraine(Vinnychenko, Skorpadsky, Petliura), diplomatic treaties, economic reforms(although impopular), opening universities and other changes were characteristic during this short monarchy. It was Skoropadsky the man who actually wanted to create an Army of 300,000 troops, and even suggested Germany to be allowed to create the "Varta"(Guard), made up of around 1 million soldiers but he wasn't taken seriously neither by the German Army nor the Kaiser. After the German withdraw from Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and the Baltics and the eventual decisive win by the Entente, Skoropadsky had to change his priorities; since Germany was no longer there to support him, he had to re-establish contact with his former colleages from the Russian Imperial Army now in the White Army(Southern Armed Forces of Russia) which were on the same time allied with the Entente and give the White Army concessions to operate, recruit and somehow be allowed to co-exist with Skoropadsky in Ukraine in order to defeat the Reds. For this, he even made a "Gramota"(Announcement) in which he finally claimed that Ukraine had to be inside a future Russian Empire, Federation or Republic as an Autonomous Region... Skoropadsky already had a bad reputation among farmers and the working class of Ukraine, hardcore nationalists took this "Gramota" as the definitive reason to take the Hetman from power. And so did Simon Petliura with the Sich Riflemen in Bila Tserkva.

[@foreigner8710]

@@pavloskoropadsky1448 Yes, everything you said here is absolutely correct. Can't argue with your comment. Besides, I also agree that Skoropadsky was the best among three. His only mistakes were the domestic politics regarding the rights of the proletariat and the Gramota which led to his downfall.

[@ahmedbassam400]

Bloody brilliant video ....Simply amazing I hope you continue this type of quality vids.

[@TheGreatWar]

We intent to.

[@jozephkerr2791]

What an excelent video which I'm certain about was a result of thorough and profound research. Thanks for your effort and talent in creating such entertaining and accurate content which helps to popularise the history of this brutal and yet fascinating war . The war that has a paramount paramount importnance for undersranding the realities of life in modern Eastern Europe. Additionally as many already did I'd love to thank you for not butchering words in Russian. Спасибо братцы за проделанную работу! :)

[@calbackk]

A very well researched, organised, presented and, not the least, pronounced episode. I have never read anything about the early days of Soviet Russia, but a lot about Finland in the same period, which often touches on Russia. This episode confirms very much what is often evident from those books. The White Russians lacked clear goals and were unwilling to cede any territories of imperial Russia. Had they done so in Finland’s case, the could probably have won a lot, maybe even Petrograd and the war.

[@camdudzinski5206]

"Many goats died to bring us this information"- Goats of Southern Russia.

[@Custerd1]

Excellent explanation of the chaos going on during this period.

[@thomasmann7457]

Great video!

[@warriorcrab1319]

Though you have a noticeable accent, the Russian was spoken well and clearly understood - good job. On a small side note, when showing the industrial cities in 8:15 I would have preferred to see the names of the cities in bigger letters instead of 'soviet' due to the fact that the flag kind of already says the same, but that's a really minor thing.

[@velikiradojica]

I can't wait for Stalin's victory near the Volga bend and Tsaritsyn. Interestingly enough a similar turn of events happened some 22 years later in the same region.

[@user-ss2wf5yj2b]

Very well researched and very well presented

[@clamum]

Jesse had pretty big shoes to fill coming in after Indy but I think he's doing a great job. Keep it up Jesse and Co., I love the channel!

[@redcat10601]

That "это Гражданская война в России" sounded great though rude-ish. Great video!

[@TheGreatWar]

Intonation is of course always the hardest part of languages. Glad you liked the episode.

[@jacquesbrodeur5703]

Mr Alexander is excellent. The quality of this production is, as usual, fine. My father-in-law, John Schellenberg, died last December 1st. He was Mennonite and was born 90 years ago in Ukraine. If only this episode had been produced before he passed away. After watching this outstanding episode, I was overwhelmed. I am missing Mr Indell; however, he was also nervous at first. Welcome, Mr Alexander to our “The Great War’s family.” Coincidentally, I was even born in Montreal.

[@TheGreatWar]

Thank you Jacques, very glad that this episode means something to you and that you preserve your father-in-law's memory.

[@brucestein988]

Very. very good! Thank you!

[@onefastcyclist]

Thanks - complex turmerol excellently explained !

[@willisaw135]

Great content. We have 3 more months to 100th anniversary of Treaty of Versailles.

[@arnoldcloer9453]

That was last year

[@varana]

@@arnoldcloer9453 Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919, so the anniversary is this year.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@arnoldcloer9453 You are probably thinking of the armistice.

[@arnoldcloer9453]

Oh....well that's embarrassing. Sorry guys lol

[@TheCimbrianBull]

@@arnoldcloer9453 No worries, dude. 👍

[@dastemplar9681]

I would love to learn about the Interwar Period. Sure it isn’t WWI, but again, this period wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for the Great War. I can see you guys making videos not just on the Russian Civil War or German Revolution, but also the Unification of Saudi Arabia, the Finnish Civil War, the smaller conflicts that happened in Ukraine, Latvia and Estonia during the Russian Civil War, Lithuanian War of Independence, Turkish War of Independence, the Polish-Soviet War, the Chinese Civil War, Arab Revolts, Rise of Fascist Italy, Spanish Civil War, and the Second Sino-Japanese War.

[@herptek]

There is plenty to cover during that timespan.

[@beredentod]

I love the new format!

[@wrightmf]

This gave me a better understanding of this period of what happened and what could have happened. I also was never aware of mis-pronouncation of Russian words (I wouldn't know the difference), reading comments by others Jessie has picked up up the job of hosting this channel quite well. I still cannot believe the amount of fatalities that happened during this time when populations were much smaller than nowadays.

[@fishbarns1357]

I wasn’t sure about the Jesse but I’m really starting to like him!!

[@moffjendob6796]

Now we just need that Indie/Jesse slash fic.

[@TheCimbrianBull]

Don't forget to include Snake and Angel!

[@Mysterialic]

You did great!

[@bocholotthethird3159]

This has helped my a level alot, thank you

[@Cole-fr5zs]

I miss Indy. #IndyNeidellGang . Good job tho Jessie

[@thefishoftruth235]

Some questions I have based on the video: What was going on with the Finnish civil war? What type of government was in Poland? Were the newly independent countries democratic?

[@Oxtocoatl13]

I don't know the answers to most of your questions, but the Finnish civil war ended already in May 1918. The volunteers fighting in the Baltic mentioned in the video came from the victorious Finnish White Army. Most Finnish Reds were either in prison camps or had fled to join the Bolsheviks. The prison camps are notorious for their high death tolls and some 10 000 prisoners died of malnutrition and disease. By 1919 most surviving prisoners had been released I think. So Finland was at peace, though White activists organized voluntary expeditions into the Russian border regions, trying to drive out the Bolsheviks and expand Finnish territory. All of these failed and in 1920 Finland will sign a peace treaty with the Bolsheviks, agreeing on the borders. Mannerheim, who'd led the Finnish Whites to victory, wanted Finland to join the Russian civil war on the white side and apparently had talks with Russian Whites and the British for organizing a joint attack on Petrograd. Nothing came of these plans, because the Russians refused to recognize Finland and the Finnish government did not want to embark on foreign adventures considering they'd just had a civil war, the economy was bust, the army was very underequipped and there were still food shortages.

[@TheGreatWar]

will answer some of these soon.

[@HellDevRisen]

Thanks, king. Great video.

[@golkas9971]

I just read Bulgakof's "The White Guard"!!! A great, great book about Kiev during those chaotic times.