The White movement (Белое движение), whose military arm is known as the White Army (Белая Армия) or White Guard (Белая Гвардия, белогвардейцы) and whose members are known as Whites (Белые) or White Russians (a term that has other meanings) comprised some of the Russian forces, both political and military, which opposed the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution and fought against the Red Army during the Russian Civil War from 1917 to 1923. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Structure and Ideology

The designation White has several interpretations. First, it stood in contradistinction to the Reds—the revolutionary Red Army who supported the soviets and Communism. The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based Second, the word "white" had monarchist associations: historically the first monarch of unified Russia, Ivan III, was styled "Albus Rex", or "white tsar". Ivan III Vasilevich (Иван III Васильевич ( 22 January 1440, Moscow – 27 October 1505, Moscow also known as Ivan the Great

White Army propaganda poster depicting a demonic Leon Trotsky, note the shape of the star, which is five pointed which is meant to equate the reds with satanism. The White movement (Beloie Dvijenie Белое движение whose military arm is known as the White Army (Belaia Armia Белая Армия or White Guard Leon Trotsky ( Russian:, Lev Davidovich Trotsky, also transliterated Leo, Lyev, Trotskii, Trotski, Trotskij

Strictly speaking, no monolithic "White Army" existed; lacking central coordination, the White forces were never more than a loose confederation of counter-revolutionary forces. Besides considering themselves anti-Bolshevik Russian patriots, most White Army officers did not have a clearly articulated ideological vision. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Among White Army leaders, neither General Kornilov nor General Denikin were monarchists. Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov ( Russian: Лавр Гео́ргиевич Корни́лов ( August 18, 1870 &ndash April 13, 1918 Anton Ivanovich Denikin (Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин ( December 16, 1872 – August 8, 1947) was Lieutenant General On the other hand, General Wrangel did have monarchist sympathies, but, as he made it clear, was willing to serve under a non-Bolshevik democratically elected Russian government. Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (Пётр Николаевич Врангель (Peter von Wrangel ( August 15, 1878, Zarasai, Lithuania (then In any event, although many of its officers held monarchist ideas, it is inaccurate to state, as it is done sometimes, that the White Army was a monarchist army. Monarchism is the advocacy of the establishment preservation or restoration of a Monarchy as a Form of government in a nation It can be said, however, that the White Army as a whole generally believed in a united multinational Russia (being opposed to separatists who wanted to create nation-states in the place of the old Russian Empire). For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy

The White Army also drew support from other political movements, including democrats, social revolutionaries, and others who opposed the October Revolution; at other times and in other places, the same groups supported the Red Army instead. The Socialist-Revolutionary Party (the PSR the SRs, or Esers; Партия социалистов-революционеров (ПСР эсеры was a Russian The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution

The rank-and-file troops of the White Army included both active opponents of the Bolsheviks (many Cossacks, for example), and spanned a variety of volunteers and conscripts, from nobles to peasants. The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern

Some leaders of the White movement, particularly General Wrangel, formulated political concepts based on Russian traditionalism that were taken up and developed in emigre circles after the end of the Civil War by Russian thinkers such as Ivan Ilyin, who had many philosophical similarities with the Slavophiles. Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (Пётр Николаевич Врангель (Peter von Wrangel ( August 15, 1878, Zarasai, Lithuania (then Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin (Иван Александрович Ильин ( March 28, 1883 - December 21, 1954) was a Russian religious A Slavophile is an intellectual movement originating from 19th century that wanted the Russian Empire to be developed upon values and institutions derived from its early history This became known as the "White Idea". It has been argued that the "White Idea" was in fact developed after the war, or simply was formulated after the war in a more doctrinal format. Not all White Army veterans were sympathetic to it, although virtually all organized veterans were (i. e. , the Russian All-Military Union). The Russian All-Military Union (in Russian Русский Обще Воинский Союз abbreviated РОВС ROVS) was founded by White Army General

Emblem of Kolchak government

The Flag of Battalion of Death (part of White Movement)

Monarchist tendencies reached a peak amidst the veterans of the White movement, while republicanism became rarer. The liberal policies of Alexander Kerensky and his socialist-democratic oriented provisional government were seen as largely responsible for preparing the country for the October Revolution. Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky (Алекса́ндр Фёдорович Ке́ренский Aleksandr Fjëdorovich Kerenskij) ( June 11, 1970) served In August of 1922, two months before its defeat, the far eastern White Army of General Mikhail Diterikhs went as far as to convene the Zemskiy Sobor of Preamursk, and elect (without his participation) Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaievich Romanov as tsar of all Russia. Mikhail Diterikhs (Михаил Константинович Дитерихс May 17 1874 – 9 September, 1937) was a Russian The zemsky sobor (зе́мский собо́р was the first Russian Parliament of the feudal Estates type in the 16th and 17th centuries Tsar csar and tzar redirect here For other uses see Tsar (disambiguation.

There were also independent groups such as the Green Army as well as the Black Army of Nestor Makhno, who declared themselves against both the Reds and Whites, although occasionally they sought alliances with one side or the other. The Green armies, Green Army (Russian Зелёная Армия) or Greens (Russian Зелёные) were armed peasant groups which fought Nestor Ivanovich Makhno (Нестор Іванович Махно October 26, 1888 – July 6, 1934) was an anarcho-communist

At times the Western Allies, the Central Powers, and other foreign forces provided assistance to several White Army units. This caused the Soviets to accuse the White Army of representing the interests of foreign powers.

Theaters of Operation

                     Frontiers, 1921                      Bolshevik control, Nov 1918                      Maximum advances of 'White' forces

The Russian Civil War between Whites and Reds raged from November of 1917 until 1921, with isolated pockets of resistance continuing in the Far East until 1923. The Russian Civil War (1917–1923 was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Year 1921 ( MCMXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1921 calendar of the Gregorian calendar Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The White Army, with the occasional aid of Allied (and sometimes, Central powers) forces from outside Russia (Japanese, British, Canadian, French, American, German, Australian (including two who received the Victoria Cross for their actions against the Red Army), Greek, Czechoslovak) held sway in some areas (especially Siberia, Ukraine and the Crimea) for periods of time and put considerable bodies of troops into the field. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Siberia (Сиби́рь Sibir) is the name given to the vast region constituting almost all of Northern Asia and for the most part currently serving Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Crimea (kraɪˈmiːə or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Крим Автономна Республіка Крим Avtonomna Respublika Krym; Крым But they failed to unite or to co-operate effectively amongst themselves, and the Bolshevik Red Army eventually gained the upper hand. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction The Red Army ( Russian: Рабоче-Крестьянская Красная Армия R aboche- K rest'yanskaya K rasnaya A rmiya

The major theaters of the White armies can be grouped as follows:

• The Southern front: Started on November 15 1917 by General Mikhail Alekseev and commanded by General Lavr Kornilov, later headed by General Denikin and named the "Armed Forces of the South of Russia". For the British Volunteer Army see Volunteer Army (British. For voluntary military service see Volunteer military. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. Mikhail Vasiliyevich Alekseyev (Алексеев Михаил Васильевич ( November 3, 1857 — September 25, 1918) was a Russian Lavr Georgiyevich Kornilov ( Russian: Лавр Гео́ргиевич Корни́лов ( August 18, 1870 &ndash April 13, 1918 Anton Ivanovich Denikin (Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин ( December 16, 1872 – August 8, 1947) was Lieutenant General This front had the most massive scale operations and overall posed the most serious threat to the Bolsheviks. In the beginning, it based itself entirely on volunteer support, a significant amount of it coming from the cossacks who were amidst the first to protest against Bolshevik rule. The Cossacks (Каза́ки́ Kazaki; Козаки́ Kozaki; Kozacy are a group of martial people living in the southern Steppe regions of Eastern In 1919, after the Denikin offense on Moscow collapsed, the army was forced into a massive retreat. General Wrangel reorganized the army in Crimea, formed a provisional government (recognized by France), and began a new advance. Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (Пётр Николаевич Врангель (Peter von Wrangel ( August 15, 1878, Zarasai, Lithuania (then It quickly failed when Polish leader Józef Piłsudski made a separate peace with the Soviets and withdrew Poland from the war.

Main article: White movement in Transbaikal

• The Eastern (Siberian) front: Started in the spring of 1918 as an underground movement amidst army officers and right leaning socialist forces. The White movement in Transbaikal was a period of the confrontation between the Soviets and the Whites over dominance in Transbaikal from December 1917 to November 1920 The front began a major offensive in collaboration with the Czechoslovak Legions who were stuck in Siberia (local Bolshevik governments barred them from leaving Soviet Russia). Czechoslovak Legions ( Československé legie in Czech and Slovak were Czech and Slovak volunteer armed forces fighting together with the Entente powers Admiral Kolchak headed the resistance and a provisional Russian government. Aleksandr Vasiliyevich Kolchak (Алекса́ндр Васи́льевич Колча́к &ndash February 7, 1920) was a Russian naval commander The army made significant advances in 1919, but was pushed back to the far east where it continued to resist up to October of 1922.

• The Northern and North-Western fronts: Started immediately after the Bolshevik takeover by Pyotr Krasnov, then headed by General Yudenich, General Miller, Prince Anatoly Lieven, and others. Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov ( Петр Николаевич Краснов in Russian) ( September 22 (10 old style) 1869 — January 17 Evgenii Karlovich Miller (Евгений Карлович Миллер ( September 25, 1867, Daugavpils, Latvia &ndash May 11 Prince Anatoly Pavlovich Lieven, in Russian Святлейший Князь Анатолий Павлович Ливен (1872-1937 was a Baltic German prince of the These fronts had less coordination than the Southern Army of Denikin, including a few problematic adventurers such as General Bermont Avalov and General Bulakh Bulakhovich (the former declared war on neighboring Estonia). Pavel Rafalovich Bermondt-Avalov (Avalishvili (Павел Рафалович Бермонт-Авалов Pāvels Bermonts-Avalovs ( 4 March 1877 - 27 January Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz (Станіслаў Булак-Балаховіч Станислав Булак-Балахович (1883&ndash1940 was a Polish - Belarusian Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia ( Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a Country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region The most notable achievement was the attack on Petrograd, then the capital of Soviet Russia. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River

Post-Civil War

Main article: White Emigre

Considerable numbers of anti-Soviet Russians clustered in Belgrade, Berlin, Paris, Harbin, Istanbul, and Shanghai, setting up military and cultural networks, which lasted through World War II (for example, the Russian community in Harbin and Russian community in Shanghai). Belgrade (Београд Beograd is the Capital and largest city of Serbia. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city ( Russian Kharbin) is a Sub-provincial city and the Capital of the Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China. Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey Shanghai ( 上[[wikt 海|海]] is the largest city in China in terms of population and one of the largest urban areas in the world with over 20 million World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The term Harbin Russians or Russian Harbinites refers to several generations of Russians who lived in the city of Harbin, a major junction city on The term Shanghai Russians refers to a sizable Russian diaspora that flourished in Shanghai, China between the World Wars. Thereafter White Russian activity found a new principal home in the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

In the 1920's and 30's, several White organizations were formed outside Russia with the intention of overthrowing the Soviet government through guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc These included the Russian All-Military Union, the Brotherhood of Russian Truth, and the National Alliance of Russian Solidarists. The Russian All-Military Union (in Russian Русский Обще Воинский Союз abbreviated РОВС ROVS) was founded by White Army General The Brotherhood of Russian Truth ( Братство Русской Правды was a Russian patriotic organization established by Pyotr Krasnov and other former members The National Alliance of Russian Solidarists (Национально Трудовой Союз or Народно-Трудовой Союз российских солидаристов

Russian cadet corps were founded in several countries in order to prepare the next generation for the "spring campaign" (a term coined by white emigres meaning a hoped-for renewal of their campaign against the Bolsheviks). A significant number of these cadets volunteered for service in the Russian Corps during World War II, when many white Russians desired to participate in the Russian Liberation Movement. The Russian Corps the Russian Guard Corps the Russian Corps in Serbia the Separate Russian Corps (Русский Охранный Корпус Русский Корпус в Сербии World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Russian Liberation Movement (Русское Освободительное Движение is a term used to describe Russians during World War II who tried to create an anti-communist

Soviet historiography has tended to paint the Civil War as primarily a war of foreign intervention. Soviet historiography is the history of the academic study of history as written by scholars of the Soviet Union. White generals were stereotyped as monarchists who were bankrolled by foreign governments and business tycoons, wealthy Russian land owners, and the Russian Orthodox Church. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure The White army was portrayed as an army formed of people from the upper classes (the nobility) as well as forced peasant conscripts.

Prominent persons of the White movement

• Mikhail Vasilevich Alekseev
• Stanisław Bułak-Bałachowicz
• Pavel Bermondt-Avalov
• Anton Ivanovich Denikin
• Mikhail Gordeevich Drozdovsky
• Mikhail Diterikhs
• Alexander Ilyich Dutov
• Ivan Aleksandrovich Ilyin
• Aleksei Maksimovich Kaledin
• Vladimir Oskarovich Kappel
• Aleksandr Vasilevich Kolchak
• Lavr Georgevich Kornilov
• Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov
• Alexander Pavlovich Kutepov
• Anatoly Lieven
• Vyacheslav Grigoryevich Naumenko [1][2][3]
• Sergey Leonidovich Markov
• Vladimir Zinovyevich May-Mayevsky
• Evgenii Karlovich Miller
• Grand Duke Nicholas
• Viktor Leonidovich Pokrovsky
• Grigory Mikhailovich Semenov
• Andrei Grigoriyevich Shkuro
• Baron Roman von Ungern-Sternberg
• Ariadna Tyrkova-Williams
• Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel
• Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich

See also

• Volunteer Army
• Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War
• White Emigre
• Don Army
• Russian All-Military Union
• Russian Corps
• Russian Liberation Movement
• Russian Liberation Army and the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia
• Operation Keelhaul
• Basmachi Revolt
• The Betrayal of Cossacks
• Latvian Riflemen
• White-
• Estonian Freedom War

External links

• Anti-Bolshevik Russia in pictures
• Museum and Archives of the White Movement
• (Russian) Memory and Honour Association
• (Russian) History of the White Movement