Third Russian Revolution

The Third Russian Revolution (also called the Russian Revolution of 1918, or the July Revolution 1918) is a term describing a series of rebellions and uprisings against both the Bolsheviks and the White movement. The uprisings started on 6 July 1918 and were most prominent for the remainder of that month, but continued up to 30 December 1922.

A part of it was rebellion of Left Esers in Moscow, known as Left Eser Uprising (Left SR Uprising) in Soviet historiography.

The rebellions broke out during the Fifth All-Russia Congress of Soviets, at which the anti-Soviet speeches of Anarchists and the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries received no support from the overwhelming majority of delegates. Defeated at the Congress, the Anarchists and Left S.R.s pursued their aim of sabotaging the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and dragging Soviet Russia into war with Germany by assassinating the German Ambassador in Moscow, Count Wilhelm von Mirbach, on July 6 1918. This was followed by the revolution.

The main rebel force was a detachment commanded by Dmitry Ivanovich Popov, a Left S.R. and member of the Cheka. About 1,800 revolutionaries took part in the insurrection, bombarding the Kremlin with artillery and seizing the telephone exchange and telegraph office. During the two days that they remained in control there, they sent out several manifestos, bulletins and telegrams in the name of the Left S.R. Central Committee declaring that the Left S.R.s had taken over power and that their action had been welcomed by the whole people. The Fifth Congress of Soviets instructed the government to suppress the insurrection at once, and the group of Left S.R.s at the Congress was arrested.

The Anarchists and Left S.R.s also started insurrections in Petrograd, Vologda, Arzamas, Murom, Yaroslavl, Velikiy Ustyug, Rybinsk and other cities. A telegram from the Left S. R. Central Committee stating that the Left S.R.s had seized power in Moscow, was sent to M. A. Muravyov, a Left S.R. and Commander of the Eastern Front. On the pretext of attacking the Germans, he seized Simbirsk (later Ulyanovsk) and march his forces on Moscow in support of the revolutionaries.

Parts of the revolution

• Kronstadt rebellion
• Tambov rebellion
• Workers' Opposition

See also

• Black Army
• Black Guards
• Green Army
• Left communism
• Left Opposition
• Lev Chernyi
• Maria Nikiforova
• Nestor Makhno
• New Economic Policy
• Permanent Revolution
• Russian Civil War
• World revolution
• War communism

External links

• Paul Avrich, "Russian Anarchists and the Civil War"
• "Kronstadt 1921: The Third Revolution"
• "Kronstadt 1921: The Third Revolution"
• "The Kronstadt Revolution"
• Nadezhda Krupskaya, "Ilyich Moves to Moscow, His First Months of Work in Moscow"
• V. I. Lenin, "Interview Granted To An Izvestia Correspondent In Connection With The Left Socialist-Revolutionary Revolt"
• "Poole to Lansing on assassination of Count Mirbach"
• "Pravda o Kronshtadte - The Truth About Kronstadt," Volia Rossii, 1921
• Leon Trotsky, "Revolt of the Left SRs"