March 1921
Kronstadt Uprising was the single most dangerous act of rebellion against Bolsheviks and their Soviet rule. It had profound impact and resulted in the liberal New Economic Policy.
Soldiers of the Red Army Attack the Island Fortress of Kronstadt. March 1921. Photographer Unknown.
Background
The sailors of Kronstadt were the elite troops of the Russian Army. They idealized new socialist ideas and were the key supporters of Bolsheviks in the October Revolution. The sailors of Kronstadt were the deciding factor in the success of the October Revolution.
Events
By 1921, hunger, war communism and harsh weather had shaken Russia for many years. The sailors of Kronstadt grew disappointed in Bolshevik leadership. They still stood loyal to the soviet cause, but distrusted Lenin and his comrades.
In early 1921, strikes and riots broke out on two major battleships, Petropavlovsk and Sevastopol. The leader Stepan Petrichenko presented their “15 demands” to the local Kronstadt Soviet. The sailors demanded end to Bolshevik rule and end to war communism.
In March 1921, Mikhail Kalinin was sent to pacify the 16,000 sailors in a meeting. He was shouted out and a full rebellion broke out.
Trotsky answered by isolating and bombarding the island. Commander Tukhachevsky carried out three fierce assaults. The casualties were very high and the troops extending to 45,000 in the end. By 18 March, the island was finally invaded and the rebellion put down. Many of the disappointed sailors managed to escape to Finland.
Results
The Kronstadt Rebellion had a deep impact on the Bolsheviks’ further decisions. They put an end to war communism and replaced grain confiscations with tax. This paved way to Lenin’s New Economic Policy.
Kronstadt Rebellion
March 1921
Kronstadt Uprising was the single most dangerous act of rebellion against Bolsheviks and their Soviet rule. It had profound impact and resulted in the liberal New Economic Policy.
Soldiers of the Red Army Attack the Island Fortress of Kronstadt. March 1921. Photographer Unknown.
Background
The sailors of Kronstadt were the elite troops of the Russian Army. They idealized new socialist ideas and were the key supporters of Bolsheviks in the October Revolution. The sailors of Kronstadt were the deciding factor in the success of the October Revolution.
Events
By 1921, hunger, war communism and harsh weather had shaken Russia for many years. The sailors of Kronstadt grew disappointed in Bolshevik leadership. They still stood loyal to the soviet cause, but distrusted Lenin and his comrades.
In early 1921, strikes and riots broke out on two major battleships, Petropavlovsk and Sevastopol. The leader Stepan Petrichenko presented their “15 demands” to the local Kronstadt Soviet. The sailors demanded end to Bolshevik rule and end to war communism.
In March 1921, Mikhail Kalinin was sent to pacify the 16,000 sailors in a meeting. He was shouted out and a full rebellion broke out.
Trotsky answered by isolating and bombarding the island. Commander Tukhachevsky carried out three fierce assaults. The casualties were very high and the troops extending to 45,000 in the end. By 18 March, the island was finally invaded and the rebellion put down. Many of the disappointed sailors managed to escape to Finland.
Results
The Kronstadt Rebellion had a deep impact on the Bolsheviks’ further decisions. They put an end to war communism and replaced grain confiscations with tax. This paved way to Lenin’s New Economic Policy.
Russia Under Stalin