From the Russian State Military-Historical Archive (RGVIA)
The counter-revolutionaries, opposed to the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil
War of 1918-1921, drew strength from across the political spectrum. The Whites
included all shades of anti-Communist opinion, from Czarists to Socialist Revolutionaries,
and posed a deadly threat to the Bolshevik regime. During the first stages of
the Civil War, the Whites scored notable victories and at times seemed poised
to overthrow the Reds. However, poorly supplied, united only by opposition to
Bolshevism, lacking a unified command, and forced to fight on exterior lines
of communication, the Whites suffered savage defeats. By the end of 1920, they
had been effectively defeated.
This important collection, which contains both documents captured by the Bolsheviks
during the war and those obtained by Soviet authorities after the fighting had
ceased, offers scholars an unprecedented opportunity to examine the nature and
history of the White opposition. Included are papers of the White high command,
including those of Kolchak, Savinkov, Alekseev, Kornilov and Denekin. Other
sections of the collection deal with White occupation policy and governance.
Particular attention is paid to the White's ineffective and oppressive response
to ethnic aspirations and national independence movements.
Yale owns all 71 microfilm reels of the collection. Scholars can consult these
sources in the Microtext Reading Room, which is in the basement of Sterling
Memorial Library. A published guide to the collection is in the Microtext Reading
Room under the call number Z2519 +P38 2000(LC).
Sterling Library's hours of operation
LOCATION: SML, Microform (Non-Circulating)
CALL NUMBER: Film B18263
