The Wars of Intervention

Immediately after the October Revolution, the Bolsheviks kept to their promise of peace by opening negotiations at Brest-Litovsk with Germany to secure Russian withdrawal from WW1. This was a blow for the remaining Entente powers who were reliant on Germany having to fight on two fronts – west and east. With Russia now out of the war, the Allies drew up plans to intervene militarily in Russia. As early as December 23rd 1917, the Allied Supreme War Council suggested that anti-Bolshevik troops, and any other forces who wanted to continue the fight against Germany in Russia, should be fully supported. The British War Cabinet decided to provide the White General Kaledin, and other successive white forces with financial support. For their own reasons the Germans agreed with an anti-Russian interventionist policy and participated fully until November 1918; the end of WW1.