Russian Civil War (Early World War I)

The Russian Civil War 1906-1914
This is the Russian Civil war in the time-line where the Russo-Japanese War expanded into an earlier first world war thanks mainly to the Dodger Bank incident, which in real life didn't cause a war between Britain and Russia; but in this time-line it does and then lots of other alliances come into play and other countries join the war and fighting nations get revolutionaries in enemy countries to rise up. Anyway this timeline's main page is here if you want to know anything else about the timeline. This civil war is also mentioned in the World war one page which is also linked to.

The Start of the Civil War
The civil war had been brewing in the Russian Empire for some time, the authoritarian, central government of the Tsar had been oppressing the Russian peasants for hundreds of years. The lack of any democratic representation also had been annoying politicians and people wanting change as there was no real way to do so, the great western democracies of Great Britain, USA, France, etc; were showing a real improvement in how the people should be treated by there government. This lack of representation and long dissatisfaction with the government gave way to numerous political parties. The political teachings of Karl Marx had appealed to numerous people and gave way to socialist parties such as the Socialist-Revolutionary Party and Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (this party would later form the Soviet state); these were the main two socialist parties, but other nobles in Russia wanted power and wanted to replace the Tsar in a constitutional monarchy. Other people wanted the monarchy abolished and a democratic republic in place, and some wanted an anarchic state. As well as political motivations, other conquered nations in the Russian Empire such as the Poles, Finns, Latvians, etc; wanted independence from Russia so they could rule there own land. All these rising tensions were reaching boiling point and in the real world they would simmer violently in the 1905 Russian Revolution but not boil over until the 1917 Russian Revolution. In this time-line however the 1905 revolution or the 1917 one would neither happen; but they would boil violently in 1906 until 1914. This Russian revolution would split the empire up into 21 different countries and kill millions of people. The Russo-Japanese War started in 1904 and the initial losses for the Russian Imperial Army caused much disarray and resentment back home towards the army for losing against the Japanese as they were still seen as a lesser nation, certainly not strong enough to beat the Russians. This war did a similar thing for Japan's reputation in real history, however not on the scale as it did in this time-line. The almost complete destruction of the Russian Far East fleet had given Japan control of the seas and free to attack anywhere along the Russian coast. The Tsar didn't like the thought of the Japanese attacking Vladivostok and Port Arthur as this would take out Russian naval power in the far east, so the Tsar sent his Baltic Fleet to attack the Japanese (he couldn't send the Black Sea fleet as the Ottomans wouldn't allow the fleet through their waters. This fleet though would attack some British trawlers at Dogger Bank thinking they were an Imperial Japanese Navy force, after rumours of a Imperial Japanese fleet detachment in the North sea. This incident got Britain to support Japan against Russia and this caused fear of a major military loss from the public now the British were fighting the Russians too. The British formed a blockade in the North Sea to stop Russian merchant ships, which caused a lack of luxury goods in Russia, causing a feeling of discontent in the Russian high classes. The Japanese take Port Arthur on January 2nd 1905 which creates more discontent in the Russian Empire. These events and more, caused a march of unarmed, peaceful demonstrators going to the Winter Place in St.Petersburg to present a petition to Tsar Nicholas II on January 22nd, which demanded improved working conditions, fairer wages, and a reduction in the working day to eight hours. Other demands included an end to the Russo-Japanese War and the introduction of universal suffrage. However, the Tsar was in no condition to meet the demands of the workers due to the depression sweeping Russia. The demonstrators brought along their families in hope of seeing their Tsar and delivering the petition to him as they believed he would take into account their miseries and attempt to sort their problems for them. They believed it would be a peaceful and patriotic day during which they could pass on their petition to the tsar. The army pickets near the palace released warning shots, and then fired directly into the crowds to disperse them. Around forty people surrounding him were killed, but he was not injured. Although the Tsar had not been present at the Winter Palace at this time, he received the blame for the deaths, resulting in a surge of bitterness towards himself and his autocratic rule from the Russian people. This act of the Imperial guard gunning down unarmed civilians showed a disregard for ordinary people, and decreased the support for the state. The day of this massacre was described by Tsar Nicholas II as "painful and sad". The growing discontent for the Tsar caused Nicholas II to agree to create an elected assembly (the Duma) on the 3rd of March 1905 to try and appease the unsatisfied people. This was a good step as it did please lots of people, but by the end of May, the Japanese have complete control of Manchuria and the entire Sakhalin islands chain (Sakhalin and the Kuril islands) which creates lots of unease back in Russia. The war continues with a Anglo-Japanese blockade of blockade and siege of Vladivostok towards the end of June. A Russian assault along the trans-Siberian-Manchurian railway to attack Khailar but this is repulsed by a combined British-Japanese force. This force goes onto attack Russia directly along the trans-Siberian railway in the winter by attacking and destroying Chinkuntsk, Chita, Lidinsk and Irkutsk. After destroying Irkutsk the force turned back to Manchuria while destroying the railway, also raised all the settlements it came across on its way back with some more 1000 Russians deserting with the Anglo-Japanese force. They returned to Khailar by September 1st. Plus while all this was happening, the siege at Vladivostok was continuing, however the Russians were holding out, very well from the naval bombardments. In order to aid the invasion of Maritime, the Anglo-Japanese force which attacked Chita and Irkutusk, moved out of Khailar across Manchuria to attack the town of Kumarsk and from their subdue the rest of the Amur region, before going on to attack Nikolayevsk and north Maritime. On September 25th Vladivostok had fallen and most of the Amur region was taken too. The rest of Amur and Maritime was taken over by the 21st of February the following year, the length of this take over was greatly affected by a harsh winter, and the guerilla tactics of the Russian loyalists; but the majority of the Russian peasants welcomed a new leadership in the area. However before the counter-attack in the winter in 1905, on August 2nd 1905, the Black Sea fleet mutinied and sailed out into the Black Sea, and then on the 4th the fleet arrived in Cyprus and offered there allegiance to the British. This was the last of Russia's main naval strength and were now at the mercy of the British, this caused lots of problems in the war council and cemented the Russian people's worst fears of a major defeat. But by the time this news reached the Russian people, members of the Bolsheviks of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party began a revolution in Moscow and Kiev and in other areas across Russia, this revolution by the Bolsheviks was to be violently suppressed by the 10th of August, but general Bolshevik terrorism continued. Back to 1906 now, where the British knew they wouldn't be able to match Russian military strength on land so they devised a plan to make use of growing governmental discontent within Russia by sending in spies and agents via Norway to meet with the various leaders of independence movements and revolutionists in Kem the port on the White sea. The British would give arms, some military assistance and political recognition to the future states, in return for military aid and an alliance against the Tsar's forces. The Germans had also become interested in the war against Russia and decided to join the war against Russia. The forces began to be slowly build up and armed riots and coups in Riga and Helsinki began on January 2nd 1906, then a section of the British fleet then entered the bay of Riga and fired on Riga on the 3rd, as well as another detachment of the British blockade attacking Helsinki and another detachment sailing to St. Petersburg and a naval bombing commenced, which was to last until March, when the naval bombardment stopped. The coups in Lativa and Finland then started to get into full swing as the British made troop landings in Riga, Helsinki, Aland islands and Osd island. Then on the 5th the Polish coup began, however this was much more successful as the Poles where armed much better, then on the 9th the Germans declared war on Russia and invaded Polish Russia and Lithuania. Then on the 12th the Swedish declared war on Russia and attacked Lapland. Then on the 13th Norway declared war,and the crack Swedish and Norwegian snow troops managed to start a successful hit and run invasion of Lapland. The Russians began to quickly lose land and control, but they did sign a peace treaty with the Japanese in March, which meant the Japanese kept all of their territorial gains as well as control of all Russian spheres of influence in China and Mongolia. With the British and Germans invading, the Poles, Finns, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians,Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Crimeans all starting independence revolutions, and the soviets beginning to form a state in Siberia; the Russian civil war has truly began.