The Kronstadt Mutiny, 1921

What was the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

The Kronstadt Naval Mutiny, or the Kronstadt Uprising, was a revolt by sailors at the Kronstadt Naval base against the Bolsheviks which was crushed by the Red Army.

When was the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

The Kronstadt Naval Mutiny happened between 28th February and 16th March, 1921.

Who was involved in the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

The sailors from the Kronstadt Naval base. Initially, sailors on the battleship Petropavlovsk mutinied. This spread to the whole naval base and about 15,000 sailors were involved.

What did the sailors demand in the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

The sailors made 4 key demands:

• ❖ New elections.
• ❖ Freedom of speech.
• ❖ Equal rations.
• ❖ The scrapping of the militia units which were taking grain from the peasants.

Why did the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny happen?

There were 6 main reasons why the Kronstadt Mutiny happened:

• ❖ War Communism was causing terrible suffering. The Bolsheviks cut the bread ration by a third on 22nd January, 1921.
• ❖ On 23rd February, the Mensheviks and Social Revolutionaries organised a strike supported by workers from the local factories and shipyards.
• ❖ The Kronstadt sailors hated how Bolshevik party leaders got special privileges, such as extra food.
• ❖ They objected to the Red Terror as people were being arrested and executed without a fair trial.
• ❖ So, on 28th February, the crew of the ship Petropavlovsk mutinied because they felt the Bolsheviks had drifted away from true communism.
• ❖ They wanted 'equal rations for all the working people' and 'freedom for the peasants'.

What happened during the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

There were 3 important events during the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny:

• ❖ The sailors on the battleship Petropavlovsk mutinied on 28th February, 1921.
• ❖ The sailors wrote a 15-point petition which included the demand for free elections to the soviets, equal rations and freedom of the press.
• ❖ There was a mass meeting of 15,000 sailors to discuss their demands and they adopted the slogan 'All power to the soviets - not to parties'.

What was the Bolsheviks response to the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

Lenin and the Bolsheviks responded in 3 key ways:

• ❖ Initially, Lenin issued an ultimatum ordering the sailors to surrender, which they ignored.
• ❖ Trotsky organised attacks on the Kronstadt Naval base using 50,000 troops from Red Army and artillery. The Cheka were placed behind the Red Army troops and they shot any soldiers who retreated or refused to fire on the sailors.
• ❖ The Red Army had crushed the Kronstadt Mutiny by 17th March, 1921.

What were the results of the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny?

There were 5 key results of the Kronstadt Naval Mutiny:

• ❖ 10,000 Red Army soldiers were killed. 500 sailors were shot immediately and a further 2,000 were executed.
• ❖ About 4,000 were sent to Siberia to the gulags (labour camps) and about 8,000 fled to Finland.
• ❖ Lenin was very worried that previously loyal sailors had mutinied.
• ❖ As a result, he realised he needed to change his economic policy. He ended War Communism and brought in the New Economic Policy (NEP).
• ❖ In March 1921, Lenin banned factions at the 10th Party Congress. He issued a decree, 'On Party Unity' which stated that factions were not allowed in the party - everyone had to support the policies of the party or they would be expelled from the party.