Britain’s Forgotten Intervention in Russia, 1918–21

Abstract

As Putin’s war in Ukraine rages on, Scott Sherriff presents the forgotten role Britain played in another of Russia’s wars: the 1917–22 Russian Civil War. He challenges prevailing interpretations regarding a lack of coherent policy and an anti-Bolshevik crusade led by Winston Churchill as being the primary motivators for Britain’s intervention stance. Conversely, he contends that generals ‘on the spot’ altered the nature of Britain’s intervention by actively engaging the Bolsheviks, despite official policy declaring their role was to arm and train White Russian forces only.◼