The Failed Allied Invasion to Defeat the Bolsheviks
In 1985, a poll conducted in the U.S. found that only 14% of Americans knew that the U.S. had already fought against the "Communists" immediately following the Russian Revolution and during the Russian Civil War. I would guess that the current percentage is much lower today.
Following the exit of the Russians from the First World War (Great War) in 1917, the Allies were fearful that Germany would be able to shift a sizable amount of its troops to the West and potentially overwhelm them. They further feared that the Lenin led Bolshevik government would undermine Western interests and possibly "infect" parts of Europe with the Socialist ideology.
Therefore, President Wilson - the visionary creator of the League of Nations - agreed to send nearly 5000 U.S. troops to Russia on two different missions. The first, to help secure the Trans-Siberian railroad in Vladivostok and the other to secure northern Russian ports in Murmansk and Archangelesk (Archangel). The idea was to galvanize support amongst the Russian people to oust the Bolshevik government (Reds). You may be familiar with the phrase, "win the hearts and minds of the people".
However, the U.S. was not alone. Other members of the Allied forces sent troops to support the "Whites" against Lenin's "Reds" as well. Great Britain, France, Italy, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Poland, and Japan all participated in the endeavor. Interestingly, all were eager participants in the League of Nations whose purpose was to prevent wars.
These ventures failed to overcome the Bolsheviks for a variety of reasons and hundreds of Americans died from battle and sickness before finally being brought home in 1920 well after German had already surrendered. If you'd like to know more, you can check out the sources listed below.
More Questions than Answers Regarding U.S. Involvement in Russia
U.S. intervention in the Russian Civil War creates some obvious conflicts of characterization for the President Wilson who stated publicly that Russia should be allowed to "self-determine". However, such contrasts of statements weren't so rare with Wilson as he also "Kept Us Out of the War" (Presidential Campaign Slogan shortly before entering the World War I).
Perhaps the biggest question to answer is if the U.S. and its allies sent troops to Russia for Hope of Gain or Fear of Loss. In International Relations, and most human endeavors, these are the motivating factors for action. Consequently, we must ask ourselves if Wilson believed that there was something to gain or did he truly fear that a Socialist state in Russia would be a threat to U.S. citizens. This, of course, leads to the better question which is, "Was it Wilson that truly decided to intervene in Russia or were there others that influenced the decision?"
Once we apply the "motivation" test to these situations, we have to try and unravel all the influences and this can be a frustrating and complicated piece of work that often leaves us with less answers than questions. It is for this reason, that shaping public opinion becomes easy because most people are too intellectually lazy to ask these tough questions. It is much easier to be given the simple answer. Without an international voice, especially in the last 100 years, Russia has suffered because they haven't supplied the "easy" answer or successfully countered those that have already been fooled.
It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they've been fooled.
- Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Foreign Intervention in Russia is Nothing New - Bonus Section
Well before the Cold War and the recent "Annexation of Crimea" there have been designs on the immense Russian territory by elements of the West and in Japan. These adventures by a variety of Western powers over the centuries have all sought to carve out a piece of what is a large and resource rich nation or to secure control of trading routes through these territories.
Here are some examples -
Polish-Lithuanian Invasion at the turn of the 17th century
Swedish invasion of Russia at the turn of the 18th century
Napoleon's Invasion of Russia at the turn of the 19th century (1812)
British, French, Turkish, Sardinian (allied) invasion of Crimea in 1853
Japanese Invasion of Sakhalin Islands in 1906
German and Austo-Hungarian invasion 1914 (World War I)
Polish invasion 1918
Allied Invasion (discussed here) 1918 Russian Far East and Russian North
German invasion 1941
How many of these did you know about?
I will be discussing one of them tomorrow.
Good sources of information:
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=jur
http://www.criticalenquiry.org/history/polarbear.shtml
Decent sources of information:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/whotube-2/c-5-galaxy-air_launches_an_icbm-xx.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Expeditionary_Force,_Siberia
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