Kronstadt Rebellion
The economic impact of war communism had caused distress and shortages in Russia. By 1921 production of most goods had fallen to pre-1914 levels, largely due to strikes, workforce dissent and scarcity of raw materials. Early in the year a series of strikes and demonstrations by urban workers caused concern for the regime, followed by a blow Lenin and the Bolsheviks had not been expecting: an uprising of soldiers and sailors at Kronstadt.
Their 'uprising' in March 1921 came in two forms: first, a political attack on the regime through a civil rights petition that was drafted at a general meeting on 1st March 1921. Alfter this was knocked back by the Bolshevik goverment, the sailors issued a miltary attack on the regime. Kronstadt was a serious threat to the goverment because the sailors were highly trained military and had been the vanguard of support for the Bolsheviks since 1905.
Lenin's severe response showed the depth of the threat. He unleashed his two harshest weapons from the Civil War - the Red Army and the Cheka, commanded by Trotsky himself. 16 000 sailors at the Kronstadt Naval Base fought 60 000 of the Red Army and Cheka. Days of bombardment and hard fighting ended with Trotsky's forces actually invading the Kronstadt Garrison across the ice. More then 12,000 sailors fled across the ice to Finland and more then 2,000 were executed by the Red Army.