ABSTRACT
The vast expanse of Siberia, stretching from the Urals to the Pacific, had but a sparse Russian population amounting to not more than 9,500,000 in 1917. Towards the end of the century, the Siberian Cossacks had split into three main groups, the Trans-Baikal Cossacks in the area east of Lake Baikal, the Amur Cossacks, and the Ussuri Cossacks. Just as railways in Canada opened up the west, so the Trans-Siberian really opened up Siberia for development. In 1922, after emerging victorious in civil war, Communists constituted only one half of 1 per cent of population of western Siberia. Operations in Siberia were discussed by Allies soon after the Bolsheviks seized power in November 1917. In February War Office followed up with submission to French calling for resolute Japanese intervention in Siberia which would support anti-German Russian forces, save Roumania, and put a stop to German troop-movements from East to West. Every military argument seemed to point to intervention in Siberia.
