Why Did The Bolsheviks Win The Civil War?

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George Carter 12NFR

Why Did The Bolsheviks Win The Civil War?

After the storming of the winter palace in 25th October 1917 in the October revolutions the Bolsheviks seized power in the Government in Russia. After the Bolsheviks seized power in the October Revolution in Petrograd and Moscow, the question was how to secure and increase their gains. The Bolsheviks went on to control the whole of Russia. This was achieved to a great extent, by Trotsky's organisation of the Red Army. Organised under the direction of Trotsky (who became commissar of war in spring 1918) The Red Army consisted of Bolshevik members and those who followed their party. The ‘Nucleus’ of the Red Army was the Red Guards, they were from the factories and pro-Bolshevik units from the old Army and Fleet. This was also expanded by voluntary recruitment and, from the summer of 1918 selective conscription.

        The White Army consisted of mainly Bourgeoisie. This included, Aristocracy, Land owners, Tsarist supporters, Military Elites, Social Revolutionary’s/Mensheviks, National minorities. Great Briton, France and a few countries surrounding Russia also fought against the Reds, this is known as foreign intervention. There was another Army, which fought as well against the Reds and against the Whites. This army was known as the Green Army, they consisted of peasants who wanted to be independent.

        The problems facing the Bolsheviks in March 1918 were mainly that they were out numbered. The White Army had 500,000 troops and the Reds had between 5,000-15,000. The support in St Petersburg and Moscow is too concentrated. The Party had no experience of military strategy and no experience in leading politics. Lenin in 1920 introduced war communism. This was risky because it could upset the population in the cities and they could switch sides. It seemed as the Whites had more of a chance of winning through numbers and experience, so how did they lose?

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        Lenin employed Trotsky, originally a Menshevik who was to transform the outcome of the Civil War of 1918-20. He could improve moral and rally the masses. He introduced discipline back into the military by using a force known as the Cheka who would go to the extremes of corporal punishment. In 1918 Trotsky introduced conscription to the working class in Moscow and St Petersburg and later to the peasants. In 1917 the Red Army had just over 7,000 men, but by 1920 Trotsky had turned that into 5,000,000 men. After being promoted to the task of war commissar, Trotsky raced ...

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