An additional reason the reds won the war was because of their geographical advantage. The Bolsheviks controlled the central, more heavily populated areas of Russia. This meant that they could recruit more soldiers to fight for them. This included the two main cities Petrograd and Moscow. The area also contained factories that produced weapons and other war equipment; this meant they could produce these things easily.
The Bolsheviks were extremely well organised. This meant that orders were carried out more accurately and to a better standard. The Bolsheviks were one group under one commander so were all fighting for a common cause. This unified them.
The Bolsheviks were particularly superior at producing propaganda. This meant that they could influence the people of Russia into believing their view and to fight for them. One way in which they used propaganda is by using negative images of the Whites and portraying them as greedy people who want to take all the land in Russia. This influenced in particular the peasantry, as they were desperate for land. The Bolsheviks also used foreign intervention as a source of propaganda by claiming that they were defending the Russian people against foreign invasion.
The main social group in Russia was the peasantry, as 80% of the population fell into this category. This meant that their support would be crucial for either side. The peasants were not eager to support either group however the Bolsheviks offered them land whereas the Whites made it apparent the land would not be distributed to them. This meant it was in the peasants favour to fight for the Reds. This gave the Reds the advantage on the numbers in their army. This meant they often out numbered the Whites armies and made disputes easier to win.
Not only did the Reds have significant factors in their favour that helped them to win the war. The opposing party the Whites had significant factors not in their favour that made it easier for the Reds to win the civil war.
One of these factors was the division in the party. The White party consisted of many different groups that were fighting for different issues. Some were fighting for monarchism whereas others were fighting for republicanism. This meant organisation was difficult because here was not one common leader to unite the group as a whole.
Another feature of the White army that contributed to them losing the war was their geographical location. Their bases were separated by long distances and scattered in the sparsely populated areas on the edges of the central area. This meant communication was difficult, which meant organisation was again complicated.
The civil war was fought in three main stages. In the first stage resistance to the Bolsheviks was established when anti Bolshevik governments were established around the Don region of Russian which was the location of many tsarist supporters, However during this period fighting was limited as the Red army was not totally established at this point. The second stage is seen as the most decisive stage. At the beginning of this stage the Whites gained the upper hand and they initially met with success in March. However by November the Reds gained the upper hand and the white army began to disintegrate. By the third phase the White army arranged itself in the Crimea. If it was not for the war with Poland the Red army would of finished the White army sooner however the distraction let the Whites more time then they would have had. However eventually the British and French evacuated the White’s forces in the Crimea. Also one of the White armies generals, Denikin resigned from his position. This led to the Reds claiming victory in the Civil war.
The Red army claimed victory in the civil war in 1920. There were many reasons why they won the war. They range from their extreme organisation to the Whites extreme lack of organisation. However the main reason the Reds won the war is because of their leader Trotsky. Trotsky incorporated all the main factors mentioned that included organisation and unity into the Red army that meant they were successful in their war effort. If it was not for Trotsky the reds would of suffered from lack of discipline, organisation and support as the White army did. However even though the Red army was victorious in the military sense of a war, some said that in political and social terms, the war would never end.
