Why did the Reds win the Civil War?

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  • Why did the Reds win the Civil War?
    • Weaknesses of the White
      • Main source of soldiers for the White Army were peasants.
        • They were conscripted in their thousands and whenever they got the chance they deserted in their thousands.
      • White leaders expected the peasants to give back their land they had seized in 1917.
        • The peasants opposed this proposal and the Whites.
      • Many urban workers and peasants had made too many gains from the revolution to go back.
      • Don Cossacks, who has lost a lot to the Bolshevik agreed to fight.
        • They only wanted independence for their own region.
        • Would not always obey orders from the central command.
      • As a result of the execution of several Bolsheviks, under Kolchak's order, the SRs staged revolts against him and undermined the rest of his campaign.
    • Strengths of the Reds
      • Geographical Advantages
        • Held central area with main railway networks.
        • Able to move troops and munitions easily to the Front.
        • The central area was so heavily populated the Bolsheviks were able to conscript large numbers.
        • Whites had poor communication, as they were separated.
      • Unity and Organisation
        • Bolsheviks had a single, unified command structure.
        • Whites were made up of different groups with different aims and beliefs.
          • The White Generals would not work together as they did not like or trust eachother.
      • Leadership
        • Trotsky was a superb leader.
        • Discipline was very tough; the death penalty was frequently used.
      • Support
        • The Bolsheviks had a core support group of some workers and soldiers. Reds offered them the best chance of maintain gains.
      • Other Factors
        • Reds utilized propaganda effectively, created powerful images
          • Whites would take away land from the peasants.
          • Foreign invaders supported the whites
          • Red offered a wonderful new society for workers and peasants.

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