Essay on :To what extent did the Bolsheviks win the civil war of 1918-21 because they controlled more people and had more access to weapons?

To what extent did the Bolsheviks win the civil war of 1918-21 because they controlled more people and had more access to weapons?

It can be argued that the Bolsheviks won the civil war of 1918-21 partly because they controlled more people and had more access to weapons. However, it was mostly due to how they led their army compared to the white armies, the use of propaganda and the success in motivating the population.

Firstly, the Bolsheviks had control over Petrograd and Moscow which allowed them to have more access to weapons as major factories were there which continued producing these. This also gave them a large population to control through the use of propaganda. The Bolsheviks continued to portray a view that the Whites would not be loyal to Russia and destroy it. The Bolsheviks convinced people that life would be made worse if the Whites had control of Russia. This was further helped by how the Whites acted in the areas that they controlled. They would burn live stock and crops which annoyed locals. They also seized grain off peasants by force and anyone who refused to do as the Whites asked would be subject to torture thus inevitably the Bolsheviks won support which helped them win the civil war . This was further helped by how the Red army was run.

Trotsky, the leader of the Red army enforced strict discipline to make sure that the army would stay loyal to the Bolsheviks. He brought back hierarchal ranks, making sure that hard working soldiers would be credited whilst those who mutinied would be…