Why did the Reds win the Russian Civil War?

Geographical factors

• Red strengths: They held the central area, including Petrograd and Moscow, which was their capital and the hub of the railway network, which made it easier to transport men and munitions. The central area contained the main armament factories in Russia, so the Bolsheviks could continue to produce war materials. It was also heavily populated, so they were able to conscript large numbers to fight - Trotsky had 3,500,000 soldiers under his command by the end of 1920
• White weaknesses: They were scattered around the edges of the central area and were separated by large distances, which made communications difficult. They also had no telephone links so they had to use officers on horseback to convey messages

Unity and organisation

• Red strengths: They had a single, unified command structure and Trotsky organised the Red Army into an effective fighting force
• White weaknesses: The White army was made up of different groups with different aims, which made it hard for them to cooperate.…