Civil war Flashcards
What did Trotsky do in the civil war?
He went around in his train motivating the troops and giving them a sense of unity and motivation.
He transported troops around Russia to where they were needed
He gave out propaganda cards to people wherever he went and always had guards at his back all dressed in black as a way to intimidate the soldiers.
He made sure to give the soldiers the right amount of resources such as food, clothes and weapons.
What did Trotsky do at the beginning of the civil war that was controversial?
He told 50,000 ex-tsarist officials to teach the Red Army battle strategies and combat because they were experienced in the field. Some didn’t like that because they thought it went against Bolshevism because they were from the Tsarist regime. He did have political commissars keep an eye on the officials to see if they did anything anti-bolshevik.
He re-introduced rank and didn’t allow the soldiers to choose their commanders any more, which was seen as not Bolshevik.
What were Trotsky’s orders on desertion?
He was very harsh on the soldiers and didn’t want any wavering of loyalty to the party and army. Anyone who deserted, disobeyed and order, retreated at the wrong time, left their post intentionally or breaks/sells weaponry was shot.
How were the Cheka used?
They were threats to the soldiers to keep in line and would be called as a firing squad for any traitors.
What was on Trotsky’s train?
A propaganda cart, printing machine, a secretariat wagon, a telegraph station, library, musical band and 2 aircrafts.
How do others view Trotsky?
He was more of a figurehead, not an actual main man because he didn’t give many significant orders in the war. He only motivated the troops, and was good at it. Others were in better or more key roles.
What did Rykov do?
In charge of the war economy
What did Smilga do?
The chief political organiser of the Red Army
What was the Whites leadership like?
Whites had few competent commanders, and ill-discipline and corruption was rife
What was the Reds leadership like?
The Red Army became well disciplined fighting force under Trotsky’s leadership
What was the Whites unity like?
White generals operated independently and fought for different objectives, whereas the Reds had a unified command structure.
What was the Reds unity like?
The Reds were united in their aim to survive and ideologically committed.
How did the Reds geography help in the war?
The Red commanded the hub of communications, the armaments factories and the most densely populated regions of central Russia so they were very unified
How was the Whites geography in the war?
The Whites were widely dispersed in less-developed parts and most of the people were farmers or agricultural, so wouldn’t have much fighting experience.
Their communications weren’t as effective as the Reds because they had the trains
What did the Cossacks do with the Whites?
The Cossacks wanted their land back, and when they got it they stopped fighting, which meant that the Whites had a smaller army
