The role of Trotsky (6) Flashcards
How was Trotsky a valuable leader of the Red Army?
1) His role as a speaker and theorist was unquestioned.
2) His crucial organisation skills of the Bolsheviks operations.
How did Trotsky’s role prove to be important in the Civil War?
Although he did not have a military background, he proved himself a skilful organiser and propagandist and Lenin gave Trotsky a free hand to mould the Red Army in an effective army of over 3 million men.
How did Trotsky direct the war?
He directed the war often from a special train, which covered over 65,000 miles during the war.
Where did he travel in his special train?
He travelled with his own elite force, visiting the various fronts and meeting commanders and their troops. He also ensured that the Red Army was fed and well armed.
What could Trotsky help boost?
He could inspire and help boost the moral not only of the troops but of other Bolshevik leaders who were not convinced that the Reds could win.
What did Trotsky do with former tsarists officers ?
He recruited 50,000 former tsarists army officers for their experience and used them to train new recruits.
What did the commissars have to do during the civil war?
Countersign all army officers orders as well as instilling ideological principles into the troops.
What was the discipline like in the Red Army?
It was harsh: any sign of disloyalty or desertion was punishable by death.
What were carried out in order to discourage any waverers in the ranks?
Summary executions and members of the Cheka were used behind the lines to shoot deserters.
What did Trotsky make the Red Army?
He made it a professional force, reintroducing traditional ranks and practices.
What was introduced to build up it’s numbers?
Conscription in some areas, either into fighting units or labour battalions and were used on the front line to clear debris and remove bodies and the wounded.
What did the Red Army and the White Army have in common?
They both indulged brutal atrocities during the Civil War, including torture and massacres.
