To what extent was X The main reason the reds won the civil war Flashcards
Context no.1
In 1917 there was a revolution in Russia resulting in the tsar at the time, Nicholas II being overthrown and the bolsivics taking control of Russia
Context no. 2
Russia had recently pulled out of WW1 resulting in a harsh treaty, losing 32% of arable land, 33% of factories and 75% of coal and iron mines as well as 60 million citizens- causing upset in Russia
Resources and geological factors, e and a 1
The reds held control of the main cities such as Petrograd and Moscow, both of which being industrial cities and other russia’s main weapon factories
This meant they had access to a greater amount if weaponry than the whites, making them more likely to win a head on battle
Resources and geological factors e and a 2
The central area that the reds held had much more people than the whites with around 79 million men compared to the 20 million under the whites
This meant they could conscript more men making them a much stronger force in sheer size then the whites
Factor 1 counter argument
However the reds hold in cities resulted in many leaving, the population of Petrograd fell from 2.5 million men in 1917 to 0.7 million in 1922 meaning there initial advantage compared to the whites wasn’t as strong
Factor 2- disunity of whites e and a 1
No clear leader they had 3 key generals, Denikin, Kolchak and yudenich
Meant they couldn’t have a consideration attack making there already smaller army even smaller in any battle
Factor 2 e and a 2
The whites were scattered around the edges of the red area and separated vastly from one group to another, they also had no telephone lines using horseback instead
This meant all communication is oils be slowed making attacks weaker as they were unable to fully coordinate with one another
Factor 2 ca
The scattering of white forces was also an advantage as it forces red forces to fight on multiple fronts
Leadership of Lenin e and a 1
Lenin introduced me war communism to try and make all efforts go towards the war like the banning of private trade and allowing soldiers to just take peasant’s grain
The red army was as strong as it could possibly be as there was nothing being spared on the war effort
Leader ship of lenin e and a 2
Lenin also used fear in order to force people to conform to the war like letting the Cheka have more freedom, resulting in 250000 deaths
This heavily detected anyone from even marginally straying from helping the war effort ensuring maximum cooperation for the war
Leadership of Lenin counter argument
Lenin’s tactics were still mostly unpopular meaning it hurt the war effort just as much as it helped, highlighted by how Russia lost 60 million men
Role of Trotsky point 1
Trotsky was a very visible leader, busting his men and giving speeches all across Russia with his train travelling an estimated 65000 miles
This both helped to increase moral across the Russian people fighting for him and also generated a greater sense of loyalty as they didn’t want to let him down so they would also fight harder
Trotsky’s role point.2
Trotsky was a very strict leader as he reinstated the death penalty for a lot of things people may do in the ae such as retreating, deserting throwing a rifle etc
This made the Russian force a lot scarier to fight as there non stop pushing made them difficult to fight as they took opposition of gaurs and gave them little chance to relax
Role of Trotsky ca
Desertion rates in the red army were the same as in the whites meaning the death penalty hurt the reds more than helped as it lead to resentment to their leader
