Trotsky’s Red Army

Question 1

Geographical strengths of red army

Answer 1

• Bolsheviks held central areas (Petrograd and Moscow - the new capital)
—> hub of railway network made it
easy to transport men

• Area contained rearmament factories
—> continue producing war materials

• heavily populated
—> outnumbered whites (5 million)
—> conscripted large numbers

Question 2

Unity & Organisation strength of red army

Answer 2

• Single, undies command structure

• Trotsky made red army an effective fighting force
—> more organised then whites

Question 3

Leadership strengths of red army

Answer 3

• Trotsky was a superb leader
—> able to inspire men
—> took his special forces to parts of
fiercest battle

• High discipline; certain death if they retreated
—> would be machine gunned by their
own side

Question 4

Support strengths of red army

Answer 4

• Support from peasants
—> Lenin legitimised right to land
while whites would restore land to
former owners

• Urban workers and peasants wanted to protect their grain
—> Bolsheviks offered best chance

Question 5

Other factors strength of red army

Answer 5

• Foreign intervention was ineffective
—> Flipped as a propaganda coup;
defending Russian soil against
foreign forces

• Propaganda
—> whites would take away peasants
land
—> foreign invaders
—> Reds offered wonderful new
society for workers and peanuts