War and Revolution Flashcards
Who led the Red Army during the Civil War?
Trotsky
Who made up the white army?
Liberals
Tsarists
SRs
And any other oppositional groups to the communists
Why was foreign intervention for the white army seen as bad?
The red army claimed that the whites were FOR the capitalist foreign powers whereas the red army fought for the Russian people
What countries gave foreign aid to the white army and when were these aids withdrawn?
Britain
France
Japan
USA
Withdrew forces in 1919
Who did the green army consist of?
Peasants
What was the population in the major cities that the red army were situated?
60 million
Why was it important that the Red army had continuous and unbroken areas of opposition?
• Could use railways to distribute supplies and troops to front lines
• Better communication
Why did the red army choose to dominate major cities?
• Industrial areas = more workers and more munitions
• Larger population
• Access to railways
How were the white army geographically disadvantaged?
They were geographically dispersed and launched offensives at different times, giving reds time to attack
Was also harder for them to communicate
How was Trotsky’s leadership essential to victory in the Russian Civil War?
• Restored discipline into the red army
• Conscription introduced
• Used ex Tsarist officers to lead army (often held their families hostage and forced them)
• Reintroduced the death penalty for deserters
• Travelled to front lines in an equipped train covered in propaganda to talk to soldiers and boost morale
Why did the civil war end?
Kronstadt sailor uprising in March 1921
