Why did the Communists win the Civil War?

Question 1

The Red Army

Answer 1

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By 1920, 5m strong
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Although introducing conscription in the areas they controlled led to a large amount of deserters, the Reds had almost limitless human resources to draw upon
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By contrast with the Whites, it has been estimated that there were no more than 500,000 facing the Reds at any one time- even here, the number was divided between different armies- the Red army was unified
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Although the Reds didn’t have lots of military experience in their ranks, Trotsky brought in military discipline such as the reintroduction of ranks and more ruthlessly, decimation
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Controversially, Trotsky recruited 50,000 former Tsarist officers to bring experience to the Red Army, employing Bolshevik political commissars to supervise these officers and maintain the troops’ morale
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The Red cavalry, created by Trotsky played an important role in disrupting enemy lines of communication in the south
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One of the greatest advantages to the Reds is that they could brand themselves as patriots with a clear aim in mind, whilst the Whites were seen as foreigners relying on Western aid

Question 2

Munitions and Manpower

Answer 2

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The Communists, though only in control of a relatively small land mass compared to their enemy, found themselves in control of the Russian heartland with much of the industry and population- the industrial capacity could be focused towards creating munitions and other materials to help the war effort
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The White armies by contrast had to rely on the Allies for much of their weaponry which was in short supply with the supply routes attacked by small groups of Red Cossacks
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By 1920, 5m strong- even if the army was comprised by conscripts and unwilling right-leaning officers, the large number of human resources created from control of the big cities created a powerful force

Having control over the industrial heartland meant that that a number of conscripts would be fanatically loyal to thru Bolsheviks cause

Question 3

Commitment to the cause

Answer 3

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Although there was desertion, units that usually comprised of workers were fanatically loyal to the Bolshevik cause. Bolshevik propaganda attacked all fronts of evil: Tsarism, the ‘burzhoois’ – (which became the name for any type of class enemy) and foreign capital (which helped to present the Whites, receiving foreign aid as unpatriotic)
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Soviet propaganda was spread wherever the red troops went- reinforcing the ideology that the Communists stood for such as the pamphlet ‘spiders and flies’. -This Agitprop didn’t just come in the form of paper however, and was soon seen as being spread
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through the means of propaganda trains, river steamers and theatre groups

Question 4

The Red Terror

Answer 4

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The Cheka ensured discipline within the Red Army and helped to eliminate opposition. Some source suggest that 50,000 people were shot in 1918 alone
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Cheka squads even followed unreliable forces into battle to shoot any deserters
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The strict controls that the Bolsheviks imposed to hunt down anyone suspected of ‘counter-revolutionary’ activity reached most groups of Russian society: punitive taxes were levied on the bourgeoisie to keep them at bay and the peasants were heavily oppressed by the grain requisitioning put in place for the army to be fed
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(The toughness of the Reds on the peasants was partly responsible for the creation of green armies)
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The General term ‘kulak’ was used for anyone who was considered to be an enemy of the state

Question 5

Control of the railway centres

Answer 5

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The Communists controlled the hub of the railway system, this allowed Trotsky to direct his troops quickly from one front to another- the same crack troops were found to be fighting against Kolchak, Yudenich and Denikin all within six months
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The Red control over the railway centres meant that munitions could be distributed- the Whites found themselves to be lacking resources and unable to transport them efficiently when the Allies did supply them

Question 6

Trotsky’s leadership

Answer 6

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Trotsky travelled 65,000 miles during the course of the war on his robust armoured train- as well as being a talented orator and military commander, he helped to inspire uncertain officers and soldiers by encouraging a belief in Communist ideals with the printing press on board his train. When inspiration failed, Trotsky’s Romanesque tactics of decimation brought discipline into the Red Army