How Bolsheviks Won the Civil War

How Bolsheviks Won the Civil War

Were the reds a superior army, were they strong and powerful or was it

just the case of the Whites being a weak and unprepared army?

The Whites were an oversized mob rather than a trained and organised

army, the Red's were defending rather than offending and the geography

of Russia helped the Reds substantially. Various factors effected the

final outcome of the civil war and it seems that the Whites were

inferior but the Reds were only just superior.

The Bolshevik Red army was a single group unified under one cause and

had a strong command structure. Trotsky and other leaders beat the Red

Army into shape. The Reds were turned into a well-equipped and

well-disciplined army. In contrast to this the Whites were unorganised

and all united under different banners. The White army was a coalition

and when trying to unify as a group, similar ideals and wants are

needed for success. The Whites could not agree on what cause they were

fighting for, was it for monarchism, republicanism or for the

constituent Assembly?

To fight successful an army needs to be united for a single cause, the

whites did not unify and probably would not have, and this gave the

Reds their first major advantage in the war. Part of the reason that

the Whites could not unite is that their leaders did not trust each

other because of the political and social differences between them.

Without strong leadership the Whites were at another disadvantage.

The Red army had the figurehead of Lenin to give them hope and a

united symbol. But he could not be called the leader of the Red army.

Trotsky was the true leader and also the true Red army hero. He was

able to prove himself as a true leader and player in the Bolshevik

party. He was able to train and use his specially trained army forces

to go to the front line and support areas of trouble. He led the Red

army to victory by combining clever tactical manoeuvres with a strict