Rusisan civil war - 1918

• What started the civil war

  Czech former war prisoners and antI Bolshevik armies strove to overthrow the Bolsheviks and the greens emerged
• who were the reds?

  • The bolsheviks
  • Bulk of worker population - numerous peasants and majority of the Russian army
• Why did the reds gain support from peasants

  hated landlords more than they hated bolsheviks
• what was the whites weakness

  they were deeply divided as only uniting force was hate for Bolsheviks

  • Lack coordination
• Who were the greens

  • Peasant forces
  • White and red deserters
  • fought to protect their areas
• who was the most famous green general

  • makhno - used guerilla tactics and became Bolshevik ally
• what is trotskys role?

  Komissar for war
• what were the three main gaosl of Trotsky?

  • Bring back order and discipline to the red army by introducing a hierarchy - leadership was failing and popularity contest so he brings back tsarist officers to their posts - held their families hostage as they were desperate and unemployed - not communist
  • each unit has a Bolshevik komissar overlooking
  • brings back military discipline - death penalty for misdemeanours and shot on sight for desertion - fear drives men
• what were the positives of Trotsky?

  • Passionate and organised - he used a train to bring supplies and was active in supporting - weigh up perspectives
  • Used conscription - motivated the unwilling peasants
  • painted propoganda on the trains - reds were workers and whites were invaders - visual and easy to understand
• what was the uks role in the civil war?

  • Couldn’t send troops as they didnt want to be embroiled in conflict
  • sent. 10 million pounds of supplies to white army
  • Churchill viewed it as a crusade against bolshevism
  • fearful of threat and spread of communism
• what was the french role in the civil war

  • invested in trains
  • they had factories in Russia so the most to leave = most anti Bolshevik
  • sent soldiers
• what was the Japanese role in the civil war?

  Sent forces to Siberia and Vladivostok

  • land grab mission
  • no sides
• what was the US role in civil war?

  Sent troops to stop Japanese troops
• what other countries got involved

  Italy, Serbia and Canada sent detachment to support the whites

  • unenthusiastic and poor response
• geographical reasons for the red win

  • Bolsheviks held central areas = Moscow and Petrograd
  • Centralised people = more conscription
  • Resources - railways, network and factories
  • Only had to defend
• geographical reasons the whites lost

  • scattered
  • limited communication during attacks
  • no telephone link
  • fewer people
  • no aid or supplies
• why did reds win - unity and organisation

  • Clear command and hierarchy
  • Trotsky organisation effectively
• why did the whites lose - unity and organisation

  • fragmented in aims - SR want assembly and tsarists want tsar
  • Different command structures
  • republicans, monarchists and assembly
• why did the red leadership let them win?

  • Lenin kept reds united and backed trotskys controversial tsarist officer policy
  • Trotsky had great charisma
  • Trotskys train covered over 100,000 kilometres from front to front
• why did white leadership cause their loss?

  • White command were nepo babies
  • soldiers were resultingly ill disciplined and had bad morale
  • Majoirty spent time in brothels and in hazes of vodka and drugs
• why did reds politics enable their win?

  • Support of peasant majority = supplied main body of soldiers
  • Lenin legitimises land grabs
  • Stood for revolution and worker paradise
• why did white politics lead to their loss?

  • lacked political program - no appeal or common cause
  • less support as they wanted tsar return
  • refusal to recognise independance of minorities was disastrous
  • if they won land would return to owners - main reason
• Why did Foriegn intervention aid the reds?

  • Allowed Bolshevik Propoganda to illustrate themselves as Russian defenders against Foriegn invaders
• how did Propoganda aid the reds?

  • Superior
  • Red flags and red star was effective
• how did Propoganda case white loss?


  • they didn’t realise how valuable it was
  • disjoined so no united message