Why did the Reds win the Civil war?

Which was the most effective green army, where was it based?

Mekhnos, the Crimea until 1920

What tactics did mekhnos’ green army utilise?

Guerrilla warfare

Why did foreign intervention have little impact in the civil war?

still struggling after WW1 and after the Tsar is killed there is nobody to take over

Why was the Russo-Polish war such an issue?

reds are defeated by the Poles, lost lots of land in a treaty, cements Polish borders and shows that the reds don’t have complete control

What army did the Communists begin to organise first, and when?

March 1918, Workers and Peasants army but this proved to be insufficient

When and why was Trotsky made commissar for war?

In April 1918 following the treaty of Brest Litovsk

What did Trotsy do as soon as he was made Commissar for war?

organise the defense for the soviet ‘heartland’

How did many Bolsheviks still view the civil war?

as a revolutionary one that should spread beyond the confines of the empire

What changes were made to the red army in October 1918?

it needed to be professionally organised and a conscripted army of at least three million men was needed, strict disciplines and salutes introduced

Why were the changes to the red army in October 1918 controversial?

it involved the re-employment of 75,000 officers and 775 generals from the imperial army, which reversed the democratisation of the revolution

How were the tsarist offficers treated by the red army?

badly, the regime threatened to harm their families if they didn’t cooperate and handed out sever penalties if they were suspicious of disloyalty

Why were the tsarist officers not overly bound to the old ways?

many had only risen in the ranks in WW1

What was Trotskys main role as commissar for war?

as propagandist and terrorist

What did Trotsky do as the head of the political body?

oversaw professional staff, responsible for confirming the generals strategy

How did the red army initially combat desertion?

used ‘agit trains’ to spread anti-disloyalty leaflets and used blocking units, and political commissars

What is an agit train?

an armoured train

What is a political commissar?

attached to each unit, they would spread propaganda and report back to the party

What is a blocking unit?

a unit that would stand behind the army and shoot deserters

What was war communism?

The policy’s chief features were the expropriation of private business and the nationalization of industry throughout Soviet Russia and the forced requisition of surplus grain and other food products from the peasantry by the state.

What did Trotsky write during the civil war?

articles, essays and lectures on military history, emphasized class struggle and the revolutionary cause, lots of propaganda to push recruitment

What was utilised after the defeat by Kappel?

decimation

When was consciption introduced, how much did numbers increase by?

May 1918, from 800,000 to 3 million by 1920

What did Trotsky’s train have onboard?

secreteriat, printing press, telegraph station, radio station, electric power station, radio station, library and garage

What was the role of trotskys train?

to keep all red units in contact, allow Trotsky to spread Propaganda, build the army, evacuate and administration

When did Mekhnos begin his insurgence, where?

July 1918, Ukraine

When did the Russo-Polish war break out?

May 1920

When did Trotsky introduce conscription?

June 1920

When was Trotsy’s train first used?

7th August 1918

When are blocking units first used?

Late summer/autumn 1918

When were political commissars introduced?

April 1918

When is war communism introduced?

June 1918

What was the issue with the white leadership?

no singular leader, generals separate and jealous, refused to coordinate their offensives

What areas did the red army control?

railways, centers of industry, had key centralized administration areas

What was the common cause of the reds?

communist revolution

What was the common aim of the whites?

there was none, made up of tsarists, anti-bolshevik, nobles, middle class, mensheviks

Why did the red army have largely superior morale?

Trotsky was on the front line as a motivator

What did the communists use to defend their campaign?

propaganda

What did the red army never have to face?

an attack by all their enemies at once

How big was the red army at it’s prime?

5 million

Why was the role of the peasants crucial?

large group who supported the reds as the reds sad they could keep their lands

How did white generals set a bad example for their men?

drinking, doing drugs

How did the whites get their name, why was this bad?

the white uniform worn by the tsarist officers, carried an association with the Tsar