Russian Civil War Practices

Types of War

• the Reds(Bolsheviks and supporters), the Whites(random opponents of the Bolsheviks), and the Greens(peasant armies against War Communism)

• Partisan warfare

• Guerilla warfare used here and there by both sides(Makhno in Crimea fighting against both sides)

• Sieges

• Geographical spread

Theatres of War

• Very very important; the Red Army controlled a single central mass of land with most of the large cities and industrial areas while the Whites fought from the outside in

• Red army had massive geographical advantage over the Whites

• The Reds controlled railway centres and hubs and therefore could mobilise quickly and over vast distances

Technological Developments

• Red Army was isolated from outside munitions by an Allied blockade, but they controlled industrial areas and could produce their own munitions while the Whites were reliant on arms from their allies

• Barrier troops to stop deserters

• Little air fighting, little weapons development

• Railways used effectively by the Reds

Extent of Mobilisation

• The Red Army did not exist in March 1918, but in 1920 it was 5 million strong. In 1918 communists introduced conscription into the areas they controlled, and although they suffered heavy desertions, they had almost limitless human resources to draw upon. It has been estimated that the largest combined total White forces facing the Reds at any one time was no more than 500,000, and they were divided between different armies.

• Trotsky reintroduced ranks and military discipline into the Red Army. To remedy the lack of experienced officers (the White forces had plenty), against much opposition within his party, Trotsky recruited 50,000 former Tsarist officers. To secure their loyalty on the battlefield, he also appointed Bolshevik political commissars to supervise the officers and maintain the troops' morale. Trotsky created a large force of Red cavalry, which played an important role in disrupting enemy lines of communication and countering the Cossack forces in the South.

• Red forces were ideologically unified and, while some deserted or were forced into conscription, many were loyal to fighting against Tsarism and imperialism

• White forces were ideologically disparate and had no unifying cause, massive infighting and poor motivation and discipline; many of them were only fighting to secure their own areas and refused to advance from them

• For three years Trotsky lived largely on his armoured train steaming from front to front. He travelled 65,000 miles during the course of the war. His train carried printing presses, a map room and a car as well as munitions and soldiers. With his dedication to the cause he inspired uncertain officers and men, and his ruthlessness against waverers became legendary.

Foreign Involvement

• Foreign support was essential to maintain the White armies in the field, but it meant that it was easy for Communists to portray them as puppets of the Allies. Lenin was thus able to appeal to Russian patriotism to recruit men for the Red Army. The foreign forces in Russia were rarely involved in the fighting and withdrew quickly, France as early as April 1919.

• Red propaganda focused on portraying the Whites and their Generals as attack dogs of foreign imperialists, while White propaganda alternately appealed to conservative and socialist viewpoints, as well as portraying the Bolsheviks as antisemitic caricatures, leaving them without a unified base of support

• GB sent £100 million to Whites

• Allied soldiers were unwilling to fight in Russia as WWI had just ended