Tootoo

The Russian Civil War was fought from 1918 to 1921 between two political groups competing for the control of the country: the Red Army and the White Army. The Red Army was an army of communists, while the former officers of the Tsarist state represented the White Army. The Red Army’s situation was almost hopeless when Lenin arrived in Petrograd after being in exile in Switzerland in 1917. However, by 1921 the Bolsheviks were able to defeat the White Army by promoting a vision that was ‘flexible and open, rather than hierarchical and authoritarian’1. This vision that paved the way to their victory was based on the party’s aims directed by the precise leadership of Lenin and Trotsky, a strong geographical position and oppositional weakness.

One major advantage of the Red Army was their strong presence in the capital and main towns. Controlling some of the most populated parts of Russia brought the Bolsheviks yet another advantage of having a numerical advantage of soldiers over their opponents in time of a battle. Moscow and Petrograd were densely populated urban regions with more than 70 million people2, which remained under their control. The White Army had large distances between each another, making communication between commanders to coordinate strategies and actions almost impossible. In turn, making it relatively easy for the Red Army to defeat them one by one. The railway ran all the way through central and the rest of Russia, bringing soldiers and reinforcements in and out of Russia. The Whites however, had to rely on a getting completely around the Bolshevik-held territory to be able to obtain and send supplies. Control of the railway established an advantageous defence around Moscow and Petrograd for the Bolsheviks, as well as giving them power over communication, the Whites were forced back and spread among major areas. The Civil War was ‘a war of movement’3, and the Bolshevik’s control over the railway made it easier for them to be successful....