Assess the reasons for Bolshevik success in the Russian Civil War, 1918 – 1920
Uploaded by David Thomlinson on Mar 03, 2004
Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War of 1918 -1920 would not have been certain without the strong, determined and intelligent leadership provided by Trotsky and Lenin. The fact that the Bolsheviks were led by two individuals, who combined had tremendous political, social and military skills had a direct result on the outcome of the war. There were other significant contributing factors that led to the Bolshevik victory, in particular their supreme political policies, such as War Communism, conscription, The New Economic Policy as well as the government’s support for self determination. However, Lenin and Trotsky’s dedication to the Bolshevik cause inspired the soldiers and acted as a much needed change to the weak and ineffective Russian leaders of the past.
It was Lenin’s political aptitude that enabled the Bolsheviks to be a successful and popular political power and therefore win the Russian Civil War. Lenin in particular provided Russia with the fair and motivated leadership that it had lacked in the past. It was Lenin’s promises’ of “Peace, Bread, Land” and “All power to the Soviets” that enabled the Bolsheviks to gain the support of the proletariat. These popular ideas united all the diverse revolutionary movements and directed them towards a common goal – the end to imperialism and the creation of a socialist based society.
Peasant support for the Bolsheviks was not only a result of Lenin’s political savoir faire but also a result of the Whites political and social ineptitude. Firstly, the Whites treated the peasant class harshly, they did not see the advantage of gaining the support of the larger lower class. Further more their acceptance of allied support, allowed the Bolsheviks to portray themselves as patriotic, fighting for the rights and desires of society. “The Whites had prejudiced their cause by calling in the aid of the foreigner” . The Red Army was fighting with a new sense of patriotism, and support for the Bolsheviks’ increased. Peasant support for the Bolshevik regime was a valuable and essential factor in their success “social support was the key to power” for the Bolshevik regime in the Russian Civil War. The support of the peasants meant that the Bolsheviks had a constant supply of eager soldiers wanting to fight for the socialist cause.
Lenin introduced sophisticated and clever political policies to not only gain support but also to improve...