How Far Was Hunger the Main Cause of the Russian Civil War

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How far was hunger the main cause of the Russian Civil War? [12+3] This essay will examine how far hunger was the main cause of the Russian civil war. It will do so by evaluating and considering hunger as several other key factors roles in the build up to the civil war. There were many reasons for people to oppose the Bolsheviks. One of the main reasons for this opposition was the economic and social hardships Russia was going through particularly in the months after the October revolution. Food shortages plagued Russia due to problems of distribution, problems of inflation and problems of production. The railway system in Russia had virtually collapsed. This meant that food supplies or any other necessary supplies couldn’t be distributed efficiently around Russia which caused massive food shortages. Food shortages were a key problem in Russia as it meant the people were starving and desperate. It has consistently been a problem to the rulers of Russia such as the Provisional government. The people wanted change but they also wanted grain to feed themselves and their family. It was important that the food crisis would be solved by the Bolsheviks in order to gain the support of the people; however, due to Russia’s poor transport and little fertile land, it was simply an impossible job for any party or rulers of Russia especially due to the high demand of the huge populace. The demand for food has always been high in Russia which meant that no matter what reforms or radical changes a party can bring in, if they can’t feed the people there will always be bitterness which can and did result in opposition to Lenin and his Bolsheviks. By the time the Bolsheviks had assumed power of the Provisional Government, inflation had already dramatically risen to uncontrollably high levels which made paper money worthless and the little food there was to be found extremely
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