How far do you agree that Trotsky’s leadership of the red army was responsible for the survival of the Bolshevik government? In October 1917 the Bolshevik’s took control of Russia after staging a revolution. However they faced many dangers/threats while in power from the years 1917-1924 such as a civil war and the economic crisis it caused. The leadership of the red army by Trotsky is a very important reason that the Bolsheviks got into power as his red army implanted the revolution but also to the survival of the Bolsheviks as the red army overcame the Bolsheviks biggest threat of the civil war. However there are other reason which just as or more important than Trotsky’s leadership such as the ideas and sacrifices made by Lenin during the year’s 1917-1924 such as signing the harsh treaty of Brest-Litovsk and enforcing the New Economic Policy or NEP, to create economic sacrifices rather than political ones which allowed the Bolsheviks to remain in power.
Explain and assess the reasons why the reds won the civil war (12) The first reason was that the whites were spread out all over Russia. This worked to the reds advantage as the whites could not support each other so the reds could just fight a white army one at a time with overwhelming superiority. The reds were also in a central position in Russia so they could control all of the transport links such as rail stations. This meant that the reds could quickly move troops and supplies very quickly to areas where they were needed. Another advantage the reds had was they had the support of the peasants.
Both soldiers and civilians blame the defeats in the war and the growing crises on the home front on Tsar. Even the Tsars only army stated it wouldn’t support him if a revolution occurred. Explain the importance/significance of World War 1 to the downfall of the Tsar WWI was a very significant event on the rule of Tsar Nicholas 11. Although it initially bolstered his position, it then became a large factor that contributed to Nicholas’ downfall. The Country was ecstatic when the Tsar made the announcement that Russia was going to fight against Germany in WWI.
For Russia, Stalingrad gave hope to the people, causing a surge of morale and support thereafter. It showed the world that Russia was a formidable fighting force, capable of detailed planning and coordination. By 1945, the Red Army had swept across Eastern Europe in a storm of anger and vengeance, looking to cause the same brutality that had been inflicted on them in Stalingrad. The Battle of Stalingrad had a tremendous impact on Russian and German morale; crippling the spirits of German citizens equally as much as the army. A German report on public opinion in 1943 states, “…the enemy’s strength must have been underestimated,
Many historians have said Alexander II was considering the formation of a parliament in Russia. Furthermore, the assassination caused Alexander III to rule in reactionary nature in which many counter-reforms were created to limit the impact of the Great Reforms done by his father. This supports the view that the People’s Will were highly unsuccessful, even in the taking out of Alexander II. It can be said that the only example in this period of effective political opposition was the October 1917 revolution, where, unquestionably, the Bolsheviks took power and let their political vision be known. They were extremely successful in both the short term and the long term.
Who were also looking to become in power. Trotsky was the main reason the Bolsheviks had survived as the Bolsheviks government due to Trotsky being the commander for the red army. He also had support from Lenin who was leading the red army with total discipline; those who were willing to fight were promoted and those who turned out to be cowards were exiled. Trotsky and Lenin were both smart during the civil war as they had a upper hand with resources as they were closer to them as their opposition were so far away. This was an advantage for the red army as it was easy to communicate which helped them in the battle fields and be much easier to be successful in the war without communication they weren’t able to come up with tactics and plan how they would attack the whites, also railway support would bring the army weapons and food supplies very quickly.
How far was Lenin responsible for the Bolsheviks’ growing hold on power in the years 1917-1924? To a fairly large extent, Lenin was responsible for the Bolsheviks’ growing hold on power from 1917-24. Lenin had, of course, led the Bolsheviks in the October Revolution, the reason the Bolsheviks had any power in the first place, and it was Lenin who dissolved the Constituent Assembly. He also managed to hold on to power by introducing War Communism during the Civil War. On the other hand, it can be argued that Trotsky’s leadership of the Red Army during the Civil War was just as, or even more important in the Bolsheviks’ seizure of power, as was the image of the Bolsheviks as being patriotic heroes fighting against Tsarist leaders and foreign invaders.
A strong example of the importance of “Red Terror” was perhaps the execution of the Tsar and his family in public, showing the Cheka‘s uses. This is highlighted when Marples states “the Bolsheviks had proclaimed the abolition of the death penalty, the Cheka obeyed no such rules” supporting Elknar’s point of the “rapid expansion of the Cheka’s powers”, as this allowed the Bolshevik party to fully implement “Red Terror” to squash the threat to their power, even though it was against the party’s original ideals. From this it is possible to state, that the Bolshevik party saw the Cheka as very important to their success in the civil war, as they saw the use of
Why did the Reds Win the Russian Civil War? By the summer of 1918, the communists had begun to face a series of devastating attacks. This was the beginning of, and would grow to form, a vicious civil war that would tear Russia apart. In the end, it was the communists that seized victory and ended the disruptive and unstable malevolence that the civil war had erupted into. It was a victory that several in the future would question and query about.” What was it exactly that caused the Reds’ success?” many would ask.
If too kind he will be taken advantage of and if too cruel he will be hated by his subjects. However he will have better security of his kingdom by being feared rather than loved. Therefore, a prince must be cruel to teach a lesson, gain loyalty, and strike fear of his subjects, which is what Peter the Great did during his reign of Russia. Peter's cruelty influenced many of his decisions concerning the Russian Military. He was quick to suppress any revolts and his punishments were almost always harsh to show that he was not to be betrayed.