Notes
The Bolsheviks were the ‘Reds’
All groups who opposed them were the ‘Whites’
Whites were mainly:
Tsarist officers
Cossacks
Bourgeoisie
Outlawed political groups
International community
Whites won early victories in 1918, but the tides turned due to Leon Trotsky
Reds were more organized and central
Allied intervention was only half-hearted
Reds controlled the industry and had majority of the population
Lower classes were generally Red
Middle and upper classes were White
Peasants were neutral
All groups who opposed them were the ‘Whites’
Whites were mainly:
Tsarist officers
Cossacks
Bourgeoisie
Outlawed political groups
International community
Whites won early victories in 1918, but the tides turned due to Leon Trotsky
Reds were more organized and central
Allied intervention was only half-hearted
Reds controlled the industry and had majority of the population
Lower classes were generally Red
Middle and upper classes were White
Peasants were neutral
Summary
Red army supported by the poor had the better strategy vs. the White army who had the rest of the world fighting for them but only with a half hearted effort.
Subjunctive question
Would Russia have had a communist country if the white army had won? Who would have taken control?
Quotes
You may not be interested in strategy, but strategy is interested in you.
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky