Bolshevik Red Army example essay topic

327 words
Before the war with Germany had ended civil war broke out in Russia. Several groups known as 'Whites' opposed the Bolsheviks. There were socialists, liberals, nationalists, and former Tsarist generals. They set up separate government in different parts of Russia and began to fight the Bolsheviks. Britain and France supplied some of them with arms, and also sent soldiers, in the hope that if they won they would bring Russia back in to the war against Germany.

In the east Japan, and in the west Poland, took advantage of the chaos caused by the civil war to seize large parts of Russian territory. Facing the Whites and the Poles was the Bolshevik Red Army. It was organised by Leon Trotsky, one of the most brilliant soviet leaders. For nearly three years the Reds and the Whites fought each other all over Russia. In March 1921 the Bolsheviks won because they not only controlled the industrial areas but the Red Army was well trained and well led. The Whites lacked outstanding leaders, they were constantly divided, and at times even fought each other.

France and Britain gave little help and soon withdrew from Russia. Millions of people were killed in the fighting or died from starvation. During the war the Tsar and his family were killed by the Bolsheviks. The old Russian empire was gone forever. But all the national groups were not free. When the revolution began many thought that they could break away from Russian rule and set up their own independent states.

But gradually the Bolsheviks regained control of almost all the lands which had previously been ruled by the Tsar. The Bolsheviks now called the new state the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), or the Soviet Union. They hoped that as the Communist revolution spread other countries would join a union of socialist states..