Why the Reds won the Russian Civil War

Many factors gave the reds the advantage over the whites in the Russian civil war of 1918-21. They include aims, geography, foreign intervention, leadership and support. The first three will be examined in detail. <Tab/>The Bolsheviks had one aim: to take over the government and create a socialist Russia. The Whites were made up of many opponents of the Reds: some were Tsarists who wanted the Tsar and the old …

…thus very well disciplined and had effective organisation. White leaders by contrast were cruel and ruthless- many of their soldiers mutinied and morale was low. There was no incentive to fight, especially since they would not get their land back anyway. <Tab/>Because the Reds had superiority over the Whites from a range of factors (aims, geography, foreign intervention, leadership and support), they ultimately had the advantage in the Civil War.