Why did the Bolsheviks win The Russian Civil War?
Although Lenin was able to bring an end to Russia's role in World War I, he was unable to avert the happening of a Russian Civil War, a time of great chaos.
Towards the start of the Civil War, the Bolsheviks struggled immensely. Their opponents, "The Whites", were made up of any anti-Bolshevik groups: supporters of the Tsar; Mensheviks; Social Revolutionaries; capitalists and the Czech Legion. In aim to force Russia back into war against Germany, some foreign troops were also sent by their governments, from the USA, Japan, France and Britain. One of the Bolsheviks' only strong points was in western Russia, between Petrograd and Moscow, as most of the rest of the country was sympathetic towards the Social Revolutionary Party, therefore against the Bolsheviks. However, most of Russia's railways were in this area, making the connection between different battlefronts a lot easier. This meant that Trotsky was able to move troops and equipment to wherever they were needed, as he pleased. This proved a major convenience for the Bolsheviks and a major stumbling block for their opponents. Another advantage of being in control of this part of Russia was the population. As these were major cities, a generous amount of the population lived here. They were able to use this advantage to recruit more men to the Red Army. Yet another geographical advantage the Bolsheviks gained from controlling western Russia was based on the industry. This area occupied a lot of Russia's raw materials. This meant that they were able to supply the Bolsheviks with weapons, ammunition and equipment.
Although, even with all these advantages, the Bolsheviks could not stop the Czech Legion from clutching control of a major section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. At this point,