About the reasons for the defeat of the White Army
One of the most controversial questions about the Civil War is the problem of the defeat of the “white”, the White movement. Someone speaks of the small number of whites compared with the armadas of the Reds, the second recall the unpopularity of the White movement among the population, especially the peasantry, and still others claim that the Bolsheviks were able to turn the tide in their favor only through mass terror. There are many versions and theories, but apparently it is impossible to speak about this in this question. “Main reason” - the White movement suffered a defeat due to a whole complex of reasons.Weak ideological base of the White movement. The Reds (Bolsheviks) had a powerful idea that was able to unite the overwhelming majority of the Russian population - workers and peasants. The whites did not have such an idea, it is absurd to believe that they were monarchists who fought for "a single and indivisible Russia", based on the principles of "autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationality." Opponents of the Bolsheviks were the most diverse parties, movements, groups: from socialists - Socialist Revolutionaries and Mensheviks and "centrists" - constitutional democrats (Cadets), Octobrists to nationalists and monarchists. And the same monarchists were not united, speaking for different candidates for the throne, and socialists and liberals fought against them, trying to prevent them from gaining.
Based on the weakness of the ideological platform, it is possible to identify another reason - whites could not put forward a common program of action for the majority of the population. and start doing it. Here the Bolsheviks completely outplayed them with their slogans “land to the peasants”, “factory workers”, “self-determination of nations, including secession and formation of sovereign states”, etc. nationalists slogan "united and indivisible Russia." Attempts to restore the old order, they irritated the majority of the population.
The Bolsheviks clearly caught the mood of the peasantry and from the VIII congress in March 1919, they changed their peasant policies. They moved from the policy of “neutralizing” the middle peasant to the search for an alliance with him. As a result, red able to deploy a large, peasant army at its core. For example: in March-April 1919 of the year, at the peak of the success of the army of Alexander Kolchak, he had about 130 thousand people, at the same time Anton Denikin had 60-thousand the army, Nikolai Yudenich had about 10 thousand bayonets and sabers, Vladimir Marushevsky (formed the Northern Army) about 15 thousand, and the number of the Red Army during this period increased to almost 1,5 million fighters.
In September-October 1919 of the year, during Denikin's highest successes, he had 150 thousand people, Kolchak had up to 50 thousand, Yudenich had 15 — 20 thousand, Miller had up to 20 thousand, and Vladimir Tolstov 20 thousand ( commander of a separate Ural army). And the number of the Red Army by this time has grown to 3,5 million bayonets and sabers.
With all the size of the Red Army, they were able to maintain a higher level of discipline. In the White Army, the desertion of the rank and file of peasants and workers took a much more serious scale than in the Red Army. White backs mired in drunkenness, corruption, looting.
The Bolsheviks were able to attract into the construction of the Red Army a significant part of the officer corps of Tsarist Russia, the so-called. military experts. The quality of the red parts was constantly growing.
Red were able to organize a whole network of underground Bolshevik committees in the rear of the White movement, a massive partisan movement began. This sharply weakened the combat capability of the white armies, which had to make great efforts to combat the peasant movement. A number of historians even believe that it was the peasant movement that became the main reason for the defeat of the whites. The Bolsheviks, unlike the whites, were able to provide a stronger rear, and this was achieved not only through repressive measures (the whites also did not hesitate to use them), but also thanks to a certain compromise with the peasantry.
Another reason for the defeat of whites - This is the advantageous position of the territories of the Bolsheviks on the white fronts. They had areas with the highest concentration of population and developed industry, including two megalopolises - Moscow and Petrograd. The Bolsheviks could carry out more massive mobilization, and having on this territory quite a few ideological supporters from the working class. In addition, it facilitated the maneuver of armies - by defeating or weakening one enemy, it was possible to transfer the shock forces to another front.
The intervention of Western countries led to the fact that patriots and statesmen began to unite around the Bolsheviks. They saw in them a force that could save Russia.
It should be noted, and the fact that the Western powers did not support the White movement in full force. Their goal was the collapse of Russia, its division into spheres of influence and the maximum exsanguination of the Russian people in a fratricidal Civil War. They did not need a "united and indivisible Russia." Therefore, helping white with one hand, representatives of the West with the other hand prevented them and supported the red - for example, Trotsky, who was an agent of the influence of American financial circles.
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