February Revolution 1. WW1 Russia was losing in the First World War.

This led to over 7 million peasants deaths. As the peasants from farms were taken to fight the war, there was no food available. Many family and friends of the peasants were also killed. This led to a shortage of food. Even so, food could not be transported as trains were used to send people to war. This led to major discontent among the Russians due to a lack of food. Also, many of the officers were dying. They represented the future of the aristocrat class. The situation was so bad that the Council of the United Nobility was calling for the Tsar to step down. As the Tsar took personal command, he was blamed for these problems caused by the war. 2. Rasputin As the Tsar took charge of the army, he left the Tsarina, his wife in charge. A mysterious figure, Rasputin, appeared. Through hypnosis, he appeared as though he could control Alexiss (Tsars son) hemophilia. Before long, he was giving the Tsarina advice on how to run the country. People in Russia were suspicious as he was a drinker and womanizer with an alleged affair with the Tsarina. The Tsars opponents seized on Rasputin as a sign of Tsars weakness and unfitness to rule Russia. The fact that the Tsar didnt notice their concern of didnt care showed just how out of touch he was. Concerns and discontent Rasputin murdered 3. Mutiny in army Back in 1905 on Bloody Sunday, Tsar managed to stay in power because the army helped to quell the protesters. However, this time, the army lost faith in the Tsar. They were badly led and treated appallingly by their aristocrat officers. They were also poorly supported by the industries at home, being short of rifles, ammunition, artillery, shells and even boots. Huge losses were incurred throughout 1916. By 1917, there was deep discontent in the army and many soldiers were supporters of the revolutionary Bolshevik Party. This led to a loss in support for the Tsar and caused the mutiny. In March 1917, when the workers at the various factories in Petrograd went on strike, the Tsar ordered the army to put down the revolt by force. They refused and forced the Duma to take over the government. Bolshevik Revolution 1. Economic Problems There were also many economic problems in Russia. For the war effort, 3 million jobs were created. However, they were paid little even though they were working 12 to 15 hour days. The living conditions stayed the same and the PG did not bring about much change. Also, hyperinflation occurred in Russia. This led to lack of food and caused discontent among the Russians, and they wanted change. The Bolsheviks slogan of Peace, Bread and Land contrasted sharply with that of the PG and appealed more to the people. 2. Bolshevik Popularity The Bolsheviks used effective slogans to gain support. April Theses Their slogans Peace, Bread and Land and All Power to the Soviets were easy to understand and appealed to the Russians. The people were mostly uneducated and simple slogans which matched feelings and causes of discontent appealed to them. This led to raised popularity because slogans were easy to understand, were organized, and campaigning for some changes as the people wanted.

3. Kornilov Coup (July Days Incident) In September 1917, the army leader Kornilov marched his troops towards Moscow, intending to get rid of the Bolsheviks and the Provisional Government, and restore order. Kerensky did not have strong enough troops and turned to his Bolshevik opponents. The Bolsheviks organized themselves into an army which they called the Red Guards. Kornilovs troops refused to fight members of the Soviet so Kornilovs plans collapsed. The Bolsheviks were portrayed as the saviours of the attempted coup. It proved itself to be strong enough to protect the people while the PG was shown to be weak and incapable. This led to a surge in Bolshevik support. 4. WW1 Feb revn supposed to end Continued the war Lost support of people as a results Led to economic problems due to no food Civil War 1. Numerical superiority When the Reds introduced conscription, their numbers increased drastically from 30000 in 1918 to 3 million in 1919 and up to 5 million in 1920. They also controlled three quarters of the arms dumps and factories which allowed them access to more weapons than their opponents. Furthermore, the Reds strategically conscripted Tsarist generals to their side. The wealth of experience and knowledge the generals had was an important factor in giving the Reds an advantage. 2. Territorial advantages The Reds controlled important areas. They were situated in the heartlands in western Russia. They had control of the main cities of Moscow and Petrograd which included their factories, control of the railways and internal lines of communication, giving them the advantage in the war. 3. Trotskys brilliant leadership Under Trotskys leadership, the Reds also gained more support as Trotsky went on a train journey around Russia to propagate Bolshevik beliefs. Therefore, the Bolsheviks were able to consolidate their power effectively to gain support for their cause and win the civil war. 1. Not unified (Different groups + Geographically divided) The whites were not unified. They were made of different groups with various beliefs such as the royalists who wanted to restore the power of the Tsar; the cadets wanted the war to continue, the church opposed to the atheism propagated by the Bolsheviks. These different beliefs made it difficult for them to work together of agree on matters. // The Whites were also geographically divided. They were situated among the edges of Russia. They had very little contact with each other and tended to operate as individual units, each with its own aims. In fact, one of their meetings even had to be held in Paris to find a common ground. 2. Associated with foreign governments The Whites were also associated with foreign governments due to the support they received from them in the form of financial assistance, troops and weapons. The Russian people were suspicious of this and at a time when nationalistic feelings were high, association with foreigners was not seen in favourable terms. 3. Attacks from the Greens

To make matters worse, the whites were also facing attacks from the Greens an anarchist group. The two front war drained the whites of resources and took their attention away from fighting the Reds.