Explain the reasons why the weaknesses of the White Russians led to their failure in the Russian Civil War.

If tackling this question with a student, we would firstly consider the geographical and sociopolitical context of the Civil War- we would from this be able to see the vast size of 1918 Russia as inhibiting the ability of the White armies to effectively manouever, particularly as they were scattered around the Russian 'perimeter' while the Reds controlled the primary centres of industry and population in the west. We can also use sociopolitical context to understand the motives for many to support the Reds, particularly the urban Proletariat. I would then explore with them the ability of the Reds to secure supplies through War Communism, and examine the realities of the Whites having no coherent single faction leader or even a figurehead following the murder of the Tsar and his heirs. Finally I would explore with the student the implications of foreign armies on Russian soil, which had the effect of presenting the Whites as non-Russian.