The Red Army's Birth: Trotsky and the Train of War

In early 1918, the Bolsheviks had no army — just scattered Red Guard units and a ragtag force of volunteers. Then Leon Trotsky took charge. As People's Commissar for War, he built the Red Army from nothing, using former tsarist officers, ruthless discipline, and a mobile headquarters on rails. This episode follows Trotsky's armored train as it sped across the Civil War fronts, from the Volga to Siberia, dispensing orders and executions. We explore the debates over military hierarchy, the role of political commissars, and how Trotsky's organizational genius — and brutality — turned the tide against the White armies. Along the way, we meet figures like Mikhail Tukhachevsky and Jukums Vācietis, and examine controversies like the use of the Latin alphabet military code and the shooting of deserters. This is the untold story of how a revolutionary state forged its sword.

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