I like how you illustrated how the war affected every person in the Russian society in some way. The displeasure of the Russian people with the war is what allowed revolutionary groups such as the Bolsheviks to gain larger followings. This begs the mysterious question that if the war had never happened, would the revolution ever have occurred?
I think this view of a betray springs from the large amounts of competing influence among the different parties. If one party achieves it goal but others on the left do not as a result I can see how this could be seen as a type of betrayal or being felt like you were left out to dry.
I think Diana is right about the “universal” appeal of images like the John Bull / Dmitri Moore recruitment posters. Yes, it seems weird that the communist revolutionaries would imitate the capitalists, but propaganda needs to mobilize an audience through an emotional appeal, which is what both of these posters do.
On the Red Guard issue, I think we need to give Trotsky credit here! Check back on the subject essay on 17 moments. The point is less about an all volunteer force than about forging an army (with some kind of structure and order) that could meet the challenges of the counter-revolutionary forces.
Good post and great questions! I let others chime in as well, but will note that Kornilov’s main target was the Soviets. He thought the PG was weak and ineffective and hoped to co-opt it. As for the “why did he do it” question, I imagine that he felt that the country was descending into chaos — with desertions from the front, peasants rebelling in the countryside, severe shortages of food and fuel in the cities, increased crime, class tensions, etc., etc. Trying to establish order might have seemed like the best (only) course of action for an aspiring military strongman.
The Kornilov affair is super interesting and I love how you focused on the irony of this coup. The ability to mobilize troops was what gave the Bolsheviks an upper hand, and he played right into it unknowingly. It would’ve been great to see a little more background information, but great job!
I also talked about the affects of World War I on Russia, but with focus on civilians more-so than the military. I like how you discussed the fact that soldiers wanted to leave the war effort; in fact, over 100,000 did leave. You conclude with how all of these failures led to an easier promotion of the Bolsheviks, and how people just wanted “bread, land, and peace.” I thoroughly enjoyed your post and how it elaborated on the unrest with the military, as well as with the peasants.
