THE RED ARMIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LI, Issue 208, 31 August 1920, Page 4

THE RED ARMIES.

Probably many of those who profess' ! sympathy for the Red armies of Russia c on the ground that they are the safeV guard of the principles for which the r revolution stood would lose some of this " sympathy if they understood what these s armies really nre, how they came to lie c formed, and how they arc regarded l>y s many of the most sincere revolutionaries f in Russia. The Bolsheviks when they * citnio. into power declared themselves " most pronounced anti-militarists, and '' did their 'hest to demilitarise the armed '" millions of tlie Czarist regime. The last vestiges of discipline had disappeared 6 from the masses, tlie soldiers had thrown n away their arms, and only small bands ' of armed workmen remained, who were sufficient to terrorise the bourgeois element, hut who were quite unable to stand against disciplined troops. The. Bolsheviks had themselves created an ' anti-military spirit, there was great . antagonism to the officers of the old c army, there were numberless committees v. and other bodies to deal with military / matters, and there was a general craving s for peace. Yet we have seen an army c created that is at present one of the c most powerful bodies in Kurope, that is 1 armed with all the latest munitions of r war, that is well disciplined and well c officered, and thnt has defeated all the 1 offensives directed against k. The story c of how this has been done is full of v interest. The lirst thing to be done was x to counteract the elTcct of previous propaganda. The Bolsheviks had pro--1 claimed themselves intcrnationahsts. n Trotsky, to whom the formation of the c Hod armies is mainly due. immediately c set himself to appeal to national senti(l ment. The soldiers were gathered together by being told that they were lighting for Russia against renegade c nations who were not in sympathy with c Russian ideate, and the campaign of n Kolchak, Denikin, and Yudenitch, and t tho help given these anti-Bolshevik leaders by the Allies, wore used as proofs that Russia was being attacked. Indeed, t it is clear that these movements and the . Polish campaign did a great deal to consolidate Russian sentiment and make easier the task of the organisers of the ' Bolshevik armies. |

Tho Bolsheviks had proclaimed themselves the sworn foes of militarism; they now subordinated everything to tho needs of the army. Tlie workers were compelled by the sternest measures, and even toy executions, to work in the munition factories; such railways as there were had to be placed at the disposal of the army authorities, and were subject to military discipline; conscription was enforced, and soon over a million men were under arms. The system of military committees was largely abolished, implicit obedience to the orders of officers was strictly enforced, and no discussion of them was permitted. The discipline is said to be exceedingly severe, and much more strict than in the days of the Czar. Authentic cases have been reported of soldiers being shot for not saluting their officers or for complaining about their food. Tlie army is officered by professional soldiers, and has a highly trained and specialised staff. The ancient caste of officers has been revived, and the cadets from the new schools are said to be imbued with an exclusively military 6pirit. The tactics pursued in the operations against Yudenitch, Kolchak, and Denikin show the hand of the professional soldier, and the skill displayed in these campaigns makes the recent setback in Poland the more surprising. The change that has come over the Red armies makes one wonder how long the Bolshevik leaders rwill remain masters of their creation, and whether at, any moment we may not get news that the government of Russia hns passed from the hands of one kind of tyranny to those of another.