The Red Army was the army of the Bolsheviks that was led by Leon Trotsky during the Russian Civil War. It later became the army of the Soviet Union. The name used mainly before and during World War II. After the war, it was renamed as the Soviet Army, but many people continued to call it the Red Army. Even now, some people still nickname the modern Russian Army as the Red Army.
Some later communist organizations such as the Red Army Faction used the name, and anti-communists sometimes used the name for any left-wing group that they said was trying to promote communism and was paid for by the Soviets.
The Red Army was established by Leon Trotsky in January 1918 to counter the White Army during the Russian Civil War. In February 1946, it was renamed the "Soviet Army," and after the Soviet Union dissolved, it became the Russian Army on May 7, 1992.
The Red Army was the biggest land force in the Allied victory in Europe during World War II, and its invasion of Manchuria helped lead to Japan's surrender. On the Eastern Front, it caused 75–80% of the casualties suffered by German forces and ultimately captured Berlin.
Origins
In September 1917, Vladimir Lenin argued that the only way to prevent the return of police power was to establish a people's militia and integrate it with the army, replacing the standing army with an armed populace. At that time, the Imperial Russian Army was in decline, with about 19 million men mobilized—only 23% of the male population—but most were unarmed and in support roles. General Nikolay Dukhonin reported around 2 million deserters, 1.8 million dead, 5 million wounded, and 2 million prisoners, estimating that about 10 million troops remained.
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