After the October Revolution of 1917 (that is what the Soviet historiographers called this event until the end of the thirties), Marxism became the dominant ideology in almost the entire territory of the former Russian Empire. It immediately became clear that not all the provisions of this theory, announced by science, have immediate practical value. In particular, Karl Marx declared the uselessness of the armed forces in the country of victorious socialism. To protect the frontiers, in his opinion, it was quite enough to simply arm the proletarians, and they already somehow ...
Down with the army!
At first it was. After the decree "On Peace" was published, the Bolsheviks abolished the army and stopped the war unilaterally, which inexpressibly pleased the former opponents - Austria-Hungary and Germany. Soon, again, it became clear that these actions were hasty, and there were more than enough enemies for the young Soviet republic, and there was no one to defend it.
"Comrade on the military face" and its creators
The new defense department was first called not the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army (transcript of the Red Army), but much simpler - the Committee on Maritime Affairs (the notorious “comrade”. The leaders of this department - Krylenko, Dybenko and Antonov-Ovsienko - were uneducated, but resourceful people. Their further fate, as well as the creator of the Red Army comrade. L. Trotsky, historians interpreted ambiguously. At first they were declared heroes, although from the article by V.I. Lenin, “A Hard, But Necessary Lesson” (02.24.1918), it can be understood that some of them screwed up pretty much. Then they were shot or destroyed in other ways, but this is later.
Creation of the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army
At the beginning of 1918, things on the fronts became quite gloomy. The socialist fatherland was in danger, which was announced in the corresponding appeal of February 22. The next day, the Workers 'and Peasants' Red Army was created, at least on paper. Not even a month had passed before Leonid Trotsky, who had become the People’s Commissar and went into battle with the chairman of the PBC (Revolutionary Military Council), understood that the situation could be rectified only by applying the most stringent measures. Voluntarily fighting for the power of the councils of those who wished was not enough, but there was no one to lead them at all.
Red Guard formations were more like peasant gangs than regular troops. Without the involvement of the tsarist military experts (officers), it was almost impossible to establish a business, and these people seemed extremely unreliable in the class sense. Then Trotsky, with his characteristic inventiveness, came up with the idea of putting a commissar with a Mauser near each competent commander in order to “control” it.
The deciphering of the Red Army, like the abbreviation itself, was hard for the Bolshevik leaders. Some of them did not pronounce the letter "r" well, and those who could overpower it, all the same, sometimes stumbled. This did not prevent many streets in large cities from giving names in honor of the 10th anniversary, and later the 20th anniversary of the Red Army.
And, of course, the “worker-peasant” could not do without forced mobilization, as well as without the most severe measures to increase discipline. The interpretation of the Red Army indicated the right of the proletarians to defend the socialist fatherland. At the same time, they should remember the inevitability of punishment for any attempts to evade this duty.
Differences SA from the Red Army
The deciphering of the Red Army as a Worker-Peasant Red Army retained its name until 1946, passing through the very painful stages of the development of the Armed Forces of the USSR, defeat and victory. Having become Soviet, it has preserved many traditions that have their origins in the era of the Civil and Great Patriotic Wars. The institute of military commissars (political officers) was either gaining strength or weakening depending on the political and strategic situation on the fronts. The tasks that were set before the Red Army changed, as did its military doctrine.
Ultimately, internationalism, which implied a swift world revolution, was replaced by a special Soviet patriotism. The USSR military men were inspired by the idea that the working people of the Kapstran have no homeland, only the happy inhabitants of the Soviet republics and other "people's democratic" formations have it. This was not true, all people have a fatherland, and not just the Red Army fighters.