ABSTRACT
V. I. Lenin gave shape to Soviet military doctrine and, hence, military strategy. The Soviets have since credited him with having developed the most important Marxist views on war, the army, and military science, and with "developing the entire doctrine concerning the defense of socialism". Soviet military strategy developed as an outgrowth of Bolshevik policy in tandem with emerging doctrine and the developing armed forces of the Soviet state. Among the most important characteristics of Soviet military strategy during the Civil War were its self-proclaimed clarity of purpose and decisiveness as dictated by the class nature of the war and the nature of its political aims. Military operations during Civil War and military intervention substantially differed from operations during the World War and were characterized by their greater geographical scale, widespread resort to maneuver, and greater decisiveness. Soviet military strategy during the Civil War left a valuable legacy of military experience in organization of cooperation between fronts and subordinate forces.
