The birth of mass opposition

The determination to expand substantially the ranks of the armed forces was solemnly declared during the very days in which the Central Committee was deciding how to settle the Tsaritsyn conflict, and at a time when crucial steps were being taken to reorganize the army's command structure. On 3 October 1918, in a famous letter to VTsIK, Lenin set the target of creating an army of three million men. Following the Central Committee session of 25 October, party and Soviet newspapers opened their pages to documents, declarations, and letters relating to military life, both in the rear and at the front. An editorial note that appeared in Pravda on 10 November invited readers to send in articles and other material on the topic: ‘What needs to be done to create a large Soviet army?’ Information was also requested about what was happening at a local level and about any ‘defects’ that might have come to people's notice. Soon afterwards, the newspapers Bednota and Kommunar made a similar appeal to their readers to send in news about life in the units, including accounts of any ‘abuse of power committed by responsible officials’. Letters and news poured in. By the first few weeks of 1919, this issue had become a topic for general debate in the lead-up to the 8th Party Congress.

Despite the constructive slant that Pravda had intended to give to public discussion of the issue, many of the articles and resolutions submitted by local party organs on military questions were outspoken in their criticism.