The Bolsheviks were able to win the civil war because the White Army, were made up of many independent groups and generals (there was poor communication between them), and the Bolsheviks had stronger armies, more advantages from the land and civilians, and the Bolsheviks had 3 amazing leaders to lead the way to victory. The Russian Civil War lasted from October 1917 to October 1922. At the very beginning, the Bolsheviks claimed the land of Petrograd, Moscow, and the area between the two cities. This was a great start for the Bolsheviks, knowing they captured the capital first. However, the Mensheviks, did not have a common leader throughout all of its armies, instead they had a variety of generals with varying amounts of experience. the Bolsheviks