How far was the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War, due to the leadership of Lenin and Trotsky?

The leadership of both Lenin and Trotsky played a big part in the Bolshevik victory in the Russian Civil War. Lenin decision to support the introduction of war communism was a very important and contributed massively to Bolshevik victory. Trotsky’s idea to recruit ex-Tsarist officers effectively improved the leadership of Red Army. However, there are several other important factors, for example, the weaknesses and disorganisation of opposing parties, which also contributed to the Bolshevik’s victory.

War communism explains the economic policies the Communists introduced during the Civil War to help achieve victory. Through this policy, the Communists converted factories to produce military supplies for the Red Army. Industry was nationalised. Lenin also decided to involve a policy of grain requisitioning from peasants using force. Both of these policies ensured that the industrial workers producing military supplies, as well as the Red Army, were efficiently supplied with food. Therefore, Lenin’s decision to introduce war communism ensured that the Bolsheviks could maintain both the military and food supplies, which were essential for the Red Army during the Civil War, and ultimately increased their changes of victory. For this reason, Lenin’s leadership was an enormous important factor, which contributed to the Bolshevik’s victory in the Russian Civil War.

Trotsky’s idea to use officers, who had previously fought for the Tsar, provided the Reds with more experienced leaders. In turn, this improved the leadership of the Red Army. The Red Army had control over important railway routes, which meant…