The Bolshevik revolution in 1917 was successful in replacing the Tsarist regime, but could the communist takeover last? There was internal opposition to the Bolsheviks due to disgust at the treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and there was a rise of various nationalist groups. Old areas of Tsarist support and Cossacks regained their determination, and within six months of the revolution, opposition forces (known collectively as the whites) had risen and threatened to overthrow the new Bolshevik government. The Bolshevik victory in the civil war placed Lenin's government firmly in control. By examining the strengths of the Red army, and the weaknesses of the Whites, it can be seen why the Bolsheviks were victorious.

    Trotsky, the commissar for war, was central to the victory of the Bolsheviks and was essentially left to run the civil war. He combined a few thousand red guards, a Latvian...