The Russian Civil War, 1918-1920 was a Bolshevik success. This was due mainly to the unity and discipline of the Bolsheviks themselves. They had an astute and shrewd leader, Vladimir Lenin. The Red Army, made up of hundreds of thousands of men provided an enormous fighting force. Although formed mainly from conscripts, it went from strength to strength under the leadership and organization of the Commissar of War Leon Trotsky. The Bolsheviks held control of not only the Russian Heartland with its industry and manpower, but also the railway lines and this gave a huge advantage. The opposing force, the White Army, in contrast was disorganized and politically divided, consisting of conservatives and peasants (the bulk of whom were passive supporters of the Bolsheviks). The Allied forces initially helping the White Army with military supplies in order to deny Germany, soon lost interest after the collapse of Germany...