To what extent was Trotsky responsible for the victory of the Red Army in the Civil War?

Trotsky’s responsibility in achieving victory for the Red Army in the Civil War was not rivalled by the role of any other individual. By having absolute control of the Red Army, Trotsky was responsible for raising the standing army to three million men. This, alongside the decision to recruit fifty thousand former Tsarist officers created a professional fighting force unlike its White Army counterparts. Thus, through his decisions regarding the recruitment of soldiers, Trotsky was responsible for the creation of a war-winning Red Army, thereby he was in no doubt largely responsible for victory in the Civil War.It must be noted that Trotsky alone was not entirely responsible for the victory of the Red Army. Admittedly the Bolsheviks had significant advantages over their opponents. The White Armies were in themselves undergoing an internal power struggle between their leadership hence the divided front that faced the Bolsheviks. Furthermore, the central position in Russia that the Bolsheviks occupied provided them with much greater manpower and resources than what was available to their enemy. Yet, in spite of this, it was Trotsky’s ability to mobilise the manpower available to the Bolsheviks and his creation of a coherent and united front that provided the Red Army with the means to win the war. It is of course clear that without the strategic position they held, the Bolshevik cause may have failed, yet the same is equally true for if Trotsky had not been given control of the army. Therefore, Trotsky was, to a large extent, responsible for the victory of the Red Army in the Civil War.