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I believe that the Bolsheviks controlling more people and having access to more weapons was a key factor in them winning the war. They controlled the industrial heart of Russia, which included Petrograd and Moscow, this also meant they had control of all the factories, and the railway lines. Control of the factories meant they were able to made more supplies, and control of the railway networks meant that they could transport troops and supplies around. Petrograd and Moscow alone were home to 60 million people. Controlling one big area which was joined together made it a lot easier for the Bolsheviks to operate.
Although everything above was very important to the Bolsheviks winning the war, there were other factors. The Bolsheviks also controlled the Soviet Secret police, created in 1917, they were known as the ‘Cheka’. The Cheka ensured terror in the people, their main aims were to ‘investigate and liquidate all attempts or actions connected with counter-revolution or sabotage, no matter from whom they may come, throughout Russia’, and ‘the handing over for trial by Revolutionary Tribunal of all saboteurs and counter-revolutionaries, and the elaboration of measures to fight them. They would ensure loyalty from the Red Army Generals by taking their families hostage. Another few reasons which I believe were important in the Bolsheviks winning the war, other than controlling more people and having access to more weapons, would be the disunity of the opposition. Most opposition parties all had different aims, the Whites were tsarist supporters, the Greens wanted control for the peasants, and also the Ukraine’s fought both the white and the red.
With all the opposition parties wanting different aims, it made it hard for them to come to agreements to try and overthrow the Bolsheviks, and sometimes they would seem like they were fighting other opposition parties more than they were the Bolsheviks, leaving the Bolsheviks to carry on without much interference. I have a final few points to make about the Bolsheviks winning the war. Trotsky was a brilliant leader and strategist, so the Red Army had good tactics, and their policies ensured that in the short term, vital weapons were produced, but in the long term they would have disastrous consequences.
They basically forced the production of weapons. They was also the requisition of grain to feed the cities, where the Bolsheviks took away the peasants grain from the country sides and brought it to the towns and cities to feed the workers and help produce more of these ‘vital’ weapons. That related to saying the fact the Bolsheviks having more weapons and people was the main factor of them winning the war, and I also feel war communism is as well. With war communism, the Bolsheviks nationalised the factories, and introduced military discipline.
Strikes were made illegal and food was rationed. Peasants were forced to give food to the government. This gave the Bolshevik armies the supplies they needed. In conclusion I believe that the Bolsheviks having control of more people and weapons was one of the most important factors in them winning the war. All the other points I have mentioned were valid points and they did make a difference to the Bolsheviks winning the war but I don’t believe they were as important as the control of more people and having more weapons.