Assess the view that the Red Army's victory in the Civil War was responsible for the establishment of power by 1924

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Assess the view that the Red Army’s victory in the Civil War was responsible for the establishment of power by 1924Whether the Red Army’s role in the Civil War was vital for the Bolshevik consolidation of power is still debated by academics and historians alike. On one hand, it is argued that if the Red Army was not a disciplined force, the likes of Denikin and Wrangel would have assumed power in the Soviet Union. Furthermore, it is also argued that the collation of the Red Army provided the Party an expendable force that would maintain order in the nation such as that shown during the Kronstadt rebellion. However, on the other hand, it is also argued that it was not the actions of the Red Army but the social and economic policies adopted by the Party such as Lenin’s first decrees, War Communism and NEP that led to the establishment of power.

Additionally, the establishment of CHEKA aligned the population by force to be behind the Party, which was essential in establishing power by 1924.

The Red army’s victory in the Civil War was vital for the success of the Bolsheviks as a failed campaign would have ousted Lenin and his Party from political control in the Soviet Union. The Whites, Ukrainian nationalists and the anarchists were the major players involved in the anti-communist camp and according to McCauley lacked clear and decisive direction and leadership. However, Westwood argues that the opposition forces were capable as was seen in the 1919 Autumn campaign when Denikin’s forces threatened Moscow and Petrograd. The White Army were by no means, according to Lunacharsky, a lacking fighting force. Lunacharsky further goes onto say that Lenin’s approval of Tsarist military leaders to form the Military Council would have been unthought...