The impact of the civil war on the Russian Revolution was that it brought victory to the Bolsheviks (“Reds”) who were led by Lenin, and defeat for the opposing forces (the “Whites”; comprised of the wealthy and middle-class citizens, nationalists, and peasants who owned property). With the Bolsheviks in power, communism and its terrors turned the lives of people upside down in Russia; many lost their lives at the hands of brutal Bolsheviks who suppressed the populace and squashed their enemies.

Communist official of war, Leon Trotsky, established a well-organized army by putting an end to democratic practices such as the election of officers which had attracted many soldiers to the sides of Bolsheviks. He and Lenin instituted war communism;