Why did the Red Army win the Russian Civil War?

The Red Army won due to a mixture of their strengths and the Whites' incompetence. Trotsky was a great leader and had an effective military strategy - by contrast, the Whites were disorganised and had poor equipment. The Reds also had the advantage of being united towards a common goal of achieving communism, whereas the only thing the nations of the White Army had in common was their hatred of the Reds. This ideological commitment made the Reds less disillusioned than their opposition. Another reason the Reds remained committed was out of fear - their were harsh punishments and threats of torture to the families of deserters.