The Bolsheviks ran the "Red Army" with one singular leader, being Lenin, thus were more coordinated. Also, the Bolsheviks employed "commissars" to provide a political leadership, which Lenin couldn't fully run on his own.
Trotsky was not a particularly kind person, as he held families of the last Tsar's army captive to make sure when they joined the "Red Army" they stayed loyal. This was a devious, and cunning plan, which seemed to work, but by modern standards, would be completely unacceptable. He was extremely disciplined, held a tight schedule, and held public executions for the deserters of the army. By 1920 the "Red Army" consisted of about 5 million men, this shows how convincing the Bolsheviks were.
The Kronstadt Mutiny ended, with the help and force of the "Red Army," they repulsed forces of the navy whom were "on strike" away from Bolshevik rule. These navy forces were once totally trusted by the Bolsheviks, but many were murdered in retaliation to their desertion. The army also repulsed attacks from the opposition. From the north, attacks came from the British and the Americans, from the east attacks were from the Czech legion, and lastly from the South from Ukraine. The "Red Army" only attacked one area, Warsaw; this was a clever tactic, which helped defend the most influential of Russian areas, while keeping certain areas under close watch.
The whole idea of War Communism was made to give the army troops a supply of what they needed to help them while fighting the Civil War. They were the first priority of the Bolsheviks; therefore the majority of food, spare clothes and other items went to the troops to use as an incentive to help them fight the Bolshevik opposition. The state took over the economy, nationalising more industry, and controlling the production and distribution of all goods. .
Food was so scarce, however, that the Cheka, secret police, had to storm the countryside visiting peasants houses and farm houses, and seizing the grain they had stored, firstly for the army.
