Leon Trotsky's enormous impact and contribution to Russian/Soviet history is due to his strong ideologies, organization and leadership. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The successful consolidation of communism in Soviet Russia from the period 1917 to 1928 can largely be attributed to the masterful orator and intellectual that was Leon Trotsky. During this period he successfully premeditated the Bolsheviks' rise to power and, thanks to his military prowess, defended the communist ideology and the foothold it had gained in Russia. One of Trotsky's most significant contributions was his involvement in organizing the revolution of 1917. With Lenin in exile, Trotsky began recruiting, arming, and disciplining the Bolshevik Red Guard, and in October was elected president of the Petrograd Soviet. Trotsky became the public face of Bolshevism and the key figure in three months of strategically important planning; in preparation for the revolution, Trotsky gathered as many Bolshevik delegates as possible into the Soviet and organized the Military Revolutionary Committee. Given his role as the central figure of the Committee, Trotsky was primarily responsible for organizing the Red Guard movements and issuing weapons, and ultimately for the success of the November Revolution. Timed to occur just before the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, which was due to meet on November 7, the MRC and Red Guards laid siege to the Winter Palace and secured the occupation of other key strategic points throughout Petrograd; post and telegraph offices, railway stations, bridges and garrisons. By the end of November 7, Lenin had declared “All power to the Soviets,” and the All-Russian Congress of Soviets, the majority of whom were Bolshevik delegates, voted to approve the coup. Another aspect in which Trotsky played a significant role was the Brest-Litovsk Peace Treaty. In his capacity as Commissar of Foreign Affairs, Trotsky led the Russian delegation during the peace negotiations between Russia and Germany in Brest-Litovsk. Having developed his belief in a peace without indemnities or annexations during the war, Trotsky remained resolute in this belief at Brest-Litovsk. When the Germans presented their conditions, Trotsky responded that Russia would end the war but would not sign a peace treaty, choosing instead to believe that socialist revolution was imminent in Germany. He simply refused to accept the German terms and abandoned the negotiations. When the revolution did not take place, the Germans resumed the offensive. Trotsky's arrogance had backfired on the Bolsheviks and resulted in even harsher terms. The Treaty was signed on 3 March 1918 after heated debate within the Central Committee. The harsh terms of the Treaty caused a rift among the Bolshevik leadership and Trotsky resigned. However, the Treaty eliminated the Bolsheviks' most dangerous enemy and gave the new Soviet government the freedom from international conflict it needed to consolidate its rule. The Treaty was canceled when Germany signed the armistice in November 1918. Trotsky's involvement in the civil war against the Whites is another contribution that had a lasting impact on Russian/Soviet history. Trotsky transformed the Red Army into a fighting force. By unleashing the "Red Terror" against the Whites he ruthlessly achieved the communist victory in the Civil War. In his capacity as commissar, Trotsky increased the size of the Red Army to three million and assigned political commissars to former tsarist officers to maintain discipline and loyalty. Often.