How did the Red Army become a formal military force, and who led it during the Civil War?

• A. Created in 1918; led by Leon Trotsky as Commissar for War and organized by Sokolnikov.
• B. Created in 1917; led by Lenin.
• C. Created in 1919; led by Stalin.
• D. Created in 1920; led by Bukharin.

Answer: (A)

The key idea is that the Red Army became a formal, centrally controlled fighting force through a state-backed move in early 1918. A January 1918 decree established the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army as the official military arm of Soviet power, giving it legal status and a nationwide frame of command. Leon Trotsky, as the People's Commissar for War, then built a cohesive military structure around a centralized leadership—the Revolutionary Military Council—and implemented universal conscription, professional training, and coordinated mobilization across fronts. This transformation from loosely organized units into a unified national army is what made the Red Army capable of waging the Civil War. The mention of Sokolnikov reflects the broader government effort to organize and finance the army within the state apparatus. The other dates and leaders don’t fit the actual timeline or leadership of the Red Army during the Civil War.