Final answer:
Leon Trotsky was the brilliant speaker and writer who became the second in command in the Bolshevik party and raised a significant Red Army during the Russian Civil War. After Lenin's death, Trotsky's vision of the USSR's future clashed with Stalin's, who eventually gained control of the Communist Party and the country.
Step-by-step explanation:
The brilliant speaker and writer who became the second in command in the Bolshevik party and raised a large army during the Russian Civil War was Leon Trotsky. During the turbulent years following the Bolshevik takeover in 1917, Trotsky stood side by side with Vladimir Lenin.
As a renowned orator and a capable military strategist, he played a significant role in organizing the Red Army and leading it to victory against the White Army.
After Lenin's death in 1924, a power struggle ensued within the Soviet Union, presenting two divergent paths of leadership and policy. Trotsky hoped to propel the Soviet Union towards rapid industrialization and spread international revolution.
In contrast, Joseph Stalin leveraged his control of the Communist Party bureaucracy to gain power, ultimately becoming the leader after Lenin and steering the Soviet Union in a different direction.
Trotsky's popularity and influence, especially among the military, were undeniable during the Russian Civil War. He was regarded as a candidate for leadership due to his exceptional leadership abilities and oratory skills, yet his style began to connect less with the troubled masses after the war, and his popularity waned.
Stalin, conversely, began to rise in prominence by skillfully navigating the Communist Party's vast bureaucracy and consolidating power.