Leon Trotsky was the famous leader of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, which lasted from 1917 to 1922. Trotsky played a crucial role in organizing the Red Army and implementing strategies that contributed to Bolshevik victories against the White Army and other opposing factions. His leadership and military expertise were pivotal in establishing Soviet power, and he became one of the key figures in the early Soviet government. However, following a power struggle after Lenin's death, Trotsky was eventually expelled from the Communist Party and exiled, where he continued to be a vocal critic of Stalin until his assassination in 1940.