Could power have gone to the worker's and soldier's councils instead of the Bolshevic party?
Could they have defeated the Western backed Whites?
What deal would they have done with Germany?
Would they be as feared in the West as the otl Soviet Union?
Very difficult to see power going directly to these councils. One might have a Bolshevik regime that gave up power to the Soviets. One might also have a Provisional Government which continued and formed a deepening relation with the Soviets. Neither is quite what you are asking for though...
If the councils had any degree of coordination, then yes, they would have defeated the Whites. However, if the Soviets gain power through a gradual take-over of the Provisional Government, there may not even be a civil war.
Impossible to speak about deals with Germany without knowing who was doing the negotiation.
How feared this Soviet-Soviet Union would be depends entirely on what political figures galvanize the Soviets into becoming a unified political force in Russia.
fasquardon