Well, perhaps not necessarily... Depiction of life as a form that moves from matsya (aquatic) state to koorma (semi-terrestrial) state is not part of any dispute resolution. As regards the dasavataras, the stories themselves do not seem entirely baseless....so i suppose they were real events (but ofcourse with a large dose of exageration for the 'cinema effect'). These stories may also be family feuds for power. Vamana is considered brother of Indra and Bali is considered son of Indra. So it may have even been a fight over king-ship (perhaps bali and vamana both wanted to become king after indra). All thru the vedic period, we see this fight between asuras and devas. But both were once upon a time a single group that split away due to differences. We can't say the devas were kind to the brahmins. Indra went to great lengths to ensure power for himself, he even killed brahmins. Perhaps the vedic period represented the feud between the kshatriya and brahmins (with devas perhaps being the kshatriyas)... Regards.