If no force acts on a particle, that particle will either be
motionless, or will move in a straight line; this follows from
Newton's laws of motion. When a particle is moving in a circular
path, the direction of its motion is constantly changing, and to
change the direction of motion requires force. We know that force
equal mass times acceleration, which is the basis of all physics,
as originally stated by Newton. So if a mass is being accelerated,
then force is being applied. That is an inescapable conclusion. And
only acceleration can change the direction in which a particle
moves.