russian civil war

The Russian Civil War was a multi-party conflict in the former Russian Empire from 1917 to 1922, following the chaos of the 1917 Russian Revolution. It pitted the Bolshevik-led Red Army against the anti-Bolshevik White Army and various other factions, including foreign interventionists, in a brutal struggle for control of the nation.

The war erupted after the Bolsheviks, under Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Provisional Government in the October Revolution. The Red Army, organized by Leon Trotsky, aimed to establish a socialist state. Opposing them was the White Army, a coalition of monarchists, liberals, and anti-Bolshevik socialists, led by figures like Alexander Kolchak and Anton Denikin. Other groups, such as the anarchist Black Army led by Nestor Makhno and the peasant Green Armies, fought against both major sides.

Foreign powers also played a role, with the Allied nations (Britain, France, and the United States) and the Central Powers (Germany) intervening at various points. Key moments, like the Battle of Tsaritsyn influenced by Joseph Stalin, shaped the conflict’s course. The war ended in 1922 with a Bolshevik victory, laying the foundation for the Soviet Union.