The Russian Civil War (1917–1922) was a multi-front conflict that followed the collapse of the Russian Empire and the Bolshevik seizure of power. After Lenin’s October Revolution in 1917, the Bolsheviks withdrew from World War I with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk (3 March 1918), ceding vast territories and alarming both Allies and nationalists. Soon, foreign interventions and the emergence of White armies under figures like Admiral Kolchak and Generals Denikin and Yudenich opened full-scale war across the former empire.
The conflict was marked by shifting fronts, brutal campaigns, and the emergence of new states in Eastern Europe. White offensives reached deep into Bolshevik territory but collapsed under Red Army counteroffensives led by Trotsky, while nationalist movements in Poland, Finland, the Baltic States, and the Caucasus sought independence. Peasant uprisings such as the Tambov Rebellion (1920–1921) and the Kronstadt sailors’ revolt (1921) revealed discontent with Bolshevik policies. By 1922, the Red Army had defeated major White forces, reconquered the Caucasus, and consolidated control, paving the way for the creation of the Soviet Union in December of that year.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2025, September 22). Map of the Russian Civil War in Europe (1917–1922). World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21062/map-of-the-russian-civil-war-in-europe-1917-1922/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Russian Civil War in Europe (1917–1922)." World History Encyclopedia, September 22, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21062/map-of-the-russian-civil-war-in-europe-1917-1922/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Russian Civil War in Europe (1917–1922)." World History Encyclopedia, 22 Sep 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/21062/map-of-the-russian-civil-war-in-europe-1917-1922/.
