The Russian Civil War (1917-22) began shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917. The Bolsheviks (the Reds) immediately found themselves in conflict with various opposition forces who disagreed with Bolshevik policies like abolishing the monarchy, redistributing land to peasants, and withdrawing from the First World War (1914-18). The anti-Bolsheviks were by no means united and included reactionaries, monarchists, those on the right or centre of politics, and members of the military (the Whites), militant peasant groups (the Greens), and Anarchists (the Blacks), as well as rival socialist groups and several foreign powers, notably Japan, Britain, France, and the United States. The Bolsheviks, who called themselves the Communist Party from 1918, eventually won the war, but at a tremendous cost to millions of people across the former Russian Empire in terms of unemployment, famine, and loss of life.
More about: Russian Civil WarDefinition
Timeline
-
1917 - 1922The Russian Civil War.
-
Nov 1917 - Feb 1918Ukraine, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia all declare independence from Soviet Russia.
-
7 Nov 1917The Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. (O.S. 25 October)
-
Dec 1917Vladimir Lenin negotiates a ceasefire with Germany in WWI.
-
Jan 1918Vladimir Lenin dissolves the Constituent Assembly.
-
8 Feb 1918The Red Army occupies Kiev (Kyiv).
-
3 Mar 1918Germany and Russia sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, which sets the conditions for Russia's withdrawal from the First World War.
-
12 Mar 1918Vladimir Lenin moves the Russian capital to Moscow.
-
Apr 1918The first Western armed forces participate in the Russian Civil War, landing in Finland, Murmansk, and Siberia.
-
May 1918The Czech Legion revolts against Bolshevik Russia.
-
17 Jul 1918Tsar Nicholas II, his wife, and their five children are shot by Bolshevik revolutionaries.
-
11 Nov 1918Poland declares independence from Soviet Russia. War follows.
-
Jan 1919The Red Army captures Kharkov (Kharkiv), Kiev (Kyiv), and Riga.
-
Nov 1919The Red Army defeats the Cossacks at Kastornaya.
-
Apr 1920The Red Army takes Azerbaijan.
-
Apr 1920 - Oct 1920Russo-Polish War.
-
Dec 1920The Red Army occupies Armenia.
-
Feb 1921Soviet Russia gains control over Georgia.
-
2 Mar 1921 - 18 Mar 1921The Kronstadt rebellion is brutally quashed by the Soviet government.
-
Apr 1922The Antonov Rebellion in the Tambov region is crushed by the Red Army.
-
Oct 1922Japanese forces evacuate Vladivostok.
