Russia Stamps year 1919 – Civil War / West Army General Awaloff full set

Russia Stamps year 1919 – Civil War / West Army General Awaloff full set

The Russian Civil War, which took place from November 7, 1917, to June 16, 1923, was a multi-party conflict in the former Russian Empire following the October Revolution that overthrew the social-democratic Russian Provisional Government. The war was sparked by various factions vying to determine Russia’s political future, ultimately resulting in the formation of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and later the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in most of its territory.

After the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II during the February Revolution, Russia was in a state of political instability. The Bolshevik-led October Revolution further exacerbated tensions, leading to the outbreak of civil war. The main combatants were the Red Army, fighting for the establishment of a Bolshevik-led socialist state under Vladimir Lenin, and the White Army, a coalition of right- and left-wing opposition forces to Bolshevik rule.

In addition to the Red and White armies, various other groups, including Ukrainian anarchists, Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, and non-ideological green armies, were involved in the conflict against the Bolsheviks. Thirteen foreign nations intervened against the Red Army, including the Allied intervention, which aimed to re-establish the Eastern Front of World War I, and three foreign nations of the Central Powers, which sought to retain territory gained in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

The Bolsheviks initially consolidated control over most of the former empire, but faced significant challenges from the White Army, which launched several offensives in 1919. By the start of 1920, the White armies were defeated on all fronts, although anti-Bolshevik resistance continued in various regions.

Soviet Russia sought to re-conquer newly independent nations of the former empire, but their success was limited. Estonia, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania repelled Soviet invasions, while Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were occupied by the Red Army. Anti-Bolshevik uprisings in Central Asia lasted until the late 1920s.

The war resulted in an estimated 7 to 12 million casualties, mostly civilians, and had far-reaching consequences for the political landscape of Russia and the formation of the Soviet Union.