People / group

Red Guards (Russia)

1917–1918 · 20th century

The Red Guards were armed workers' militias formed in Russian cities in 1917 and controlled by the Bolsheviks. They helped seize power in the October Revolution and spread Soviet rule to Ukraine, the Black Sea coast and Central Asia, often with great violence, as at Kokand and Kiev in 1918. They were absorbed into the new Red Army during 1918.

Red Guards (Russia)
Image: User:R-41 · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 6 state histories

Kokand AutonomyUkrainian People's Republic of SovietsOdessa Soviet RepublicStavropol Soviet RepublicBlack Sea Soviet RepublicKuban Soviet Republic

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Red Guards (Russia). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-russia
MLA
“Red Guards (Russia).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-russia. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Red Guards (Russia).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-russia.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Red Guards (Russia)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/red-guards-russia (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻