Russian Civil War, The

The Russian Civil War of 1917-1924 shaped the mentality of the Soviet regime more than any other event in its history. The infant Soviet regime faced large "White" armies of anti-Communist Russians, anarchist mutineers, break-away nationalist minorities and invading armies from most of the major powers of World War I. The murderous civil war with its 7-10 million casualties left the Soviets with a lasting mistrust of the outside world that remained in force until the end of the regime 65 years later. The extensive bibliography has been updated to include numerous works written since the collapse of Communism.