The Russian Red Guards in 1917: A Profile

Abstract

Workers' armed bands formed at the factory played an extremely important role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. Possessing a variety of names-workers' militia, workers' druzhina (fighting detachment)-they are usually called by the term that came to be most common in the latter part of the year: Red Guards.

The Red Guards have received very little attention in studies on the revolution published outside the Soviet Union. These have, until the 1970s, focused on the Bolshevik party, the Provisional Government, and the major political figures of the revolution such as Alexander Kerensky, Paul Miliukov, General Lavr Kornilov. Even inside the Soviet Union the Red Grard's role in historical accounts has fluctuated with the political tides.