Doctor Zhivago Terms

A strike is a collective bargaining tactic used by the labor movement, in which workers shut down their workplace until their employer agrees to their demands. Russia was rocked by waves of strikes during both… read analysis of Strike

Cossacks are a seminomadic ethnic group from southern Russia and eastern Ukraine. After being subjugated by the Russian empire in the 18th century, Cossacks came to be an important part of Russian military life and… read analysis of Cossacks

The Bolsheviks (derived from the Russian word for majority) were a faction within the prerevolutionary Russian Social Democratic Labor Party which eventually became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Led by Vladimir Lenin, the… read analysis of Bolshevik

A soviet was a form of workers’ council first formed during the 1905 Russian Revolution, which eventually came to form the basis of Bolshevik governance. Despite having been suppressed in 1905, the soviets—led by the… read analysis of Soviet

The White Army was the coalition of armed forces that fought against the Bolshevik-led Red Army during the Russian Civil War. Compromised of many different groups ranging from far-right monarchists to constitutional liberals to… read analysis of The White Army

Labor conscripts were people conscripted by the Soviet government for essential work organized along military lines. Drafted like soldiers, labor conscripts were then deployed to various parts of the country, often working in dangerous conditions… read analysis of Labor Conscripts

The Red Army was the military of the Bolshevik government, which fought against the White Army during the Russian Civil War. Quickly established by the revolutionary soviets to defend the revolution in 1917 and 1918… read analysis of The Red Army

Partisans are paramilitary resistance fighters who engage in guerilla warfare, often behind enemy lines. Partisans formed an essential part of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, preventing the White Army from effective controlling… read analysis of Partisan

Moonshiners produce illegal high-proof liquor with government controls or safety standards. Homebrewed moonshine, or “samogon,” has a long history in Russia. Liquor was banned from the beginning of World War I through the end of… read analysis of Moonshiner

The New Economic Policy, or NEP, was a partial free-market system introduced by Lenin after the end of the Russian Civil War to rebuild the devastated Soviet economy. Though the NEP was largely successful, it… read analysis of The NEP