Revolutions of 1917–1923

A wave of revolutions and uprisings from 1917 to 1923, sparked by the Russian Revolution and intensified by World War I. It challenged empires, monarchies, and existing social orders across Europe and beyond.

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Russian Revolution: The overthrow of the Russian monarchy in 1917 and the Bolshevik seizure of power that October. It began the revolutionary wave and inspired movements across Europe.
World War I: A global war fought from 1914 to 1918, centered on rival alliances and imperial powers. Defeat, shortages, and mass casualties destabilized states across the revolutionary wave.
February Revolution: The 1917 Russian uprising that forced Tsar Nicholas II to abdicate and established a provisional government. It opened the Russian sequence that gave the broader wave its initial spark.
Soviet Union: A federal socialist state established in 1922 and dissolved in 1991. The Russian revolutionary victory produced a durable state that reshaped global politics.
German Revolution of 1918–1919: The uprising that ended the German monarchy and established a republic after World War I. It toppled the Kaiser and brought socialist factions into a struggle over Germany’s future.
Russian Civil War: The 1917–1922 conflict among the Bolshevik government, its opponents, and foreign interveners. Russia’s revolution survived through a civil war that also shaped movements abroad.
October Revolution: The Bolshevik seizure of power in Petrograd in November 1917 by the Gregorian calendar. It established a revolutionary government whose example traveled far beyond Russia.
Weimar Republic: Germany’s parliamentary republic, established after the 1918 revolution and lasting until 1933. The German revolution replaced monarchy with a fragile democratic order.
Hungarian Soviet Republic: A short-lived communist state in Hungary, led by Béla Kun in 1919. Its brief rule showed how far revolutionary politics spread beyond Russia.
Workers' councils: Elected assemblies of workers and soldiers that organize representation and political action. Councils offered an alternative source of authority during the collapse of old governments.