Reds and Whites: During the Russian Civil War (1918-1922), the Reds were the Bolsheviks who supported the Communist Party, aiming to establish a socialist state. The Whites were a diverse group of anti-Bolshevik forces including monarchists, liberals, and former soldiers who aimed to defeat the Reds and restore the old regime or establish a different government.

Bolsheviks: A faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party led by Lenin, advocating for a radical socialist revolution.

Anti-Bolsheviks: Groups opposing the Bolsheviks, including monarchists, conservatives, and foreign interventionists.

War Communism: The economic and political system the Reds used during the Civil War to control resources and maintain the war effort.

Democracy: A system of government where the people have the power, often contrasted with the authoritarian rule of the Bolsheviks.

Source: Historian Richard Pipes describes the Reds as the 'revolutionaries committed to the socialist cause,' while the Whites are characterized as 'a loose coalition of opposition forces with varying aims.'