First Russian War (The Greatest Depression)

First Russian War (also known as Russian Civil War) was a military conflict between Tsarists, Oppositionists and national minorities seeking independence. The war has claimed lives of 400.000 combatants, but ensuing terror, ethnic cleansening, famine and plague have killed 3-5 million people, making it the deadliest conflict of 20th century.

Background
Tensions have been rising in the Russian Empire, from the beggining of 20th century. 1905 revolution saw no major successes, but absolute rule of Tsar, poverty and growing inequality created militant population. When in 1929 crisis begun, Russia was one of the worst hit countries. Its unindustrialized economy based on wheat exports has crushed, leading to massive unemployment, widespread hunger and starvation and militancy. Tsar ordered strikes to be crushed with force, which led to full scale civil war in March 1930.

Communists and tsarists
Massive strikes forced tsar to escape to Vladivostok. Largely supported by the population, communists seized most of European ethnic Russia.