2-378-177 - Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images

Young Red Guards, Russia, c1917-c1923(?). The original Red Guards were armed groups of workers controlled by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. They formed the basis for the Red Army which replaced the old Russian military in January 1918 and fought during the Russian Civil War. The term 'Red Guards' is often used to members of the Red Army rather than in its original context.