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The Russian Civil War began during the revolutionary period in Russia following World War I. The civil war saw the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin consolidate their hold on Russia after the October Revolution of 1917. They were opposed by the White Army.
In July 1918, the fighting spread to Ekaterinburg, where the former Tsar, Nicholas II, and his family were being kept under house arrest in Ipatiev House. To prevent the Whites and Czech forces from liberating the Romanovs, the Bolsheviks executed the whole family on 16 July, despite an attempted rescue by Thomas Preston at the British Consulate. The bodies of the Romanovs were dumped in a mine specially prepared for that purpose. (AUDIO: Last of the Romanovs)
By August 1919, the Bolsheviks were attempting to seize power in Uzbekistan, and were already in control of the north. (AUDIO: The Memory Cheats)
The ultimately victorious Bolsheviks established the Soviet Union. The First Doctor called the murder of the Romanovs the first of many crimes that would be perpetrated by the Soviet Union in the decades before its eventual collapse. (AUDIO: Last of the Romanovs) The new communist power became a major force in world affairs, greatly influencing events in Europe (PROSE: The Wages of Sin, Endgame, The Shadow in the Glass, et al.) and Asia during the 20th century. (PROSE: The Shadow of Weng-Chiang)