In the context of the history of Russia and Soviet Union, Red Guards (Russian: "Красная Гвардия") were armed groups of workers formed in the time frame of the Russian Revolution. They were the main strike force of the bolsheviks. They were created in March 1917, under the control of bolsheviks at industrial enterprises by Factory and Plant Committees and by Bolshevik party cells. A number of other militarized formations created during the February Revolution, such as "people's militia" (народная милиция), created by the Russian Provisional Government, "groups of self-defence" (отряды самообороны), "committes of public security" (комитеты общественной безопасности), "workers' squads" (рабочие дружины) were gradually unified into the Red Guards.

Red Guards were the base for the forming of the Red Army. Therefore the term is often used as just another (incorrect) English name for the Red Army in reference to the times of the Russian Revolution and Russian Civil War.

In Petrograd, the head of the Red Guards (30,000 personnel) was Konstantin Yurenev . At the moment of the October Revolution, the Russian Red Guards had 200,000 personnel. After the revolution, the Red Guards performed the function of the Army. (The term "army" was not in use yet, since it was still associated with the tool of governmental oppression.)

Organization

During the revolution, training of the Red Guards was arranged by the Military Organization of the RSDLP.

Enlistment was voluntary, but required recommendations from Soviets, bolshevik party units or other public organizations. The military training of workers was often performed without disengagement from the work at plants. There were both infantry and horsemen regiments. At different places the organization was nonuniform in terms of subordination, head count, degree of military training. This state was often called "half-partisan". While being successful at local conflicts (e.g., with ataman Alexander Dutov in Orenburg guberniya), this loose organization was inefficient when combatting larger, organized forces of White Army. Therefore when the creation of the Red Army was decreed, Red Guards had become the Army Reserve and the base for the formation of regular military detachements.