The
Green armies,
Green Army (Russian:
Зелёная Армия), or
Greens (Russian:
Зелёные) were armed
peasant groups which fought against all governments in the
Russian Civil War of 1917–22. They fought to protect their communities from
requisitions or reprisals carried out by third parties. At times associated with the
Socialist-Revolutionary Party (by far the largest grouping of the
Russian Constituent Assembly elected in 1917), the Green Armies had at least tacit support throughout much of
Russia. However, the Green Armies' primary base, the
peasantry, were largely reluctant to wage an active campaign during the Russian Civil War.