In 1914 the Empire of Russia declared war on Germany, joining what would later be known as the Great War (World War I). Though the empire had the largest army in Europe it was weak and divided, resulting in many defeats. By 1917 Russia was near collapse. In April of that year a revolution toppled the czar (emperor), replacing him with a democratic government. One small faction within the new government was the Bolsheviks, inspired by the ideas of Communism and led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924). In October 1917 the Bolsheviks seized power and used their powerful group of local organizing councils, called Soviets, to overthrow the government. They signed a peace treaty with Germany and took Russia out of the war. A civil war then began. One side became known as the Reds (the Soviets, who used a red flag) and the other as the Whites. The Whites were divided; some forces followed the democratic government but other armies wanted to return the czar to the throne. The Soviets were centrally directed and held the central core of Russia, especially the major cities of St. Petersburg and Moscow. The Allied Powers were angry that Russia had left the war and blamed the Soviets. They also feared the Communist government the Soviets wanted to install. They sent troops to Russia, including contingents from the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and the United States (7,000 Americans were sent and stayed until 1920 when they were pulled out). In Russia the Allied troops fought on the side of the Whites. (Not all saw constant action, however, as evidenced by this photograph of a staged enemy capture, taken by Dr. Charles Canedy of Greenfield, Massachusetts.) By 1922 the Soviets declared victory, naming the huge area they had conquered the Soviet Union. They remained in power until 1990.