In 1922 a series of crop failures along with poor financial decisions made by the Russian imperial authorities caused a financial crisis known as the Russian depression (part of the extended [[European economicEconomic crisisCrisis]] of 1922 - 1928). During the depression massive famines in the Ukraine and the Don Kuban region sent thousands of refugees north towards urban centers such as Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kiev which led to food riots, strikes and crackdowns by imperial authorities. Around every large city in Russia large shanty towns informally known as "Czartowns" started popping up; these shantytowns were overcrowded and disease outbreaks were common in them. During this time period anti-elite, anti-czar and pro-republican sentiments started to grow throughout the Russian empire. In 1923 the Russian Republican Congress (the largest republican organization in Russia at the time, also known as the R.R.C.) had over a million members in the Muscovite region alone.
