Koltsov participated in the Russian Revolution of 1917, became a member of the Bolshevik Party in 1918 and took part in the Russian Civil War. A convinced communist, he soon became a key figure of the Soviet intellectual elite and arguably the most famous journalist in the Soviet Union, chiefly because of his well-written satirical essays and articles in which he criticised bureaucracy and other negative phenomena in the Soviet Union.
Koltsov's involvement in the Russian Revolution, his membership in the Bolshevik Party, and participation in the Russian Civil War all played significant roles in shaping his career as a prominent intellectual figure in the Soviet Union. His satirical writing that critiqued bureaucracy and other issues within the Soviet system made him a well-known journalist within the country.