Because the Turkmen generally didn't oppose the introduction of Soviet rule in 1917, little revolutionary activity occurred in the region in the years that followed. However, the years immediately before the revolution had been marked by sporadic Turkmen uprisings against Russian rule, most prominently the anti-tsarist revolt of 1916 that expanded through the whole of Turkestan. Their armed resistance to Soviet rule was part of the larger Basmachi Revolt throughout Central Asia from the 1920s into the early 1930s, which included most of the future USSR republics. Although Soviet sources describe this struggle as a minor chapter in the republic's history, it is clear that opposition was important and resulted in the death of large numbers of Turkmens.