The number of people who left Russia after the Civil War of 1917 reaches 2.5 million. For the most part, they were military, scientists, doctors, teachers, engineers, in general, intellectuals - creative, humanitarian and technical. A year later, the Soviet authorities faced a personnel famine and announced an amnesty for ”persons who had participated as ordinary soldiers in White Guard organizations.” All those who had been ”deceived or forcibly drawn into the struggle against Soviet power” were forgiven. The state needed educated people capable of raising the ruined industry.