Editing First Chechen War (section)

===Chechen Independence Struggles from the 18th to Early 20th Century===
[[Chechens|Chechen]] resistance against Russian [[imperialism]] has its origins as early as 1785 during the rule of [[Sheikh Mansur]], the first [[imam]] of the [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian peoples]]. Uniting various North-Caucausian nations under his command, Sheikh Mansur sought to repel Russian invasion and expansion into the region.

Despite intense resistance during the 1817–1864 [[Caucasian War]], Imperial Russian forces defeated the Chechens, annexed their lands, and deported thousands to the [[Middle East]] throughout the latter half of the 19th century. 

Following the [[Russian Revolution]] and collapse of the [[Russian Empire]] in 1917, Chechen efforts to assert independence failed, and by 1922 Chechnya was incorporated into the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic]] (RSFSR) - the largest member state of the newly-formed [[Soviet Union]] (USSR). In 1936, Soviet leader [[Joseph Stalin]] established the [[Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic]], within the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]].