Anarchists and the Russian Revolution

[Barry Woodling]

Anarchists and the Russian Revolution

Harrison Salisbury in his book on the Russian Revolution relates the story of the Russian anarchist Alexander Berkman sitting on a park bench in Alexandrovsky Gardens next to the Kremlin in Moscow in September 1921. He had previously sat there with Fanya Baron, another Russian Anarchist. Berkman feared for her safety as anarchists were being arrested by the Cheka (Russian secret police). Baron was confident however, that no one would recognise her disguised as a peasant. Now she was shot dead by the Cheka in Odessa together with the poet Lev Chorny- an anarchist theoretician whom Victor Serge had known in Paris. The Cheka called them bandits. Emma Goldman wanted to chain herself to the railings at the 3rd Congress of the Communist International but was dissuaded. Lenin and Zinoviev proved impervious to any such protests. The depredations of the Bolshevik Secret police illustrate the true nature of the Leninist dictatorship.

Barry Woodling

[Barry Woodling]

The Kronstadt Rebellion 1921- Part 1.

In February 1921 the sailors on the battleships Petropavlovsk and Sevastopol sent a delegation to Petrograd to investigate the social unrest there. Disturbing reports had reached the sailors of strikers being executed in large numbers by the Cheka (the Russian secret police).

The sailors on reaching Petrograd discovered that hundreds of locked out workers had been arrested and that there was a severe food shortage. In January the Bolsheviks had cut the bread ration by one third in a city already starving.

Alexander Brkman the Russian born Anarchist was in Petrograd on February 21st and was extremely apprehensive about these developments. HIs diary notes- "Crowds of strikers gathered in the streets near the mills and soldiers were sent to disperse them...Martiaal law...Zashevich a military member of the Defence Committee denounced the workers as "leeches attempting extortion".

Outbreaks of social disorder spread to Moscow. Factory workers had barracked Lenin and spontaneous demonstrations took place in the streets calling for the establishment of a constituent assembly.

In Petrograd strikes spread like wildfire from factory to factory- Trubochny, the Laferme tobacco plant, Skorokhod, the Baltic and Patronny metal works, the Admiralty shipyards, and the Putilov plant. Pamphlets demanded the release of political prisoners, the ending of Martial law, freedom of speech and civil rights. Zinoviev the Bolshevik head in Petrograd panicked and requested troop reinforcements from Moscow.

To be continued.

Barry Woodling

Northern Anarchist Network.

[michele cryer]

Very good stuff, Comrade Barry...lol...keep it coming I love my russian history!

[Mitch]

Second on that, thanks Barry. It's good having it in snippets as well.

This snippet I found especially relevant considering recent events at Time Computers in Simonstone. Police were there to prevent 'breaches of the peace'.

Shame Bryan isn't about to cover and assist there - hope he's back soon.

best wishes. Mitch

[barry woodling]

The Kronstadt Rebellion 1921. Part 2.

Alexander Berkmans diary captures the essence of these momentous events. The delegates from the 2 battleships reported back to their companeros at Kronstadt. A series of demands were formulated:-

Elections of Soviets by secret ballot;
Freedom of agitation;
Freedom of speech for all anarchists, left wing political parties and peasants;
Freedom of assembly for trade unions and peasant organisations;
Freeing of political prisoners;
Abolition of all commisars and political departments;
Equality of rations;
Abolition of communist detachments in the army and communist guards in the factories;
Freedom for peasants to keep land and livestock.

Essentially the sailors were calling for an end to the Leninist/Bolshevik dictatorship and the establishment of genuine workers power.

Berkman witnessed a meeting at the Tauride Palace which was packed by communists who shouted down the factory delegates. Zinoviev condemned the strikers as "enemies of the Soviet regime". Mikhail Kalinin
the Soviet President alleged that Kronstadt was the centre of a White Guard conspiracy. A resolution was passed which demanded immediate surrender. Berkman described it as a "declaration of war". Trotsky came to Petrograd and issued an ultimatum to the strikers- surrender or he would "quell the mutiny and subdue the mutineers by force of arms". He then threatened Kronstadt "I will shoot you like pheasants".

Berkman and Emma Goldman attempted to intervene by appealing to Zinoviev without success. On March 7th Berkman wrote in his diary - "It is 6 pm. Kronstadt has been attacked....My heart is numb with despair. Something has died within me".

To be concluded

Barry Woodling

Northern Anarchist Network

[Mitch]

Thanks Barry,

I can see why Emma Goldman thought so much of Berkman. He has a way of capturing the weight of human feeling/empathy combined with a clear assessment of the horrendous turning of events towards dictatorship - in such few words - 'something has died within me'. It is a pertinent reminder in these contemporary times I think.

How is your research into Sydney Silverman going? He seems to be most remembered for his great work on challenging capital punishment and the anti-hanging campaign and his later activity in CND, and of course his and Michael Foot's expulsion from the Labour Party.

I'm interested as well though in whether he was involved locally in Nelson and Colne with the Independent Labour party, and specifically what he did round here locally for local people. Any information on this.

Best wishes Mitch

[barrywoodling]

Thanks for your comments Mitch which are full of insight and very much appreciated. I will be writing something about Sydney Silverman in the near future.

Barry

Northertn Anarchist Network

[barrywoodling]

The Kronstadt Rebellion 1921- Part 3.

Kronstadt fell 10 days later. The sailors the most radical element within the October Revolution had been defeated. 8,000 defenders escaped to Finland. 600 died in the fighting many of those masacred. Over 1,000 were wounded and 2,500 taken prisoner. 13 were executed as ringleaders. HUndreds were shot and the rest sent to the feared Solovki prison on a White Sea island. Soviet casualties killed, wounded and missing have been estimated at 10,000.

Berkman anguished over these events and Goldman in the Astoria Hotel felt the city of Petrograd ressembled a "ghastly corpse". When the latter heard the bands playing the Internationale as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Paris Commune she remarked:- "Its strains once jubilant to my ears now sound like a funeral dirge for humanitys hope".

Brkman and Goldman decided to leave Russia. It is appropriate to quote Emma Goldman in conclusion.

"Violence, the tragic inevitability of revolutionary upheavals became an established custom....Did not Zinoviev himself canonise Dzerzhinsky, the head of the bloody Cheka as the "saint of the revolution?". Were not the greatest public honours paid by the state to Uritsky, the founder and sadistic chief of the Petrograd Cheka?".

"This perversion of the ethical values soon crystallised into the all-dominating slogan of the Communist Party:- The end justified all means".

Barry Woodling

Northern Anarchist Network

[michele cryer]

Barry...I've just had a quick glance at the latest N.V. and noticed that you are the nephew of Leon Greenman...I took my daughter and her friend to see him speaking about his Auschwitz experiences in Burnley in 2001...very moving...perhaps you will do some sort of review of his book for the web forum?

[Mitch]

admin said:

Barry...I've just had a quick glance at the latest N.V. and noticed that you are the nephew of Leon Greenman...I took my daughter and her friend to see him speaking about his Auschwitz experiences in Burnley in 2001...very moving...perhaps you will do some sort of review of his book for the web forum?

Or come and give us a talk in Burnley. This is fascinating. Also, has the latest copy of NV come out - if so I haven't seen it and would be interested.

I'm waiting for my copy of Freedom too?? I subscribed online about two weeks ago.

Calling Rob Ray, Calling Rob Ray?? Is it in the post?? ;D

[barrywoodling]

I will try to put something on the web forum about Leon in the near furure Michelle. He is a truly remarkable man. I would like to come over to Burnley and give a talk but am incredibly busy at the moment. Perhaps in a month or twos time.

Barry

[michele cryer]

Thanks Barry...your input would be fascinating!