Nestor Makhno and Rural Anarchism in Ukraine, 1917-1921

by Colin Darch

Overview

Histories of the Russian Revolution often present the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917 as the central event, neglecting the diverse struggles of urban and rural revolutionaries across the heartlands of the Russian Empire. This book takes as its subject one such struggle, the anarcho-communist peasant revolt led by Nestor Makhno in left-bank Ukraine, locating it in the context of the final collapse of the Empire that began in 1914.

Between 1917 and 1921, the Makhnovists fought German and Austrian invaders, reactionary monarchist forces, Ukrainian nationalists and sometimes the Bolsheviks themselves. Drawing upon anarchist ideology, the Makhnovists gathered widespread support amongst the Ukrainian peasantry, taking up arms when under attack and playing a significant role - in temporary alliance with the Red Army - in the defeats of the White Generals Denikin and Wrangel. Often dismissed as a kulak revolt, or a manifestation of Ukrainian nationalism, Colin Darch analyses the successes and failures of the Makhnovist movement, emphasising its revolutionary character.

Over 100 years after the revolutions, this book reveals a lesser known side of 1917, contributing both to histories of the period and broadening the narrative of 1917, whilst enriching the lineage of anarchist history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780745338880
Publisher:	Pluto Press
Publication date:	09/20/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 9.06(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Colin Darch is a fellow of the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa. He is the co-author of Freedom of Information in the Developing World (Oxford: Chandos, 2010).

Table of Contents

1. The Making of an Anarchist
2. Anarchism in Practice, February 1917
3. The Austrian and German Occupation
4. The Return from Moscow
5. The First Alliance with the Bolsheviks
6. The Alliance Falls Apart
7. The Long Retreat
8. The Battle of Peregonovka
9. From the Starobel Agreement to Order 149 
10. The NEP and the End of Rural Resistance 
Epilogue: the Organisational Platform and its Legacy

Editorial Reviews

'Utilising numerous sources, some only recently available, Colin Darch produces an admirably lucid account of complex events, supported by penetrating analysis' - Gary Littlejohn, author of 'A Sociology of the Soviet Union' (1984)

From the Publisher