Nestor Makhno and rural anarchism in Ukraine, 1917-1921 / Colin Darch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Darch, Colin, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Makhno, Nestor Ivanovich, 1889-1934.

Makhno, Nestor Ivanovich.

Anarchists--Ukraine--Biography.

Anarchists.

Ukraine--History--Revolution, 1917-1921.

Ukraine.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (257 pages)

Place of Publication:

London : Pluto Press, [2020]

Summary:

Until recently, histories of the Russian Revolution have often presented the Bolshevik seizure of power in 1917 as the central event, neglecting not only its democratic aspects, but also 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. Too often dismissed as a kulak revolt, or a manifestation of Ukrainian nationalism, Colin Darch analyses the successes and failures of the Makhnovist movement in order to shine light on 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.

Contents:

The Deep Roots of Rural Discontent : Guliaipole, 1905-17

The Turning Point : Organising Resistance to the German Invasion, 1918

Brigade Commander and Partisan : Makhno's Campaigns against Denikin, January-May 1919

Betrayal in the Heat of Battle? The Red-Black Alliance Falls Apart, May-September 1919

The Long March West and the Battle at Peregonovka

Red versus White, Red versus Green : The Bolsheviks Assert Control

The Last Act : Alliance at Starobel'sk, Wrangels Defeat, and Betrayal at Perekop

The Bitter Politics of the Long Exile : Romania, Poland, Germany, and France, 1921-34

Why Anarchism? Why Ukraine? Contextualising Makhnovshchina

The Reframing of Makhno for the Twenty-First Century.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781786805270

1786805278

9781786805263

178680526X