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. The Makhnovist movement is often dismissed as a kulak revolt, or a manifestation of Ukrainian nationalism; here Colin Darch analyses its successes and its failures, 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.

About the Author

Colin Darch is a fellow of the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa, and an honorary researcher at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Mozambique (London: Rowman and Littefield, 2018) and co-author of both Freedom of Information in the Developing World (Oxford: Chandos, 2010), and Samora Machel: Retorica Politica e Independencia em Mocambique (Salvador, Brazil: EDUFBA, 2018).

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)

'A timely and welcome contribution. Detailed and balanced, Darch's narrative succumbs to neither a romanticisation nor demonisation of Makhno. Readers will encounter a multifaceted Makhno attempting to navigate his movement through the furies of revolution and civil war'

-- Sean Patterson, author of 'Makhno and Memory: Anarchist and Mennonite Narratives of Ukraine's Civil War, 1917-1921'

'Before Rojava, before Spain, there was Ukraine. Darch's brilliant study recovers the intertwined stories of the anarchist Nestor Makhno, factory worker and son of freed serfs, and the revolution that swept Ukraine. This highly recommended study of an epic time shows another revolution was possible'

-- Lucien van der Walt, Professor of Economic & Industrial Sociology, Rhodes University



Book Information
ISBN 9780745338873
Author Colin Darch
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint Pluto Press
Publisher Pluto Press
Weight(grams) 324g