Nestor Makhno and Rural Anarchism in Ukraine, 1917-1921

Reveals a little-known history of 1917: the Ukrainian anarcho-communist Makhnovists

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.

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List of Abbreviations

Acknowledgements

1. The Deep Roots of Rural Discontent: Guliaipole, 1905–17
2. The Turning Point: Organising Resistance to the German Invasion, 1918
3. Brigade Commander and Partisan: Makhno’s Campaigns against Denikin, January–May 1919
4. Betrayal in the Heat of Battle? The Red–Black Alliance Falls Apart, May–September 1919
5. The Long March West and the Battle at Peregonovka
6. Red versus White, Red versus Green: The Bolsheviks Assert Control
7. The Last Act: Alliance at Starobel’sk, Wrangel’s Defeat, and Betrayal at Perekop
8. The Bitter Politics of the Long Exile: Romania, Poland, Germany, and France, 1921–34
9. Why Anarchism? Why Ukraine? Contextualising Makhnovshchina
10. Epilogue: The Reframing of Makhno for the Twenty-First Century

Notes

Index