Nestor Makhno

Nestor Ivanovitch Makhno , (Ukrainian НесторІвановичМахно in ) is an anarchistic Ukrainian born with Houljaipole (Oblast de Zaporijjia) on October 27th 1889 and died with Paris the 25 juilliet 1934.

Childhood with the first engagements

Wire of old serfs, early childhood of Makhno, whose father dies whereas it has only 11 months, is marked by a great misery. As of 10 years it must leave the school to work and help its family in the need. Conscious of the injustice of which it is victim, it does not include/understand really the fight of its ancestors, the Cosaques of Zaporijjia, for the freedom, which the day when, at 13 years, not supporting more to see a stable boy being made coil blows by the young Masters, it runs to seek of the assistance near the first stable boy, Batko Ivan, which street on the two men. All the employees then ask for their account near the old owner who takes fear. This first revolt marks the Makhno young person deeply. In 1906, period of great repression tsarist, it becomes acquainted with anarchistic peasants of Goulaï Polié. This group of libertarian communist peasants publishes and distributes leaflets, answers by the direct action governmental terror, with through in particular of expropriations. Following the example other anarchists of the Russian Empire, they issue “black Terror” against tsarism. Following the fallen through attacks of the group of Gouliaï-Polié (against the governor of the province then against the local subsidiary company of the Okhrana) Nestor Makhno is stopped with 13 of his/her comrades. He escapes the capital punishment because of his young age, and leaves prison only to the revolution, nine years later. In prison he discovers the Mutual aid of Pierre Kropotkine, becomes acquainted with Piotr Archinov, and, witness of the servile attitude of the intellectuals towards the slave-drivers, ceases believing in the revolutionary honesty of the politicians. After its release, it turns over to Goulaï Polié, its birthplace, where it runs up against the local anarchists who know like means of action only propaganda. Makhno thus decides to create a Union of the peasants (March 29th, 1917) which becomes the same year a Soviet. Like a powder trail, the initiative is spread in the workmen and the peasants of all the area. It is the return of expropriations, of the collectivization of the grounds, the factories and the workshops. This period also sees the birth of Communes resting on voluntarism, the equality, the solidarity and the self-management of certain manufactures. Elected with the presidency of the communal committee, Nestor Makhno invests there most clearly of his time, sharing the principles of equality and fraternity preached by the council of the Soviet.

January 6th, 1918 the Constituent Assembly is dissolved, the situation is so confused that the armies austro-allemandes benefit from it to penetrate in Russia and to threaten the mode Bolshevik. March 3rd, 1918, by the agreement of Brest-Litovsk, Lénine accepts the dismantling of the Russian ex-Empire. The Ukraine, under protectorate austro-German, is again confronted with the exactions made by the return of German and the landowners. Insurrectionists raise themselves and a battalion made up of volunteers of Goulaï Polié is formed to come to assistance of the town of Alexandrovsk and to fight against the military occupation. The German troops benefit from it to occupy Gouliaï-Polié. Appointment is thus taken with Makhno with Taganrog. Some have the role of giving an account of the difficulties which revolutionary Russia faces, others to prepare the clandestine organization of the revolutionists. Makhno leaves for Moscow where it meets anarchistic theorists whom it finds particularly passive, and Lénine, with which it discusses the situation in Ukraine. Of return in its native area, it demene to awake the spirit of rebellion and to prepare rising against the oppressors. September 1918 thus sees the birth of famous “the Makhnovchtchina” and of its black flags. In less than 3 months, the makhnovists release an important part of the Eastern Ukraine. The overcome troops of occupation, the new enemy is the general Anton Ivanovitch Dénikine, and his troops.

White, reds, the Makhnovchtchina

In 1917, an army of the Volunteers, primarily made up of nationalist officers, wants to stand as guarantor of a Constituent Assembly elected by the people. Following the dissolution of the Parliament by Lénine, in January 1918, the Volunteers declare the war with the Bolsheviks. Carrying a white ribbon to be distinguished from their enemies, they are consequently called the " blancs". The various white factions are found soon under the single command of the Dénikine general.

In front of the threat that the troops of Dénikine represent, Lénine and Trotsky create a new army (" Red Army of the workmen and the peasants "), made up of a big number of Pole, Chinese, former prisoners of war Hungarian, Serb, German, and former officers tsarists, while the majority of the Russian soldiers are recruited of force, the mode of Lénine being served by its agrarian and working policy.

Makhno and its troops are raised immediately against the " blancs" , but hesitate to fight at the sides of the reds. However, following the dispersion of the Soviet of Ekatérinoslav (regional capital) and with the arrest of six Bolsheviks by the pétliouriens (armed with Simon Petlioura, president of the Ukrainian Directory), Makhno agrees to intervene. Not only by solidarity for the revolution but in the hope also to seize the arsenal of the city. December 27th, 1918 the makhnovists attack the garrison. The pétliouriens are cut off in the city where street battles last several days. Days during which the reds try to monopolize the local authority. But Makhno, which quickly includes/understands the goal of their operations, hunting. Consequently, the reds do not assume any more their role of allies. Forwarding is a bitter failure for the makhnovists. The population, reducing in front of the army of the white which plunder, violate and shoot, seeks to join Gouliaï-Polié, center of the insurrection. Hundreds of peasants come to enlarge the troops makhnovists which are reformed quickly. But the armies of Dénikine do not cease progressing, it is thus necessary to act as fast as possible, also on January 26th an agreement between reds and makhnovists is signed. In exchange of provisioning and weapons, the makhnovists agree to become the " 3rd brigade of Dniepr" , integral part of the Red Army. In spite of this agreement, the Bolsheviks, anxious of the growing number of revolutionary anarchists and Socialists within the troops of Makhno, distribute weapons to the insurgent makhnovists only with the dropper. Besides they give up soon the Ukraine to reinforce the defense of Moscow that the offensive of Dénikine threatens dangerously.

From October 26th to December 5th, 1919, its troops plunder, violate and kill many pacifist Mennonites in Ukraine. The massacre of Eichenfeld, for example, is balanced in two days by the death of 136 old men, men, women and children. The memninites lived in the relatively rich colonies and employed few days laborer external at their community. The writer Fritz SEN, who was of nothing a historian, claims in his news Panta Rhei that the mennonites would have been sufficiently avid landowners to profit without remorse from the advantages of slavery (undoubtedly serfdom should be heard) necessary, whereas this one was already prohibited at the time everywhere in Russia since 1861 and that there had never existed in the colonies mennonites considered as populated free peasants.

Makhno carries out the fight until in 1919, against the white forces and the troops of German and Austrian occupation. Then, the makhnovists, declared outlaw by the Bolsheviks, take the weapons against the reds. In August 1920, Makhno is wounded at the time of a combat against the army Bolshevik. Fearing for its life, the Council decides to make him leave the Ukraine. Initially in Romania, where Tchitchérine tries to make it extradite and judge for terrorist activity against the Ukraine, then in Poland. It goes then to Dantzig where, again, it is held. Thanks to an small group of local anarchists he escapes to join Paris where following interesting meetings he founds Dielo Trouda. He takes again there his activities but under a theoretical angle (inter alia a criticism of the Russian anarchistic defeat and the question of the organization of the anarchists: organisational Platform of the libertarian Communists ). He dies in Paris on July 25th, 1934, leaving his unfinished accounts of Ukraine.

Sources

Ida Mett, Memories on Nestor Makhno , ED. Combined, 1998. * Galina A. Kouzmenko (partner of Nestor Makhno), Makhno and the Ukrainian revolution (1917-1921) , ED. libertarian Workshop of Creation * Voline, the unknown Revolution , ED. Pierre Belfond, 1969.
Alexandre Skirda, Nestor Makhno, the libertarian Cossack , editions of Paris, 1999.
Alexandre Skirda, Russian Anarchists, Soviets and the revolution of 1917 , editions of Paris, 2000.

References

Ida Mett, Memories on Nestor Makhno, barataria.be * Dielo Trouda, Platform of organization of the libertarian Communists, on nestormakhno.info , 1926
Pascal Nurnberg, Ukraine 1917/1923, Nestor Makhno and the insurrectionary Army of Ukraine, Le Monde Libertarian, on increvablesanarchistes.org , 1972
Peter Letkemann, Mennonite Victims off Revolution, Anarchy, Civil War, Disease and Famine, 1917-1923, on mbconf.ca , 2000
Walter Unger, Mennonite Cruise Heritage, on ica.net .

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