My Disillusionment in Russia · Chapter
Industrial Militarization explained
The chapter describes the Ninth Congress of the All-Russian Communist Party in March 1920, which introduced the militarization of labor and one-man management of industry, replacing the collegiate shop system.
What happens
The chapter describes the Ninth Congress of the All-Russian Communist Party in March 1920, which introduced the militarization of labor and one-man management of industry, replacing the collegiate shop system. The narrator visits several factories in Petrograd—Putilov, Treugolnik, a flour mill, and Laferm tobacco factory—to gauge worker sentiment. Workers express bitterness, hunger, and resentment toward the new policies, while officials defend the measures as necessary for survival. The narrator debates with Jack Reed about the necessity of labor militarization and attempts to advocate for improvements, but is met with ideological resistance from Lisa Zorin.
Themes in this chapter
State Power vs. Individual Freedom
The militarization of labor and one-man management impose rigid discipline on workers, who feel like prisoners and resent the loss of autonomy.
Suffering of the People
Workers endure hunger, cold, and harsh conditions; pregnant women and children labor in toxic environments, and the promised improvements never materialize.
Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals
The narrator reflects that the Revolution has not brought basic improvements like rest rooms, and workers feel the old discipline and exploitation have returned.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator visits factories to understand worker conditions and debates labor militarization with Jack Reed.
- Jack Reed
Jack Reed argues that labor militarization is unavoidable due to the blockade and hunger, though the narrator questions its efficacy.
- Lisa Zorin
Lisa Zorin defends the party's policies, claiming workers have more important concerns than rest rooms, and that the Revolution must be defended.
- Ravitch
Ravitch helps arrange the narrator's factory visits after Zorin was evasive.
- Zinoviev
Rumors circulate that Zinoviev and his staff were driven from factories by workers while explaining new policies.
Key passages
“We have been compelled to mobilize an army to fight our external enemies, why not an army to fight our worst internal enemy, hunger?”
Jack Reed argues that if military mobilization is justified against foreign foes, then labor mobilization is equally justified against hunger.
Reed defends the militarization of labor as a necessary response to the food crisis.
“As if we had not been driven enough before. Now we are to work under the military nagaika.”
A Putilov worker complains that the new policy adds military coercion to their existing hardships.
Workers resent the militarization, feeling it is a return to oppressive discipline.
“The workers have achieved control; they are now in power, and they have more important things to attend to than rest rooms—they have the Revolution to defend.”
Lisa Zorin dismisses the need for rest rooms, prioritizing the defense of the Revolution over worker welfare.
Zorin's reasoning reflects the party's focus on ideological and military survival over immediate human needs.