Red Dusk and the Morrow · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Red Dusk and the Morrow by Paul Dukes.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The epigraph quotes James Bryce's 'Modern Democracies,' warning that independence of thought, once threatened by monarchs, may again be endangered by new forms of intolerance even under popular government.
Chapter 2
Frontispiece
The frontispiece identifies the author as Sir Paul Dukes, K.B.E., establishing his credentials and authority for the narrative that follows.
Chapter 3
Red Dusk and the Morrow
The chapter recounts the author's experiences and investigations in Bolshevik Russia, detailing the atmosphere of suspicion, the struggles of daily life under the new regime, and the pervasive propaganda and control.
Chapter 4
I: One of the Crowd
The narrator recounts witnessing the outbreak of the Russian Revolution in Petrograd on March 11, 1917, describing the tense atmosphere, bloodshed, and the sacking of the Kresty Prison. After a year of Bolshevik rule, he works with the American Y.M.C.A. in Samara, training boy scouts, until he is urgently recalled to London. There, he is recruited into the Secret Intelligence Service and tasked with returning to Soviet Russia under a false identity. He meets Melnikoff, a monarchist seeking revenge for his parents' deaths, who helps arrange his secret crossing into Finland and then to Petrograd.
Chapter 5
Five Days
The narrator meets Marsh, who reveals his wife has been taken hostage by the Cheka. Marsh introduces him to Maria and explains the danger. The narrator later visits Zorinsky, who claims to be a counter-espionage agent and offers information about Melnikoff's arrest. Marsh, distraught over his wife's brutal interrogation, decides to flee and asks the narrator to take over efforts to free her.
Chapter 6
The Green Shawl
The narrator recounts the days following Marsh's flight, focusing on efforts to secure Mrs. Marsh's release and gather news of Melnikoff. He attends Communist meetings, studies Soviet literature, and befriends the ex-Journalist Dmitri Konstantinovitch, helping him manage his household. The narrator meets the 'Banker,' who sarcastically describes the Bolsheviks' hypocritical treatment of educated professionals. He brings money to Zorinsky, who suggests a risky method to cross into Finland via bribery. The little policeman advises that Mrs. Marsh's case is in abeyance and now is the time to act. Zorinsky reveals that Marsh has escaped to Finland, then cruelly predicts Mrs. Marsh will be shot as a hostage, deeply unsettling the narrator.
Chapter 7
IV: Meshes
The narrator returns to Petrograd after a brief stay in Finland, finding a city under tightening Bolshevik control. He reconnects with Maria and Stepanovna, and dines with Zorinsky, who reveals his knowledge of the narrator's trip to Finland and Mrs. Marsh's escape. Zorinsky warns him about Alexei Fomitch, a supposed German spy. The narrator reflects on the new political, social, and militarist tendencies in the city, including the co-opting of bourgeois specialists and the growing repression.
Chapter 8
V: Melnikoff
The narrator visits Melnikoff's uncle, the Doctor, in Petrograd. After initial suspicion, the Doctor accepts the narrator's identity and they discuss Melnikoff's disappearance and the suspicious behavior of Zorinsky. The chapter also describes a Bolshevik demonstration honoring Liebknecht and Luxembourg, revealing the regime's use of propaganda and crowd manipulation, and includes conversations with Dmitri and Shura about the nature of Bolshevism.
Chapter 9
VI: Stepanovna
The narrator describes his life as a fugitive in Bolshevik Petrograd, moving between trusted acquaintances. He recounts the friendship and eventual loss of Maria, the dull but decent stable-boy who replaces her, and his deepening reliance on Stepanovna. He witnesses a violent Bolshevik raid on a public market, where peasants are arrested for 'speculation.' The chapter ends with Varia's arrest while trying to flee to Finland, and the narrator's final, tense meeting with Stepanovna in the Kazan Cathedral, after which he never sees her again.
Chapter 10
Finland
The narrator describes his perilous ski journey across the Russian-Finnish border, aided by Finnish peasants and a young guide. He recounts his efforts to establish a courier service, his encounters with a German commandant hostile to the Allies, and his eventual successful crossing from the remote village of Rautta with the help of a Finnish lieutenant.
Chapter 11
VIII: A Village “Bourgeois-Capitalist”
The narrator visits Uncle Egor in the countryside and learns about the oppressive policies of the Bolshevik regime, including the Committees of the Poor and forced communes. Uncle Egor, a hardworking peasant, is disenfranchised and labeled a 'grabber.' The narrator then travels back to Petrograd with Uncle Egor and his daughter, witnessing the brutal suppression of 'sackmen' smuggling goods. Reflecting on the revolution's betrayal, the narrator contrasts the hope of 1917 with the current terror and starvation under Bolshevik rule.
Chapter 12
IX: Metamorphosis
The narrator reflects on never seeing Uncle Egor again and the peasant's ultimate victory. Returning to Petrograd, he senses unrest and learns of arrests. He cautiously returns to his empty flat, encounters the boy Grisha, and later hears that Zorinsky has been shot. Ivan Sergeievitch reveals Zorinsky's true identity as a Chekist agent who betrayed Melnikoff and others, working for both sides.
Chapter 13
X: The Sphinx
The narrator reflects on six months of intelligence work in Bolshevik Russia, detailing the precautions taken to avoid detection, his enlistment in the Red Army as a volunteer under a false identity, and his observations on the army, the peasantry, and the Communist Party. He recounts the ironic story of a Tsarist officer commander who accidentally aids the Red Army and is forced to join the Communist Party, and describes how his military position afforded him greater freedom and rations. The chapter concludes with a focus on the peasantry as the enigmatic 'Russian Sphinx' upon which the future depends.
Chapter 14
XI: The Red Army
This chapter provides a detailed analysis of the structure, political control, and internal dynamics of the Red Army during the Russian Civil War. It describes the deceptive recruitment of peasants, the formal oath of the Red Army soldier, the role of Revolutionary Tribunals guided by 'revolutionary conscience,' and the system of political commissars and Communist Party 'cells' that permeate the military. The author contrasts the Red Army's merit-based promotion with the failures of White armies, noting the peasantry's disillusionment with both sides. The chapter concludes with reflections on the potential for internal decay within the Communist Party and the possibility of a nationwide peasant uprising or a desperate westward migration.
Chapter 15
XII: "The Party" and the People
The chapter describes a session of the Petrograd Soviet, featuring speeches by Zinoviev and Badaev, and the orchestrated nature of the proceedings. It then examines the farce of Soviet elections under Bolshevik control, detailing how opposition is suppressed through intimidation, arrests, and manipulation. The narrative culminates in a wave of worker unrest, including strikes and a resolution from the Putilov works demanding the restoration of cooperative societies and an end to Cheka torture, which is violently suppressed by the authorities.
Chapter 16
Escape
The narrator recounts the harrowing journey to the Latvian front with two companions, a narrow escape from a train search, and the successful evasion of capture. He also reflects on previous failed escape attempts, including a plan to pose as a British admiral and a shipwreck in the Gulf of Finland, before finally managing to reach safety.
Chapter 17
XIV: Conclusion
In the concluding chapter, the author reflects on the state of Russia under Bolshevik rule, emphasizing the silent heroism of the intellectual class who remained to alleviate suffering despite persecution. He discusses the famine of 1921, the growing gulf between the Communist Party and the people, and the failure of the Third International's world-revolutionary hopes. The author argues for a humanitarian intervention and a transition to sane government, retaining non-political Soviet institutions while discarding the Cheka and propaganda organs. He praises the peasantry's resilience and private ownership instincts, and condemns the Bolshevik leadership's contempt for the Russian people, concluding that the revolution has produced a government alien to the nation's true aspirations.
Chapter 18
Endnotes
The endnotes provide clarifications on terminology, historical references, and contextual explanations regarding the author's experiences and claims made in the main text, including the Bolshevik name change, the National Centre, and the author's fabricated backstory.
Chapter 19
List of Illustrations
A listing of photographic plates and illustrations included in the book, depicting the author in disguise, forged documents, scenes of Soviet Russia, and various individuals encountered during his experiences.
