Ten Days That Shook the World · Chapter
3: Looting of the Winter Palace explained
John Reed addresses allegations of widespread looting at the Winter Palace, arguing that the most valuable art treasures had been moved to Moscow before the Bolshevik takeover.
What happens
John Reed addresses allegations of widespread looting at the Winter Palace, arguing that the most valuable art treasures had been moved to Moscow before the Bolshevik takeover. He notes that some items were stolen by the public, valued at about $50,000, and describes the Soviet government's efforts to recover the loot through proclamations and a special commission of artists and archaeologists. The chapter concludes with the Winter Palace being renamed the 'People's Museum' and placed under the control of an artistic-archaeological commission.
Themes in this chapter
Workers' Control and Economic Transformation
The Soviet government's creation of a commission to recover looted art and the renaming of the Winter Palace to 'People's Museum' reflect efforts to assert control over cultural assets and transform them into public property.
Struggle for Legitimacy and Power
The Bolsheviks' actions to protect and inventory the Winter Palace treasures were part of a broader effort to establish legitimacy and counter accusations of vandalism and theft.
Characters to notice
- G. Yatmanov
Commissar for the Protection of Museums and Artistic Collections; co-signed proclamations urging the return of stolen objects from the Winter Palace.
- John Reed
Author and narrator; provides firsthand testimony about the looting and the subsequent recovery efforts.
Key passages
“I do not mean to maintain that there was no looting in the Winter Palace. Both after and before the Winter Palace fell, there was considerable pilfering.”
Reed acknowledges that looting did occur at the Winter Palace, both before and after its capture.
Reed sets the record straight, admitting some theft but disputing exaggerated claims.
“The most important art treasures of the Palace—paintings, statues, tapestries, rare porcelains and armorie—had been transferred to Moscow during the month of September; and they were still in good order in the basement of the Imperial Palace there ten days after the capture of the Kremlin by Bolshevik troops.”
The most valuable artworks had been moved to Moscow in September and remained safe after the Bolsheviks took the Kremlin.
Reed provides evidence that the bulk of the art was not stolen, countering rumors of massive losses.
“The Soviet Government immediately created a special commission, composed of artists and archaeologists, to recover the stolen objects.”
The Bolsheviks quickly formed a commission of experts to retrieve the looted items.
Highlights the government's proactive response to protect cultural heritage.
“On November 16th the Winter Palace was closed to the public while the inventory was being made.”
The Winter Palace was shut to visitors on November 16 for an inventory.
Shows the systematic effort to document and secure the palace's contents.
“During the last week in November a decree was issued by the Council of People’s Commissars, changing the name of the Winter Palace to 'People’s Museum,' entrusting it to the complete charge of the artistic-archæological commission, and declaring that henceforth all Governmental activities within its wall were prohibited.”
In late November, the Council of People's Commissars renamed the Winter Palace the 'People's Museum,' placed it under the commission's control, and banned government use of the building.
The decree symbolized the transformation of imperial property into a public cultural institution.