The Bolshevik Myth · Chapter
I: My Personal Attitude and Reactions explained
The narrator recounts their journey from early revolutionary idealism to disillusionment with the Bolshevik regime.
What happens
The narrator recounts their journey from early revolutionary idealism to disillusionment with the Bolshevik regime. Initially inspired by the October Revolution, they arrived in Soviet Russia eager to support the Bolsheviks despite anarchist principles. Over eighteen months, they witnessed inequality, repression, and betrayal of revolutionary ideals, culminating in the Kronstadt Uprising, which shattered their faith and led to a final break with the Communists.
Themes in this chapter
Revolutionary Idealism vs. Reality
The narrator's initial faith in the Bolsheviks as the vanguard of social emancipation is shattered by the harsh realities of repression and tyranny.
Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals
The narrator sees the Bolsheviks betray the slogans of October, turning the revolution into a dictatorship and crushing the Kronstadt sailors who sought true Soviet democracy.
Dictatorship and State Absolutism
The Party dictatorship becomes an irresponsible absolutism of a few overlords, suppressing popular initiative and self-reliance.
Terror and Violence
The red terror grows to an orgy, with villages laid waste, prisons filled with workers and peasants, and the Kronstadt uprising crushed ruthlessly.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator reflects on their personal journey from revolutionary hope to disillusionment with the Bolsheviks.
- Lenin
Mentioned as having asserted that the Bolsheviks were ultimately Anarchists and that political power was a temporary means.
- Emma Goldman
Implied as the narrator, given the autobiographical context of the chapter.
- Alexander Berkman
Implied as the narrator, given the autobiographical context of the chapter.
Key passages
“I saw the Bolsheviki reflect the Revolution as a monstrous grotesque; I saw tragic revolutionary necessity institutionalised into irresponsible terror, the blood of thousands shed without reason or measure.”
The narrator witnessed the Bolsheviks distort the revolution into a grotesque form, institutionalizing terror and shedding blood excessively.
Highlights the theme of terror and violence and the betrayal of revolutionary ideals.
“Kronstadt was crushed as ruthlessly as Thiers and Gallifet slaughtered the Paris Communards. And with Kronstadt the entire country and its last hope. With it also my faith in the Bolsheviki.”
The suppression of the Kronstadt uprising, compared to the Paris Commune massacre, destroyed the country's last hope and the narrator's faith in the Bolsheviks.
Key moment of disillusionment and the final break with the Communists.