The Bolshevik Myth · Chapter
II explained
The narrator arrives at the border to meet the expected American deportees, but instead encounters a group of Russian war prisoners returning from Denmark.
What happens
The narrator arrives at the border to meet the expected American deportees, but instead encounters a group of Russian war prisoners returning from Denmark. A tense negotiation unfolds with local Bolshevik officials and the Cheka chief Prehde, who insists on executing two alleged spies. The narrator manages to secure the prisoners' transport to Petrograd and averts immediate violence through persuasion, while awaiting the delayed American deportees.
Themes in this chapter
Terror and Violence
The Cheka chief Prehde casually discusses executing alleged spies based on a denunciation, illustrating the arbitrary and deadly power of the state security apparatus.
Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals
Prehde, once opposed to capital punishment, now carries out death sentences, highlighting the betrayal of revolutionary principles in the name of defending the Revolution.
Dictatorship and State Absolutism
The local officials' rigid adherence to orders from 'the center' and Prehde's absolute authority over life and death demonstrate the absolutist nature of the Bolshevik state.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator acts as the Chairman of the Reception Commission of the Petro-Soviet, negotiating with border officials and the Cheka to ensure the safe passage of war prisoners and awaiting American deportees.
- Chicherin
Chicherin is referenced as the recipient of urgent telegrams and the source of instructions regarding the disposition of war prisoners and American deportees.
- Tovarish Drozdov
Drozdov is a Cheka official who insists on searching and photographing the deportees at the border, but is persuaded by the narrator to defer the process to Petrograd.
- The Chekist
Prehde, the Chief of the Ossobiy Otdel, is a Lettish revolutionary who carries out death sentences and has absolute authority over the border district.
Key passages
“Nitchevo ne podelayesh! (It can't be helped!)”
The phrase 'It can't be helped' is used repeatedly by officials to justify inaction and fatalism in the face of bureaucratic obstacles.
This Russian expression encapsulates the resigned attitude of local authorities when confronted with the narrator's pleas to prevent starvation of war prisoners.
“How times change; it's only a few years ago that I was opposed to capital punishment, and now I myself carry out death sentences.”
Prehde reflects on his personal transformation from a death-sentenced revolutionary to an executioner for the state.
This quote underscores the theme of betrayal of revolutionary ideals and the normalization of violence under the Bolshevik regime.