The Bolshevik Myth · Chapter
IV: Moscow explained
The narrator travels from Petrograd to Moscow as an interpreter for Lansbury and Barry.
What happens
The narrator travels from Petrograd to Moscow as an interpreter for Lansbury and Barry. The journey is arduous due to poor railroad conditions, fuel shortages, and overcrowding. Upon arrival, the narrator struggles to find lodging in the overcrowded city but is eventually offered a room by a kind stranger named Sergei, a former San Francisco resident who now works with the Bolsheviks.
Themes in this chapter
Economic Collapse and Survival
The deplorable state of the railroad, fuel shortages, overcrowded trains, and the desperate conditions of people at the Moscow depot highlight the economic collapse and struggle for survival.
Human Suffering and Dehumanization
The emaciated, barefoot children begging for bread, the crowded and filthy teplushki, and the armed guards pushing back desperate crowds illustrate widespread human suffering and dehumanization.
Characters to notice
- Alexander Berkman
The narrator, who travels to Moscow as an interpreter for Lansbury and Barry.
- Lansbury
British journalist from the London Daily Herald, traveling to Moscow with the narrator.
- Karakhan
Occupies the former residence of the Sugar King of Russia, where the narrator first goes upon arrival.
- Sergei
A former San Francisco resident who offers the narrator a room in the Kharitonensky guest house; a Left Social Revolutionist now working with the Bolsheviks.
Key passages
“The railroad conditions between the two capitals (both cities are so considered) are deplorable. The engines are old and weak, the road in need of repair.”
The railway connecting Petrograd and Moscow is in terrible shape, with outdated engines and poorly maintained tracks.
Describes the physical decay of infrastructure during the civil war.
“The children stood shivering, knocking one foot against the other for warmth. Their emaciated little faces were blue and pinched, some of the boys barefoot on the frozen steps.”
Children at the station were freezing and malnourished, some without shoes on the icy steps.
Highlights the extreme poverty and suffering of the urban poor.
“Moscow is fearfully overcrowded, and the multiplying Government departments constantly need new quarters.”
Moscow is extremely crowded, with government agencies continuously taking over available space.
Explains the housing shortage and bureaucratic expansion.