The Bolshevik Myth · Chapter
XVIII: The British Labor Mission explained
In May 1920, the arrival of the British Labor Mission in Petrograd and Moscow sparks a mix of hope and skepticism among the Russian populace and Communist officials.
What happens
In May 1920, the arrival of the British Labor Mission in Petrograd and Moscow sparks a mix of hope and skepticism among the Russian populace and Communist officials. The chapter details the official festivities, military displays, and banquets organized to impress the delegates, while revealing underlying tensions: workers express naive hopes for aid, Communist leaders like Radek and Petrovsky push a diplomatic facade, and delegates like Bertrand Russell chafe at the surveillance and 'prison atmosphere.' Angelica Balabanova and the narrator advocate for honesty, but the official policy of exaggeration and control threatens to undermine the Mission's purpose.
Themes in this chapter
Revolutionary Idealism vs. Reality
The chapter contrasts the grandiose official narrative of the Revolution as a 'world-changing event' with the grim realities of starvation, surveillance, and the 'primed' factories that delegates begin to perceive.
Betrayal of Revolutionary Ideals
Communist officials resort to deception, exaggeration, and control over the Mission's experience, betraying the ideal of proletarian solidarity and open truth in favor of diplomatic manipulation.
Distrust of the Masses
The regime's careful staging of the Mission's visit and the Cheka's filtering of visitors reveal a deep distrust of spontaneous contact between foreign delegates and ordinary Russians.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
Observes the British Mission's arrival and the reactions of workers and officials; serves as translator and informal liaison, noting the gap between propaganda and reality.
- Angelica Balabanova
A member of the Reception Committee who agrees with the narrator that the Mission should be shown the full truth about Russia; appears perturbed at the lavish banquet.
- Radek
Sent from Moscow to welcome the Mission; a strong defender of 'diplomacy' and creating a good impression on the delegates.
- Kamenev
Greets the Mission on behalf of the Central Government at the Moscow railway station.
- Karakhan
Arrives late at the Moscow station and offers a ride to Bertrand Russell and the narrator; unfamiliar with Russell's identity.
- Bertrand Russell
A delegate of the British Mission; becomes separated and bewildered at the Moscow station; later noted as struggling to navigate the controlled environment.
- Petrovsky
Also known as Dr. Goldfarb; a recent convert to Bolshevism and Commissar of military education; advocates for diplomatic impression management.
Key passages
“The Russian Revolution is the greatest event in all history... petty consideration should have no place in it. A new world is in the making; to minimize the terrific travail of such a birth is worse than folly.”
A delegate argues that the Revolution's historic significance outweighs any minor flaws, and that the suffering of its birth should not be downplayed.
Reflects the tension between revolutionary idealism and the harsh realities the Mission is beginning to witness.
“We are friendly disposed... and there is no sense in such tactics.”
A Mission member complains that the surveillance and restrictions are unnecessary given their sympathetic stance.
Highlights the growing resentment among delegates toward the controlled environment imposed by the Cheka.
