# XXIII: In Soviet Institutions explained — The Bolshevik Myth

> Chapter companion for The Bolshevik Myth by Alexander Berkman.

## What happens

The narrator visits Petrovsky, Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee, who discusses the situation in Ukraine, the threat of Makhno, and the need for strong central authority. A peasant woman pleads for help finding her husband, a Red Army soldier arrested as a deserter. At labor union headquarters, workers complain about low wages, food shortages, and disappearances of relatives. The Secretary of the Soviet of Labor Unions explains the purge of Menshevik leadership, while the Chairman is besieged by desperate petitioners.

## Themes in this chapter

### Dictatorship and State Absolutism

Petrovsky advocates a strong central authority that crushes opposition and eliminates enemies like Makhno, reflecting Bolshevik absolutism.

### Human Suffering and Dehumanization

Workers and peasants endure starvation, wage arrears, and disappearances of loved ones, highlighting the human cost of the regime's policies.

### Economic Collapse and Survival

Workers complain that wages cannot keep up with food prices, and three months' pay is due; the village is their only hope for food.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

Visits Petrovsky and labor union headquarters, observing the bureaucratic and human struggles in Soviet Ukraine.

### Nestor Makhno

Referred to by Petrovsky as a dangerous robber ataman and enemy of the Soviet regime, accused of mutiny and fighting against the Bolsheviks.

### Trotsky

Mentioned as having outlawed Makhno after his mutiny opened the front to Denikin.

## Key lines

> His conception of Communism is a simple matter of a strong government and determination to execute its will. It is not a question of experimentation or idealistic possibilities.

Petrovsky sees communism as merely requiring a powerful government that resolutely enforces its policies, not as an experiment or ideal.

_Reflects the theme of dictatorship and state absolutism._

> Their wages, they complained, though continuously increased, do not keep step with the rising price of food. A week’s labor is not enough to purchase two pounds of bread. Moreover, three months’ pay is due them: the government has failed to supply enough money.

Workers report that wage increases are outpaced by soaring food prices, and they are owed three months of back pay due to a government cash shortage.

_Illustrates economic collapse and survival struggles._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_bolshevik_myth_se/chapters/xxiii-in-soviet-institutions
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