Nestor Makhno

[Blackscare]

While we're busy showing appreciation for various things/people, I figured I'd start a thread for one of the most badass and inspiring military/political figures of the last century.

Having read about Makhno quite a bit I'd have to say that considering the material conditions he had to work with, he was at least as talented of a military leader as Trotsky or any other commander in the civil war IMO (and actually fought on the front lines, receiving many wounds). Also, his personal exploits are pretty amazing as well (even after you realize that half are made up, the other half that can be confirmed true are still very impressive).


He really was a heroic man, and yes I'm a total Makhno fanboy :D

Discuss his greatness or dispute it, this may turn out to be an interesting thread considering the wildly different impressions of him that have prevailed since the civil war. :)

http://www.nestormakhno.info/images/n1.jpg

http://www.nestormakhno.info/images/n2.jpg

http://www.nestormakhno.info/images/makh_old.jpg

[Stranger Than Paradise]

The guy's the ultimate badass. He was a hero, him and Durruti are the ultimate Anarchist revolutionaries in my opinion. I need to read more about Makhno though, Do you know any good books about him and the free territory?

[Sasha]

read anarchys cossak (recently rereleased by AKpress) http://www.wsm.ie/story/357
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[Killfacer]

http://www.nestormakhno.info/images/n1.jpg





By the looks of it he was also an emo.

[Absolut]

The guy's the ultimate badass. He was a hero, him and Durruti are the ultimate Anarchist revolutionaries in my opinion. I need to read more about Makhno though, Do you know any good books about him and the free territory?

History of the Makhnovist Movement, Peter Arshinov.

Very good book, by one of the leaders within the cultural department of the Black Army.

I can also imagine that Voline writes a fair bit about it in his The unknown revolution, but I havent read it, so I dont know.

[Communist Theory]

Who is this man? Is he an anarchist?

[Dóchas]

his collected works

http://nestormakhno.info/english/index.htm

[Blackscare]

read anarchys cossak (recently rereleased by AKpress) http://www.wsm.ie/story/357
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That is a great historical account ^^^


History of the Makhnovist Movement, Peter Arshinov.

Another great book on Makhno, important to read for a lot of reasons but since it was written right after the war by a member of the Makhnovist movement, it doesn't have as much of an objective perspective (although it is very detailed and well written, don't get me wrong) as a historical study like Skirda's (above).

It's best to read both, they both offer different things.


Who is this man? Is he an anarchist?

Leader of the Makhnovist (proto-platformist anarchist) movement in the Ukraine during the Russian civil war. Stopped Deniken and Wrangle in their tracks, drove out various imperialist armies (after Brest-Litovsk, for example), blew up an officer's ball (which he attended in disguise, waiting until they toasted "Makhno's death" (thats what they thought lol) to pull out a bomb, light it, and escape), and other badass shit.

Based on his experiences in the Ukraine, he and Arshinov created the Platform, a new organizational model for anarchist organizations that called for unity in theory and tactics, with anarchist communism being the theoretical basis and priority.

[Matina]

Makhno is cute, I'd have sex with him:wub:
But other than that I don't have a lot of respect for him

[Blackscare]

A lot of people have problems with makhno :/

What is it you don't like/respect? Just curious :lol:

[Matina]

What is it you don't like/respect? Just curious


Uhh I don't want another debate with anarchists, because they tend to gank on me. You guys seem to work in teams of 5 :lol: . I'm tired of arguing with you alone:(

Anyways Makhno was a bandit, he raided trains so he can get industrial goods and he was a dictator. Are you aware that his followers called him little father? I will actualy post this on the history section :lol:http://www.revleft.com/vb/../revleft/smilies2/laugh.gif

[Invincible Summer]

blew up an officer's ball (which he attended in disguise, waiting until they toasted "Makhno's death" (thats what they thought lol) to pull out a bomb, light it, and escape), and other badass shit.

Based on his experiences in the Ukraine, he and Arshinov created the Platform, a new organizational model for anarchist organizations that called for unity in theory and tactics, with anarchist communism being the theoretical basis and priority.

That is pretty badass... I gotta read up some more on this guy and platformist anarchism or whatever.

And I disagree w/ the previous comment that he looks like he was emo. That pose is more like "mysterious guy who is secretly badass and planning to fuck shit up"

[Jimmie Higgins]

Uhh I don't want another debate with anarchists, because they tend to gank on me. You guys seem to work in teams of 5 :lol: . I'm tired of arguing with you alone:(

Anyways Makhno was a bandit, he raided trains so he can get industrial goods and he was a dictator. Are you aware that his followers called him little father? I will actualy post this on the history section :lol:http://www.revleft.com/vb/../revleft/smilies2/laugh.gif

Anarchists cite him as an alternative to Bolshevism, but ironically he succumbed to many of the same problems that the larger revolution faced (isolation, deterioration of his social base) and he became more or less like many peasant-based revolutionaries throughout history.

He may have been heroic and sincere in his beliefs, but you simply can't have communism in isolated peasant communities alone. In China there have been dozens of peasant military leaders who fought the Emperors because of the oppression of the peasantry, but ironically even when they have succeeded and become Emporer themselves, they could not change feudalism. The most they could do was offer some reforms, but within a generation everything was back to the old ways except the peasants former liberator is now their oppressor.

It would have been the same if Makhno had run the revolution - his heroics or beliefs couldn't have overcome Russia's isolation, the attacks from the Industrial countries, and the weakness of the Russian working class (little industrialization and small in number).

For a socialist take on this, the international socialist review has a good article and another edition of the magazine has a responce from an anarchist from Anarchisfaq, Iain McKay,and the magazines editor.

http://www.isreview.org/issues/53/makhno.shtml

Anarchist Responce:
http://www.isreview.org/issues/55/letters.shtml