Petrograd Federation of Anarchist-Communists

[Ostrinski]

Never see these folks discussed.

Obviously they were smaller and less significant than the Bolsheviks or other socialist organizations in St. Petrograd at the time, but they still had a presence among military regiments and factory worker's organizations.

What's interesting is that they often collaborated heavily with the Bolsheviks. Obviously they were both communists and had similar programs in that respect but the Bolsheviks were more "tactically sound" so to speak and worried more about the future of their organization in a prudent manner while the Anarchist-Communists were much more flexibile (or what Rabinowitch calls irresponsible) with regard to their slogans, actions, positions, etc. But from the perspective of the rank and file, differences were less defined.

It was in fact the attempted eviction of the Anarchist-Communists from the Durnovo Villa which was their headquarters (an attempt that was only abated by the Soviet calling them to go back to work, stop occupying private and public property, and prohibiting armed demonstrations) that was the main inspiration for the infamous June 10 demonstration (which, as we know, was a blunder).

[Blake's Baby]

Didn't the Anarcho-syndicalists regard them as romantic dissolutes and playground adventurers? My understanding (which I'll grant you isn't exactly encyclopedic) is that Maximov's group around Golos Truda thought they lacked any serious revolutionary commitment.

[Ostrinski]

Not sure about the relationship between the Anarchist-Communists and the syndicalists, although I do believe the syndicalists were the larger of the two anarchist groups in Petrograd at the time.

Further reading shows that even though there were fleeting moments of solidarity such as with the abortive June 10 demonstration, there was also a lot of competition between the Anarchist-Communists and the Bolsheviks such as with the demonstration that the Soviet organized to protest in favor of peace without indemnities or annexations a few days later. The Bolsheviks wanted to effectively create a "demonstration within the demonstration" under their more radical slogans and phrases which the Anarchist-Communists also had in mind.

It didn't help that many rank and file Bolsheviks were attending anarchist meetings and even helping to pass out leaflets. Both in Pravda and in Bolshevik meetings and conferences the question was raised and discussed of how to politically out-maneuver the Anarchists.

Khaustov, editor of the Bolshevik Military Organization's paper, was arrested for treason. The anarchists broke him out of jail at gunpoint and while they were at it let out a bunch of other prisoners. They put a bunch of the escapees in the Durnovo villa (anarchist headquarters) and they were eventually surrounded and arrested by the Provisional Government, although Khaustov escaped.