Forward Union
28th September 2006, 20:43
What did the Proletarian movement look like behind the iron curtain? What did working class organisations look like? Well, having looked into it, it seems most were repressed out of existence by the late 1920s, Using some of Selfeds essays and other articles (mostly from libcom), I've sort of put some significant historical events that lead to the destruction of the anarchist-communist and Libertarian marxist syndicalist movements in some chronological order. But they're weren't completely obliterated, some survived in the USSRs satalight nations...
Despite slogans like "all power to the soviets" and a variety of Libertarian-Marxist and Anarchist communist groups such as the Chernoe Znamia (TheBlack Banner) and Beznachalie (Without Authority), fighting in the russian revolution. The smoke cleared and left a single party dictatorship. Bor’ba in Bialoystok, stated; anarchists groups “sprang up like mushrooms after a rain.” and yet, after the civil war, no proletarian organisations existed in Russia.
The first signs of repression hit in november 1917, the Bolshevik party began searching and arresting all citizens it suspected of being counter revolutionary.
“You protest at this mild terror...you should know later the terror will
assume very violent forms after the example of the French Revolution.
The guillotine will be ready for our enemies and not merely jail”. - trotsky
Weeks later what would become the CheKa was established to infiltrate, spy on and ultimately obliterate counter revolutionary organisations. Up until now such an organisation had not been needed, as the Revolution had been so successful... With no constitutional checks it began targeting workers movements, such as the Syndicalist groups that had fought against the Bourgeoisie in the revolution, and helped achieve workers control in Petrograd. The penalty for being a libertarian Communist, Marxist, Anarchist, or as the CheKa put it “those who pass out or stick up anti-government leaflets” by now only months into Lenins rule, was death. To be caught with Anarchist-Syndiclist or Libertarian-Marxist literature, meant facing the firing squad. Even by Tsarist standards, the use of capital punishment by the CheKa was unusually high. The Bolsheviks effectively used the CheKa as a tool for party rule. In December 1917, at the All Russian Congress of Peasants, one peasant stated:
“Comrade Lenin knows that if you disagree with him, he will scatter
you with bayonets ...You speak of the power of the soviets and, in the
meantime, the actions of the commissars undermine the power of the
soviets. In place of soviet power, we have the power of Lenin, who is
now in the place occupied by Tsar Nicholas.”
The Bolshevik party, by now, had began down a path of destroying all opposition. Not just the capitalists, but the Anarchists, Libertarian Marxists, the sailors at Kronsdat and the revolutionaries in Ukraine. Furthermore, the Bolsheviks began dealing with the capitalists, giving land over to the germans, despite troskys claims that they could destroy any invading army, through use of Guerrilla war. Essentially the bolsheviks sold off a large section of the Russian working class, as it was in the national interest. The Socialists and Anarchists argued for the formation of Revolutionary militias to fight off any german invasion, and workers responded by forming military detachments to go to white russia and the Ukraine.
The Bolsheviks responded to this working class mobilisation against German imperialism, by saying that Russia should honour the treaty with Germany. Trotsky dispatched troops to massacre the Working class militias. As a result, many began calling for the overthrow of the Bolshevik dictatorship, and for the formation of free soviets under direct workers control. These sentiments had begun to gain popularity- Lenin acknowledged this saying, "The nearer we come to the suppression of the Bourgeoisie, the more dangerous becomes to us the high flood of anarchism...this must be met with force and compulsion"
On april 12th troops were deployed against the Syndicalist and communist movements. Their centres were closed, activists shot and imprisoned. And by January 1918 the VSNKh was attached to the CPC to introduce the Bolsheviks industrial programme. By January 1918 the VSNKh began taking on the managers of Capitalist firms as advisors. By may it has bureaucratic control of the industry - and made laws prohibiting expropriation of industry without its authority.
When the civil war broke out, there was something of a loosening of state repression, and many began to feel a revived faith in the ideals of the revolution. By 1919 the White army was on the retreat, the Makhnovstschina playing a large part in their defeat. Immediately, the bolsheviks set about destroying the Makhnovstschina. With the war nearing it's end, the Bolshevik state actually increased it's repression. This was also the period during which the sailors of Kronstadt were slaughtered by the red army.
After Kronsdat Lenin argued that the death sentence should be the official punishment for all forms of activity linked to the Mensheviks, social revolutionaries, syndicalists and anarchists. In the next few years no coherent Syndicalist or Anarchist-communist organisation existed (that I know of) within Russia. Though I've heard of the odd 'riot" and "strike" that resulted in the same arrests, and other forms of punishment.
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/eastern.html
During perestroika there was also a group called "Obshchina in Moscow State University who had been independent socialists/trotskyists, started publishing "Commune" they were made up of Trotskyist and Anarchist activists.
However, skipping back to Hungary in 1944. The Hungarian Fascist Admiral Horthy had begun attacking Communist and Anarchist movements with some success. It had seemed the anarchist movement was completely quashed, though many Libertarians began to organise around an anarchist named Torockoi. They waged war against the state, managing many victories, including the detonation of a munitions dump and destruction of two units of the Hungarian River fleet. They took part in the battle of Budapest with allied forces. The Russians then banned the movement, shortly after, on Csepel Island, the workers went on strike. Thirty workers, including 24 anarchists, were subsequently executed. And Torockoi died after being arrested. The movement was liquidated. Hungarian anarchists failed to organise under the repression of the state, until 1956.
In 1956 workers councils formed, and the 'communists' cracked down. In the same year there was a General strike. The strike was called by the Revolutionary Council of Workers and Students spread through the whole country. The council called for civil liberty, the withdrawal of Russian troops and workers management of the workplace. The state managers were in many cases driven out of their positions. The workers managed to keep essential services going, however.
On observer said "Although the general strike is in being and there is no centrally organised industry, the workers are nevertheless taking it upon themselves to keep essential services going for purposes which they determine and support. Workers councils in industrial districts have undertaken the distribution of essential goods and food to the population, in order to keep them alive... It is self help in a setting of Anarchy"
The russian troops withdrew, but only to surround the cities until reinforcements arrived. The soviets went into the towns massacring the resistance. They used conventional and incendiary rounds, tanks and artillery. Many proletarian activists were hanged. The resistance was eradicated. Although there was still resistance it was small and sporadic. There are no official statistics for the losses in these battles.
I haven't really found any more examples of Anarchist Syndicalist or any other proletarian organisations that existed within the USSR, post 1920, if you could send me some appropriate links, to history essays on the issue, or other archives of information it'd be greatly appreciated.
Despite slogans like "all power to the soviets" and a variety of Libertarian-Marxist and Anarchist communist groups such as the Chernoe Znamia (TheBlack Banner) and Beznachalie (Without Authority), fighting in the russian revolution. The smoke cleared and left a single party dictatorship. Bor’ba in Bialoystok, stated; anarchists groups “sprang up like mushrooms after a rain.” and yet, after the civil war, no proletarian organisations existed in Russia.
The first signs of repression hit in november 1917, the Bolshevik party began searching and arresting all citizens it suspected of being counter revolutionary.
“You protest at this mild terror...you should know later the terror will
assume very violent forms after the example of the French Revolution.
The guillotine will be ready for our enemies and not merely jail”. - trotsky
Weeks later what would become the CheKa was established to infiltrate, spy on and ultimately obliterate counter revolutionary organisations. Up until now such an organisation had not been needed, as the Revolution had been so successful... With no constitutional checks it began targeting workers movements, such as the Syndicalist groups that had fought against the Bourgeoisie in the revolution, and helped achieve workers control in Petrograd. The penalty for being a libertarian Communist, Marxist, Anarchist, or as the CheKa put it “those who pass out or stick up anti-government leaflets” by now only months into Lenins rule, was death. To be caught with Anarchist-Syndiclist or Libertarian-Marxist literature, meant facing the firing squad. Even by Tsarist standards, the use of capital punishment by the CheKa was unusually high. The Bolsheviks effectively used the CheKa as a tool for party rule. In December 1917, at the All Russian Congress of Peasants, one peasant stated:
“Comrade Lenin knows that if you disagree with him, he will scatter
you with bayonets ...You speak of the power of the soviets and, in the
meantime, the actions of the commissars undermine the power of the
soviets. In place of soviet power, we have the power of Lenin, who is
now in the place occupied by Tsar Nicholas.”
The Bolshevik party, by now, had began down a path of destroying all opposition. Not just the capitalists, but the Anarchists, Libertarian Marxists, the sailors at Kronsdat and the revolutionaries in Ukraine. Furthermore, the Bolsheviks began dealing with the capitalists, giving land over to the germans, despite troskys claims that they could destroy any invading army, through use of Guerrilla war. Essentially the bolsheviks sold off a large section of the Russian working class, as it was in the national interest. The Socialists and Anarchists argued for the formation of Revolutionary militias to fight off any german invasion, and workers responded by forming military detachments to go to white russia and the Ukraine.
The Bolsheviks responded to this working class mobilisation against German imperialism, by saying that Russia should honour the treaty with Germany. Trotsky dispatched troops to massacre the Working class militias. As a result, many began calling for the overthrow of the Bolshevik dictatorship, and for the formation of free soviets under direct workers control. These sentiments had begun to gain popularity- Lenin acknowledged this saying, "The nearer we come to the suppression of the Bourgeoisie, the more dangerous becomes to us the high flood of anarchism...this must be met with force and compulsion"
On april 12th troops were deployed against the Syndicalist and communist movements. Their centres were closed, activists shot and imprisoned. And by January 1918 the VSNKh was attached to the CPC to introduce the Bolsheviks industrial programme. By January 1918 the VSNKh began taking on the managers of Capitalist firms as advisors. By may it has bureaucratic control of the industry - and made laws prohibiting expropriation of industry without its authority.
When the civil war broke out, there was something of a loosening of state repression, and many began to feel a revived faith in the ideals of the revolution. By 1919 the White army was on the retreat, the Makhnovstschina playing a large part in their defeat. Immediately, the bolsheviks set about destroying the Makhnovstschina. With the war nearing it's end, the Bolshevik state actually increased it's repression. This was also the period during which the sailors of Kronstadt were slaughtered by the red army.
After Kronsdat Lenin argued that the death sentence should be the official punishment for all forms of activity linked to the Mensheviks, social revolutionaries, syndicalists and anarchists. In the next few years no coherent Syndicalist or Anarchist-communist organisation existed (that I know of) within Russia. Though I've heard of the odd 'riot" and "strike" that resulted in the same arrests, and other forms of punishment.
http://flag.blackened.net/revolt/eastern.html
During perestroika there was also a group called "Obshchina in Moscow State University who had been independent socialists/trotskyists, started publishing "Commune" they were made up of Trotskyist and Anarchist activists.
However, skipping back to Hungary in 1944. The Hungarian Fascist Admiral Horthy had begun attacking Communist and Anarchist movements with some success. It had seemed the anarchist movement was completely quashed, though many Libertarians began to organise around an anarchist named Torockoi. They waged war against the state, managing many victories, including the detonation of a munitions dump and destruction of two units of the Hungarian River fleet. They took part in the battle of Budapest with allied forces. The Russians then banned the movement, shortly after, on Csepel Island, the workers went on strike. Thirty workers, including 24 anarchists, were subsequently executed. And Torockoi died after being arrested. The movement was liquidated. Hungarian anarchists failed to organise under the repression of the state, until 1956.
In 1956 workers councils formed, and the 'communists' cracked down. In the same year there was a General strike. The strike was called by the Revolutionary Council of Workers and Students spread through the whole country. The council called for civil liberty, the withdrawal of Russian troops and workers management of the workplace. The state managers were in many cases driven out of their positions. The workers managed to keep essential services going, however.
On observer said "Although the general strike is in being and there is no centrally organised industry, the workers are nevertheless taking it upon themselves to keep essential services going for purposes which they determine and support. Workers councils in industrial districts have undertaken the distribution of essential goods and food to the population, in order to keep them alive... It is self help in a setting of Anarchy"
The russian troops withdrew, but only to surround the cities until reinforcements arrived. The soviets went into the towns massacring the resistance. They used conventional and incendiary rounds, tanks and artillery. Many proletarian activists were hanged. The resistance was eradicated. Although there was still resistance it was small and sporadic. There are no official statistics for the losses in these battles.
I haven't really found any more examples of Anarchist Syndicalist or any other proletarian organisations that existed within the USSR, post 1920, if you could send me some appropriate links, to history essays on the issue, or other archives of information it'd be greatly appreciated.