Nestor Makhno: the dream of freedom

“Freedom or death”, “beat the whites, until they are red, beat the Reds until they are white”, “Peace to huts, war to palaces” — these and many other slogans firmly entrenched in the historical memory and folklore. First and foremost, this is due to the activities of the revolutionary insurgent army under the leadership of Nestor Ivanovich Makhno.

The figure is undoubtedly odious. Not in vain in Gulyai-pole for the best times of the Republic of Makhno army numbered up to one hundred twenty thousand bayonets. Charisma of Nestor Ivanovich was recognized by enemies and friends. Fighters of the rebel army called him “the father”, the Bolsheviks, the socialist-revolutionary and Petlura had to deal with him since the open struggle against ideologically alien to them national leader of anything good did not promise. Lenin, for example, after talking with him said “Makhno good companion, but until the first intersection”. He was wrong. Agree about the interaction with the “companion” had the Bolsheviks not once. And even Frunze, the soldiers was given the order of execution the army of Makhno is treacherously, in the back, belonged to this idea without much enthusiasm, and was forced to agree only under the pressure of Trotsky.

Charisma of Makhno was appreciated not only by politicians and researchers of the past. The best indicator that a person has remained in history is a popular rumor. In most villages and settlements located in the area where the army fought “the father” will be the old-timers, with the air of a conspirator will tell you that here in the hut, they say, lived (or lives) ex-lover Makhno. The second option is less common — somewhere in the neighborhood of the treasure left by the leader of the anarchists, or someone from his associates. Let in like this, folk-household form, but the people cherish the memory of the rebel army. But chieftains in the Civil war were many. But the heroes of legend have become not all.

And greedy to heroic characters of “independence” propaganda did not avoid “father”. In the nineties it is not known whence appeared “Ukrainian Cossacks” toyed with the idea of that actually Nestor Ivanovich was the bearer of the traditions of Zaporizhzhya Cossacks and almost Ukrainian nationalist. First, though, they did the amendment, that is, that was subconsciously. Not in vain because the nearest large city near Huliaipole — Alexandrovsk (now Zaporozhye). And the traditions of the rebel army were, allegedly, quite Cossack. It was not specified, however, exactly what tradition, because the propaganda machine of the facts is not required. And in two thousand, disregarding any common sense, they began to make from Makhno a Ukrainian version of Che Guevara. On the odious nationalist festival “Independence Day with Makhno”, which for several years was held in Huliaipole, it was possible to meet such language lectures, as “the Ukrainian Anarchy-nationalism against Russian Imperial chauvinism”. In general the festival was an entertaining place. Totally free on the buses were brought back passionate youth from all of former Ukraine. Afternoon there were lectures and patriotic actions which were diluted contests by featuring “topless” girls. In the evening there were musical performances. The only requirement is that the format is no Russian language. Any other could sing anything. And all of this was in the Motherland of Makhno. The fact that the “hero of the occasion” did not consider himself a Ukrainian nationalist, in the tail and mane beat the Austrians and Germans, invited here by “Ukrainian power”, and later spared and Petliurites, the organizers of the event didn’t bother. It was needed the effect of rallying radical youth. And as shown by the second Maidan, it was achieved. Masks on the faces, nationalist chants, or revolution, or the carnival — those who called for “independence Day with Makhno” had seen it much earlier television frames with the Bank and the Grushevsky streets. So to speak, they were watching the rehearsal. For a managed weight football ultras and just thrill-seekers did not have serious evidence: Ukraine — good, Russia — bad, the Bolsheviks and Russians are one and the same, and again Makhno spoke out against the Bolsheviks — so he’s ours. Something is like this. No wonder Makhno “Freedom or death” was removed (with some mutations) in the camp of the Ukrainian nationalists. Accurate statistics will not hold, but it is still interesting — how many of the visitors to the festival went to fight in “Azov” or “Donbass”? And how many of them have already died?

Actually the current war taking place in Novorossia, is entirely a result of substitution of concepts and reprogramming of consciousness. The ideology of aggressive ignorance, the insanity that gripped the residents of the once Malorossia cities is staggering. But we will not oppose one another malignant mythology — let such manipulations are those to whom truth is not available. Our task is to cleanse the images. Although theoretically it is easy to imagine the following construction: objectively Makhno was born on the territory, which was finally liberated from the Turks and Tatars only during the construction of the Novorossia — that means he’s ideologically ours. He acted against big capital, have socialized the land, distributed it to the peasants so, against the oligarchs, then ours. He fought for his country, its means character, then ours. Here’s to you and willing fighter for the cause of Novorossia. But such forgeries are not needed. We can respect our famous countrymen without additional ideological superstructures.

Nestor Ivanovich considered himself an anarchist, a supporter of the idea of a stateless society. In his youth he joined the “Union of free grain growers”, fighting anarchist organization. He participated in armed attacks on the authorities, for which several times was convicted, ultimately sentenced to death, later commuted to life penal servitude, which he served in Butyrskaya prison. It was there that he met his teacher and mentor Peter Arshinova, whose influence finally formed his views. After the February revolution he was granted amnesty by the Interim government as a political prisoner, he personally met with the famous theorist of anarchism Kropotkin. He came back to Huliaipole, headed the revolutionary movement and later the armed struggle. He fought both against whites and against Ukrainians because he did not accept the idea of the state in principle. Several times made alliances with the Reds, but it was always that understanding of the power by Soviet Bolsheviks and the Anarchy-Communists is disagree. He showed himself as an outstanding commander, it was at his hands on the fronts of the civil war there was “tachanka”. Several times he took Ekaterinoslav (modern Dnepropetrovsk), Aleksandrovsk, Berdyansk and Mariupol. However, each time it turned out that in urban environments fighting capacity of the army of Makhno greatly reduced. And administrative management in the cities for him was the difficulty. It should be noted that to organize the life in the familiar and understandable to him of the countryside Nestor Ivanovich was wonderful — in short periods of calm Gulyaypolsky Republic was developing quite normally. It was not only in agricultural, but also in industrial fields. But it is the misunderstanding of the city with its characteristics and caused the defeat of one version of social justice advocated by Makhno and his supporters. Because of “city” is not just a conglomeration of urban structures. The first is a special type of consciousness and worldview. Modern diplomacy with its characteristic cunning and meanness are caused by the city. And this science has been for Makhno unknown and alien.

The clash of ideas in the civil war of the early twentieth century was infinitely tragic. After all, from all sides of the barricades were scoundrels, and idealists, distributed in different proportions. In fact, we are reaping the fruits of schism planted then, still: someone blames all the ills of the “damned Bolsheviks”, and someone rebukes top commanders of Novorossia in the “white guards “. Not timely learned the lessons of that civil war led us to a new, more cunning and sophisticated. And seemingly simple conclusion, lying on the surface that it is not “reds cut whites”, but “Russian cut Russian” remains, unfortunately, beyond the reach of many.

Nestor Makhno ended his life in exile. After his death he was buried on the Parisian cemetery Pere-Lachaise. But the memory of a strong-willed man, who gave himself without reserve to the idea, which he believed to be right, comes back to us again and again. And in spite of ideological differences, he was unquestionably ours, Russian.

Artem OLHIN