Job Discussion Forums

[Larry Paradine]

For most of my long life I've gone along with the standard (Red/White/Liberal-Democratic) view of Makhno as an unbalanced psychopath prancing around on a merrygoround horse shooting women and children (Alexei Tolstoy's gross piece of propoganda). Having recently watched the serial "Nine Lives of Nestor Makhno" on TV, I'm anxious to read some literature putting the other point of view, but everything on that side of the fence appears to be in Russian (e.g. Miller's new novel "Makhno"). It takes me all day just to read Komsomolskaya Pravda, there are not enough years left in my life to translate that. Anyone know where I can get something on the subject in English?

[coledavis]

Makhno gets good coverage in Orlando Figes, A People's Tragedy. But it's a walk-on part as the book is about the Russian Revolution from its antecedents to the death of Lenin. Good book but when I say 'good' on Makhno, that means favourable to Makhno not big on quantity. I read somewhere else that he and his supporters were antisemitic although I guess that was pretty usual for the times and place.

[Larry Paradine]

Actually, Makhno is credited with restraining, and even punishing, anti-semites within his organisation. But it's difficult to get an objective picture, because he's been the victim not only of the victor's( the Reds) view of history, but also of the vanquished (the Whites).

[coledavis]

Quite likely. History is going back to its dubious self by the way. Mr P is demanding single approved history texts. Stalin will apparently be remembered for war heroism but not for huge purges. It's all good...