The Bolshevik Myth

By Alexander Berkman

1925

First Published

4.34

Average Rating

313

Number of Pages

9H33M

Audio Length

When Alexander Berkman (1870-1936) - a leading American anarchist of Russian origin - returned to Russia in 1919, he was welcomed as a hero by the Bolshevik regime. Berkman and his companion and comrade Emma Goldman - having been deported from the United States for their anti-war activities, and fired with revolutionary enthusiasm - were determined to work for the Russian Revolution. The Bolshevik Myth—first published in 1925—is Berkman's account of the two years he spent in the Soviet Union, his meetings with Lenin, Trotsky, Kropotkin, and above all with the Russian people, the ordinary men and women who were suffering hunger, disease and persecution. It is the story of chaos, bureaucratic incompetence and economic ruin. A story of warring revolutionary factions, barbarism, repression and fear, leading to the author's complete disillusionment with the Bolshevik system. In his new biographical introduction, Nicolas Walter, quoting from contemporary publications and unpublished manuscript sources, compares The Bolshevik Myth with Berkman's diary from the period - on which the published book is based - and examines some of the complications of Berkman's relationship with Emma Goldman, whose writings he edited. This edition includes too, the conclusion to the book, left out of the original publication, as the publisher deemed it an 'Anti-Climax'.

Avg Rating

4.34

Number of Ratings

128

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4 STARS

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3 STARS

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1 STARS

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Author

Alexander Berkman

Author · 8 books

Alexander Berkman (November 21, 1870 – June 28, 1936) was an anarchist known for his political activism and writing. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century. Berkman was born in Vilna in the Russian Empire (present-day Vilnius, Lithuania) and emigrated to the United States in 1888. He lived in New York City, where he became involved in the anarchist movement. He was the lover and lifelong friend of anarchist Emma Goldman. In 1892, Alexander Berkman tried to assassinate Henry Clay Frick for his role in violently suppressing the Homestead Steel Strike for which he served 14 years in prison. His experience in prison was the basis for his first book, Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist. After his release from prison, Berkman served as editor of Goldman's anarchist journal, Mother Earth, and he established his own journal, The Blast. In 1917, Berkman and Goldman were sentenced to two years in jail for conspiracy against the newly instated draft. After their release from prison, they were arrested—along with hundreds of others—and deported to Russia. Initially supportive of that country's Bolshevik revolution, Berkman soon voiced his opposition to the Soviet's use of terror after seizing power and their repression of fellow revolutionaries. In 1925, he published a book about his experiences, The Bolshevik Myth. While living in France, Berkman continued his work in support of the anarchist movement, producing the classic exposition of anarchist principles, Now and After: The ABC of Communist Anarchism. Suffering from ill health, Berkman committed suicide in 1936. More: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/... http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldman/... http://www.nndb.com/people/137/000165...