By No-Wing Anarchy, Medium
The Bolshevik “betrayal” of anarchists during the Russian Revolution is a commonly known, and almost overly debated instance where anarchism has come into open and bloody conflict with leftism. There is no end to the accusations of murder at Kronstadt, or in Ukraine, and no end to the leftist rationalization and dismissal of the same events as necessary or even desirable. The Russian Revolution serves as a flashpoint for tension between those who consider themselves leftists and anarchists, and one’s opinion on the revolution’s events can often serve as indicative of their politics as a whole.
But why is this the case? Why is a relatively singular historical event, or even the actions of one man (Stalin), what things get boiled down to? While a particularly terrible set of events, the “betrayal” of anarchists by communists during the Russian Revolution is just another instance of leftist forces crushing anarchistic movements. Everyone seems to be mostly aware of the events at Kronstadt, or the betrayal of Ukrainian anarchism by the Bolsheviks, but these are only links in a larger chain of betrayal. Could it be that people are ignorant of this history? Could it be that some don’t want the trend to be exposed? Could it be that some may even see nothing wrong with it? All three are likely true, but instead of erring on the side of malice, we shall assume ignorance of such consistency.
