The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine, also known as the Makhnovtsi or the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine, was a anarchist army active during the Russian Civil War from 1918 to 1921. The army was led by Nestor Makhno, a Ukrainian peasant and anarchist who advocated for a society based on free association and mutual aid. Makhno and his followers fought against various forces during the war, including the Red Army, the White Army, and various nationalist and anti-Semitic groups. The Makhnovshchina was initially aligned with the Bolsheviks, but later broke with them over disagreements about the role of the state and the suppression of individual liberties. Under Makhno’s leadership, the Makhnovshchina controlled a large swath of territory in southeastern Ukraine, which they organized into a network of communes and councils. The army practiced direct democracy and collective decision-making, and rejected the authority of any central government. Despite their successes on the battlefield and their popular support among the peasantry, the Makhnovshchina ultimately faced defeat by the Red Army in 1921. Makhno fled to Romania and then to Paris, where he lived in exile until his death in 1934. History Hustle presents: The Black Army of Nestor Makhno during the Russian Civil War.

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SOURCES – Red Famine. Stalin’s War on Ukraine (Anne Applebaum). – Russia: Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921 (Antony Beevor). – Russia in Flames. War, Revolution, Civil War 1914 – 1921 (Laura Engelstein). – A People’s Tragedy. A History of the Russian Revolution (Orlando Figes). – The Russian Civil War (2) White Armies [Men-at-Arms 305] (Mikhail Khvostov). – Nestor Makhno. Anarchy’s Cossack. The Struggle for Free Soviets in the Ukraine 1917-1921 (Alexandre Skirda, Paul Sharkey).