Diacronie. Studi di Storia Contemporanea (Mar 2018)

Anarchism and the Perversion of the Russian Revolution: The Accounts of Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman

  • Frank Jacob is Assistant Professor of World History at the City University of New York. He has published more than 20 books and 90 articles and book chapters. His recent books include The Russo-Japanese War (London – New York, Routledge, 2018) and its Shaping of the 20th Century (London – New York, Routledge, 2018). He is the editor of seven academic series, three academic journals and the recipient of the 2016 CUNY Academy Henry Wasser Award for Outstanding Assistant Professors. His research foci include Modern Japanese History, the History of Socialism, Military History, as well as Revolutions and Nationalism.

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 1
pp. 1 – 21

Abstract

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Since she was one of the most important US anarchists, one might assume that Emma Goldman was in favor of the Bolshevists. However, while she supported the basic idea of the Russian Revolution, she criticized the Bolshevists for establishing a dictatorship based on terror and suppression of those, who criticized them. From her exile in England and France she was writing countless letters to emphasize that the Bolsheviks were not representing the hope for world revolution and the freeing of the international workers, but that they would use and corrupt the revolutionary ideals to establish rule and remain in power. This paper analyzes those writings to show how the hopes related to the events of 1917 were disappointed by the political realities and how the events impacted the life of Emma Goldman directly.

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