The Kronstadt Uprising
by Ida Mett /
2017 / English / EPUB
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On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the 'October Revolution',
where the Bolsheviks seized control of a popular uprising, there
can still be found those who celebrate the events as a victory of
'workers control'. Ida Mett's account was among the first to
expose such illusions. The sailors of Kronstadt had been
instrumental in aiding the Bolsheviks to power, but by 1921 they
had become disillusioned with the direction that events were
taking. Frustrated by worsening economic conditions and by the
Bolsheviks increasingly brutal attempts at centralising power,
the sailors and soldiers of Kronstadt put forward a series of
demands designed to win back the control and autonomy that had
been promised.
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the 'October Revolution',
where the Bolsheviks seized control of a popular uprising, there
can still be found those who celebrate the events as a victory of
'workers control'. Ida Mett's account was among the first to
expose such illusions. The sailors of Kronstadt had been
instrumental in aiding the Bolsheviks to power, but by 1921 they
had become disillusioned with the direction that events were
taking. Frustrated by worsening economic conditions and by the
Bolsheviks increasingly brutal attempts at centralising power,
the sailors and soldiers of Kronstadt put forward a series of
demands designed to win back the control and autonomy that had
been promised.
The Kronstadt uprising of 1921 was one of the most important yet
often overlooked events of the Russian civil war. The bloody
suppression of the rebels by the 'government of the workers and
peasants' marked the final blow to any hopes of a genuine popular
revolution based on democratic self-management. Ida Mett dispels
the myths of the Bolsheviks and provides a dramatic and engaging
account of the events that made clear the true nature of the
'proletarian' dictatorship.
The Kronstadt uprising of 1921 was one of the most important yet
often overlooked events of the Russian civil war. The bloody
suppression of the rebels by the 'government of the workers and
peasants' marked the final blow to any hopes of a genuine popular
revolution based on democratic self-management. Ida Mett dispels
the myths of the Bolsheviks and provides a dramatic and engaging
account of the events that made clear the true nature of the
'proletarian' dictatorship.
Originally published in French in 1938, and in English by the
libertarian socialist group 'Solidarity' in 1967, this
contemporary account which includes documents from the actual
participants has been restored and revived for the next
generation of social revolutionaries.
Originally published in French in 1938, and in English by the
libertarian socialist group 'Solidarity' in 1967, this
contemporary account which includes documents from the actual
participants has been restored and revived for the next
generation of social revolutionaries.