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Vsevolod VolinLeader of the Union of Anarcho-Syndicalists
Country:
 Russia |
Content:
- Vsevolod Mikhailovich Volin: An Anarchist Revolutionary
- Expropriations and Exile
- The Anarchist Movement
- Role in the Russian Revolution
- Influence on the Makhnovist Movement
- Exile and Later Work
Vsevolod Mikhailovich Volin: An Anarchist Revolutionary
Early Life and Revolutionary BeginningsVsevolod Mikhailovich Volin, born in Voronezh, Russia in 1882, hailed from a family of zemstvo doctors. He received his education at St. Petersburg University and became involved in revolutionary activities in the early 1900s. Initially an agrarian socialist, Volin joined the Socialist Revolutionary Party in 1905.
Expropriations and Exile
In 1907, Volin was arrested for participating in expropriations aimed at funding revolutionary activities. Sentenced to life in Siberian exile, he escaped during his transfer in 1908 and fled to France.
The Anarchist Movement
Following the exposure of the provocateur Evno Azef, Volin distanced himself from the Socialist Revolutionaries. From 1911 to 1914, he embraced anarchist communism, becoming an active member of the Russian anarchist movement in exile. During World War I, Volin transitioned to anarcho-syndicalism and joined anarchist groups in Paris and the United States.
Role in the Russian Revolution
Returning to Russia in 1917, Volin became a member of the Petrograd "Union of Anarcho-Syndicalist Propaganda." He expressed cautious support for the Bolshevik slogan "All Power to the Soviets," but maintained that the masses should take control directly rather than through political parties. He opposed the establishment of Soviet power, arguing that it would lead to state dominance.
Influence on the Makhnovist Movement
In 1919, Volin joined Nestor Makhno's anarchist army in Ukraine, where he served as Chairman of the Military-Revolutionary Council and became a key ideologue of the Makhnovist movement. After the movement's defeat, Volin was arrested by the Soviet authorities and later released due to an agreement with Makhno.
Exile and Later Work
In 1922, Volin was expelled from Russia and settled in France. He continued to contribute to anarchist publications, wrote prefaces to works including Pyotr Arshinov's "History of the Makhnovist Movement," and served as secretary to Makhno in the 1930s.
