Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine

Quick Facts: Who was Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine?

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Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine

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An anarchist army of Ukrainian peasants and workers during the Russian Civil War (1918–1921).

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Origins & Early Life

The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Революційна Повстанська Армія України, РПАУ, romanized: Revoliutsiina Povstanska Armiia Ukrainy, RPAU; abbr. RIAU), also known as Makhnovtsi (Махновці), named after their founder Nestor Makhno, was an anarchist army formed largely of Ukrainian peasants and workers during the Russian Civil War. They protected the operation of "free soviets" and libertarian communes by the Makhnovshchina, an attempt to form a stateless and anarcho-communist society from 1918 to 1921 during the Ukrainian War of Independence. "Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine" is the common translation of the Революційна Повстанська Армія України, Revoliutsiina Povstanska Armiia Ukrainy. It is commonly contracted to "Insurgent Army", or "Revolutionary Insurgent Army".

Career & Major Achievements

This term has less commonly been translated as "Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine" or "Revolutionary Partisan Army of Ukraine", with their own respective contractions "Insurrectionary Army" and "Partisan Army". The Russian Bolshevik politician Victor Serge himself referred to it as the "Black Army", in his later works about the conflict. Members of the army are generically referred to as "insurgents"; they have also been labelled "Makhnovists" or "Makhnovites" (from the Ukrainian: Махновці, romanized: Makhnovtsi), after their commander Nestor Makhno. Insurrectionary anarchism first spread throughout Ukraine during the 1905 Russian Revolution, with organizations such as the Black Banner launching a terrorist campaign against the Tsarist autocracy. In the small town of Huliaipole, a young Nestor Makhno joined the Union of Poor Peasants, which carried out "expropriations" against wealthy locals, before much of the group was arrested and imprisoned for their activities.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Following the February Revolution of 1917, Makhno was released and returned to his hometown, where he began to organize the local peasantry. With the outbreak of the Kornilov affair threatening the gains of the revolution, Makhno established a revolutionary defense committee that set about "disarming the entire local bourgeoisie and abolishing its rights over the people's assets", resulting in the establishment of numerous agrarian communes. On 10 September [O.S. 27 August], the Ukrainian anarchist Maria Nikiforova responded to the attempted coup by leading a 200-strong detachment from Huliaipole, armed with only 10 rifles and a few revolvers, to disarm a Russian Army regiment in Orikhiv, capturing the town and seizing the regiment's weapons. The seizure of power by the Bolsheviks during the October Revolution ignited a civil war, as counterrevolutionaries such as the Don Cossacks and Ukrainian nationalists rose up against the new government. Anarchists in Oleksandrivsk, led by Nikiforova, responded by establishing a revolutionary committee (revkom) to combat the counterrevolution.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1905: 1905 Milestone — Insurrectionary anarchism first spread throughout Ukraine during the 1905 Russian Revolution, with organizations such as the Black Banner launching a terrorist campaign against the Tsarist autocracy.
2. 1917: 1917 Milestone — Following the February Revolution of 1917, Makhno was released and returned to his hometown, where he began to organize the local peasantry.
3. 1918: 1918 Milestone — They protected the operation of "free soviets" and libertarian communes by the Makhnovshchina, an attempt to form a stateless and anarcho-communist society from 1918 to 1921 during the Ukrainian War of Independence.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine

True or False: “The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine was officially known by the name 'Makhnovtsi' throughout its entire operational period.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While commonly referred to as Makhnovtsi after Nestor Makhno, the army used several formal and informal names, including the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.

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