'Truth Behind Bars' : Reflections on the Fate of the Russian Revolution

Just north of the Arctic Circle is the settlement of Vorkuta, a notorious camp in the Gulag internment system that witnessed three pivotal moments in Russian history. In the 1930s, a desperate hunger strike by socialist prisoners, victims of Joseph Stalin’s repressive regime, resulted in mass executions. In 1953, a strike by forced labourers sounded the death knell for the Stalinist forced labour system. And finally, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a series of strikes by new, independent miners’ unions were central to overturning the Stalinist system.Paul Kellogg uses the story of Vorkuta as a frame with which to re-assess the Russian Revolution. In particular, he turns to the contributions of Iulii Martov, a contemporary of Lenin, and his analysis of the central role played in the revolution by a temporary class of peasants-in-uniform. Kellogg explores the persistence and creativity of workers’ resistance in even the darkest hours of authoritarian repression and offers new perspectives on the failure of democratic governance after the Russian Revolution.ISBN : 9781771992459 Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Preface: On Forgetting to Read Solzhenitsyn Acknowledgements A Note on Translations and Transliterations Introduction: Hope and Horror Part 1. Vorkuta: Anvil of the Working Class 1. One Long Night, 1936–38 2. Striking Against the Gulag, 1947–53 3. The Vengeance of History, 1989–91 Part 2. Self-Emancipation Versus Substitutionism 4. The Peasant-in-Uniform 5. The Agrarian Question 6. Poland and Georgia—The Export of Revolution 7. Germany and Hungary—The United Front Part 3. The Rear-View Mirror 8. Trotsky on Stalinism: The Surplus and the Machine 9. A Movement’s Dirty Linen 10. Lenin—Beyond Reverence 11. Intellectuals and the Working Class Conclusion: Ends and Means Notes Preface: On Forgetting to Read Solzhenitsyn Introduction: Hope and Horror Chapter 1: One Long Night, 1936–38 Chapter 2: Striking Against the Gulag, 1947–53 Chapter 3: The Vengeance of History, 1989–91 Chapter 4: The Peasant-in-Uniform Chapter 5: The Agrarian Question Chapter 6: Poland and Georgia—The Export of Revolution Chapter 7: Germany and Hungary—The United Front Chapter 8: Trotsky on Stalinism—The Surplus and the Machine Chapter 9: A Movement’s Dirty Linen Chapter 10: Lenin—Beyond Reverence Chapter 11: Intellectuals and the Working Class Conclusion: Ends and Means Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Just north of the Arctic Circle is the settlement of Vorkuta, a notorious camp in the Gulag internment system that witnessed three pivotal moments in Russian history. In the 1930s, a desperate hunger strike by socialist prisoners, victims of Joseph Stalin’s repressive regime, resulted in mass executions. In 1953, a strike by forced laborers sounded the death knell for the Stalinist forced labor system. And finally, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a series of strikes by new, independent miners’ unions were central to overturning the Stalinist system. In this book, Paul Kellogg uses the story of Vorkuta as a frame with which to re-assess the Russian Revolution. In particular, he turns to the contributions of Iulii Martov, a contemporary of Lenin, and his analysis of the central role played in the revolution by a temporary class of peasants-in-uniform. Kellogg explores the persistence and creativity of workers’ resistance in even the darkest hours of authoritarian repression and offers new perspectives on the failure of democratic governance after the Russian Revolution. Just north of the Arctic Circle is the settlement of Vorkuta, a notorious camp in the Gulag internment system that witnessed three pivotal moments in Russian history. In the 1930s, a desperate hunger strike by socialist prisoners, victims of Joseph Stalin’s repressive regime, resulted in mass executions. In 1953, a strike by forced labourers sounded the death knell for the Stalinist forced labour system. And finally, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, a series of strikes by new, independent miners’ unions were central to overturning the Stalinist system. Paul Kellogg uses the story of Vorkuta as a frame with which to re-assess the Russian Revolution. In particular, he turns to the contributions of Iulii Martov, a contemporary of Lenin, and his analysis of the central role played in the revolution by a temporary class of peasants-in-uniform. Kellogg explores the persistence and creativity of workers’ resistance in even the darkest hours of authoritarian repression and offers new perspectives on the failure of democratic governance after the Russian Revolution. "Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, the arctic settlement of Vorkuta was the site of a notorious Gulag that held former Trotsky followers and members of the Left Opposition. This coal-mining town was a witness, first to the last stand of the Russian oppositional socialists, and second to a strike wave that sounded the death knell for the Stalinist forced labour system, overturned in 1991. Kellogg uses the backdrop of Vorkuta to argue for a return to the work of Iulii Martov--a contemporary of Lenin--and his analysis of a temporary class of peasants-in-uniform produced by the Great War. Coming from the trenches, Kellogg demonstrates that this class, led by Lenin and the Bolshevik Party, often relied on undemocratic and substitutionist policies to advance the revolutionary project. Ultimately, their actions thwarted the efforts made to establish an alternative to capitalism in the USSR and explain why democratic governance failed to become integrated into the Bolsheviks' theoretical perspectives and political practice."-- Provided by publisher "Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, the arctic settlement of Vorkuta was the site of a notorious Gulag that held former Trotsky followers and members of the Left Opposition. This coal-mining town was a witness, first to the last stand of the Russian oppositional socialists, and second to a strike wave that sounded the death knell for the Stalinist forced labour system, overturned in 1991. Kellogg uses the backdrop of Vorkuta to argue for a return to the work of Iulii Martov--a contemporary of Lenin--and his analysis of a temporary class of peasants-in-uniform produced by the Great War. Coming from the trenches, Kellogg demonstrates that this class, led by Lenin and the Bolshevik Party, often relied on undemocratic and substitutionist policies to advance the revolutionary project. Ultimately, their actions thwarted the efforts made to establish an alternative to capitalism in the USSR and explain why democratic governance failed to become integrated into the Bolsheviks' theoretical perspectives and political practice."-- Résumé de l'éditeur Paul Kellogg uses the story of Vorkuta, a notorious camp in the Gulag internment system, as a frame with which to re-assess the Russian Revolution. In particular, he turns to the contributions of Iulii Martov, a contemporary of Lenin, and his analysis of the central role played in the revolution by a temporary class of peasants-in-uniform. Kellogg explores the persistence and creativity of workers' resistance in even the darkest hours of authoritarian repression and offers new perspectives on the failure of democratic governance after the Russian Revolution