
No Harmless Power
The Life and Times of the Ukrainian Anarchist Nestor Makhno
- 256 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
No Harmless Power
The Life and Times of the Ukrainian Anarchist Nestor Makhno
About this book
Lively, incendiary, and inspiring No Harmless Power follows the life of Nestor Makhno, who organized a seven million strong anarchist polity during the Russian civil war, and who developed Platform-anarchism during his exile in Paris as well as advising other anarchists like Durruti on tactics and propaganda. Both timely and timeless, this biography reveals Makhno's rapidly changing world and his place in it. He moved swiftly from peasant youth to prisoner to revolutionary anarchist leader. Narrowly escaping Bolshevik Ukraine for Paris—this book also chronicles the friends and enemies he made along the way including: Lenin, Trotsky, Alexander Berkman, Kropotkin, Emma Goldman, Ida Mett, and others.
No Harmless Power is the first text to fully delve into Makhno's sympathy for the downtrodden, the trap of personal heroism, his improbable victories, unlikely friendships, and his alarming lack of gun-safety in meetings. Makhno and the movement he began are seldom mentioned in most mainstream histories—Western or Russian—mostly on the grounds that acknowledging anarchist polities calls into question the inevitability and desirability of the nation-state and unjust hierarchies.
With illustrations by N.O. BONZO and Kevin Matthews, this is a fresh, humorous, and necessary look at an under-examined corner of history as well as a deep exploration of the meaning—and value, if any—of heroism as history.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Contents
- Preface: A Japanese Anarchist in Paris (1923)
- Chapter 1: Pugachev’s Uprising and Beyond: Setting the Stage for Makhno’s Ukraine (1772–1861)
- Chapter 2: Makhno’s Childhood (1888–1904)
- Chapter 3: Makhno’s Political Awakening (1905–9)
- Chapter 4: Capture and Imprisonment (1908–10)
- Chapter 5: The Modest One’s Life in Prison (1911–17)
- Chapter 6: Makhno’s Education in Prison (1910–17)
- Chapter 7: The Kerensky Jailbirds (1917)
- Chapter 8: Makhno Returns to Moscow (1918)
- Chapter 9: Makhno Returns to Huliaipole (1918)
- Chapter 10: A Teacher and Terror as Method in Ukraine (1918)
- Chapter 11: The Terrible Summer (1919)
- Chapter 12: The War behind the Lines (1919)
- Chapter 13: Retreating to Victory and Conspiracy (1919)
- Chapter 14: Second Alliance with the Bolsheviks against the White Army (1920)
- Chapter 15: The Sudden yet Inevitable Betrayal (1920–21)
- Chapter 16: Nestor Makhno En Route to Paris (1921–25)
- Chapter 17: Enemies and Friends in Parisian Exile (1925–34)
- Chapter 18: Makhno’s Writings outside the Platform in Exile (1926–34)
- Chapter 19: Makhno and the Platform (1925–33)
- Chapter 20: No Gods, No Masters: Nestor Makhno’s Death and Legacy (1934)
- Chapter 21: Anarchists You Should Know: Minibiographies
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
- About the Contributors