Nestor Makhno: Anarchist Revolutionary, a Hero of The People

Nestor Ivanovich Makhno, was born on 26 October, 1888, to a poor peasant family, in the Ukrainian town of Hulyai Pole. Forced to work from an early age, he was poorly educated, and his life was one of grinding and relentless poverty. There were few opportunities for a man of his background to prosper, and like so many others he was expected to work hard and die young. Yet he was to rise above this, prove his worth as a both a politician and an inspirational military commander. He would in time establish the only Anarchist State known to history, yet it is to that same history that he remains largely forgotten.

His childhood was harsh but typical for someone of his class. Made to work from the age of 7 (often as a shepherd) Nestor had little time to play or make friends. His father’s death when he was aged only ten increased the need for him to work long hours day and night, with little relief merely to survive. He toiled in fields owned by Kulaks (wealthy landowners) who leeched off the poorer peasantry, exploited them mercilessly, and stole their land. At least they did according to the young Nestor Makhno. 

Young Nestor

Nestor finally left school aged just 12 with no qualifications. He struggled to survive in a series of poorly paid jobs but it was here that he witnessed great injustice at first hand, as workers were arbitrarily beaten, fired for the slightest infraction of the rules, and suffered terrible injuries without compensation. He very soon became involved in revolutionary politics and before long was committing crimes on behalf of the local anarchists. Twice arrested, he was acquitted on both occasions. Finally, however, his luck ran out, and in 1910, he was convicted of robbery and sentenced to hang. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. While in prison he met and came under the influence of the anarchist intellectual, Piotr Arshinov. From Arshinov he learned that anarchism was more than merely the physical manifestation of a rage born out of injustice, but a working and vibrant political philosophy. 

Makhno, the Revolutionary

Released from prison following the February Revolution of 1917, Makhno decided to make politics his life and immediately headed back to the Ukraine where he formed the Peasants Party. It quickly gained in popularity and as its power increased it busied itself in dispossessing the Kulaks, breaking up the large estates, expropriating the land, and redistributing it among the poor. Makhno’s reputation grew and grew, and he was soon being hailed as the Ukrainian Robin Hood.