The Charisma of World Revolution: Revolutionary Internationalism in Early Soviet Society, 1917-1927 PDF
Preview The Charisma of World Revolution: Revolutionary Internationalism in Early Soviet Society, 1917-1927
TheCharismaofWorldRevolution Historical Materialism Book Series EditorialBoard LorenBalhorn(Berlin) DavidBroder(Rome) SebastianBudgen(Paris) SteveEdwards(London) JuanGrigera(London) MarcelvanderLinden(Amsterdam) PeterThomas(London) volume 272 Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/hm The Charisma of World Revolution Revolutionary Internationalism in Early Soviet Society, 1917–1927 By GlebJ.Albert Translatedby ZacharyMurphyKing leiden | boston ThisbookwasoriginallypublishedinGermanasDasCharismaderWeltrevolution:Revolutionärer InternationalismusinderfrühenSowjetgesellschaft1917–1927,byBöhlauKöln,2017. ThetranslationofthisworkwasfundedbyGeisteswissenschaftenInternational–Translationfundingfor WorkintheHumanitiesandSocialSciencesfromGermany,ajointinitiativeoftheFritzThyssen Foundation,theGermanFederalForeignOffice,thecollectingsocietyvgwortandtheBörsenvereindes DeutschenBuchhandels(GermanPublishersandBooksellersAssociation). LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Names:Albert,Gleb,1981-author.|MurphyKing,Zachary,translator. Title:Thecharismaofworldrevolution:revolutionaryInternationalisminearly Sovietsociety,1917-1927/byGlebJ.Albert;translatedbyZacharyMurphyKing. Othertitles:CharismaderWeltrevolution.English|Revolutionary InternationalisminearlySovietsociety,1917-1927 Description:Leiden;Boston:Brill,[2023]|Series:Historicalmaterialismbook series,1570-1522;272|"|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. Identifiers:lccn2022052548(print)|lccn2022052549(ebook)| isbn9789004527768(hardback)|isbn9789004527775(ebook) Subjects:lcsh:SovietUnion–History–1917-1936.|Worldpolitics–20thcentury.| Internationalism. Classification:lccdk266.a545132023(print)|lccdk266(ebook)| ddc947.084/1–dc23/eng/20221122 lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2022052548 lcebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2022052549 TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill‑typeface. issn1570-1522 isbn978-90-04-52776-8(hardback) isbn978-90-04-52777-5(e-book) Copyright2023byGlebJ.Albert.PublishedbyKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillnvincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillNijhoff,BrillHotei,BrillSchöningh,BrillFink, Brillmentis,Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht,Böhlau,V&RunipressandWageningenAcademic. KoninklijkeBrillnvreservestherighttoprotectthispublicationagainstunauthorizeduse.Requestsfor re-useand/ortranslationsmustbeaddressedtoKoninklijkeBrillnvviabrill.comorcopyright.com. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperandproducedinasustainablemanner. Contents Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations x EditorialNote xiii 1 Introduction 1 2 ‘WorldRevolution’,theBolsheviksandSovietSociety 46 1 BolshevikInternationalismthroughtheWorldWarandRevolution 46 2 1918/19,1923,1926:ThreeWorld-Revolutionary‘Windowsof Opportunity’inTheirSovietReflection 57 2.1 1918/19:TheConflagrationinCentralEurope 57 2.2 1923:ThePhantomofthe‘GermanOctober’ 75 2.3 1926:SolidaritybyDecree:TheBritishGeneralStrike 89 3 ActivistsandtheCharismaofWorldRevolution 104 1 Activists,OpportunistsandFunctionaries:TypesofEarlySovietPolitical Actors 104 2 TheWorldRevolutionasa‘DelightfulThing’ 126 3 CommunistWorldSocietyorRussianDomination?ActivistsImagine theFuture 142 4 InternationalistPracticesi:CharismaandActivismbetween theRevolutionandnep 172 1 Informing,PerformingandIntervening:PublicSpeechabouttheWorld Revolution 172 2 InternationalistGreetingMessagesandTheirAuthors 186 3 TheBolshevikProvincialPress:FromActivistMouthpieceto‘Mass’ Newspaper 206 5 InternationalismandtheSoviet‘Masses’ 234 1 WaysandMeansofTransmittingInternationalistKnowledge 234 1.1 ExpectationsandLinesofArgument 234 1.2 TheInstrumentariumofAgitprop 244 2 Reactionsofthe‘Masses’:Disinterest,Resistance,Appropriation 267 6 mopr:TheInstitutionalisationofInternationalSolidarityin theobshchestvennost’ 289 vi contents 7 InternationalPracticesii:Activismandobshchestvennost’fromnep toStalinism 334 1 DonationsandFundraising:ClassSolidarity,Philanthropy andEntertainment 334 2 ObjectsandSubjectsof‘Shefstvo’:ComparingTwoTypes ofInternationalSponsorship 358 3 InternationalistPenPalCorrespondence–Collectiveand Individual 385 4 BannersWanted:TheTwistsandTurnsofInternationalFlag Exchange 409 5 DealingwithComradesfromAbroad:ForeignRepresentatives oftheLabourMovementintheSovietUnion 435 8 APracticeForestalled:GoingAbroadfortheWorldRevolution 465 9 ConcludingRemarks 481 Bibliography 501 Index 564 Acknowledgements A book is not just written quietly on one’s own, especially if it is a doctoral thesis, the ticket to the academic world. Not only does it involve extensive visits to the archives, it also means having daily exchanges with colleagues and friends who question, reject and contextualise one’s initial conclusions, or simply help the author get over the frustration of work over a coffee or a beer.Thisexchangeispartandparcelofacademicwork,anditwouldbehighly dispiriting if this were not the case. The people and institutions that create thebasic conditionsfor productiveworkareequally essential:open-minded andhelpfulacademicsupervisors,archivistsanditspecialists;institutionsthat createopportunitieswithscholarshipstoenjoytripsabroadandcoffeebreaks withouthavingtoconstantlycheckone’sbankbalance;conferenceorganisers whoprovidetheinfrastructuretoenabledoctoralstudentsnotonlytowrite‘for thedrawer’,astheysaidintheSovieteraaboutworkwrittenwithouthopefor publication,butalsotosharetheirfreshlygainedinsightswiththeacademic worldbeforethedefence.Itwasmygoodfortunetoreceivealltheseblessings whileworkingonthisthesis. Most of all I am indebted to my academic supervisors,ThomasWelskopp andKlausGestwa.Independentlyof oneanother,theyplacedagreatdealof trust in me and my project and supported me throughout with suggestions, criticismandhelpwithcontentandorganisation.Withouttheircommitment andsupport,whichIfeltatalltimes,itwouldnothavebeenpossibleformeto realisethisproject.Sadly,ThomasWelskopp,whopassedawayinAugust2021, willnotwitnessthepublicationoftheEnglishtranslationofthisbook,which heencouragedmetopursue. IamlikewisegratefultoBernhardH.Bayerlein,whoawakenedmyinterestin thehistoryofcommunism,taughtmethehistorian’stradeinthefullestsense of theterm,andalwayshelpedmeinwordanddeed.Itisnoexaggerationto saythatwithouthishelpIwouldmostlikelynothavebecomeahistorian. TheBielefeldGraduateSchoolinHistoryandSociologygavemetheoppor- tunitytorealisemyprojectwithagenerousscholarship.Theinstitutionalback- ing,theopportunitiestoconnectwithotherscholars,theworkingatmosphere and,lastbutnotleast,thestaff andfellowdoctoralstudentscreatedthebest conditionsIcouldwishfor.ThisisespeciallytrueforFrankLeitenberger,whom Icouldnotthankenoughforeverythinghehasdoneformeovertheseyears, andUlfOrtmannforbeingagreatoffice-mateandneighbour.TheLeibnizInsti- tute for European History in Mainz made it possible for me to complete the thesiswithawrite-upscholarship.Iwouldliketoexpressmysincerethanksto viii acknowledgements theinstitute’smanagement,staffandfellowscholarshiprecipients,especially Zaur Gasimov, Kevin Anding and Robert Bernsee. My new workplace at the Departmentof Historyof theUniversityof Zurichwascrucialforturningthe thesismanuscriptintotheGermaneditionof thisbook.Iamverygratefulto mynewcolleagues,firstandforemostWendelinBrühwilerandMonikaDom- mann,fortheirwarmwelcomeandunderstandingthatIstillhadto‘tieupthe looseends’ofmyoldprojectdespitemynewcommitments.Ithanktheeditors oftheHistoricalMaterialismBookSeries,firstandforemostSebastianBudgen, forembracingthebook,welcomingitsEnglishtranslationfortheseries,and encouragingmetoapplyfortheGeisteswissenschaftenInternationaltransla- tionprize,thankstowhichthiseditioncannowbepublished.ZacharyMurphy KingmasterfullytranslatedthebookintoEnglish,andIamimmenselygrateful forhismeticulousandskilfulwork.Workingwithhimwasapleasure. Thanks are also due to the institutions that maintain and preserve the sourcesonwhichthisworkisbased.InMoscow,itwasthestaffofthergaspi (especially Irina Selezneva, Irina Kremen’, Larisa Reshetilo and Yuri Tutoch- kin), the garf, the rgae, theTsAGM and various libraries that enabled me toaconductfruitfulsearchforprimarysources.Iwouldliketothankthestaff oftheGermanHistoricalInstituteinMoscowfortheirorganisationalsupport. InBerlin,itwasthestaffofthesapmo-BArchandtheDeutschesHistorisches Museum(especiallyRegineFalkenberg)whosehelpfulnessenabledmetosup- plement the Soviet perspective with a German one. Freddy Litten from the BavarianStateLibrarysavedmemanyajourneybyprovidingessentialmicro- filmedarchivematerials.VeryspecialthanksgotoSabineRahmsdorfandher teamfromtheHistoryDepartmentof BielefeldUniversityLibraryforagreat collectionandforimplementingeventhemostexoticacquisitionsuggestions. AtcolloquiainBielefeld,Konstanz,Tübingen,Potsdam,Düsseldorf,Cardiff, Mainz, Norwich and Bern, I had the opportunity to share my findings with expertcolleaguesandtoreconsiderthemagainandagain.Theresearchwork- shop of the department ‘History of Modern Societies’ at Bielefeld University also provided me with the reassurance that I was on the right track thanks to the intensive discussion of my work. Similarly, I am also grateful to those friends and colleagues who stood by my project in many ways and fuelled it through discussions, tips, suggestions and assistance: Robert Bache, Sarah Badcock, Marcel Bois, David Brandenberger, Kasper Braskén, Katja Bruisch, Barry Carr, Vito Gironda, Susan Grant, Malte Griesse, Julia Herzberg, Alexis Hofmeister, Mark Jones, Norman LaPorte, Daniel Laqua, Semion Lyandres, Thomas Maier, Christina Morina, Timur Mukhamatulin, Manfred Mugrauer, MatthiasNeumann,FredrikPetersson,JetteProchnow,AndreasRenner,Aaron B.Retish,JamesRyan,VladimirSapon(†),DanielSiemens,UweSonnenberg, acknowledgements ix DavidR.Stone,JonathanWaterlow,KlausWeinhauerandAndyWillimott.Very specialthanksgotoMelanieDejnegaandTimWätzoldfortheircriticaland stimulatingreadingofindividualchapters. Inaddition,specialmentionmustbemadeofthreefriendsandcolleagues. First, Brendan McGeever and Aleksandr Reznik. Together we shared the Moscow ‘historians’ commune’, explored the party archives, exchanged an enormous amount of sources and invited each other to Bielefeld, Glasgow, St.PetersburgandPerm’.Withouttheirsupportandnumeroustipsthiswork wouldbeincomparablypoorer.Theworkonthethesiswasworthalltheeffort if only to have found such friends. Frank Wolff is another great friend and colleaguewhoaccompaniedmyworkandspurredmeonfromtheveryfirst projectoutlinetothefinalchapter,proofreadtheentirethesis,founditsweak pointswithhiswell-groundedandunsparingcriticism,andatthesametime alwaysencouragedmeindifficultmoments.Iowehimmydeepestgratitude. Withouthim,thisbookwouldnotexist. TheworkisdedicatedtoYuriBirteAnderson,notonlyforherattentiveread- ingofindividualchapters,butalsoforherunderstandingandpatiencethrough themosttryingphasesofwork,andfortheloveandcomfortshegivesmeevery day–andtoLilwen,ourmarvellousdaughter,whosawthelightofdayduring thefinalproofreadingphaseoftheEnglishtranslation,andwhowillhopefully readthisbookoneday. Abbreviations Agitprop AgitationandPropaganda cc CentralCommittee ccc CentralControlCommission Cheka →VChK ci CommunistInternational Com. Comrade Comfaction CommunistFaction Comintern CommunistInternational cp CommunistParty dhm DeutschesHistorischesMuseum(GermanHistoricalMuseum) ec ExecutiveCommittee ecci ExecutiveCommitteeoftheCommunistInternational garf GosudarstvennyiarkhivRossiiskoiFederatsii(StateArchivesofthe RussianFederation) Glavpolitprosvet GlavnoeupravleniepoliticheskogoprosveshcheniiaNarkomprosa rsfsr(MainAdministrationforPoliticalEducationatthePeople’s CommissariatforEnlightenmentofthe→rsfsr) iah InternationaleArbeiter-Hilfe,Germannameofthe→iwr ira InternationalRedAid ituc InternationalTradeUnionConfederation iwr InternationalWorkers’Relief kjvd KommunistischerJugendverbandDeutschlands(CommunistYouth LeagueofGermany) Komsomol Kommunisticheskiisoiuzmolodezhi(CommunistYouthLeague) kp(b)U Kommunisticheskaia partiia (bol’shevikov) Ukrainy (Communist Party(Bolsheviks)ofUkraine) kpd Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Communist Party of Ger- many) Krestintern Krest’ianskiiInternatsional(RedPeasantInternational) Mezhrabpom Mezhdunarodnaia Rabochaia Pomoshch’,Russian name of the → iwr mopr Mezhdunarodnaia organizatsiia pomoshchi bortsam revoliutsii (InternationalOrganisationforAidtotheFightersof theRevolu- tion,Sovietsectionofthe→ira,also:Russiannameofthe→ira). nep NewEconomicPolicy nkid Narodnyikomissariatinostrannykhdel(People’sCommissariatfor ForeignAffairs)
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