Civil wars are bloody, and Russia’s Civil War was no exception. Everyone formed militias advocating for their ideology, and large groups of anarchists, socialists, communists, and republicans took part in toppling the Tsarist remnants only to immediately fight each other. But what do Democratic Socialists support? Of course, electoralism is primary. We want to avoid such bloodshed, but in a situation like the Russian Civil War–-what is to be done?
Unfortunately, the Civil War yielded bad results: The Bolsheviks won, destroying any hope of democracy in Russia and the surrounding regions. They restricted workers and soldiers from voting, crushing democracy in Ukraine, and eventually carrying out genocides. It’s clear the Bolsheviks were not the best option for Russia at the time, and you might be wondering who where. There were plenty of socialist factions in Russia that had democratic ideals. Originally aiming to take control of the government by electoral means, they later found themselves without the support nor guns to take it by force.
Who did leftists side with during the Russian Revolution?
– The Bolsheviks
– The Left Socialist-Revolutionaries (Left SRs)
– Mensheviks
– Makhnovshchina (Anarchists)
– Green Army socialists
– White Army socialists (People’s Army of Komuch)
Many of these socialist factions were very underrated or simply odd. For example, the People’s Army of Komuch was a socialist White Army (only lasting a few months) that protected private property and had a Tsarist military commander. This commander was completely okay with leading his socialist troops as long as he could fight the Reds as long as possible. In Ukraine, the Makhnovshchina practiced its version of anarchist communism–which was actually quite successful. After the German withdrawal from the area, a power vacuum ensued; anarchist ideologues formed cells of anarchist militias throughout the eastern Ukrainian steppe. They took land from the rich and divided up fields to the poor. Being completely democratic, the Black Army stood to protect individual communities instead of rule them (something I touched upon in the Communes of Bulgaria article). There were also plenty of socialists within the localized Green Armies, the armed peasant groups that fought against almost everyone else. They didn’t want to be ruled by White nor Red. Note that the Makhnovshchina could also be considered a Green Army due to their peasant base and anti-authoritarianism.
The Mensheviks and Bolsheviks split from the same party in 1903, wanting a more democratic and evolutionary path to socialism. They were led by Julius Martov (who himself has a pleasing name). Martov was described as “[resembling] a poor Russian intellectual. His face was pale, he had sunken cheeks; his scant beard was untidy. His suit hung on him as on a clothes hanger. Manuscripts and pamphlets protruded from all his pockets. He was stooped; one of his shoulders was higher than the other. He had a stutter. His outward appearance was far from attractive, but as soon as he began a fervent speech all these outer faults seemed to vanish, and what remained was his colossal knowledge, his sharp mind, and his fanatical devotion to the cause of the working class. Trotsky, who initially supported Martov against Lenin, later described him as “one of the most talented men I have ever come across” but added: “The man’s misfortune was that fate made him a politician in a time of revolution without endowing him with the necessary resources of will power.”
The main difference between the Mensheviks and the Bolsheviks was that the Mensheviks thought they needed a capitalist phase until they’d transition to socialism (just like in classical Marxist theory), while the Bolsheviks wanted to collectivize and build up socialism instantly. Opposing both the Whites and Reds, the Menshevik stronghold was actually in the Caucasus. They controlled the Democratic Republic of Georgia, originally a German protectorate until they gained independence. Their support in Russia was next to none, and the Mensheviks only received 3.2% of the national vote in the November 1917 elections, while the SRs and Bolsheviks got 37% and 23% of the vote. However, they won over 30% of the vote in the transcaucasus and 75% of the vote in Georgia. Unfortunately, the Democratic Republic of Georgia was invaded by the Bolsheviks in 1921. You might have noticed that the Left SRs won most of the vote, and that’s true. They were the largest socialist party in Russia at the time, splitting from the main SR party in 1917, before the elections. In October 1917, they shared power and were close to the Bolsheviks. Importantly, the Left SRs did not accept any compromise. Due to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, they began to dislike the Bolsheviks, wanted to reignite the war, and got repressed after their Left SR uprising in Moscow.
The more interesting factions, I think, were the Makhnovists, Mensheviks, and Left SRs. The Left SRs worked with the Bolsheviks, but the Brest-Litovsk treaty (which was seen as a betrayal) leading to the failed uprising put the nail in the coffin for the Left SRs. The Mensheviks were closer to Democratic Socialism, hoping to create a democratic form of socialism after a short period of developmental capitalism and participating in electoralism. The Makhnovists were also worthy of support. They stayed true to democracy, and their leader–Nestor Makhno–was a complete badass. He talked to Lenin and Sverdlov at the Kremlin, fought against all authoritarians, and even went undercover multiple times. They sided with the Bolsheviks to defeat the Whites, but were betrayed by the Red Army. So who would I fight for? Depending on where I was, I’d either fight for the Mensheviks or Makhnovists, but maybe I’m biased because Makhno happens to be my wallpaper.
The Rose Outlook 
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