Subject: AUT: Russia in 1920-21
Date: 22 Aug 2003 02:17:50 -0500


Historical Materialism 11.2 has a very interesting and detailed article
by Simon Pirani on Russia from 1920-21.  The piece raises a number of
valuable points.

First among them, based on new archival access, is that the workers in
Moscow in this period were very much present and active, contrary to
ideas spread by Leninists that the working class was basically
decimated.

Secondly, the piece gives a very interesting picture of working class
self-activity and its limits in Russia at that moment, and how workers'
demands were expressed in ways that are not simply captured by talking
about the factory committees.  The article makes clear that a large
popular working class sentiment for workers' direct control of important
matters such as food distribution and all rationing was a constant
feature of opposition to Bolshevik policies.

This is a very interesting piece exactly because of its detail based on
heretofore innaccesible material.  I think this alone justifies getting
this issue, though if anyone can get Simon Pirani to cough up the
article in digital format, more power to you!

Cheers,
Chris




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