Who was Nestor Makhno? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Nestor Ivanovych Makhno, Bat'ko Makhno

Died At Age: 45

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Agafya Kuzmenko (m. 1919)

father: Ivan Rodionovich Makhno

mother: Evdokia Matveevna Makhno

siblings: Emelian Makhno, Grigory Makhno, Polycarp Makhno, Sava Makhno

children: Yelena Makhno

Born Country: Ukraine

Revolutionaries Ukrainian Men

Height: 5'3" (160 cm), 5'3" Males

Died on: July 25, 1934

place of death: Paris, France

Ancestry: Ukrainian French

Cause of Death: Tuberculosis

Founder/Co-Founder: Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine

discoveries/inventions: Tachanka

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1

What role did Nestor Makhno play in the Russian Revolution?

Nestor Makhno was a Ukrainian anarchist revolutionary who led the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine (Makhnovshchina) during the Russian Revolution. He fought against both the Bolsheviks and the White Army, seeking to establish an anarchist society in Ukraine.
2

What were the key principles of Nestor Makhno's anarchist ideology?

Nestor Makhno advocated for anarchist principles such as decentralized self-governance, workers' self-management, and the abolition of state authority. He believed in the establishment of a stateless, classless society based on voluntary cooperation and mutual aid.
3

What was the significance of the Makhnovshchina movement in Ukrainian history?

The Makhnovshchina movement, led by Nestor Makhno, played a significant role in Ukrainian history during the Russian Revolution and the subsequent Russian Civil War. It represented a unique form of anarchist resistance against both the Bolsheviks and the White Army, advocating for peasant and worker self-organization.
4

How did Nestor Makhno's military tactics differ from traditional armies?

Nestor Makhno's Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine utilized guerrilla warfare tactics, mobile cavalry units, and a decentralized command structure. His forces were known for their mobility, adaptability, and ability to engage in hit-and-run tactics against larger, conventional armies.
5

What was the outcome of Nestor Makhno's conflict with the Bolsheviks?

Nestor Makhno's conflict with the Bolsheviks ultimately led to the defeat of the Makhnovshchina movement. After facing betrayal and military pressure from the Red Army, Makhno and his forces were forced to retreat and go into exile, marking the end of his active resistance against Bolshevik rule.

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Childhood & Early Life

Nestor Ivanovych Makhno was born on October 26, 1888, in Huliaipole, Russian Empire. Huliaipole is presently a city in Ukraine. Born into a poor peasant family, Nestor lost his father when he was 10 months old. His was a Christian family, and he had four elder siblings. He was baptized on October 27, 1888. However, in order to avoid conscription, his parents marked his birth year as 1889 in all official documents.

He was born into a family that struggled financially. Moreover, his father’s death pushed the family into extreme poverty. His elder siblings worked to make ends meet. By the age of 7, Nestor had also started working as a shepherd.

Around that time, he studied in a local primary school in the winters and worked as a shepherd for the local landlords during the summers. At the age of 12, he finally decided to leave school and work full-time in the estates of wealthy landlords.

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Foray into Politics

Around the age of 17, he began working as an apprentice painter in the city of Huliaipole and then began working in a local iron foundry. He was later promoted to the position of a foundry-man in the same organization. While he worked there, he understood how the upper classes exploited the working class. This led him to develop a keen interest in politics.

He also experienced the terrorism committed by the Tsarist regime during the 1905 revolution. Nestor began idolizing many anarchist revolutionaries, and in 1906, he himself joined an anarchist organization.

However, the organization lacked funds, and they believed in gathering money by hook or by crook. In 1906, Nestor was arrested for robbery. He was tried in court and acquitted. He was arrested yet again in 1907, but the charges on him were dropped yet again.

In another arrest, in 1908, he was found guilty of many charges. In 1910, he was sentenced to death. However, the death sentence was later turned into life imprisonment and he was kept in the ‘Butyrskaya Prison’ in Moscow. There, he came in touch with the intellectual Piotr Arshinov. Both of them got along well, and this became a formative time in the life of Nestor. He was released from prison in 1917, after the February Revolution began.

As a Political Leader

Nestor began working as soon as he was freed from prison. He organized a peasants’ union and became a “Robin Hood” of sorts, as he snatched away wealth from the rich and gave it to the poor. He took large private estates from rich landowners and distributed them among poor peasants. To be successful in his mission, he gathered a large group of armed men. This helped him become a local leader after the Russian Revolution began.

In March 1918, the ‘Treaty of Brest-Litovsk’ was signed by the new Bolshevik government. This led the German army to march into Ukraine. Although Nestor had planned a counter-attack, he realized that his men were too weak to offer a strong resistance. He thus went into hiding.

He reached Russia and met Peter Kropotkin, who had been his hero. He also met Lenin, who told Nestor about the difference between anarcho-communists and communists. Nestor returned to Ukraine in July 1918. Back then, the Austrian troops were still occupying Ukraine and also had a puppet leader ruling on their behalf.

Nestor gathered his men and started raiding the regime. He always had a black flag and a group of armed men with him. The gang indulged in guerrilla warfare. He was hailed as a strong battle strategist and an effective orator. In many instances, he had managed to gather more than 10 thousand men to fight for him.

Nestor wanted to establish a libertarian society in the southern part of the Russian Empire, which would serve as a model for the whole of Russia. He set up his first commune in Pokrovskoye, which was named in honor of Rosa Luxemburg.

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He was given the title of “Little Father” after he led his troops to defeat an Austrian army in a conflict at the Dibrivki village. Following the culmination of the First World War, all the foreign troops left Ukraine, and the puppet government was abolished by Nestor with the help of the ‘Red Army.’

The Bolsheviks and the ‘White Army’ led by General Anton Denikin had armed conflicts with Nestor. Nestor successfully resisted them for a while. However, eventually, the agricultural communes set up by Nestor were dissolved by the ‘White Army.’ Later, in September 1919, Nestor launched a counter-attack, and Denikin and his ‘White Army’ were defeated.

In November 1920, the ‘White Army’ was defeated yet again, but Nestor’s commanders, who had secured the win, were captured and executed by the ‘Red Army.’

By then, the Bolsheviks had turned against Nestor and his forces, and an attack was orchestrated on the latter at their headquarters in Huliaipole. Many of Nestor’s key men were captured and killed, but Nestor managed to escape.

For an entire year, he went into hiding in Ukraine. However, he was eventually arrested. Nevertheless, he escaped and fled to Poland, where he was caught yet again. However, he became acquainted with Alexander Berkman and moved into exile in Paris.

While in Paris, Nestor continued to put his ideas out. He also made it clear that he hated big cities and wanted to return to his village. He said that his struggle for liberty and social justice would continue. However, he spent the last few years of his life in poverty and misery.

Personal Life & Death

Nestor Makhno married a schoolteacher named Agafya in 1919. She later became his aide. They had a daughter, Yelena.

Two of Nestor’s older brothers supported him fully and were later captured and killed by the German troops.

Nestor is remembered as a true anarchist who had an uncompromising nature. He was also a heavy drinker.

Nestor passed away on July 25, 1934, in Paris, after suffering from tuberculosis for a few months.

Facts About Nestor Makhno

Nestor Makhno was known for his unique personal style, often seen wearing a distinctive red shirt and black leather jacket as his signature look.

Makhno was a skilled horseman and often used cavalry tactics in his military strategies during the Russian Civil War.

Despite being a revolutionary leader, Makhno had a deep love for nature and was known to enjoy spending time outdoors, particularly in the Ukrainian countryside.

Makhno was a prolific writer and published several articles and manifestos outlining his anarchist ideology and vision for a free society.

Makhno had a strong sense of camaraderie and loyalty among his followers, who often referred to themselves as the "Black Army" in reference to their anarchist beliefs and attire.

Nestor Makhno Biography

You wanted to know

What role did Nestor Makhno play in the Russian Revolution?

What were the key principles of Nestor Makhno's anarchist ideology?

What was the significance of the Makhnovshchina movement in Ukrainian history?

How did Nestor Makhno's military tactics differ from traditional armies?

What was the outcome of Nestor Makhno's conflict with the Bolsheviks?