Revolution in Danger

by Victor Serge

Upon his arrival in Petrograd in 1919, Victor Serge—the great chronicler of the Russian Revolution—found a society nearly shattered by civil war. In these essays he sketches a portrait of the darkest hours faced by the fledgling revolution, defending the new regime against its critics.

Genres: History, Politics, Russia, Essays, Journalism, Nonfiction, Russian Revolution

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Victor Lvovich Kibalchich (В.Л. Кибальчич) was born in exile in 1890 and died in exile in 1947. He is better known as Victor Serge, a Russian revolutionary and Francophone writer. Originally an anarchist, he joined the Bolsheviks five months after arriving in Petrograd in January 1919, and later worked for the newly founded Comintern as a journalist, editor and translator. He was openly critical of the Soviet regime, but remained loyal to the ideals of socialism until his death.

After time spent in France, Belgium, Russia and Spain, Serge was forced to live out the rest of his life in Mexico, with no country he could call home. Serge's health had been badly damaged by his periods of imprisonment in France and Russia, but he continued to write until he died of heart attack, in Mexico city on 17 November 1947. Having no nationality, no Mexican cemetery could legally take his body, so he was buried as a 'Spanish Republican.'

Reviews

[Adam McPhee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects three Serge essays from 1919. The two covering the actual events of the Russian Revolution in Petrograd are fascinating. He has a great account of the sort of easy truce that existed on the streets between Reds and Whites––people were more concerned with getting their daily bread and left fighting to the soldiers. Later, as the White armies approach, the Bolsheviks form committees to seize guns from White homes. All very cool (sunglasses emoji). Occasionally takes a look at the bigger picture, but what it's great at is capturing the spirit of the times. Lots of conversations with soldiers, rumours, political speeches, the mood on the street, that sort of thing.

The third pamphlet is his attempt to reconcile anarchism with the Bolshevik revolution. Interesting and informative, I think I mostly agree with him, but it's not as immediate and visceral as the rest.

[Williams Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential to understanding the use of terror, centralization, and the dictatorship of the proletariat, through a clear and critical voice. Victor Serge's concise and approachable prose makes the nuances of revolution real on a level not found in many accounts of the Russian Revolution or the quest for human emancipation.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to imagine that the author of this book is the same one who wrote The Case of Comrade
Tulayev. Victor Serge turned away from the Stalin that the Revolution of 1917 produced. What I" learned from this book is how very dangerous the civil war was, how precarious the standing of the Communists and how involved the West was in supporting the Whites. Determination by the workers' party won the day, it seems. Yet, when he wrote passages like," This is not the time for debating; in any case the Soviet does not debate much, there is nothing parliamentary about it. As it is at the moment, it is nothing but a very simple apparatus for popular consultation and dictatorship." " Now it seems to me that we anarchists must accept or reject as a whole the set of conditions necessary for the social revolution: dictatorship of the proletariat, principle of Soviets, revolutionary terror, defense of the revolution, strong organizations." "The suppression of so called freedoms, dictatorship backed up by if necessary by terror..." Victor Serge in this book of propaganda asserts the necessity for bloodshed, terror, dictatorship and violence. In my opinion, once you claim that the suppression of dissent is justified, even by the use of terror, you cannot be surprised that those elements of the Revolution endure. Stalin, it seems, thought it quite normal and necessary to continue in that way. Then Serge turned against Stalin and what had happened to the Revolution. He remained a committed Socialist and supporter of anarchism (I learned much on what and how large the anarchistic movement was at that time) but he reviled what Stalin had done. Again, I think the stage was already set, in part by him. My next book will be his novel Conquered City.

[Dimitrii Ivanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three propaganda pamphlets written in 1919-20 but published in 1921-24, when political situation was changed and Serge's message was less veracious than when it was written. Rather well-written they are too, and well-translated. There is no serious attempt to check the contents against Russia's revolutionary history (so e.g. Elfvengren is rendered as Elven Greye), and there's space for more contextualisation, but these are good sources.

[Phil Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small, but brilliantly written book, consisting of three essays from Victor Serge, written in the 1920s, on the isolation and attacks endured by the Russian Revolution. With a great economy of prose, Serge honestly describes the actions taken by the fledgling worker’s state to defend itself from a hostile capitalist world.

[Thomas Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

His descriptions of the bravery and heroism of the Red revolutionaries and workers defending their revolution was heartbreaking and very inspiring. Very starkly portrays the brutality of it all, but the anarchism stuff at the end drove me a bit mad.

[Daniel T · Rating 4 out of 5]

many good lessons to be found for future revolutions.

[Justin Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn’t agree with everything in here but it was really good like i enjoyed it way more than i thought i would

[hoffnarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of Serge's writings from the time of the Russian revolution - long before he turned against Stalinism and was expelled from the Communist party. On almost every page you feel the discomfort of a former (libertarian) anarchist trying to come to terms with the "necessity" of terror and violence in the service of a revolution he believed would begin the final step towards the eradication of the state. His dream failed completely and his justifications are the universal ones of total civil war, but he is an interesting and unusual critical witness to a revolution he committed himself completely to.

[Dan Sharber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. All the revolutionary enthusiasm of john reed but without the idealism and the idealization of events. serge is very clear in the kill or be killed nature of the revolution. or, as he says, the revolution is a sacrifice to the future. much more practical and pragmatic. it is with this same practical eye that he writes on what the role of anarchists could (and should) be in a revolution. this was the first thing i have read by serge but i am very impressed.

[Mik Sabiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much better review of the events around the Russian revolution, helps to understand the thinking at the time, as well as how anarchists and others were involved in the events, well worth picking up...

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully and lucidly written. By far one of the best descriptions of counter-revolution I have ever read.