Borotʹbism

Viac o knihe

Much has been written about the 1917-20 revolution in Ukraine, focusing on the national movement, the Makhnovists, and the Bolsheviks. However, the Borotbisty, an independent party of Ukrainian revolutionary socialists advocating for national liberation and social emancipation, played a significant role that has faded from history. Once well-known in revolutionary Europe, the Borotbisty were largely destroyed during the Stalinist purges in Ukraine. This lost text by Ivan Maistrenko, the last survivor of the party, offers a unique perspective through a blend of memoir and history. It challenges previous interpretations of the revolution and illustrates how events in Ukraine influenced not only the Russian Revolution but also broader upheavals across Europe. The debates surrounding the Ukrainian revolution of 1917 remain relevant today, particularly as discussions of national versus social liberation continue to resonate. Ukrainian ‘national communism’ emerged briefly in the late 1980s and early 1990s but failed to reconnect with earlier debates, becoming a façade for elite self-enrichment, as predicted by Maistrenko. The current landscape in Ukraine reflects a deep-seated animosity toward oligarchs, echoing sentiments in Russia, yet the challenge of establishing a non-communist Ukrainian left persists, highlighting its importance in both historical and contemporary contexts.