| Military Revolutionary Council | |
|---|---|
| Военно-революционный Совет | |
 Nestor Makhno and his lieutenants inBerdiansk (1919) | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 12 February 1919 (1919-02-12) |
| Dissolved | 26 November 1920 (1920-11-26) |
| Polity |  Makhnovshchina |
| Leader | Chairman |
| Appointed by | Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents |
| Headquarters | Huliaipole |
| Part ofa series on the |
| Makhnovshchina |
|---|
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Organisations Institutions Military organisations Political organisations |
TheMilitary Revolutionary Council (Russian:Военно-революционный Совет,romanized: Voyenno-revolyutsionny Sovet,VRS) was thede factoexecutive of theMakhnovshchina, empowered to act during the interim between sittings of theRegional Congresses.[1]
Its powers covered both military and civil matters in the region, although it was also subject toinstant recall at the will of the Regional Congress[2] and its activities were limited to those explicitly outlined by the Congresses themselves.[3] At each Regional Congress, the VRS was to provide detailed reports of its activities and subjected itself to reorganization.[4] When it came to the decisions of localsoviets andassemblies, the VRS presented itself as a solelyadvisory board, with no power over the local bodies of self-government.[5]
The VRS also functioned as the supreme body of theRevolutionary Insurgent Army, acting in concert with its elected general staff and in consultation with insurgent detachments,[6] thus "representing the authority of the civilian over the military."[7] The VRS even came into conflict with the Makhnovist general staff over a number of unilateral decisions by the latter, including the execution of members of thePolonsky conspiracy.[8] This eventually resulted in an agreement between the two, which reaffirmed the purview of the VRS as being in "administrative, economic, and financial matters", while the insurgent army itself would concentrate on "military affairs."[9]
On 12 February 1919, the Second Regional Congress elected the first VRS to act as the interimexecutive while Congress was not in session.[1] The first VRS consisted of 32 delegates, each representing adistrict from theprovinces ofYekaterinoslav andTaurida.[10] The Second Regional Congress further electedIvan Chernoknizhny as chairman of the VRS; Leonid Kogan as vice-chairman; and Karbet as secretary.[11]
The constitution of the VRS was opposed by theBolsheviks, withLev Kamenev openly demanding its abolition during a visit toHuliaipole. This demand was refused byNestor Makhno, as the constitution of the VRS outlined that it could only be disbanded by a Regional Congress, not by anycentral authority.[12]
As tensions between theInsurgents and theRed Army command began to heighten, the VRS convened a Fourth Regional Congress for 15 June.[13] However, this Congress would never take place, as a Red Army attack againstDibrivka [uk] on 11 June resulted in the capture and execution of a number of VRS members by theCheka.[14]
Moves to reconstitute the VRS were made during negotiations between the Makhnovists andNykyfor Hryhoriv'sgreen army. In the proposed amalgamated force, Hryhoriv ascommander-in-chief of the army would have been subordinate to the VRS, withNestor Makhno acting as its chairman andHryhorii Makhno as itschief of staff. However, Hryhoriv would be assassinated by the Makhnovists before the negotiations ended.[15] With the only crucial tactical decisions having been made before its establishment, the second VRS was constituted while on the retreat toUman and its role was largely confined to propaganda work.[16] One of the appeals that the second VRS issued was a denunciation of theUkrainian nationalist leaderSymon Petliura.[17]
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On 1 September 1919, the insurgent army called a meeting to restructure the army, in order to rapidly mobilize its forces for partisan warfare against theWhite movement. A third VRS was elected, consisting of 30 members,[18] withVolin being elected as its chairman, at the insistence ofNestor Makhno.[19]
The third VRS was constituted at a time when the Makhnovshchina's territory had reached its largest extent, while the military and political situation in Ukraine was still fluid. During its time, it implemented a score of economic and social measures.[16] Following the capture of cities and towns, the VRS announced completefreedom of expression andfreedom of association would be extended throughout the territory.[20] It subsequently oversaw the seizure of money from local banks and its redistribution to the populace, particularly paying attention to supplying local children's homes and hospitals inYekaterinoslav.[21] It then appealed to the local populace to summon their own municipal conferences, which would assume control of their local affairs, while the VRS itself stepped back to take on a purely military function.[22]Alexandre Skirda wrote that "[t]his practice on the part of the insurgents is a good illustration of their approach; they took the lead in eliminating state power used by Whites, Reds or any other hegemony-seeking faction, before inviting workers to get on with self-organization."[23]
The third VRS also edited the Makhnovists' official organThe Road to Freedom and published theirDraft Declaration of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine,[24] which elaborated on the "free soviets" as the basis of a "transitional period" towardslibertarian communism.[25] The VRS envisaged the "free soviets" as laying the groundwork for an eventual "All-Ukrainian Labour Congress", which would result from theself-determination of Ukrainian workers. They contrasted their vision of "social independence" for Ukrainian workers and peasants with the "national independence" sought by theUkrainian nationalists, declaring that: "Ukrainian, and all other, working people have the right to self-determination not as an 'independent nation', but as 'independent workers'."[26]
After the fall ofNikopol in January 1920, the Military Revolutionary Council was disbanded and replaced with theRevolutionary Insurgent Council, a new coordinating body concerned entirely with military affairs and drawing largely from an insurgent base. This new VRS consisted of 7 members, elected directly by the insurgents,[16] and was headed byDmitry Popov as its secretary.[27]
In July and August 1920, the fourth VRS attempted to propose aceasefire and military alliance with theRed Army, but they received no reply, leaving the Makhnovshchina to effectively fall under the control of theWhite movement.[28] The VRS again called for a ceasefire on 30 September, this time successfully, resulting in a political and military agreement being made between the Makhnovists and Bolsheviks.[29]
However, the final VRS would end up dissolving by December 1920,[16] when a number of its members, including Popov, were assassinated by the Red Army.[30]
