Lev Chernyi | |
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Лев Чёрный | |
 Chernyi,c. 1923 | |
| Born | Pavel Dmitrievich Turchaninov 28 February [O.S. 16 February] 1878 |
| Died | 21 September 1921(1921-09-21) (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | Execution by shooting |
| Education | Moscow University |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable work | Associational Anarchism |
| Political party | Moscow Federation of Anarchist Groups |
| Movement | Individualist anarchism |
| Criminal charges | Counterfeiting |
| Criminal penalty | Capital punishment |
| Partner | Nina Yagodina |
| Relatives | Sergei Turchaninov (brother) |
Pavel Dmitrievich Turchaninov (Russian:Па́вел Дми́триевич Турчани́нов,IPA:[ˈpavʲɪlˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕtʊrtɕɪˈnʲinəf]; 1878–1921), commonly known by his pseudonymLev Chernyi (Russian:Лев Чёрный,IPA:[ˈlʲefˈtɕɵrnɨj]ⓘ), was aRussianindividualist anarchist. Having joined theanarchist movement during theRussian Revolution of 1905, during which he developed his individualist theory of "associational anarchism", Chernyi was arrested and exiled toSiberia for his revolutionary activities. After several escape attempts, one of which resulted in mutinous exiles capturingTurukhansk, he managed to flee toParis, where he stayed until theRussian Revolution of 1917. After returning to Russia, he acted as secretary for theMoscow Federation of Anarchist Groups and organised theBlack Guards, the federation's armed wing. Aspolitical repression against anarchists intensified after theBolsheviks took power, Chernyi joined an underground anarchist group, whichbombed aRussian Communist Party meeting. In 1921, Chernyi andFanya Baron were arrested on charges ofcounterfeiting and wereexecuted by shooting by theCheka.
Pavel Dmitrievich Turchaninov was born tonoble family in theSmolensk Governorate of theRussian Empire, on 28 February [O.S. 16 February] 1878.[1] His father, Dmitrii Turchaninov, was acolonel in theImperial Russian Army.[2]
After coming of age, Turchaninov enrolled inMoscow University but he was expelled in 1901 for his activity in revolutionary groups.[1] By the outbreak of theRussian Revolution of 1905, he had joined theanarchist movement.[3]
Under the pseudonym Lev Chernyi, he wrote a manifesto of his newfoundanarchist beliefs,Associational Anarchism, which he finished in February 1906.[1] Chernyi's brotherSergei Turchaninov, himself aMarxist andempirio-criticist, criticised his brother's work forutopianism and a lack of basis inmaterialism.[4] In its own "Review of the Revolutionary Movement", theMinistry of Internal Affairs described Chernyi's book as a "paraphrasing" of the work ofPierre-Joseph Proudhon.[5] ResearcherAllan Antliff himself compared it toMax Stirner's bookThe Ego and Its Own.[6]
From 1906 to 1908, Chernyi was a member of theBuntar group, through which he began a relationship withNina Yagodina. In April 1908, he was exiled to theYeniseysk Governorate inSiberia, while Yagodina was exiledArkhangelsk Governorate in theRussian North. Turchaninov frequently attempted escaped from exile, aiming to reunite with Yagodina.[1]
In the autumn of 1908, he and a group of exiled revolutionaries made a plan to escape Siberia by hijacking a steamship. On 8 December 1908, the group ambushed a convoy atOsinovo [ru] and headed north along theYenisey, despite Chernyi's objections to the choice of route. On 2 January [O.S. 20 December] 1909, they capturedTurukhansk, where they led an armed uprising against the Tsarist authorities. Although he had himself refused to participate in the revolt, he was arrested on 16 February [O.S. 3 February] 1909; two days later, the rebels were disarmed by theImperial Russian Army.[7] By this time, the authorities had identified Turchaninov as the writer Lev Chernyi. Despite his lack of direct involvement in the Turukhansk uprising, the Ministry of Internal Affairs held him responsible for organising the mutiny.[5]
After this setback, he again made a last attempt to escape Siberia; this one was successful. Chernyi moved toParis, where he lived until the outbreak of theRussian Revolution of 1917.[5] Details about Chernyi's Siberian exile were only revealed after the opening of theState Archive of the Russian Federation and the State Archive of Krasnoyarsk Krai, which contributed to a more complete biographical picture of his life.[8]
After theFebruary Revolution, Chernyi returned to Moscow, where he joined theMoscow Federation of Anarchist Groups, serving as the organisation's secretary.[9] Although the Federation largely opposedillegalist andexpropriative activities, Chernyi himself advocated for the organization to seize private homes.[2] Following the outbreak of theRussian Civil War, Chernyi helped organise theBlack Guards, the armed wing of the Moscow Federation of Anarchist Groups.[10] On 5 March 1918, the second issue ofAnarkhiia after theOctober Revolution, Chernyi published an article in which he denounced the newRussian Soviet Republic and declared it to be as much of a threat as the old regime.[11] In subsequent issues of the paper, Chernyi outlined proposals for thedecentralisation of industry and the abolition of hierarchical power.[12]
By the summer of 1918,political repression against the anarchist movement drove many of Moscow's anarchists underground. In 1918, Chernyi himself facilitated the creation of an underground group of the Federation; and in 1919, he joined theUnderground Anarchists, founded byKazimir Kovalevich andPiotr Sobalev.[13] On 25 September 1919, the Underground Anarchists carried out abombing of aRussian Communist Party meeting, killing 12 functionaries and wounding 55 others, includingNikolai Bukharin,Yemelyan Yaroslavsky andYuri Steklov.[14] The bombing ultimately resulted in the intensification of political repression against the anarchists.[15] Chernyi himself was not directly involved in the bombing.[16]
During the political repression that followed the bombing, Lev Chernyi andFanya Baron were detained on charges ofcounterfeiting.[17] In September 1921, Chernyi and Baron wereshot by theCheka.[16] Their execution drew protests from others in the Russian anarchist movement, includingEmma Goldman. The public outcry led to thegovernment of Vladimir Lenin ordering the release and immediate deportation of a number of anarchist political prisoners, while other anarchists voluntarily left the country.[18]
Chernyi's "associational anarchism" was a spin onindividualist anarchism,[19] based on thefree association of individuals.[2] Together withAlexei Borovoi, Chernyi was a leading figure of individualist anarchism during the revolutionary period in Russia. They were both inspired byFriedrich Nietzsche's call for theoverthrow of bourgeois values, as well asMax Stirner andBenjamin Tucker's opposition tosociety. They even rejected theanarchist communism advocated byPeter Kropotkin, as they believed it would stifle individual freedoms.[20]
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