My Disillusionment in Russia · Chapters

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Chapter companions for My Disillusionment in Russia by Emma Goldman.

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Chapter 1
Preface to First Volume of American Edition
Emma Goldman explains her motivation for writing this book: to correct the superficial and misleading accounts of the Russian Revolution written by outsiders, and to expose the growing gap between the Bolshevik regime and the true revolutionary spirit of the Russian people. She recounts her own journey from defending the Bolsheviks to becoming disillusioned after firsthand experience in Russia, emphasizing that the Bolsheviks have become the enemies of the revolution and that she must speak out against their tyranny, despite personal gratitude for hospitality.
Chapter 2
Preface to Second Volume of American Edition
Emma Goldman explains the circumstances behind the missing chapters of the first edition of her book, defends her critique of Bolshevism against reviewers like Henry Alsberg and H.L. Mencken, and argues that the Bolshevik regime's terror and dictatorship persist even after the end of military necessity, calling on the world to recognize the true character of Bolshevism.
Chapter 3
My Disillusionment in Russia
The narrator recounts the gradual erosion of their revolutionary idealism upon witnessing the harsh realities of Bolshevik rule, including state oppression, inequality, and the betrayal of revolutionary principles.
Chapter 4
I: Deportation to Russia
Emma Goldman recounts her deportation from the United States on December 21, 1919, along with 248 other political prisoners aboard the Buford. After a twenty-eight-day journey through Finland, she arrives in revolutionary Russia, where she is met by a Soviet committee. She experiences a series of receptions and encounters with Bolshevik officials, including Zorin and Bill Shatov. Her initial idealism is tempered by early signs of authoritarianism, such as the military guard placed over the deportees and Zorin's comparison of Bolshevik political organization to Tammany Hall.
Chapter 5
II: Petrograd
The narrator arrives in Petrograd in 1920 and finds a city devastated by war, famine, and political repression. Initially skeptical of anarchist accounts of Bolshevik betrayal, she attends a Soviet meeting where she witnesses the suppression of dissent. Through encounters with Zorin, Zinoviev, John Reed, and underground anarchists, she begins to confront the gap between revolutionary ideals and the brutal reality of state control, censorship, and suffering.

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Preface to First Volume of American Edition

Preface to Second Volume of American Edition

My Disillusionment in Russia

I: Deportation to Russia

II: Petrograd