# Zinoviev — My Disillusionment in Russia character guide

> Zinoviev in My Disillusionment in Russia by Emma Goldman.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** Chairman Zinoviev

**First appearance:** 0010-viii-the-first-of-may-in-petrograd

## Who they are

Bolshevik leader and chairman of the Petrograd Soviet, encountered by the narrator.

## Relationships

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_rivalry_

Zinoviev is a Bolshevik leader whose authoritarian tactics and political maneuvering create deep antagonism with the narrator.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_rivalry_

Zinoviev is a Bolshevik leader whose authoritarian tactics and political maneuvering create deep antagonism with the narrator.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_rivalry_

Zinoviev is a Bolshevik leader whose authoritarian tactics and political maneuvering create deep antagonism with the narrator.

## In the story

### [I: Deportation to Russia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/i-deportation-to-russia)

Head of the Department of the Third International at Smolny, observed by Goldman.

### [II: Petrograd](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/ii-petrograd)

Presides over the Petro-Soviet meeting; appears tired and lacking depth to the narrator.

### [III: Disturbing Thoughts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/iii-disturbing-thoughts)

Zinoviev is mentioned indirectly through his servant's request for vinegar, sparking outrage among working women over inequality.

### [VII: Rest Homes for Workers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/vii-rest-homes-for-workers)

Mentioned as an influential Communist whom displaced intellectuals might appeal to for help.

### [Industrial Militarization](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/ix-industrial-militarization)

Rumors circulate that Zinoviev and his staff were driven from factories by workers while explaining new policies.

### [XII: Beneath the Surface](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xii-beneath-the-surface)

Zinoviev is among the Communists the narrator had known who are now implicated in treachery and horrors.

### [Another Visit to Peter Kropotkin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xvii-another-visit-to-peter-kropotkin)

Mentioned in contrast to Kropotkin's simple quarters, as having 'gorgeous quarters'.

### [XIX: In Kharkov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xix-in-kharkov)

His signature on credentials is noted; his earlier remark about centralized control is recalled.

### [XXIII: Returning to Moscow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xxiii-returning-to-moscow)

Mentioned in a rumor that he was ducked in 'Sovietsky soup' by factory workers.

### [XXV: Archangel and Return](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xxv-archangel-and-return)

Leads a faction in the trade union debate; his influence in Petrograd requires Trotsky to struggle for permission to speak.

### [XXVII: Kronstadt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xxvii-kronstadt)

Chairs the Petrograd Soviet meeting, dismisses the Kozlovsky story, and pushes through the resolution demanding Kronstadt's surrender.

### [XXIX: Travelling Salesmen of the Revolution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xxix-travelling-salesmen-of-the-revolution)

Delegates became echoes of Zinoviev and other leaders at the Congress.

### [Afterword](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/xxxiii-afterword)

Mentioned as canonizing Dzerzhinsky, the head of the Cheka, as the 'saint of the Revolution,' illustrating the perversion of ethical values.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/chapters/iv)

Mentioned as having canonized Dzerzhinsky, the head of the Cheka, as the 'saint of the Revolution,' illustrating the perversion of ethical values.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/characters/zinoviev
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/my_disillusionment_in_russia_se/characters