Unknown Narrator

Chicherin

Chicherin interacts frequently with the narrator as a Soviet diplomat, engaging in formal political exchanges.

Tovarish Karus

Tovarish Karus is a Bolshevik comrade who works alongside the narrator in revolutionary activities.

Alexander Berkman

Alexander Berkman is a fellow anarchist and close ally of the narrator, sharing ideological camaraderie.

Nestor Makhno

Nestor Makhno is a fellow anarchist commander and comrade-in-arms with the narrator.

Tovarish Drozdov

Tovarish Drozdov is a Bolshevik functionary who interacts with the narrator in party and military contexts.

Lenin

Lenin is the Bolshevik leader whose political path conflicts with the narrator's anarchist beliefs.

The Chekist

The Chekist is a secret police agent who interrogates and threatens the narrator.

Moishe

Moishe is a fellow revolutionary and personal friend of the narrator, sharing hardships.

Zinoviev

Zinoviev is a Bolshevik leader who opposes the narrator's anarchist faction politically.

Yossif

Yossif is a close comrade and fellow anarchist fighter alongside the narrator.

The Colonel

The Colonel is a White Army officer who is a military enemy of the narrator.

Ethel Bernstein

Ethel Bernstein is a fellow anarchist and supportive friend to the narrator.

The Bolshevik Myth

The narrator recounts personal observations and growing disillusionment with the Bolshevik regime.

The Log of the Transport Buford

The narrator serves as the chosen spokesman for the deportees, organizing committees, negotiating with authorities, and assisting the ship's physician. He reflects on his longing to join the Russian Revolution and his commitment to the cause.

III: In Petrograd

Observes Petrograd's transformation, attends Soviet session, and mediates for the Buford deportees.

V: The Guest House

The narrator observes life in the guest house, interacts with Ukrainian delegates, and shares a can of condensed milk.

VI: Chicherin and Karakhan

Feels his anarchist identity is deliberately obscured in official documents, discusses labor and revolution with Soviet officials, requests documents.

VII: The Market

Walks through Moscow, observes the market, intervenes during the raid, and debates with Communist friends.

VIII: In the Moskkommune

Accompanies the House Commissar to the Moskkommune, debates the fairness of the rationing system, and later agrees to let Sergei share his room.

IX: The Club on the Tverskaya

Attends the Anarchist Conference at the Club, participates in the committee to present a resolution to Krestinsky, and expresses surprise at the imprisonment of leftists.

A Visit to Peter Kropotkin

The narrator, a longtime admirer of Kropotkin, recounts the visit and his own youthful anarchist activism in New York.

Sights and Views

The narrator navigates Moscow, helping a sick friend Sergei, witnessing Cheka brutality, and visiting the home of a young cigarette seller.

XIII: Lenin

Visits Lenin at the Kremlin, reflects on the Revolution, and discusses political plans.

XIV: On the Latvian Border

The narrator travels to the Latvian border as Chairman of the Reception Commission, negotiates with Drozdov, and converses with locals in Sebezh.

II

The narrator acts as the Chairman of the Reception Commission of the Petro-Soviet, negotiating with border officials and the Cheka to ensure the safe passage of war prisoners and awaiting American deportees.

III

The narrator travels to Sebezh, observes the market, and engages with locals, including a young peasant and a Jewish family.

IV

The narrator negotiates with Prehde for the lives of the arrested workers, defies Chicherin's orders, and endures a perilous night in a Cheka car.

Rest Homes for Workers

Enthusiastically accepts Zorin's offer to manage the rest home project, works out detailed plans, but refuses to execute unjust evictions and is gradually eliminated from the work.

XVIII: The British Labor Mission

Observes the British Mission's arrival and the reactions of workers and officials; serves as translator and informal liaison, noting the gap between propaganda and reality.

XX: Other People

The narrator reflects on the confusion and decay of revolutionary ideals, and decides to join the Museum of the Revolution expedition.

En Route to the Ukraine

Chairman of the expedition, traveling to Ukraine to collect revolutionary museum materials.

First Days in Kharkov

The narrator serves as chairman of the expedition, collecting material from labor unions and revolutionary organizations in Kharkov.

XXIII: In Soviet Institutions

Visits Petrovsky and labor union headquarters, observing the bureaucratic and human struggles in Soviet Ukraine.

XXIV: Yossif the Emigrant

The narrator who visits Yossif at the Volnoye Bratstvo bookstore and engages in debate about Makhno and the Bolsheviks.

XXV: Nestor Makhno

The first-person narrator who seeks to understand Makhno and agrees to meet him.

XXVII: Further South

Narrates the journey, observes conditions, and interacts with the commissar.

XXVIII: Fastov the Pogromed

The narrator walks through Fastov, observing the destruction and speaking with survivors, learning about the pogroms.

XXIX: Kiev

Observes Kiev's beauty, Soviet bureaucracy, and antisemitism; gathers documents for the Museum; interacts with T⸺.

In Various Walks

The narrator walks through Kiev, meets Gallina, and engages with Jewish intellectuals and families.

XXXI: The Cheka

The narrator recounts the story of Kolya and the Pirro affair, and describes a visit from a Cheka executioner.

XXXII: Odessa: Life and Vision

Arrives in Odessa with the Expedition, witnesses the arrest of Alsberg, interacts with a requisitioned peasant woman, and attends a secret Menshevik meeting.

Dark People

The narrator observes the plight of peasants and soldiers, records conversations about Makhno and Mariusa, and experiences the fear and hostility of villagers.

A Bolshevik Trial

Observes the trial and speaks with Burov, questioning the validity of the testimony and the fairness of the proceedings.

In the Far North

Travels through Yaroslavl, Vologda, and Archangel, observing conditions and interviewing local officials and workers.

Early Days of 1921

The narrator intercedes for imprisoned anarchists, appeals to Lenin, and later helps organize Kropotkin's funeral and memorial.

Last Links in the Chain

The narrator observes the Congresses, interacts with delegates, mourns Fanya Baron, and decides to leave Russia.

XL: The Lessons of the “Bolshevik Myth”

The narrator recounts their personal journey from revolutionary hope to disillusionment with Bolshevik rule.

I: My Personal Attitude and Reactions

The narrator reflects on their personal journey from revolutionary hope to disillusionment with the Bolsheviks.