Anarchist Encounters

There was a general rejoicing when the regime of Tsar Nicholas II fell in February 1917, a new era of liberty dawned. But what would come next? This book presents sketches of encounters in the new Russia. Emma Goldman relates her experiences of daily life, her meeting with Peter Kropotkin and tells the story of the life of Maria Spiridonova, a famous SR activist who escaped from a mental hospital where she had been locked up. Gaston Leval and Angel Pestaña were members of a delegation from the Spanish CNT union and reported back on what they found, especially how trade unions functioned with policeman keeping order in union meetings. Armando Borghi tells of a meeting with Victor Serge. Jack Wilkens wrote a series of articles for the French journal Le Libertaire. They tell of how Soviets functioned, of how workers live, of working conditions for men and women and of rural life