Emma Goldman and the Russian Revolution: From Admiration to Frustration

The Russian Revolution changed the world and determined history of the 20th century as the French Revolution had determined the history of the 19th century. Ever since the corruption of the revolutionary process in Russia do people fear revolutionary ideas as they seem to be related to dictatorships and the suppression of freedom, because Bolshevist state rule replaced all kinds of revolutionary ideals, people had hoped and struggled for in February 1917. The news about the February Revolution made left intellectuals around the world emphatically greet a new world and social order and the end of capitalism seemed to be close. However, the joy did not last long as the ideals of February 1917 were replaced by the realities of October 1917 and Lenin crushed the revolution during the Civil War that had followed it. One of the intellectuals, whose admiration for the revolution turned into frustration about its corruption was the famous anarchist Emma Goldman. How she perceived the Russian Revolution and how her perception changed between 1917 and the early 1920s will be discussed in this book. What impact did Bolshevist rule have on the anarchist's perception and what made her change her mind, going from defending the Russian Revolution to becoming a crusader against Bolshevism? The analysis of such an intellectual transformation process, namely Emma Goldman, will provide a case study of intellectual and revolutionary history alike, adding a closer reading to the research about the famous American anarchist, her transnational life and her role as a revolutionary intellectual.