Volin

Vsevolod Mikhailovich Eikhenbaum, known by his pseudonym Volin, was born on August eleventh, eighteen eighty-two. A prominent Russian anarchist intellectual, he became deeply involved in revolutionary socialist politics during the tumultuous period of the 1905 Russian Revolution. This engagement led to his exile, where he found himself drawn towards the principles of anarcho-syndicalism.

After the February Revolution of nineteen seventeen, Volin returned to Petrograd, fervently advocating for anarcho-syndicalism in the heart of Russia. However, he soon became disillusioned with the October Revolution, criticizing it for ushering the Bolsheviks into power. This prompted his departure to Ukraine, where he emerged as a key figure in the Makhnovshchina, a movement that sought to establish anarchist principles in the region.

During his time in Ukraine, Volin developed a theory of synthesis anarchism, promoting collaboration among various anarchist factions. He played a pivotal role in the intellectual evolution of Ukrainian anarchism, leading the Nabat and serving as chair of the third Military Revolutionary Council amidst the civil war.

Following the suppression of anarchist movements by the Bolsheviks, Volin once again faced exile, this time settling in Paris. There, he became a vocal critic of platformism, which he viewed as authoritarian. Despite living in poverty and evading persecution due to his Jewish heritage and anarchist beliefs, he continued to write prolifically in multiple languages. Volin's life came to a close on September eighteenth, nineteen forty-five, as he succumbed to tuberculosis shortly after France's liberation.