As contradictory as it may seem, Anarchist movements fielded military formations in both the Russian and Spanish Civil Wars. Makhno's army was organized on three principles: Voluntary Enlistment - the men who fought with Makhno were all volunteers: Makhno did not conscript peasants as both the Reds and Whites did. Much of his strength came from prisoners who defected to the Makhnovist cause. As often happened on campaign, the Makhnovists would capture large numbers of prisoners (both the Red and White armies provided many captives), kill their officers and give the soldiers a choice of freedom or joining the Makhnovist army. Surprisingly large numbers of soldiers would defect to the Makhnovists, since many of them were peasants themselves who had been conscripted. Still others would probably have preferred to join an organization that would at least feed them and let them elect their own leaders, rather than face the prospect of traveling alone and unarmed several hundred kilometers back to their own villages, or (if they were Red troops) of having a meeting with a unit of the Cheka (Bolshevik secret police, who were charged with rounding up and punishing deserters). Electoral - unit commanders were usually elected by the men themselves. This is not as idealistic as it sounds, because after troops have been in combat a few times they inevitably learn who will make the best leaders and act accordingly. Some unit commanders and staff positions were chosen by Makhno himself, subject to approval by the men in the unit, and he also seems to have had a good eye for selecting dependable leaders. Self-Discipline - Unlike most of the armies which crisscrossed the Ukraine during the War, Makhno's troops were not known for atrocities or looting. Regiments and detachments of the RIA adopted codes of conduct at mass meetings of the men and were expected to stick by them. Punishments for violating this code were severe. More Russian Civil War in the Ukraine Introduction The Civil War Begins The Whites Advance The Whites Retreat Betrayal An Anarchist Army? Armies of the Russian Civil War Summons (poem) Back to Cry Havoc #32 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by David W. Tschanz. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com