BolshevismBourgeoisieKronstadtSovietWorking Class

THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, August 9, 1919 10 Petrograd During the Early Part of 1919 January 30, a party of newspaper corBy Arthur Ransome Petrograd, and we found that the carriages respondents, Norwegians, a Swede and were unheated, somebody got out a mandoline nish officer leading our escort walked solemnly and we kept ourselves warm by dancing. At myself, left Stockholm to go into Russia. We to the middle of the bridge. Then the luggage the same time was sorry for the five childtravelled with the members of the Soviet Govwas dumped there, while we stood watching ren who were with us, knowing that a country ernment Legation, headed by Vorovsky and the trembling of the rickety little bridge under simultaneously suffering war, blockade and Litvinov, who were going home after the the weight of our belongings, for we were all breaking off of official relations by Sweden.
revolution is not a good place for childhood.
taking in with us as much food as we decently Some months earlier had got leave from the But they had caught the mood of their parents, could. We were none of us allowed on the Bolsheviks to go into Russia to get further revolutionaries going home to their revolution, bridge until an officer and a few men had come material for my history of the revolution, but and trotted excitedly up and down the carriage down to meet us on the Russian side. Only or anchored themselves momentarily, first on at the last moment there was opposition and it little Nina, Vorovsky daughter, about ten seemed likely that should be refused perone person knee and then on another years old, chattering Swedish with the Finns, mission. Fortunately, however, a copy of the It was dusk when we reached Petrograd. The Morning Post reached Stockholm, containing got leave from them, and shyly, step by step, went down the other side of the bridge and Finland Station, of course, was nearly deserta report of a lecture by Mr. Lockhart in which struck up acquaintance with the soldier of the ed, but here there were four porters, who he had said that as had been out of Russia Red Army who stood there, gun in hand, and charged two hundred and fifty roubles for for six months had no right to speak of conditions there. Armed with this argued that obligingly bent to show her the sign, set in shifting the luggage of the party from one end his hat, of the crossed sickle and banner of the of the platform to the other. We ourselves it would be very unfair if were not allowed Peasants and Workmen Republic. At last loaded it into the motor lorry sent to meet us, to come and see things for myself. had no the Finnish lieutenant took the list of his as at Bieloostrov we had loaded it into the further difficulties.
prisoners and called out the names Vorovsky, van. There was a long time to wait while We crossed by boat to Abo, grinding our wife and one bairn, looking laughingly over rooms were being allotted to us in various way through the ice, and then travelled by his shoulder at Nina flirting with the sentry. hotels, and with several others walked outrail to the Russian frontier, taking several Then Litvinov, and so on through all the side the station to question people about the days over the journey owing to delays various Russians, about thirty of them. We four visi mutiny and the tombardment of which we ly explained by the Finnish authorities. We tors, Grimlund the Swede, Puntervald and have heard in Finland. Nobody knew anything were told that the Russian White Guards Stang, the Norwegians, and I, came last. At about it. As soon as the rooms were allotted had planned an attack on the train. Litvinov, last, after a general shout of farewell, and and knew that had been lucky enough to half smiling, wondered if they were purposely Helse Finland from Nina, the Finns turned get one in Astoria, drove off across the frozen giving time to the White Guards to organize and went back into their civilization and we river by the Liteini Bridge. The trams were such an attack. Several nervous folk inclined went forward into the new struggling civiliz running. The town seemed absolutely quiet, to that opinion. But at Viborg we were told ation of Russia. Crossing that bridge we passand away down the river saw once again in that there were grave disorders in Petrograd ed from one philosophy to another, from one the dark, which is never quite dark because and that the Finns did not wish to fling us extreme of the class struggle to the other, of the snow, the dim shape of the fortress, into the middle of a scrimmage. Then some from a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie to a and passed one by one the landmarks had one obtained a newspaper and we read a de dictatorship of the proletariat.
come to know so well during the last six years tailed account of what was happening. This The contrast was noticeable at once. On the Summer Garden, the British Embassy, account was, as learnt on my return, duly the Finnish side of the frontier we had seen and the great Palace Square where had seen telegraphed to England like much other news the grandiose new frontier station, much armoured cars flaunting about during the July of a similar character. There had been a seri larger than could possible be needed, but quite rising, soldiers camping during the hysterical ous revolt in Petrograd. The Semenovsky a good expression of the spirit of the new days of the Kornilov affair and, earlier, Korregiment had gone over to the mutineers, who Finland. On the Russian side we came to the nilov himself reviewing the Junkers. My mind had seized the town. The Government, how same grey old wooden station known to all went further back to the March revolution, and ever, had escaped to Kronstadt, whence they passengers to and from Russia for polyglot saw once more the picket fire of the revoluwere bombarding Petrograd with naval guns profanity and passport difficulties. There were tionaries at the corner that night when the This sounded fairly lively, but there was no porters, which was not surprising because remains of the Czar Government were still nothing to be done, so we finished up the chess there is barbed wire and an extremely hostile frantically printing proclamations ordering tournament we had begun on the boat. An sort of neutrality along the frontier and traffic the people to go home, at the very moment Esthonian won it, and was second, by reason across has practically ceased. In the buffet, while they themselves were being besieged in of a lucky win over Litvinov, who is really a which was very cold, no food could be bought the Admiralty. Then it flung itself further better player. By Sunday night we reached The long tables once laden with caviare and back still, to the day of the declaration of war, Terijoki and on Monday moved slowly to the other zakuski were bare. There was, however, when saw this same square filled with people, frontier of Finland close to Bieloostrov.
a samovar, and we bought tea at sixty kopeks while the Czar came out for a moment on the squad of Finnish soldiers was waiting, ex a glass and lumps of sugar at two roubles fifty Palace balcony. By that time we were pulling cluding everybody from the station and seeing each. We took our tea into the inner passup at the Astoria and had to turn my mind that no dangerous revolutionary should break port room, where think a stovę must have to something else.
away on Finnish territory. There were no been burning the day before, and there made inquired for a meal, and found that no horses, but three hand sledges were brought, some sort of a meal off some of Puntervald food was to be had in the hotel, but they could and we piled the luggage on them, and then Swedish hard bread. It is difficult to me to supply hot water. Then, to get an appetite set off to walk to the frontier duly convoyed express the curious mixture of depression and for sleep, went out for a short walk, though by the Finns. Finnish lieutenant walked at exhilaration that was given to the party by did not much like doing so with nothing but the head of the procession, chatting good this derelict starving station combined with the an English passport, and with no papers to humouredly in Swedish and German, much feeling that we were no longer under guard show that had any right to be there. had as a man might think it worth while to be kind but could do more or less as we liked. split like the other foreigners, been promised such to a crowd of unfortunates just about to be the party into two factions, of which one wept papers but had not yet received them. went flung into a boiling cauldron. We walked a while the other sang. Madame Vorovsky, who round to the Regina, which used to be one few hundred yards along the line and then had not been in Russia since the first revolu of the best hotels in the town, but those of us turned into a road deep in snow through a tion, frankly wept, but she wept still more in who had rooms there were complaining so little bare wood, and so down to the little Moscow where she found that even as the bitterly that did not stay with them, but went wooden bridge over the narrow frozen stream wife of a high official of the Government she off along the Moika to the Nevsky and so that separates Finland from Russia. The enjoyed no privileges which would save her back to my own hotel. The streets, like the bridge, not twenty yards across, has a toll bar from the hardships of the population. But the hotel, were only half lit, and hardly any of the at each end, two sentry boxes and two sentries.
younger members of the party, together with houses had a lighted window. In the old sheepOn the Russian side the bar was the familiar Litvinov, found their spirits irrepressibly ris skin coat had worn on the front and in my black and white of the old Russian Empire, ing in spite of having no dinner. They walked high fur hat, felt like some ghost of the old with a sentry box to match. The Finns seem about the village, played with the children, and regime visiting a town long dead. The silence ingly had not yet had time to paint their bar sang, not revolutionary songs, but just joly and emptiness of the streets contributed to and box.
songs, any songs that came into their heads. this effect. Still, the few people met or passed The Finns lifted their toll bar, and the Fin When at last the train came to take us into were talking cheerfully together and the rare