ΙΟ THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE Saturday, August 2nd, 1919.
Moscow During the Early Part of 1919 was a cold day when struggled through By Arthur Ransome and we went together into the citadel of the accomodation has been taken. In every distrepublic.
and began fighting with the sledge driv rict there are housing committees to whom meeting of the People Commissars was.
ers who asked a hundred roubles to take me people wanting rooms apply. They work on going on in the Kremlin, and on an open space to the Metropole. remembered coming here the rough and ready theory that until every under the ancient churces were a number of a year ago with Colonel Robins, when we made man has one room no one has a right to two.
motors black on the snow. We turned to the ten roubles a limit for the journey and often An Englishman acting as manager of works right down the Dvortzovaya street, between travelled for eight. Today, after heated barnear Moscow told me that part of his house the old Cavalier House and the Potyeshny gaining, got carried with no luggage but a had been alloted to workers in his factory, who, Palace, and went in through a door under the typewriter for fifty roubles. The streets were however, were living with him amicably, and archway that crosses the road, and ap some white with deep snow, less well cleaned than had, think, allowed him to choose which dark flights of stairs to a part of the building the Petrograd streets of this year but better rooms he should concede. This plan has, of that used, think, to be called the Pleasure cleaned than the Moscow streets of last year.
course, proved very hard on house owners, Palace. Here, in a wonderful old room, hung The tramways were running. There seemed and in some cases the new tenants have made with Gobelins tapestries absolutely undamaged to be at least as many sledges as usual, and the a horrible mess of the houses, as might, indeed, by the revolution, and furnished with carved horses were in slightly better condition than have been expected, seeing that they had prechairs, we found the most incongruous figure last summer when they were scarcely able to viously been of those who had suffered directly of the old Swiss internationalist, Karl Moor, drag themselves along. asked the reason of from the decivilizing influences of overcrowdwho talked with affection of Keir Hardie and the improvement, and the driver told me the ing. After talking for some time we went of Hyndman, in the days when he was a Sohorses were now rationed like human beings, round the corner to the Commissariat for cialist, and was disappointed to find that and all got a small allowance of oats. There knew so little about them. Madame Radek Foreign Affairs, where we found Chicherin were crowds of people about, but the numbers who, thought, had aged a good deal and asked, of course, for the latest news of Radek, of closed shops were very depressing. did was (though this was perhaps his manner)
and told her that had read in the Stockholm not then know that this was due to the nationless cordial than Karakhan. He asked about papers that he had gone to Brunswick, and alization of trade and a sort of general stockEngland, and told him Litvinov knew more was said to be living in the palace there. She taking, the object of which was to prevent about that than I, since he had been there feared he might have been in Bremen when profiteering in manufactured goods, etc. of more recently. He asked what thought would that town was taken by the Government troops, which there were not enough to go round. be the effect of his Note with detailed terms and did not believe he would ever get back Before left many shops were being reopened published that day. told him that Litvinov, to Russia. She asked me, did not feel alas national concerns, like our own National in an interview which had telegraphed, had ready (as indeed did) the enormous differKitchens. Thus, one would see over a shop mentioned somewhat similar terms time ence which the last six months had made in the inscription, The 5th Boot Store of the before, and that personally doubted whether strengthening the revolution. asked after Moscow Soviet or The 3rd Clothing Store the Allies would at present come to any agreeold acquaintances, and learnt that Pyatakov, of the Moscow Soviet or The 11th Book ment with the Soviet Government, but that, who, when last saw him, was praying that Shop. It had been found that speculators if the Soviet Government lasted, my personal the Allies should give him machine rifles to bought, for example, half a dozen overcoats, opinion was that the commercial isolation of so use against the Germans in the Ukraine, had and sold them to the highest bidders, thus vast a country as Russia could hardly be probeen the first President of the Ukrainian Sogiving the rich an advantage over the poor. longed indefinitely on that account alone.
viet Republic, but had since been replaced by Now if a man needs a new suit he has to go then met Voznesensky (Left Social RevRakovsky. It had been found that the views in his rags to his House Committee, and satisfy olutionary. of the Oriental Department, of the Pyatakov government were further left them that he really needs a new suit for him bursting with criticism of the Bolshevik attithan those of its supporters, and so Pyatakov self. He is then given the right to buy a suit.
tude towards his party. He secured a ticket had given way to Rakovsky who was better In this way an attempt is made to prevent for me to get dinner in the Metropole. This able to conduct a more moderate policy. The speculation and to ensure a more or less equit ticket had to surrender when got a room Republic had been proclaimed in Kharkov, but able distribution of the inadequate stocks. My in the National. The dinner consisted of a at that time Kiev was still in the hands of the greatest surprise was given me by the Metroplate of soup, and a very small portion of Directorate.
pole itself, because the old wounds of the revsomething else. There are National Kitchens That night my room in the Red Fleet was so olution, which were left unhealed all last sumin different parts of the town supplying simicold that went to bed in a sheepskin coat mer, the shell holes and bullet splashes which lar meals. Glasses of weak tea sold at 30 under rugs and all possible bedclothes with marked it when was here before, have been kopecks each, without sugar. My sister had a mattress on the top. Even so slept very repaired.
sent me a small bottle of saccharine just before badly.
Litvinov had given me a letter to Karakhan left Stockholm, and it was pathetic to see The next day spent in vain wrestlings to of the Commissariat of Foreign Affairs, ask the childish delight with which some of my get a better room. Walking about the town ing him to help me in getting a room. found friends drank glasses of sweetened tea. found it dotted with revolutionary sculptures, him at the Metropole, still smoking as it were From the Metropole went to the Red some very bad, others interesting, all done in the cigar of six months ago. Karakhan, a Fleet to get my room fixed up. Six months some haste and set up for the celebrations of handsome Armenian, elegantly bearded and ago there were comparatively clean rooms the anniversary of the revolution last Novemmoustached, once irreverently described by here, but the sailors have demoralized the hotel ber. The painters also had been turned loose Radek as a donkey of classical beauty, who and its filth is indescribable. There was no to do what they could with the hoardings, and has consistently used such influence as he has heating and very little light. samovar left though the weather had damaged many of in favor of moderation and agreement with after the departure of the last visitor was their pictures, enough was left to show what the Allies, greeted me very cordially, and told standing on the table, together with some an extraordinary carnival that had been. Where me that the foreign visitors were to be housed dirty curl papers and other rubbish. got the a hoarding ran along the front of a house bein the Kremlin. told him should much waiter to clean up more or less, and ordered a ing repaired the painters had used the whole prefer to live in a hotel in the ordinary way, new samovar. He could not supply spoon, ed huge symbolic pictures of the revolution.
of it as a vast canvas on which they had paintand he at once set about getting a room for me knife, or fork, and only with great difficulty This was no easy business, though he obtained was persuaded to lend me glasses. whole in the Tverskaya was so decorated, an authorization from Sverdlov, president of The telephone, however, was working, Best, think, were the row of wooden booths the Executive Committee, for me to live where and after tea got into touch with Madame almost opposite the Hotel National in Okhowhich are mostly reserved for Soviet delegates, into the Kremlin. had not yet got a pass delightful effect, their bright colors and naive wished, in the Metropole or the National, Radek, who had moved from the Metropole tina Ryadi. These had been painted by the officials and members of the Executive Com to the Kremlin, so she arranged to meet me mittee. Both were full, and he finally got me and get a pass for me from the Commandant. patterns seeming so natural to Moscow that a room in the old Loskutnaya Hotel, now the walked through the snow to the white gate found myself wondering how it was that Red Fleet, partially reserved for sailor dele at the end of the bridge which leads over the they had never been so painted before. They gates and members of the Navel College.
used to be a uniform dull yellow. Now, in clear garden up a step incline to the Kremlin. Here Rooms are distributed on much the same fire of logs was burning, and three soldiers primary colors, blue, red, yellow, with rough plan as clothes. Housing is considered a State were sitting round it. Madame Radek was It was not till later that we learned he had remonopoly, and a general census of housing waiting for me, warming her hands at the fire, turned to Berlin, been arrested, and put in prison.