How were the Makhnovists organised?
Being influenced by anarchist ideas, the Makhnovists were organised along libertarian lines. This meant that in both civilian and military areas, self-management was practised. This section discusses the military organisation, while the next discusses the social aspect of the movement. By practising self-management, the Makhnovists offered a completely different model of military organisation to that of both the Red Army and traditional military forces. While the army structure changed depending on its circumstances, the core ideas remained. These were as follows: “The Makhnovist insurrectionary army was organised according to three fundamental principles: voluntary enlistment, the electoral principle, and self-discipline. “Voluntary enlistment meant that the army was composed only of revolutionary fighters who entered it of their own free will. “The electoral principle meant that the commanders of all units of the army, including the staff, as well as all the men who held other positi
