Free Territory of Ukraine

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</image> <image source="map"></image> <label>Type</label> <label>Level</label> <label>Location</label> <label>Inhabitants</label> </infobox>The Free Territory of Ukraine or Makhnovia was an anarchist society that existed in what is now Ukraine from 1918 to 1921.

Economy

Agricultural Communes

Peasants who lived in the Free Territory began to self-organise into farming communes. The first one, called "Rosa Luxemburg" was highly successful. In these communes, land was held in common, and kitchen and dining rooms were also communal, though members who wished to cook separately or to take food from the kitchen and eat it in their own quarters were allowed to do so. Though only a few members actually considered themselves anarchists, the peasants operated the communes on the basis of full equality ("from each according to his ability, to each according to his need") and accepted Kropotkin's principle of mutual aid as their fundamental tenet.[1]

Industrial Self-Management

Railroad workers in Aleksandrovsk took the first steps in organising a self-managed economy in 1919. They formed a committee charged with organizing the railway network of the region, establishing a detailed plan for the movement of trains, the transport of passengers, etc.[2] Soviets were soon formed to coordinate factories and other enterprises across Ukraine.

Public Services

As a result of the war, schools were abandoned and teachers recieved no wages, meaning education was nonexistent in the region for months. Upon the creation of soviets and assemblies in the region, the reconstruction of schools began. Inspired by the free schools of Francisco Ferrer, the soviets set up some of the first secular and democratic schools in Ukraine. Courses were set up for illiterate and semi-literate adults to help them read and courses for history, sociology and political theory were all offered free of charge to the general public.[3] All of these efforts increased literacy in the region.[4]

Culture

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Notable Residents

References