''Chernoe Znamia'' (or Chornoe Znamia) (russian: Чёрное знамя, en, The Black Banner), known as the ''Chernoznamentsy'', was a Russian

anarchist communist Anarcho-communism, also known as anarchist communism, (or, colloquially, ''ancom'' or ''ancomm'') is a political philosophy and anarchist school of thought that advocates communism. It calls for the abolition of private property but retains res ...

organisation. It emerged in 1903 as a federation of cadres. It took its name, "The Black Banner", from the black flag, the use of which as a symbol of

anarchism in Russia Anarchism in Russia has its roots in the early mutual aid systems of the medieval republics and later in the popular resistance to the Tsarist autocracy and serfdom. Through the history of radicalism during the early 19th-century, anarchism de ...

, according to ''

An Anarchist FAQ An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

'', coincided with its founding.

Composition

The largest collection of anarchist terrorists in

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. T ...

, ''Chernoe Znamia'' attracted its strongest following in the western and southern provinces at the frontier of the Empire, including nearly all anarchists in

Białystok Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area. Białystok is located in the Białystok Up ...

. Their ranks included mostly students, factory workers and artisans, though there were also peasants, unemployed labourers, drifters, and self-professed Nietzschean supermen. Ethnically,

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

predominated, and many members were of Ukrainian, Polish and

Great Russia Great Russia, sometimes Great Rus' (russian: Великая Русь, , , , , ), is a name formerly applied to the territories of "Russia proper", the land that formed the core of Muscovy and later Russia. This was the land to which the eth ...

n nationality. The typical age of the ''Chernoznamentsy'' was nineteen or twenty, and some of the most active adherents were as young as fifteen years old.

Tactics and ideology

With a history marked, in the words of historian

Paul Avrich Paul Avrich (August 4, 1931 – February 16, 2006) was a historian of the 19th and early 20th century anarchist movement in Russia and the United States. He taught at Queens College, City University of New York, for his entire career, from 1961 ...

, by "reckless fanaticism and uninterrupted violence", the ''Chernoznamensty'' were the first anarchist group with a deliberate policy of

terror Terror(s) or The Terror may refer to: Politics * Reign of Terror, commonly known as The Terror, a period of violence (1793–1794) after the onset of the French Revolution * Terror (politics), a policy of political repression and violence Emoti ...

against the established order. They saw merit in every act of

propaganda by the deed Propaganda of the deed (or propaganda by the deed, from the French ) is specific political direct action meant to be exemplary to others and serve as a catalyst for revolution. It is primarily associated with acts of violence perpetrated by pro ...

, no matter how intemperate and senseless it appeared to the public, as evoking the lust of the underclass for vengeance against their tormentors. Along with the equally fanatical '' Beznachalie'' ("Without Authority"), ''Chernoe Znamia'' was the most conspicuous anarchist communist organisation in Russia.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Chernoe Znamia
at the Daily Bleed's Anarchist Encyclopedia {{Anarchism 1903 establishments in the Russian Empire Anarchist organizations in Russia Communist organizations in Russia Defunct anarchist militant groups Defunct communist militant groups Jewish anarchism Organizations established in 1903 Organizations of the Russian Revolution Organizations with year of disestablishment missing Political movements Political organizations based in the Russian Empire Terrorism in the Russian Empire Defunct anarchist organizations in Europe

Composition

Tactics and ideology

See also

References

Bibliography

External links