Nestor Makhno was born a poor peasant virtually at the mercy of the wealthy Kulaks, which caused his hatred for the upperclass thought his lifetime. He was arrested several times for anarchist terrorism (which in order to save space on this post, I will very briefly mention). During the Russian Civil War, he started his own anarchist faction, the Revolutionary Insurrection Army of Ukraine (also known as the Black Army) which warred against both the Bolsheviks and the White Army factions. He formed several very loose and off/on alliances with the Bolsheviks against the White Factions. When fighting against the Whites, he gave them no quarter and often personally killed them with his sword. He was slightly more mercifully towards the Bolsheviks, often executing Bolshevik officers and offering their men the chance to defect to his faction. After the final defeat of the Whites, the Bolsheviks doubled-crossed him. Makhno also lost the support of the Ukrainian peasants. So the lost of peasant support and Bolshevik betrayal lead to Makhno's downfall. He spent the rest of his life in exile.
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