S V Zubatov: Founder of Police Socialism

[AnarchistPatriot]

http://www.angelfire.com/oz/1spy/Zubatov.html#Gapon

S. V. Zubatov
Okhrana spymaster
(1868-1917)



To counter the revolutionary tide that was beginning to sweep over czarist Russia at the turn of the century, S.V. Zubatov, police chief of the Okhrana, the czarist secret police, invented what came to be known as "police socialism," or "Zubotovism," according to Nicolai Lenin and his Bolsheviks. Zubatov's scheme was spectacular in that it was designed to steal the thunder from Lenin and other revolutionary leaders. The Okhrana, Zubatov cleverly insisted, would preempt the Bolsheviks by organizing the Russian workers on a large scale, and keep them under control while appearing to work toward the goals they desired.

A police official all his life, Zubatov did not devise his plan as a cynical method of manipulating Russian workers. He was, quite the contrary, a radical who truly believed in a sort of Populist autocracy. He felt that by secretly controlling revolutionaries, he could ease reform into existence without disturbing the middle-class, the nobles and, most importantly, the autocratic power of the czar.

Using scores of police spies, Zubatov, in 1901, organized the Society for Mutual Aid for Working Men in the Mechanical Industries. In all major cities, tens of thousands of workers joined the union, not knowing, of course, that the Okhrana secretly sponsored it. One of Zubatov's chief organizers of this union was Yevno Azev, the most spectacular police spy in history. Meetings were regularly held without incident. Those elected to the union leadership were Okhrana spies who made sure that the attitude at these meetings always reflected reverence and loyalty to the Czar.

To show that the national union was effective, Zubatov pressured employers to grant small concessions to the workers. Though Zubotov eschewed the support of intellectuals, he was practical enough to realize that without some sort of intellectual representation, his union movement would be suspect. He recruited professors and journalists to support the movement and they dutifully delivered lectures laced with unwavering allegiance to the czar.

Zubatov's successes throughout Russia were phenomenal. He even organized the most proletarian class of Russia, the Jewish workers of the Ukraine. When jittery Bolsheviks ran to Lenin to complain about Zubatov, the revolutionary leader simply smiled and waved them away, saying that Zubatov was but a passing notion, that the workers would eventually see through his ruse and benefit from learning about organizing and pressuring employers. This began to happen but what undid Zubatov were the very people he sought to protect, the industrialists.

The Ministry of Finance was inundated with demands from industry leaders, both Russian and foreign businessmen financing industries in Russia. They demanded that such government-backed unionism cease, stating that industrial growth could not be promoted by a government which also promoted agitation against industry. A coalition of French industrialists then openly complained to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that since Russia was a member of the Allied Powers, it was its duty to protect the interests of Allied industrialists doing business in Russia, not to whip up union attacks against them.

Right-wing elements began to attack Zubatov in the press for, by then, he was directly associated with the union movement. He was portrayed as "a servant of the Jews." Then, some of his unions went farther than he envisioned and beyond the control of his secret agents. In the summer of 1903, a number of police unions went on strike.

This led to Zubatov's dismissal. He was advised to leave Russia since both the revolutionaries now knew that he was an Okhrana spymaster and would seek revenge. He was also hated by the aristocracy and industrialists for creating a revolutionary state of mind in Russia. Oddly, a year after Zubatov was dismissed, he was replaced by an Okhrana-employed priest, Father George Gapon, who attempted to put "Zubatovism" into effect all over again with bloody results.

Given a large sum of money, Zubatov went into exile but he remained a fervent czarist. He wrote letters to the Russian press, stating that without taking his advice, Russia was doomed. In 1917, Zubatov heard that the czar had abdicated. To prove his utter allegiance to Russian autocrat, he placed a revolver to his temple and blew out his brains.

[generalzo]

It is interesting that the people who made the greatest damages to Russian imperial regime, George Gapon and Evno Azef (and D.Bogrov, I think it could be said) were closely connected with Okhrana, which is due to the well-known incapability of this organization. So, Zubatov radical idea (which maybe wasn't bad in theory) only made things worse and one of its direct results was 9th January and the beginning of revolution.

[AnarchistPatriot]

Originally posted by generalzo
It is interesting that the people who made the greatest damages to Russian imperial regime, George Gapon and Evno Azef (and D.Bogrov, I think it could be said) were closely connected with Okhrana, which is due to the well-known incapability of this organization. So, Zubatov radical idea (which maybe wasn't bad in theory) only made things worse and one of its direct results was 9th January and the beginning of revolution.

I think it just shows how disorganized the Czarist regeim really was. Nicolas's regeim was really undone by WW 1. The Czarist army was ill motivated and ill equipt to fight such a horrible war against the Germans. But the fact that he could not come to grips with the true dissention of his own people contributed to this. Zubatov's motivation was not really clear. But he certainly did create a sorded movement which untimately destroyed the Czarist regeim. In fact, for most people, the electoral system to the rubber stamp Duma did little to defuse their sentiments. Only through direct action could they get real relief, so they believed.

[generalzo]

However, was Gapon executed because he knew something about Azef's connections with Okhrana?

[AnarchistPatriot]

Originally posted by generalzo
However, was Gapon executed because he knew something about Azef's connections with Okhrana?

I posted on this before I believe.

He was killed by fellow socialists after admitting that he was spying for the police.

[generalzo]

I would not hurry to say that Gapon "was spying for the police". He was heard speaking of his relations with Okhrana, but he didn't admit anything, except he said that all he had done was done for the good of the workers. As I have already said, "double games" were not rare in history of Russian revolutionary movement. Before September of 1911, someone could hang Bogrov with the more reason that it was case with Gapon.