John Silas Reed is a well-known writer and journalist, political activist who fought hard for the establishment of communist power. An American, a native of Portland, was born in 1887. Date of birth - October 22. The young man received an excellent education at Harvard, at first he became a reporter, although the soul asked for fame. The true sphere and environment in which he was guided, like a fish in water, turned out to be a revolution.
Quick reference
It so happened that because of social and political beliefs, John Silas Reed from his youth learned what bondage is. The authorities first arrested the young man when he was 26 for participating in a workers' strike organized in Patterson. In 1914, he was exiled for four months, and during this period the writer had the opportunity to meet Pancho Villa. Then he will write a work that will subsequently make the author popular - Rising Mexico. The book was inspired by the strength of the personality of the leader of the revolution.
The First World War began, but at the same time, changes came into the life of the young man. As a journalist, John Reid goes to the European powers, where the fighting takes place. He repeatedly calls for an overestimation of events, to recognize the war as unjustified. Watching the life of the townsfolk, the correspondent calls for an understanding of a simple fact: ordinary people only suffer from these fights, starve and die. In 1917, he came to Petrograd, participated in a palace assault, and later wrote a book. This work will become almost a desktop edition of Lenin, who will more than once warmly respond to the writer who supported communism.
The man is one of the founders of the American Communist Party. In 1919, he was able to take part in the first Comintern Congress as a representative of a political organization. The cause of John Reid's death is typhoid. The place of death is the Russian capital. The remains were buried near the walls of the Kremlin.
And if more
Future famous communist author John Reid was born in Portland. This coastal city, washed by the Pacific waves, was known for the first strike against Kolchak’s army: it was here that the workers protested, refusing to load ammunition on the ship. In an atmosphere of resistance and readiness to uphold his ideals, John was born.
As contemporaries will later recall, the boy was very lucky with his family. The father of the child, as some said, as if descended from the pages of the works of Jack London. The parent of the writer John Reed was a straightforward, strong man, a typical representative of Western American lands. Wit was given to him by nature. Friends and the writer himself will recall: the man did not tolerate pretenders and hated hypocrites. He opposed the powers that be, did not forgive wealth and tried to resist those people who had seized, using their money, local natural resources. Reed's father struggled with the trusts, and those, in turn, with him. He was beaten more than once, he remained without work, was the object of persecution. As the son proudly says later, his father never gave up.
Life and environment
The family of John Reed gave the child good opportunities to grow and be brought up in an environment of desire for battle. From his father, the boy received a sharp mind, courage and courage of spirit. From an early age, he showed natural talents, thanks to which he managed to go to study abroad after completing his primary school education. Education John Reid, largely at the insistence of his parents, received at Harvard University. In those days, wealthy American citizens, oil kings, tycoons, who made their fortunes in the coal and steel trade, usually sent their children here.
The choice of the rich was not accidental: sending a child to study at Harvard, there was no doubt that four years of the offspring would be spent in a luxurious atmosphere, study would be diluted with sports, and science should be taught impartially. There is no doubt: no radicalism in learning is foreseen. As Reed's parents knew well, it is in such places that they form the defenders of the present order, adherents of reactionism.
Years and experience
Four years in a prestigious educational institution became for John Reed a source of not only knowledge, but also ideas about life around. A charming and talented young man soon became the center of attention, became a favorite of peers and teachers. Every day he contacted people from the privileged class, listened to sociological lectures filled with pompous phrases, capitalist sermons at the department of political economy. Perceiving Harvard as the basis of plutocracy, Reid decided to fight it from the inside, and right in the walls of his university organized a Socialist Club. Some called it a slap in the face to the ignorant, and teachers said that it was nothing more than a whim that would soon pass. Adults believed that the desire for radicalism would go away when a young man faced with realities of life.
The future author of numerous books, John Reid, completed his education, received a degree and went on a free life swimming. Enthusiasm, writing talent, love of life made him an expressive, attractive person, who in a short time managed to achieve success in the chosen direction. He showed his talents as a writer during his studies, when he was the editor of a local socialist publication. After graduating, he begins to write prose, including dramatic poems. A pile of proposals comes from the publishers, magazines are ready to pay a lot of money to the young author, and newspapers send orders to describe the most important incidents abroad.
Life on the move
In John Reed's life, places constantly replaced each other. He was a traveler, big roads attracted and pulled an active young man towards him. Already in those days, his contemporaries knew: if you want to keep abreast of recent events, you just need to follow Reed. As soon as something significant happened somewhere, the young man immediately found himself in the epicenter. Others compared him to a petrel, wondering at the talent to be in time everywhere.
Petterson has become the scene of a strike by textile workers. In the center of the storm was Reed. In Colorado, a rebellion began, with which the authorities tried to fight by shooting at the defiant, using batons to the right and left. Reed was in the rebel group. Peonies in Mexico began to rebel - and Reed, riding a horse, walked with him. Recent events have been described in the Metro. Later, John Reed will talk about them in his book. The publication will be born under the name "Revolutionary Mexico." It will be created in a rather lyrical spirit, the author will talk about deserts and mountains, cacti. These beauties forever struck his heart, but even more impressed were the locals, who at that time were an exploited class. The church and the few landowners in whose hands capital and power were concentrated benefited from this. In his book, Reid will tell later how the shepherds drive the flocks, how they sing songs by the fire, how they fight for their lands, being barefoot, hungry and cold.
War and its heart
John Reid was on his own wave during the imperialist war. He succeeded wherever important events of that era took place. He was brought to French lands, he fought for the German working class and supported the Turkish rebels, visited Italy and the Balkans, and then came to Russia. Even then, he specialized in scandalous revelations, and his name became a real nightmare for officials. Reed actively collected materials from which it followed that the powers that be had organized the pogroms of the Jewish quarters. Then Reed was arrested, and Bordman Robinson was captured with him. However, savvy, wit and simple luck allowed the writer to soon free himself from the power structures and begin another adventure, without which life seemed to stop for Reed.
The last thing that could scare Reed was danger. His life path was such that in many ways it turned into an element, without which he could not exist. Front lines, the most dangerous territories, restricted areas attracted a journalist and writer. In many ways, this was the wife of John Reed - Louise Bryant. Contemporaries will recall her straightforwardness, courage, courage. These character traits were surprisingly emphasized by the graceful, sweet appearance of a woman. In 1915, together with her chosen one, she leaves for New York, in 1916 they marry. A few years later, a man will literally die in the arms of his chosen one, and she will die in 1936. It so happens that the cause of her death will also be a serious illness. The couple did not have children.
Travel and work
John Reid traveled on the fronts, traveled to many countries, and one adventure in his life was replaced by another. A man cannot be called an adventurer: he was a professional journalist, not indifferent. He did not observe, like other correspondents, from the side behind the sufferings of people. On the contrary, the man empathized with everyone he met, the sense of justice given to him from birth was offended by the pictures of torment that ordinary people suffer. He set himself the task of eradicating evil, tearing it out, destroying the foundation itself. With such thoughts he came to New York, where he actively took up work. After the Mexican experience, he realized that the responsibility for what is happening is not at all with those who protest, but with those who supply them with weapons and gold. So, the source of misfortune is the large firms of America and England, engaged in oil, weapons, competing with each other and destroying human lives for this.
Returning from Petterson, John Reed makes a dramatic performance dedicated to the battle of the working class and capitalists. After a trip to Colorado, he talks about what happened in Ludlo - how miners were thrown out of their homes, how people were forced to live in tents that were set on fire, and shot while trying to escape. He will talk about the victims, including dozens of children and women. He will turn to Rockefeller, who owns the scene, and accuse him of killing him.
Radicalism and new milestones
Numerous battlefields, passed by John Reed, made him strong, ready to do anything to achieve his goal. He was not a fan of idle talk who wanted to talk about different aspects of the conflict. He cursed the war as a fact, not accepting the atrocities that people go to. John published in the Liberator magazine without demanding a reward: Reed sent his best creations here. Immediately his article was published against the war, which called for wrapping soldiers in straitjackets.
Like other editors, Reid was prosecuted by the courts. He was accused of treason. The prosecutor insisted on the maximum severity of the conviction, and the jury chose the true patriots. Near the courthouse they even put an orchestra playing national music. However, this did not prevent Reed and his friends from proving their position in a logical and reasonable way. The man admitted that his duty is to fight for changes in society. He spoke of horrors on the battlefields. Many will recall: the description was strong, lively, and some jurors, although prearranged against the speaker, were imbued with tears. The editors were justified.
Health and ideals
By the time America entered the interethnic struggle, Reed had surgery, removed one kidney, and for health reasons the man became unsuitable for military service. As he said himself, what frees him from the obligation to fight with other nations will not prevent him from fighting class injustice. In 1917 he left for Russia, where the approach of a new era is felt.
Having appreciated the circumstances, John realized that the proletariat will surely come to power here, a different outcome is impossible. Reid is worried about procrastination, worried about delays. His contemporaries will recall: in the morning, the man woke up annoyed that there was still no revolution. As soon as Smolny gave a signal, Reed appeared in the forefront. He was everywhere and everywhere, building barriers, applauding Lenin, was present at Zimny, and told about everything he saw and heard in a work published a little later.
Not a second idle
In many ways, the death of John Reid is due precisely to his activity during the revolution of 1917. He compiled useful information, was everywhere where something important happened. He worked tirelessly, but that’s exactly what undermined his health: in the future, when a man becomes ill with typhus, he will not have a chance to be cured precisely because of the exhaustion of his body. But it will be later, during the revolution, Reid did not think about such consequences. He carefully collected posters and periodicals, especially passionately collecting posters. If it was not possible to obtain such a new item legally, he could rip it off the wall.
However, posters in that era printed very quickly, so there were almost no places on the fences. They were glued to each other, and Reed would then recall: once, separating such a glued foot, he counted 16 layers in it. Both revolutionary and counter-revolutionary groups tried to promote their ideas in this way, and for Reed, all these posters became evidence, materials, food for the mind and creativity. His collection will be envious of many. In 1918, he arrives in New York, where local justice deprives John of the right to own the accumulated. However, Reed, resorting to all possible tricks, returns the most valuable exhibits and hides them in a secret room, the very one where he will write a book about the revolution in Russia.
I’m not afraid of anything!
Reed's opponents tried to steal the manuscript at least six times. In the dedication, Reed will mention the publisher, who almost went bankrupt, taking on a collaboration. The bourgeoisie renounced the truth, hated the revolution in Russia and in every way kept silent the truth, literally drowned it in accusations and lies. Political slander affected Reed: those publications whose editors used to line up to ask the journalist for material now refused to print it. The man found a way out: he began to appeal to listeners during mass rallies. Then came his own magazine. He traveled all over the country, told people the truth about what was happening, and then organized the Communist Party.
It seemed that only one way to silence a person was to put him in jail. Reed is arrested no less than 20 times. However, the jury acquitted the man, someone agreed to bail him, in other cases the court was postponed, and the journalist had the opportunity to speak again and again. It was said that every American city considers it a matter of honor at least once to arrest Reed.
How it all ended
In one of the illegal returns to New York, the writer is extradited; he finds himself in solitary confinement in Finland. John happens to return to the USSR, the collection of information for a new work begins. Probably, during a trip to the Caucasus, he becomes infected with typhus. Exhausted by overwork, Reid could not cope with the disease and died in the arms of his wife on 10/17/1920.
He was not the only victim of his time. Many of Reed's friends and associates died young. Others were locked up in prisons for the rest of their lives; someone was the victim of a pogrom. One of Reed’s friends died on a ship in the heart of a storm, while another died in the crash of an airplane, from which he scattered calls to fight the intervention.
The October Revolution was predominantly made by the hands of Russians, residents of the Caucasus and Ukraine, Tatars - but not only them. The event was attended by the French, natives of America and England, the Germans. Among foreign figures, one of the most significant is considered to be John Reid, who gave his life for the sake of establishing a fair order and equality.