Nihilist movement: Encyclopedia II - Nihilist movement - History

Nihilist movement - History

The Nihilists were mainly children of the aristocracy. They had access to education, were influenced by liberal ideas from the West, and realised the great gap between the Russian semi-feudal society and countries like France, England and Prussia. They rejected all preconceived ideas and social norms, to which they referred as "the conventional lies of civilized mankind". A sharp sincerity was their trademark. The movement owes its name to the 1862 novel Fathers and Sons by the Russian author Ivan Turgenev, the main character of which was a nihilist. But the nihilists themselves disliked the novel for portraying Bazarov, the fictional nihilist character in the novel, as too harsh.

Nihilists refused to enjoy the wealth of their parents. They saw those as being produced by slavery, and for that reason, preferred to live a commoner's life. They flocked to university towns. Women were denied higher education, so they went to learn a profession instead. This would save them both from the yoke of their parents and future husbands. Nihilists both wanted to become independent through learning, and use their knowledge to educate the people. This "go to the people -- be the people" campaign reached its height in the 1870s, during which decade many underground groups like the Circle of Tchaikovsky, the People's Reprisal and Land and Liberty were formed. This became known as the Narodnik movement, which followed the philosophy of Narodism.

While the Narodnik movement was gaining momentum, the government quickly moved to extirpate it. In response to the growing reaction of the government, radical Narodniks advocated and practiced terrorism. One after another, prominent officials were shot or killed by bombs. Finally, after several attempts, Alexander II was assassinated in 1881, on the very day he had approved a proposal to call a representative assembly to consider new reforms in addition to the abolition of serfdom designed to ameliorate revolutionary demands.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki