Nihilist movement

This article is about the Russian cultural and political

movement. For other uses, see Nihilism (disambiguation).
The Nihilist movement was a Russian movement in

The Catechism of a Revolutionist transformed the movement, which was waiting and only striking mild propaganda, into a movement-with-teeth and a will to wage war
against the tsarist regime, with dozens of actions against
the Russian state. The revolutionary period ends with the
assassination of the Tsar Alexander II (March 13, 1881),
by a series of bombs, and the consequential crushing of
the nihilist movement.[3]

1.2 Mikhail Bakunins Inuence

Mikhail Bakunins (1814-1876) Reaction in Germany
(1842) included a famous dictum, Let us therefore trust
the eternal Spirit which destroys and annihilates only because it is the unfathomable and eternal source of all
life. The passion for destruction is a creative passion,
too![4] This piece of literature anticipated and instigated
the ideas of the nihilists. In Russia, Bakunin was considered a Westernizer because of his inuences that spread
the ideology of anarchism outside of his nation to the rest
of Europe and Russia.[5] While he is inexorably linked
to both the foundational and revolutionary periods of nihilism, Bakunin was a product of the earlier generation
whose vision, ultimately, was not the same as the nihilist
view. He stated this best as I am a free man only so far
as I recognize the humanity and liberty of all men around
me. In respecting their humanity, I respect my own. This
general humanitarian instinct is in contrast to the nihilist
proclamations of having a hate with a great and holy hatred or calling for the annihilation of aesthetics.[6]

A nihilist student, by Ilya Repin

the 1860s which rejected all authorities.[1] It is derived

from the Latin nihil, meaning nothing. After the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881, the Nihilists were 1.3 Chernyshevsky and Nihilist Socialism
known throughout Europe as proponents of the use of viNikolay Chernyshevsky was the rst to incorporate niolence in order to bring about political change.
hilism in the socialist agenda. The nihilist contribution
to socialism in general was the concept that the peasant
was an agent of social change (Chernyshevsky, A Criti1 History
cism of Philosophical Prejudices Against the Obshchina
(1858)),[7] and not just the bourgeois reformers of the
1.1 The Two Nihilist Revolutions
revolutions of 1848, or the proletariat of Marx (a concept that wouldnt reach Russia until later). Agitation for
Russian nihilism (rus. "") can be dissected into this position landed Chernyshevsky in prison and exile in
two periods. The foundational period (1860-1869) where Siberia for the next 25 years (although the specic accusathe 'counter-cultural' aspects of nihilism scandalized Rus- tions with which he was convicted were a concoction) in
sia, where even the smallest of indiscretions resulted in 1864.[8] The rst group, inspired by nihilist ideas to form
nihilists being sent to Siberia or imprisoned for lengthy and work towards social change, did so as a secret society
periods of time, and where the philosophy of nihilism and were called Land and Freedom. This groups name
was formed.[2] The other period would be the revolution- was also taken by another, entirely separate group, during
ary period of Nihilism (1870-1881) when the pamphlet the Revolutionary Nihilist period, with the rst Land and
1

1 HISTORY

Freedom conspiring to support the Polish independence

movement and to agitate the peasants who were burdened
with debt as a result of the crippling redemption payments
required by the emancipation of the serfs in 1861. Polish independence was not of particular interest to the nihilists, and after a plot to incite Kazan peasants to revolt
failed, Land and Freedom folded (1863).[9]

1.4

Hidden Nihilist Groups

After the failure, the Russian government began to actively hunt nihilist revolutionaries, so the rst secret nihilist societies were created. One of the rst to act in
secrecy was called The Organization, and they created
a boys school in a Moscow slum in order to train revolutionaries. In addition they had a secret sub-group
called Hell whose purpose was political terrorism, with
the assassination of the Tsar as their ultimate goal. This
resulted in the failed attempt by Dmitry Karakozov on
the 4th of April 1866. Dmitry was tried and hanged at
Smolensk Field in St Petersburg. The leader of The Organization, Nicholas Ishutin, was also tried and was to be
executed before being exiled to Siberia for life.[10] Thus
ended The Organization and began the White Terror of
the rest of the 1860s.

1.5

The White Terror

The White Terror began by the Tsar putting Count

Michael Muravyov (otherwise known as Hanger Muravyov due to his treatment of Polish rebels in prior years)
in charge of the suppression of the nihilists. The two
leading radical journals (The Contemporary and Russian Word) were banned, liberal reforms were minimized
in fear of reaction from the public, and the educational
system was reformed to stie the existing revolutionary
spirit.[11] This action by the Russian state marks the end
of the foundational period of nihilism.

1.6

Nechayevs Nihilist Revolution

The entrance on the scene of Sergei Nechaev symbolizes

the transformation from the foundational period to the
revolutionary period. Sergei Nechaev, the son of a serf,
which was unusual as most nihilists came from a slightly
higher social class, what we would call lower middle class,
desired an escalation of the discourse on social transformation. Nechaev argued that just as the European monarchies used the ideas of Machiavelli, and the Catholic Jesuits practiced absolute immorality to achieve their ends,
there was no action that could not be also used for the
sake of the peoples revolution.[12] A scholar noted that
His apparent immorality [more an amorality] derived
from the cold realization that both Church and State are
ruthlessly immoral in their pursuit of total control. The
struggle against such powers must therefore be carried out

by any means necessary.[13] Nechaevs social cache was

greatly increased by his association with Bakunin in 1869
and extraction of funds from the Bakhmetiev Fund for
Russian revolutionary propaganda.
The image of Nechaev is as much a result of his Catechism
of a Revolutionist (1869) as any actions he actually took.
The Catechism is an important document as it establishes
the clear break between the formation of nihilism as a
political philosophy and what it becomes as a practice of
revolutionary action. It documents the revolutionary as
a much transformed gure from the nihilist of the past
decade. Whereas the nihilist may have practiced asceticism, they argued for an uninhibited hedonism. Nechaev
assessed that the Revolutionary, by denition, must live
devoted to one aim and not allow to be distracted by
emotions or attachments.[14] Friendship was contingent
on revolutionary fervor, relationships with strangers were
quantied in terms of what resources they oered revolution, and everyone had a role during the revolutionary
moment that boiled down to how soon they would be lined
up against the wall or when they would accept that they
had to do the shooting. The uncompromising tone and
content of the Catechism was inuential far beyond just
the mere character Nechaev personied in the minds of
the revolutionaries.[15] Part of the reason for this is because of the way in which it extended nihilist principles
into a revolutionary program. The rest of the reason was
that the catechism gave the revolutionary project a form
of constitution and weight that the men `of the sixties did
not.

1.7 End of Nechayev and the First Nihilist

Revolution
Bakunin, an admirer of Nechaevs zeal and stories of his
organizations success, provided contacts and resources
to send Nechaev back to Russia as his representative of
the Russian Section of the World Revolutionary Alliance,
which was also an imaginary organization. Upon his return to Russia, Nechaev formed the secret, cell based
organization, Peoples Vengeance. One student member
of the organization Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov questioned the
very existence of the Secret Revolutionary Committee
that Nechaev claimed to be the representative of. This
suspicion of Nechaevs modus operanti required action.
Author, Ronald Hingley, wrote On the evening of 21
November 1869 the victim was accordingly lured to the
premises of the Moscow School of Agriculture, a hotbed
of revolutionary sentiment, where Nechayev killed him
by shooting and strangulation, assisted without great enthusiasm by three dupes Nechayevs accomplices were
arrested and tried.[16] Upon his return from Russia to
Switzerland, Nechaev was rejected by Bakunin, for his
taking of militant actions, and was eventually extradited
back to Russia where he spent the remainder of his life
at the Peter and Paul Fortress.[17] He did, due to his
charisma and force of will, continue to inuence events,

3
maintaining a relationship to Peoples Will and weaving [12] Nechayev, Sergey (1869). The Revolutionary Catechism.
even his jailors into his plots and lies. He was found dead
[13] Fleming, John (2010). The Anti-Communist Manifestos:
in his cell in 1882 under mysterious circumstances.

See also
Cynicism
Narodnik
Anti-nihilist novel
Nihilist Faction

Notes

[1] Online Etymology Dictionary s.v. nihilism

[2] Buckley, J.M. (2008). Nihilism. In The midnight sun, the
tsar and the nihilist adventures and observations in Norway, Sweden and Russia. Whitesh, MT: Kessinger. pp.
335351. ASIN B008I9E4MA.
[3] Hingley, Ronald (1969). Nihilists; Russian radicals and
revolutionaries in the reign of Alexander II, 1855-81. New
York, NY: Delacorte Press. pp. 87126.
[4] Bakunin, Mikhail (1842). Reaction in Germany.
[5] McLaughlin, Paul (2002). Mikhail Bakunin: The Philosophical Basis of His Theory of Anarchism. New York,
NY. pp. 5586. ISBN 1-892941-41-4.
[6] Bakunin, Mikhail (1876). God and the State. New York,
NY: Cosimo Classics. pp. 1319. ISBN 1-60520-361-0.
[7] Buel, James (1883). Chapter IV. In Russian Nihilism and
Exile Life in Siberia: A Graphic and Chronological History
of Russias Bloody Nemesis, and a Description of Exile Life
in All Its True but Horrifying Phases, being the Results of a
Tour through Russia and Siberia Made by the Author. New
York, NY: Ulan Press. pp. 7794.
[8] Buel, James (1883). Chapter IV. In Russian Nihilism and
Exile Life in Siberia: A Graphic and Chronological History
of Russias Bloody Nemesis, and a Description of Exile Life
in All Its True but Horrifying Phases, being the Results of a
Tour through Russia and Siberia Made by the Author. New
York, NY: Ulan Press. pp. 7794.
[9] Edie, James M. (1994). Russian Philosophy, Vol. II:
the Nihilists, The Populists, Critics of Religion and Culture.
TN: University of Tennessee Press. pp. 36113.
[10] Edie, James M. (1994). Russian Philosophy, Vol. II:
the Nihilists, The Populists, Critics of Religion and Culture.
TN: University of Tennessee Press. pp. 36113.
[11] Marshall, Peter H. (2010). Anarchism in Practice: Russia
and the Ukraine. In Demanding the impossible a history
of anarchism: be realistic! Demand the impossible!. Oakland, CA: PM Press. pp. 469479. ISBN 1-60486-0642.

Four Books That Shaped the Cold War. Washington: Norton and Company. pp. 321335. ISBN 978-0-39307476-5.

[14] Nechayev, Sergei (1869). The Revolutionary Catechism.

[15] Sijak, Ana (2009). Angel of Vengeance: The Girl Who
Shot the Governor of St. Petersburg and Sparked the Age
of Assassination. United Kingdom: St. Martins Press.
pp. 2138. ASIN B005E8AJVI.
[16] Hingley, Ronald (1969). Nihilists; Russian radicals and
revolutionaries in the reign of Alexander II, 1855-81. New
York, NY: Delacorte Press. pp. 87126.
[17] Bakunin, Mikhail (1870). Bakunin on Violence: Letter
to S. Nechayev. New York, NY: New York: Anarchist
Papers. pp. 225.

4 References
Nihilism, Anarchy, and the 21st Century
George Kennan and the Russian Empire: How Americas Conscience Became an Enemy of Tsarism by
Helen Hundley
Wasiolek, Edward. Fathers and Sons: Russia at the
Cross-roads. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993.
ISBN 0-8057-9445-X

5 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

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5.1

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