Russian Populism: A History

Description

Russian populism, the belief that the peasantry embodied authentic Russian identity and once liberated from their poverty would lead the country to a brighter future, has animated Russian thought across the political spectrum and inspired much of Russia's world-historical literature, music and art in the 19th century. This book offers the fullest and most authoritative account of the rise, proliferation and influence of populist values and ideology in modern Russia to date. Christopher Ely explores the complete story of Russian populism. Starting from the cursed question of how to reconnect the popular masses with the Europeanized elite, he examines the populist obsession with the peasant commune as a model for a future socialist Russia. He shows how the desire for revolution led Russian radicals to flood into the countryside and later to pioneer terrorism as a form of political action. He delves into those artists influenced by populist ideals, and he tells the story of the collapse of populist optimism and its rebirth among the Socialist Revolutionary neo-populists. The book demonstrates that populism existed in forms ranging from radical socialist to religious conservative. Blending lively theoretical analysis with a wealth of primary sources and illustrations, Russian Populism provides a highly engaging overview of this complex phenomenon; it is invaluable reading for anyone interested in the momentous final decades of the Russian Empire. Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS PREFACE CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: TOWARD A DEFINITION OF RUSSIAN POPULISM CHAPTER 2 ORIGINS The Narod Discovering the Russian People Russia as a National Community? The Slavophile Contribution The Populist Slavophile: Konstantin Aksakov CHAPTER 3 FOUNDATIONS The Ideological Foundation: Alexander Herzen and Russian Socialism Herzen’s Path to a Better Future Why Socialism? The Rebel: Mikhail Bakunin Populist History: Afanasy Shchapov Fashioning the Classless Identity: Pavel Iakushkin The Paradoxical Populist: Nikolai Chernyshevsky A Populist Call to Arms: “To the Young Generation” CHAPTER 4 POPULISM IN THEORY Populism Full-Blown The Call to Serve The Coming Revolution The Dawn of a New World An Apolitical Movement The Contradictions of Russian Populism CHAPTER 5 POPULISM IN ACTION The First Public Protests Unsuccessful Conspiracies Bridging the Gap Going Underground Terrorism CHAPTER 6 POPULIST ART Russian Art in the Nineteenth Century Literature and the People Fyodor Dostoevsky Leo Tolstoy The Visual Arts The Mighty Handful and Modest Mussorgsky CHAPTER 7 REGRETS AND REVISIONS The Populist Dilemma The Engelgardt Experiment Uspensky and Zlatovratsky New Directions Legal Populism Disappointed Dreams CHAPTER 8 NEO-POPULISM The “New” in Neo-Populism Neo-Populists, Workers, and Peasants Socialist Revolutionary Ideology The Combat Organization The SRs in a Time of Revolution CONCLUSION GLOSSARY NOTES SELECTED FURTHER READING BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX