populists Flashcards
1
Q
who were the populists and what did they believe in?
A
- took shape in the 1870s, also called the narodniks
- were inspired by the writings of Peter Lavrov
- believed in agrarian socialism based around the peasant commune
- thought the commune would provide the route to ‘good’ society without the need to go through capitalism and the evils of industrialisation
- decided to ‘go to the people (narod)’ and spread their message
- several thousand young people embarked on this adventure
2
Q
what did populists find in the villages they went to?
A
- incomprehension and suspicion from peasants and were rejected
- however, Geoffrey Hosking maintains that recent evidence shows this was not always the case and that the peasants did share some of their views such as egalitarianism in landholding and found that young ppl such as Vera Figner had something to offer
3
Q
what happened when village elders, priests and local police reported the populists to the authorities?
A
- several hundred were arrested and imprisoned for their good intentions
- two large trials were held in 1877 - the ‘trial of the 50’ and the ‘trial of the 193’
- some got long sentences but many got light sentences or were acquitted
- courts impressed by the honesty and idealism of the defendants, a large number of whom came from noble or middle-class families and did not see them as dangerously subversive, but the gov did and those who were acquitted were exiled to Siberia
