New-York tribune., 1885-03-08
THE NIHILIST PLAN.
PREPARING FOR AN OPEN ASSAULT.
~srEPNIAK," THE CoNsPIRArOR' DESCRIBES 'hH
EVOLUTION OF THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVE
MENT ..o.-

EVOLUTION OF THE REVOLUTIONARY MOVE
"'' Copyright. 1885.
fastepniak" tho writer OF tho following article rs the
we'll Known psoudonvm of OF the most enerseo ana %
able men Of the Niaist coaspratots Forihery @ ,no
Editor Of emilia Voia (and aud Locrty), and par
ficpant ,a every important OF the Terrorist party
in Rassia he Is recognized by his own eomre,s s,n S @
S n aw Of onr readers as the author of that srik
ing book Underground Russia '-Eaj
The struggle with despotism began In Russia iroh
ths very moment people attained sono insight
into the European civilization and some familiarity
with European history. Bat varying in character
and shape the struggle oi various nations for light
AMI liberty presents one pecuiarity: it goes by tits
and by outbursts The strength OF the movement Is
not sufficient to carry il out uninterrnptedy Inc
perlods of great oxertons and great losses are
ALLOWED by long periods of stagnatOn. III wAich
one mn 4 use SO to say all historical microscope 10
discern the remainder of the past and the root5 Oh
Tho future movement 1t Is for this reason tat thc
present movement dating from 1S7O-H anu
lasting 70 this lime without interruption for four
teen years. may be fairly considered as quite new
one The five years period which divides IL from
the Karakorof conspiracy presents an ihtcrVai VI
the most complete revolutionary staenation. Ai'
was to be made anew from the very beginning with
new men, new theories, new methods Of activ'y.
Lot us consider it, then. at its very starting point
both sexes. in greater par. under twenty-five years
of age Most of them simple students of
divers universities and superior schools Others had
inst left tho schoolroom. They had no adherence
in any class of society no social poston very s'io
money. being for the most part dependent on their
sometimes rich parents. And these few scores OF
young people proposed to themselves no less than 10
raise the sixty millions of Russian peasants IN
mighty revolution that would overthrow the SOCIAL
a.I
and political regime created 5y many centuries ana
snpnored by the forces of a million of Layones aad
half million of spies and policemen. was IL not
madaessf Practical men laughed at tholn. AMI
indeed seemed to be quite right in so doing. Kind
hearted people pitied them. bnt cond not AVOID
sbrnccng shoulders at their lunacy.
Tho movement, to which the odd term OF
Nihilism was applied, presented feitnres
which made it dissimilar from all other revolu-
tionary movements the world had ever seon.
allufie to the means it obliged to adopt AS
long az the Nihilsts dreamed of Immediate social
revolution, they conld hope in general insurrec-
tion of the millions of peasants making nne-tenths
of all the population. who by their common eliort
could overthrow even Government supported by
million of soldiers But soon as they were
driven to a political revolution they could not
reckon on any support whatever from the poasantry
Political revelation Is a tOwn-revOlution. Tho
Nihilists of the new generation could rely, as all
polltical revolutonists did. the support of the
townspeopls only. But the population OF our towns
makes less than 10 per cent of the population while
in France for instance, it makes 81 per cent and IN
England 80 per cent of tho whole. The population
of the capital which Is so decisive in such rovolu-
tions and which makes in France one-soventeenth OF
the whole in Russia makes less than one-hundreith
Petersburg is vast military camp The Govern
n,ent. keeping something like army Of 100000
s,, ito nnop phnr InN Tn ~
can pt FIVE soldiers against every workman who
will take arms AGAINST tiff even we suppose the
bulk of the latter ready to rise at the first appeal of
the rovolution-which at the period we speak of
would have been pure chimera. These ineSorable
numbers rendered it impossible for the Russian
Socialists TO make any diroct attempt against the
Government and try an open insnrrection resem-
bling those to which other countries owe their
political liberty. Thus the Russian Socialists had
before them n dilemma: either to rcnounce any
attack whatever, or to make war OF the feeble
against the strong. war OF surprises ana OF traps
which the Terrorism was and is.
The world knows which way they have chosen
For years and years they kept in check all q .
forces OF the Empire, obliging the Government to
waste its strength in desperate struggles for self
defence against an invisible omn present foe and to
peoleet all its most important functions running
itself morally and materially 1t WAS q great
success for score Of people. who had nothing but
their energy and devotion to RELY on. Nobody. how
ever could reasonably suppose that In the unhappy
social conditions of Russia have pointed out the
reyolutionsts could go beyond this limit Until II
the course of generations the industrial develop
ment wonld have transformed our miserable town
into vast centres of population as those of France
Germany, Beginm, it seemed that the Russian revo
lutionists would be condemned to this kind of war
ant 10 FIRM hr
was unable to overthrow 1t.
But even in doing this y proved that the mora
strength of an idea triulhphs over any amount
material difficulty.
From 1880 q new tendency began to shape itsel
IN the most advanced circles of the Terrorist party
1t is not yet the idea of general revolution, but
what may be called a coup detat 1t is planned Il
overthrow the Government itself by open thoug'
unexpected assaults it In the capital and then
the principal centres of administration.
But whero may the Nhsts hope to inl strength
TO carry into effect project which we have showT
TO be impracticable through interior conditions o
Rusyiaf The answer will be as brief as conclusive
This support the revolutionists fonnd in the rank
of the eneny-in the army which makes the base %
aGovernlnont such as the Russian.
The propaganda between the officers of the arm
was not neglected in the first period of the move
mott. though its character was entirely difcren
from what it became afterward The propaganda O
socialism to workmen and peasants being the gen
cral motto, the Socialists addressed tbcmse yes I
young officers as they would to yonng students
Thoy called on them to abandon their privilege
position. to mix themselves with the poor. to recv
them and divide with them the fruits of their dali
toll and their scant bread. in order to be recognize
as their brothers. Many officers answered. to th
appeal abandoning the ranks OF the army and pros
poets of a brilliant career aud went as simpl
workmen to the villages and factories The mos
eelebI atcd propagandist of the period. l'mt
Rogstchey was an officer as we'll as many Others
Il N.Iiliat arina of III