Tsarist autocracy
Nihilism came into conflict with Orthodox religious authorities, as well as with the Tsarist autocracy. Young radicals began calling themselves nihilists in university protests, innocuous youthful rebellions, and ever-escalating revolutionary activities, which included widespread arson. The theoretic side of nihilism was somewhat distinct from this violent expression however. Nevertheless, nihilism was widely castigated by conservative publicists and government authorities. "Fathers and Sons" is sometimes considered a more sympathetic work of the anti-nihilistic genre, as with Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"; Turgenev's own opinion of his nihilist character Bazarov was ambivalent, stating: "Did I want to abuse Bazarov or extol him? I do not know myself, since I don't know whether I love him or hate him."