Ideology of populism. Revolutionary populism. Populism is ...

What do we know about the populism? Perhaps we should deepen our knowledge? After reading this article, you will surely find something new for yourself.

So, populism is a social and political movement of a certain layer of the intelligentsia, as well as an ideological doctrine in the Russian Empire of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. 20 centuries. The goal of supporters of this direction was the development of a national model of non-capitalist evolution and the gradual adaptation of the population to the conditions of ongoing modernization. Populism is a system of ideas that predominated mainly in countries with a predominantly agrarian economy at the time of transition to the industrial stage of development (except for Russia, Poland, Ukraine, the Caucasus and the Baltic states).

At present, there is an opinion in science that its representatives appealed to the masses, guided not only by the political expediency of the immediate abolition of the autocracy (this was the goal of the revolutionary movement in those days), but also by the internal need for rapprochement between the two cultures-the people's and the educated class. Narodism is a kind of utopian socialism, together with certain projects of reforming many spheres of state life. The spread of this phenomenon contributed to the consolidation of the nation by removing class distinctions and formed the prerequisites for the creation of a single legal society for representatives of all its strata.

Ancestors of the Populism

They were Herzen and Chernyshevsky. But the first signs can already be found in the works of A.N. Radishchev, A. S. Pushkin, N. V. Gogol and A. Ya. Chaadayev, who in their works showed great interest in social problems, the "truth of life." It is from here that Narodism begins in Russia.

Herzen

In 1830, Herzen was carried away by Hegelianism, he believed that the main in social progress should be the prospect of personal development, and the overcoming of social and spiritual despotism over it. However, disappointed in the development of Europe, he believed in our country, in the populism in Russia. Herzen saw her future in the transformation of property relations, based on the solidarity and mutual assistance of members of society. All these trends of populism he found in the community. Herzen valued the moral image of the peasants in Russia, putting their "natural" collectivism far above the individualistic aspirations of Europeans. The principles formulated by him formed the basis of the concept of the original "Russian socialism".

Chernyshevsky

Chernyshevsky, on the contrary, was fascinated by "Westernism", and his idea of social progress was based on the belief in the universality of socio-economic development, as well as the commonality of the European and Russian ways of development. Unlike the peaceful Herzen concept of "non-revolutionary socialism," he did not exclude the resolution of social issues by a violent method. Chernyshevsky was well aware of the need for prolonged educational and political work among the people to solve his basic social problems. This public figure promoted the idea of freeing peasants from the land without any ransom, the elimination of bureaucracy, bribery, the implementation of reforms of the state apparatus, the organization of local self-government, the convening of an all-representative representative institution and the establishment of a constitutional order. Many domestic radicals found in his works are not at all appeals for prolonged propaganda work, but the idea of revolutionary changes in the country.

These two approaches - moderate (liberal) and radical (revolutionary) populism - gave rise to two currents. The direction of the middle of the 1850s and until 1881 is considered revolutionary. After the assassination of Emperor Alexander II (March 1, 1881) and before the beginning of the 20th century, the liberal approach became most widespread.

Populism is a special phenomenon of culture

The origin of Narodism is connected with the history of the formation of the intelligentsia in Russia. The idea of compassion for human untruth (Berdyaev) colored the entire system of public consciousness of our country in the second half of the 19th century. The ideology of populism tried to unite elements of Westernism and Slavophilism. Their views - the non-capitalist path of development, the transition to socialism with the preservation of the collectivism of the rural community - have become a separate and significant phenomenon of Russian philosophy and culture. This system of ideas as a whole contained elements of active development of reality, in spite of utopianism. At the heart of the moral ideal is a belief in Morality and Good that can change the world for the better. The populists did not believe in God, they were convinced atheists, nevertheless, the concepts "socialism" and "Christian values" coexisted in their ideas.

Adherents of this current liberated the public consciousness from under the dictates of the church, but preserved the general cultural Christian traditions. The ideology of Narodism made the autocracy unresponsive to reasonable alternatives to state liberalism. The liberals saw the authorities as rebels, so the tsarist authorities found support only in a conservative environment, which ultimately accelerated its death.

Directions and currents

The degree of radicalism is distinguished:

• Conservative current;
• Liberal-revolutionary;
• Socio-revolutionary populism;
• Anarchist.

The conservative wing was associated with the Slavophiles (Strakhov, Grigoriev). His work is the least studied and is represented mainly by the work of the employees of the journal Nedelya P. Chervinsky and I. Kablits.

Representatives of the liberal-revolutionary (centrist) wing of the 60s and 70s of the 19th century: Yeliseyev (Sovremennik magazine), Zlatovratsky, Obolensky, Mikhailovsky, Korolenko (1868-1884, Domestic Records), Krivenko, Yuzhakov, Vorontsov and others . Its leading ideologists were Lavrov and Mikhailovsky.
Supporters of the socio-revolutionary trend of Narodism led by Tkachev and to some extent Morozov was not satisfied with the focus on propaganda and the long preparation for a social explosion. They were attracted by the idea of accelerating, speeding up the revolution.

The anarchist wing disputed the need for reforms within the country. The anarchist populists Kropotkin and Bakunin were skeptical of the authorities, considering it to enslave and suppress the freedom of the individual. As it turned out, this current played a destructive role, although it had a number of positive ideas in the theoretical plan.

First circles and organizations

In 1856-1858 there was a propaganda circle at Kharkov University. In 1861 he was replaced in Moscow by an association under the leadership of PE Agriropoulos and PG Zanchchevsky. Its members regarded the revolution as the only way to transform the surrounding reality.

"Land and Freedom"

The most influential secret organization of Petersburg in 1861-1864 was "Land and Freedom". Its members (Sleptsov, Kurochkin, Obruchev, Utin, Rymarenko) dreamed of "conditions for revolution". The program of this society included the transfer of land to the peasants (planned for ransom), the replacement of all officials by elected officials, the reduction of expenses for the army and the royal court. However, these provisions were not properly supported by the people, and as a result, the organization self-dissolved, remaining even not found by the tsarist security services.

"Ishutintsy"

The revolutionary society of Ishutin grew out of the circle that is part of the organization "Land and Freedom." His goal was to prepare the peasant revolution through a conspiracy of intellectual groups. In an effort to implement some of Chernyshevsky's ideas for the creation of workshops and artels, members of the society opened a free school in Moscow in 1865, a binding and sewing workshops, negotiated the creation of a commune, with workers Lyudinovskogo iron plant in the Kaluga province, founded a cotton factory on the basis Association in 1865 in the Mozhaisk Uyezd. "Ishutintsy" planned to escape Chernyshevsky from penal servitude, but their activity was interrupted on April 4, 1866 by the attempt of Karakozov, one of the members of this society, against the emperor. In this case, more than 2,000 populists were put under investigation, 36 were sentenced by the authorities to various measures (Karakozov - hanged, Ishutin placed in solitary confinement in Shlisselburg Fortress, where he subsequently went insane).

"The People's Massacre"

This organization, headed by Nechaev, represented a radical Narodnik movement and was established in 1869 in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It numbered 77 people. Its goal was also the preparation of a "people's revolution". Sergei Nechaev personified in this organization fanaticism, unprincipled, falsity and dictatorship. Against him openly spoke PL Lavrov, who believed that "no one should, unless absolutely necessary, risk the moral purity of the struggle, and not a single extra drop of blood should spill." Nechaev also called for terror, provocation. He was sure that such methods would be useful for loosening the regime, bringing a brighter future closer. Ivanov, who spoke against Nechaev, was later accused of treason and killed. The police uncovered this criminal offense, and the head of the organization fled abroad, but was found, arrested and tried as a criminal.

This ideology did not pass without a trace, reflecting on the revolutionary thought of other states. Thus, in the populist movements of the Third World countries, Narodnichestvo (XX century) met for many years to come.