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Public Life and Social Movements in Russia (1870s-1890s)

In the late 1800s educated Russians, called the intelligentsia, felt a duty to help the people. The populists (narodniks) hoped that peasants would lead change; their 1874 "going to the people" failed. Some turned to terror and killed Alexander II in 1881, and the state answered with a harsh crackdown. After that, Marxists such as Plekhanov argued that factory workers, who were growing in number, would be the force for change. Workers' strikes grew, and the first Social Democratic party congress was held in 1898.

🎬 Step-by-step story

  1. After the 1860s reforms, more Russians went to school and read journals. The educated group, the intelligentsia, felt it must help the poor villagers.
  2. In 1874 thousands of young people "went to the people": they walked from towns to villages to teach and share ideas. Peasants did not trust them, and the police arrested many.
  3. The group Land and Liberty split in 1879. Black Repartition kept to peaceful teaching. People's Will chose terror against the tsar. Two paths, two colours.
  4. In 1881 People's Will killed Alexander II. The result was the opposite of what they hoped: a harsher tsar, many arrests, and a weak populist movement.
  5. A new idea arrived: Marxism. Plekhanov (1883) said factory workers would lead change. Strikes grew (1885), a Union of Struggle formed (1895), and the first party congress met (1898).
  6. Free play: pick a group. Blue bar: its hope in peasants. Green bar: its hope in workers. Populists have a tall blue bar. Marxists have a tall green bar.

Tip: drag the 3D scene to turn it. Use two fingers to zoom.

🤔 Common doubts, cleared

Why did educated people care about villagers?

They felt it was unfair that they learned while peasants stayed poor, so they felt a duty to help.

Why did peasants not welcome the students?

The students were strangers with unfamiliar ideas, and peasants respected the tsar and the church. See the arrows and arrests.

Was all populism violent?

No. Black Repartition was peaceful. Only People's Will chose terror.

Did the 1881 killing change the tsar's policy for the better?

No. It led to a harsher crackdown under Alexander III.

Why were Marxists more hopeful about workers?

Workers lived together in factories, could organise strikes quickly and were growing in number.

Who trusted whom?

Blue bar tall = hope in peasants; green bar tall = hope in workers. Compare all six groups.

Public life and the intelligentsia

The intelligentsia means the educated middle group of Russian society: teachers, writers, doctors, students, lawyers. Many felt guilty that they were educated while peasants were poor, and felt a duty to serve "the people".

Public life grew in other ways too. Local councils (zemstvos) built schools and clinics, newspapers and thick journals spread ideas, and many people joined discussion circles. But the state did not allow political parties or free press, so ideas often went underground.

Populism (the narodniks)

Populism (from narod, "the people") was the belief that Russia could skip the hard factory age and build a fair society from the peasant village community. Populists wanted land for peasants and an end to the tsar's sole rule.

Marxism arrives

Marxism is an idea from the German thinker Karl Marx. It says that in industrial societies, factory workers (the proletariat) will become the force that changes society, because they are many, organised by the factory and have little to lose.

As Russian factories grew in the 1880s-1890s, Marxist ideas seemed to fit. Key steps:

Populists versus Marxists

PopulistsMarxists
Main hopePeasantsFactory workers
PathPeasant community, no factory ageFactory age, workers lead
MethodTeaching; some used terrorStudy circles, strikes, a party
Time1870s-1881from 1883

Liberals were a third group. They wanted a constitution and elected councils by peaceful means, and many worked through the zemstvos.

Why it matters, and Try it

These movements set the stage for the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. Ideas learned in study circles in the 1880s and 1890s became the parties of the next century.

  1. In 3D: in the last step, order the six groups from lowest to highest worker bar.
  2. Debate: one friend is a populist, one is a Marxist. Each has 1 minute to say who will change society.
  3. Timeline: draw 1874, 1876, 1879, 1881, 1883, 1895, 1898 and one picture for each.

Key formulas and definitions

Worked examples

1. Why did "going to the people" (1874) fail?

Step 1: The young city people did not know village life well. Step 2: Peasants did not trust strangers and did not share their ideas. Step 3: Police arrested many. So the movement did not win peasants over.

2. What is the main difference between populists and Marxists?

Step 1: Populists trusted peasants and the village community. Step 2: Marxists trusted factory workers in industrial cities. Step 3: So the first looked to the countryside, the second to the factory.

3. The first RSDLP congress (1898) came how many years after Plekhanov's group (1883)?

1898 - 1883 = 15 years.

4. Why was the killing of Alexander II bad for the populists?

Step 1: The new tsar was stricter. Step 2: Police broke up People's Will and arrested many. Step 3: Most people did not support terror. So populism lost strength.

Common mistakes

Practice quiz

1. "Going to the people" happened in:
2. Which group used terror and killed Alexander II?
3. Who founded the Emancipation of Labour group in 1883?
4. Marxists put their hope in:
5. The first Social Democratic congress met in:

Practice: answer these yourself

Type or choose your answer, then press Check. Use a hint if you are stuck; the full solution appears after you answer.

Frequently asked questions

What were the social movements in Russia in the 1870s-1890s?

Populism (1870s-1881), including People's Will, and Marxism (from 1883), ending in the 1898 party congress.

What does intelligentsia mean?

The educated group of society that felt a duty to help the people and shared ideas.

Is this in grade 9 history?

Yes, in the Russian history course for the 1880s-1890s: public life and social movements.

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