The Narodniks[a] were an idealist revolutionary group in the Russian Empire. Unlike Marxists, they believed that the peasantry alone could overthrow Tsarism and landlordism without the proletariat. Russian Marxist Georgi Plekhanov was originally a Narodnik before becoming a Marxist and criticizing the Narondniks' idealist positions.[1]
History
In 1881, the Narodnik secret society Narodnaya Volya, assassinated Tsar Alexander Nikolayevich. After the assassination, the Narodniks became reformists and began to support the feudal kulaks. The Narodniks dissolved in the 1890s after being criticized by Lenin.[1]
Ideology
The Narodniks believed in an idealist theory of active "heroes" and a passive "mob," which asserted that the workers could not organize themselves and had to follow great individuals.[1]
Notes
- ↑ Russian: Народники