Reactionary Utopia: Radicalization and Violence in the Russian Empire
Abstract:
We examine the influence of left-wing terrorism in imperial Russia between the 1880s and 1900s through previously unexplored surveillance records of the Okhrana, the pioneering political police force until its dissolution in 1917. Radicals around the world drew inspiration from Russia, adopting the “Revolutionary Catechism” of Nechaev and the anarchist writings of Bakunin and applying the ‘Russian method’ of political warfare through bombings and assassinations.
We focus on deliberate political instability through indicators such as the dissemination of propaganda, membership in anti-Tsarist organizations, incitement to riot and assassination in over 400 districts, and establish a link to the results of the Constituent Assembly of 1917, the last free election before Bolshevism. We ask whether revolutionary violence helped Russia move toward liberal democracy or triggered a conservative backlash, controlling for factors such as land disputes, support for industrial workers, and anti-Jewish violence.
We find that increasing instability led to a shift in preferences to the right, and revolutionary activity reduced the appeal of both left and right factions, setting the stage for civil war. The Okhrana’s sophisticated strategic approach to effectively crushing social opposition groups underscores the importance of skillful political policing to the longevity of autocratic regimes.
Julia Zimmermann is a serves as a Research Fellow at CEPH, Trinity College Dublin. Her research explores the historical political economies of the Soviet Union, Imperial Russia, and the GDR, with a distinct emphasis on studying forced migration, indiscriminate violence, and their impacts on opinion formation, labor markets, and electoral outcomes.
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