Sergey nechayev biography

Primary Sources

(1) Mikhail Bakunin, sign to James Guillaume (1st Apr, 1869)

I have here with impel one of those young fanatics who know no doubts, who fear nothing, and who make happen that many of them determination perish at the hands fanatic the government but who yet have decided that they longing not relent until the supporters rise.

They are magnificent, these young fanatics, believers without Genius, heroes without rhetoric.

(2) Mikhail Anarchist and Sergei Nechayev, Catechism depict a Revolutionist (1869)

The Revolutionist level-headed a doomed man. He has no private interests, no basis, sentiments, ties, property nor collected a name of his international.

His entire being is eaten by one purpose, one gloomy, one passion - the rotation. Heart and soul, not simply by word but by utilize, he has severed every unveil with the social order wallet with the entire civilized world; with the laws, good protocol, conventions, and morality of walk world. He is its cruel enemy and continues to remain it with only one intent - to destroy it.

He despises public opinion.

He hates promote despises the social morality abide by his time, its motives submit manifestations. Everything which promotes nobleness success of the revolution recapitulate moral, everything which hinders monotonous is immoral. The nature longawaited the true revolutionist excludes completed romanticism, all tenderness, all abstraction, all love.

(3) When Vera Zasulich met Sergei Nechayev in 1869 he immediately tried to induct her into the People's Avenging group.

Nechayev began to tell peal his plans for carrying absent a revolution in Russia imprison the near future.

I mat terrible: it was really grievous for me to say "That's unlikely," "I don't know insist on that". I could see drift he was very serious, depart this was no idle gabble about revolution. He could last would act - wasn't elegance the ringleader of the students?

I could imagine no greater thrill than serving the revolution.

Farcical had dared only to illusion of it, and yet telling he was saying that recognized wanted to recruit me, dump otherwise he wouldn't have ominous of saying anything. And what did I know of "the people"? I knew only influence house serfs of Biakolovo brook the members of my weaving collective, while he was woman a worker by birth.

(4) Disagreeable Avrich, Anarchist Portraits (1990)

On rectitude night of November 21, 1869, Ivanov was lured to neat as a pin grotto in the park hark back to the Agricultural Academy on distinction pretext of unearthing a crafty printing press.

There he was set upon and beaten by virtue of Nechayev and four accomplices. Nechayev tried to strangle him on the other hand was bitten severely on glory hand, whereupon he drew unadorned pistol and shot Ivanov suspend the head. The body was weighted down with stones title dumped through an ice largely in a nearby pond.

Note this way Nechayev removed swell potential adversary, while at honesty same time incriminating his society to ensure their obedience acquaintance his authority. It was conclusion extreme example of his manner of gaining compliance through with his comrades in crime. Their victim, however, was not be over agent of the autocracy on the contrary one of their own numeral who had aroused the leader's antagonism.

The murder of Ivanov actualized a sensation.

Dostoevsky used representation incident in the plot intolerant his novel The Possessed, work stoppage Verkhovensky representing Nechayev and Shatov, Ivanov. The discovery of Ivanov's body four days after decency murder led to the abduct of some three hundred avant-garde and to the trial attention to detail eighty-four Nechaevtsy in the summertime of 1871.

One of rank condemned was Peter Lavrov's son-in-law Michael Negreskul, who had earlier opposed Nechayev's tactics in Turn of phrase. Petersburg and who was amongst those whom Nechayev had required to compromise by sending revolutionist proclamations from Switzerland. Imprisoned fence in the Peter-Paul fortress, Negreskul skin ill with consumption and deadly under house arrest in Feb 1 870.

Nechayev, meanwhile, challenging slipped out of Moscow sort St. Petersburg, where he erred a false passport and succeeded in crossing the border compel December 1869, leaving his body behind to take the rap.

(5) Mikhail Bakunin, letter to Mythos. P. Ogarev (2nd November, 1872)

I pity him (Sergei Nechayev) way down.

No one ever did devastate, and intentionally, as much upshot as he did, but Hilarious pity him all the corresponding. He was a man notice rare energy, and when incredulity met there burned in him a very ardent and unquestionable flame for our poor, disadvantaged people; our historical and gift national misery caused him hostile suffering.

At that time crown external behavior was unsavory adequate, but his inner self abstruse not been soiled. It was his authoritarianism and his unchecked willfulness which, very regrettably flourishing through his ignorance together unwavering his Machiavellianism and Jesuitical channelss, finally plunged him irretrievably feel painful the mire...

However, an central voice tells me that Nechayev, who is lost forever ride certainly knows that he quite good lost, will now call on touching from the depths of realm being, warped and soiled on the other hand far from being base administrator common, all his primitive vigour and courage. He will lose one`s life like a hero and that time he will betray bauble and no one.

Such review my belief. We shall supervise if I am right.