Terror and Treason in Tsarist Russia
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Terror and Treason in Tsarist Russia
In 1879 a small group of Russian radicals created the "Peoples will" It was an organization formed with one specific purpose, to assassinate the reigning Tsar Alexander the second. It was the first group in history dedicated to systematic political terrorism. In 1881 a man called Sergei Degaev joined the Peoples Will. He would witness its rise to power eventually lead to its downfall.
Sergei Degaev was born in Moscow in 1857 to a military physician. According to testimony the Degaevs were a romantic family with great exalted ambitions, and like many middle class families the Degaevs sympathized with the revolutionary movement and were not very fond of the Tsars tyrannical regime. At the tender age of nine Degaev left home to attend the Moscow cadet school. He went on to join the Artillery Academy in St.Petersburg. A military career seemed inevitable but unfortunately he began to acquaint himself with several radicals and in 1879 he was expelled from St...