“Harrison’s thought-provoking study of the revolutionary hero persona traces the figure’s development through literary fiction, memoir, and archival documents from the 1860s to 1917, providing an invaluable resource for those seeking to contextualize revolutionary thought in late Russian imperial culture. This book illuminates the myriad connections between discourse and political violence that proved so influential on both Russia’s political and literary histories.”

—Dr. Katherine Bowers, Centre for European Studies,The University of British Columbia

“Exploring the interplay between personality and performance, imagination and activism, Lonny Harrison presents a compelling narrative of how the idealism of Russian revolutionary terrorists contained the seeds of its own destruction. Weaving together a rich body of literary and archival sources, he traces how terrorism gained momentum in the final decades of tsarist rule, attracting radicals who saw ultimate sacrifice as life’s true purpose. Reevaluating figures like Boris Savinkov and integrating neglected works by believers and critics, Harrison reveals how revolutionary temperament and the performance of terrorism reinforced one another, fostering egotism, despotism, and terror. Within this expanded canon, Harrison demonstrates that even those such as Vladimir Zenzinov, who survived to see the Revolution evolve in ways that hardly resembled their youthful convictions, ultimately remained unable to reject the moral idealism that once had justified revolutionary terrorism.”

—Dr. Lara Green, Lecturer in History at Erasmus University Rotterdam

Acknowledgements

Note on Translation, Transliteration, and Dates

Introduction

Chapter 1: Terror and the Revolutionary Ideal

Chapter 2: The Revolutionary Persona

Chapter 3: A Face like a Mask: Sergei Nechaev and The Devils 

Chapter 4: Vera Zasulich, Vera Figner, Maria Spiridonova, and the Myth of the Virtuous Assassin

Chapter 5: Terror Artists: Grigorii Gershuni and Boris Savinkov

Chapter 6: Life after Terror: Lev Tikhomirov and Vladimir Zenzinov

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index