Nikolai Annensky
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Feodorovich Annensky (1843-1912) was a Russian economist, statistician and politician. He was a member of the populist (narodnik
) movement and the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
before becoming one of the founders of the Russian Popular Socialist Party
(NSP) in 1906.
. As a student, N.F. Annensky became involved in the revolutionary populist movement. He was also strongly influenced by the writings of N.K. Mikhailovsky
. Like Mikhailovsky, Annensky rejected Marxism
, which was just beginning to influence the Russian socialist movement, because it seemed to condemn the Russian peasantry to be sacrificed to the development of industrial capitalism. Instead, Annensky desired an agrarian socialism based on the peasant commune. In the 1870s and 80s, Annensky was a major representative of 'Legal Populism' and contributed to such journals as Notes of the Fatherland (Otechestvennye Zapiski) and The Cause (Delo). At the same time, he kept in contact with illegal narodnik circles. In 1880 he was arrested and sentenced to administrative exile. Released in 1883, he worked as a statistician at the Nizhni Novgorod provincial zemstvo, becoming its head in 1887. In 1893 he was involved in founding the 'People's Right' party. In 1895 he became head of the statistical office of the city administration of St. Petersburg. at the same time, he joined the 'Free Economic Society' and the radical St. Petersburg Writers' Union. Annensky's work as a statistician enabled him to gather valuable information on the social conditions of workers and peasants in turn-of-the-century Russia.
In 1901 he was arrested and exiled again for participating in an anti-government demonstration. After his release he lived in Finland, where he was involved in founding the 'Union of Liberation
' in 1904, with the former Marxists P.B. Struve, S.N. Prokopovich
and others. This became the nucleus of the Constitutional-Democratic Party
(Ka-Dets), tsarist Russia's main liberal party. However, nnensky also retained his connections with narodnik socialism and became involved in the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
(PSR). He argued strenuously against the PSR's revival of political terrorism as a tactic and deplored the influence of Marxism
on its leading theorists, such as V.M. Chernov.
On the eve of the Russian Revolution of 1905
, Annensky was briefly arrested again. During the revolution he helped organise the 'Union of Unions' and became its chairman. He also became editor of the liberal journal Russian Wealth (Russkoe Bogatstvo). This was initially sympathetic to the PSR, but became increasingly opposed to its use of terror. In 1906, Annensky and other populists in the tradition of Mikhailivsky, such as A.V. Peshekhonov
and V.A. Miakotin
, broke with the PSR and founded the 'Popular Socialist Party
' (NSP). Though numerically small, this party played an important role in the tsarist Duma
, where it collaborated with the liberal Ka-Dets and the Labour or Trudovik party of A.F. Kerensky.
The Popular Socialists also played an important role in the Provisional Government of Kerensky following the February Revolution of 1917. Annensky himself did not live to see this; he died in 1912.
Narodnik
Narodniks was the name for Russian socially conscious members of the middle class in the 1860s and 1870s. Their ideas and actions were known as Narodnichestvo which can be translated as "Peopleism", though is more commonly rendered "populism"...
) movement and the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
thumb|right|200px|Socialist-Revolutionary election poster, 1917. The caption in red reads "партия соц-рев" , short for Party of the Socialist Revolutionaries...
before becoming one of the founders of the Russian Popular Socialist Party
Popular Socialists (Russia)
The Popular Socialist Party emerged in Russia in the early twentieth century.- History :The roots of the Popular Socialist Party lay in the 'Legal Populist' movement of the 1890s, and its founders looked upon N.K. Mikhailovsky and Alexander Herzen as ideological forerunners...
(NSP) in 1906.
Biography
Annensky was born in St. Petersburg and attended the University there. When he was young, he lost both of his parents and had to care for his younger siblings, including the future Russian poet Innokenty AnnenskyInnokenty Annensky
Innokentiy Fyodorovich Annensky was a poet, critic and translator, representative of the first wave of Russian Symbolism...
. As a student, N.F. Annensky became involved in the revolutionary populist movement. He was also strongly influenced by the writings of N.K. Mikhailovsky
Nikolai Mikhailovsky
Nikolay Konstantinovich Mikhaylovsky was a Russian publicist, literary critic, sociologist and one of the theoreticians of the Narodniki movement.-Social philosophy:...
. Like Mikhailovsky, Annensky rejected Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, which was just beginning to influence the Russian socialist movement, because it seemed to condemn the Russian peasantry to be sacrificed to the development of industrial capitalism. Instead, Annensky desired an agrarian socialism based on the peasant commune. In the 1870s and 80s, Annensky was a major representative of 'Legal Populism' and contributed to such journals as Notes of the Fatherland (Otechestvennye Zapiski) and The Cause (Delo). At the same time, he kept in contact with illegal narodnik circles. In 1880 he was arrested and sentenced to administrative exile. Released in 1883, he worked as a statistician at the Nizhni Novgorod provincial zemstvo, becoming its head in 1887. In 1893 he was involved in founding the 'People's Right' party. In 1895 he became head of the statistical office of the city administration of St. Petersburg. at the same time, he joined the 'Free Economic Society' and the radical St. Petersburg Writers' Union. Annensky's work as a statistician enabled him to gather valuable information on the social conditions of workers and peasants in turn-of-the-century Russia.
In 1901 he was arrested and exiled again for participating in an anti-government demonstration. After his release he lived in Finland, where he was involved in founding the 'Union of Liberation
Union of Liberation
The Union of Liberation was a liberal political group founded in St. Petersburg, Russia in January 1904. Its goal was originally the replacement of the absolutism of the Tsar with a constitutional monarchy...
' in 1904, with the former Marxists P.B. Struve, S.N. Prokopovich
Sergei Prokopovich
Sergei Nikolaevich Prokopovich was a Russian economist, sociologist, 'Revisionist' Social-Democrat and liberal politician.-Life:Prokopovich was born into a noble family in Tsarskoe Selo in 1871. In the early 1890s he became involved in radical student politics and was at first attracted to...
and others. This became the nucleus of the Constitutional-Democratic Party
Constitutional Democratic party
The Constitutional Democratic Party was a liberal political party in the Russian Empire. Party members were called Kadets, from the abbreviation K-D of the party name...
(Ka-Dets), tsarist Russia's main liberal party. However, nnensky also retained his connections with narodnik socialism and became involved in the Socialist-Revolutionary Party
Socialist-Revolutionary Party
thumb|right|200px|Socialist-Revolutionary election poster, 1917. The caption in red reads "партия соц-рев" , short for Party of the Socialist Revolutionaries...
(PSR). He argued strenuously against the PSR's revival of political terrorism as a tactic and deplored the influence of Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
on its leading theorists, such as V.M. Chernov.
On the eve of the Russian Revolution of 1905
Russian Revolution of 1905
The 1905 Russian Revolution was a wave of mass political and social unrest that spread through vast areas of the Russian Empire. Some of it was directed against the government, while some was undirected. It included worker strikes, peasant unrest, and military mutinies...
, Annensky was briefly arrested again. During the revolution he helped organise the 'Union of Unions' and became its chairman. He also became editor of the liberal journal Russian Wealth (Russkoe Bogatstvo). This was initially sympathetic to the PSR, but became increasingly opposed to its use of terror. In 1906, Annensky and other populists in the tradition of Mikhailivsky, such as A.V. Peshekhonov
Alexey Peshekhonov
Alexey Vasilyevich Peshekhonov was a Russian economist, publicist, and statistician. He was a member of the Russian provisional government as a minister of food supplies for some months in the summer of 1917.- Life :Peshekhonov was a self-educated social activist...
and V.A. Miakotin
Venedikt Miakotin
Venedikt Aleksandrovich Miakotin was a Russian historian and narodnik politician.-Life:V.A. Miakotin was born in Gatchina and educated at the Kronstadt gymnasium and the University of Saint Petersburg, where he studied history and philology. He subsequently became a professor of history at Saint...
, broke with the PSR and founded the 'Popular Socialist Party
Popular Socialists (Russia)
The Popular Socialist Party emerged in Russia in the early twentieth century.- History :The roots of the Popular Socialist Party lay in the 'Legal Populist' movement of the 1890s, and its founders looked upon N.K. Mikhailovsky and Alexander Herzen as ideological forerunners...
' (NSP). Though numerically small, this party played an important role in the tsarist Duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
, where it collaborated with the liberal Ka-Dets and the Labour or Trudovik party of A.F. Kerensky.
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky was a major political leader before and during the Russian Revolutions of 1917.Kerensky served as the second Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government until Vladimir Lenin was elected by the All-Russian Congress of Soviets following the October Revolution...
The Popular Socialists also played an important role in the Provisional Government of Kerensky following the February Revolution of 1917. Annensky himself did not live to see this; he died in 1912.
Sources
- Shukman, H. (ed.), The Blackwell Encyclopedia of the Russian Revolution. Oxford, 1988.
- Hildermeier, M., Die Sozialrevolutionäre Partei Russlands. Cologne, 1978.