Nikolai
Chernyshevsky,
the son of a priest, was born in Saratov, Russia, in 1828. After graduating
from the University of St Petersburg he taught in Saratov.
Chernyshevsky
became a journalist and in 1855 joined the staff of Sovremennik
(The Contemporary) where he wrote about literature and politics. In
his articles Chernyshevsky criticized liberalism, believing it served
the interests of the rich and powerful.
Chernyshevsky,
like Alexander Herzen, argued that the
peasants should organize themselves
into communes and rebel against the power of the large landowners.
He believed that the Russian peasant provided the hope of establishing
an egalitarian socialist order.
Karl
Marx described Chernyshevsky as "the great Russian scholar
and critic who has in a masterly way exposed the bankruptcy of bourgeois
economics". However Chernyshevsky was not a Marxist and was more
influenced by socialists such as Charles
Fourier.
Chernyshevsky
was hopeful that Alexander II would
reform Russian society but by 1861 was thoroughly disillusioned and
wrote to Alexander Herzen that "liberal
landowners, liberal writers, liberal professors lull you with hopes
in the progressive aims of our government". He added that "everyone
sincerely loving Russia has come to the conclusion that only by force
could human rights be seized by the people from the tsar's grip."
In July,
1862, Chernyshevsky was arrested and imprisoned for criticizing the
established order in Russia. While in prison Chernyshevsky wrote the
utopian novel, What's to be Done?
The manuscript was smuggled out of prison and published. The novel
became a popular book with students and influenced the founding of
the Land and Liberty group.
The publication
of What's to be Done? resulted
in Chernyshevsky being sentenced to seven years' forced labour in
Siberia. By this time he was released
in 1883 his views were considered to be very moderate when compared
to those such as Mikhail Bukunin and
Sergei
Nechayev.
Nikolai
Chernyshevsky
died in 1889.
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