Revolutionary Populists and the Sect «Non-Payers» (Epi-Sode from the History of «Going to the People»)

Abstract

The article reconstructs one of the episodes of «going to the people», which was not sufficiently considered in historiography. This is the propaganda of the populists in the Urals among the representatives of the religious movement of «non-payers». The study is based on unpublished sources, some of which are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The authors revealed the role and place of religious movements that were in opposition to the authorities in the plans of the revolutionary populists before and after the «going to the people». The history of the emergence and development of the «non-payers», as well as the main provisions of its religious teachings, are considered by the author. The authors show why this part of the inhabitants of the Urals was included in the revolutionary plans of the populists. The authors reconstructed the history of the relationship between populists and the Urals’ sectarians, show the connection between the trip of the revolutionaries to the Serginsky mining district and their communication with the sect «non-payers». The article presents the conclusions about how the radical intellectuals influenced the development of the «non-payers». The connection between the propaganda of the populists and the change in the forms of resistance to the authorities among the sectarians has been established.