Great Russian Scientists in the Narodnik Movement

Abstract

In the 1860s Russian society was at a bifurcation point. Changes were overdue in the country, but their implementation depended not only on the willingness of the authorities to act, but also on the ability of society to accept the upcoming changes. Political, socioeconomic achievements are a consequence of changes in public consciousness, which is formed under the influence of intellectuals and scientists. An indicator of the development of society is scientific thought.
 The ideology of populism was the result of a synthesis of the ideas of socialism and Russian ideas about social development. Representatives of science have made a significant contribution to the process of forming the ideology of populism. The Narodniks sought to substantiate the natural development of society by natural scientific methods, to explain scientifically the necessity of the existence of individual freedom. The heterogeneity of populism, the presence of supporters of the ideas of terror, is explained, among other things, by the inability to realize and accept the scientific justification of practical activities, an acute desire to get results in the shortest possible time. Populist scientists were involved in the activities of the first populist associations in order to promote and organize political interaction on the basis of evolutionary development.