| Show Tins AUTHOR of Underground Russia gives in his work a brief and comprehensive answer to the question so often asked What is Nihilism His account is that from 1860 to 1870 nihilism was a philosophical and literary movement move-ment which turned the educated classes into materialists and secured for women equal rights with man in elyil law and in education Since then it has become a phase of socialism social-ism and its leaders desire freedom of speech and freedom of the press in order that they may propagate their views Jf this freedom is conceded con-ceded together with such political rights as willenafle the people to guard it the nihilist offer to abandon aban-don their present policy of terror and content themselves vvith peaceful peace-ful weapons They say that the rulers of Russia including tiLe Czar and the official class have no community com-munity of interest with the mass of the nation which sympathizes with their aims as far as it understands them and that they have done nothing more than proclaim aloud amid the reports and flames of their explosions what everybody either thought or whispered with a hesitancy hesi-tancy and timid voice amid deluge of adulation and general compulsory reticence |
