The Perovskaia Paradox or the Scandal of Female Terrorism in Nineteenth Century Russia

Female terrorism played a decisive role in the making of modern terrorism in the Russian Empire in the late 19th century. Vera Zasulich pulled the trigger on Russian terrorism by shooting at the General governor Fedor Trepov in 1878 and Sofia Perovskaia was the mastermind behind the assassination of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Anke Hilbrenner
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche sur les Sociétés et les Institutions Post-Soviétiques 2016-05-01
Series:Journal of Power Institutions in Post-Soviet Societies
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/pipss/4169
Description
Summary:Female terrorism played a decisive role in the making of modern terrorism in the Russian Empire in the late 19th century. Vera Zasulich pulled the trigger on Russian terrorism by shooting at the General governor Fedor Trepov in 1878 and Sofia Perovskaia was the mastermind behind the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, on the 1st of March 1881. This article explores how tsarist authorities and radicals were trying to make sense of the seemingly paradox of violent women. Both were stripping the violent deeds of women of their political content. Moreover the Perovskaia case can show how both sides were using the same set of gender ideals in order to either condemn or to worship the female terrorist.
ISSN:1769-7069