The Decembrist Pavel Pestel: Russia's First Republican

by P. O'Meara

Overview

Pavel Pestel (1793-1826) was the key figure in the Decembrist's Southern Society and author of Russian Justice , Russia's first republican manifesto. He was executed in St. Petersburg for his leading role in the 1825 conspiracy against Tsarist auracy. This first comprehensive study of Pestel fills a major gap in the literature on nineteenth-century Russia. Focusing on his highly original manifesto, the book analyzes his ideological contribution to the Russian revolutionary movement, and re-appraises his controversial role in the Decembrist secret societies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780333984550
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	11/11/2003
Edition description:	2003
Pages:	234
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

PATRICK O'MEARA is Associate Professor of Russian at Trinity College Dublin. He is a fellow of TCD and has held visiting fellowships at the Kennan Institute, Washington DC, the Australian National University, Canberra, and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He is the author of K. F. Ryleev: A Political Biography of the Decembrist Poet and Editor-Translator of S. M. Soloviev: History of Russia: Empress Elizabeth, 1741-44.

Table of Contents

PART I: EARLY BIOGRAPHY Ancestry, Parentage, Family Background Upbringing, Education, Military Service The Political and Social Environment PART II: IN THE DECEMBRIST MOVEMENT The Early Secret Societies at Tulchin from 1816 In the Southern Society from 1821 Relations with the Northern Society in St. Petersburg Contacts with the Polish Secret Society The Planned Coup d'Etat and its Aftermath PART III: RUSSIAN JUSTICE Its Genesis and Composition Analysis of its Central Ideological Thrust Its Reception PART IV: TRIAL AND EXECUTION Arrest, Interrogation and Sentence Life in the Peter-Paul Fortress Pestel's Execution and its Impact Conclusion: Pestel: Legend and Legacy Index