Nihilism
in ordinary language, nothingness; the state or condition of beused to designate the Russian Socialist movement, which began about 1870, and may be divided into two distinct periods: (1) "The going among the peasants."
A number of young men and young women of the upper class voluntarily went to work in the fields and the factories so as personally to carry on a Socialist propaganda and distribute Socialist literature. Their organs were the "Yperiod" (Forward!) of London and the "Workman" of Geneva. This lasted about six years, during which time there were 23 political trials of 417 persons, half of whom were condemned to exile in Siberia or to hard labor in the mines. (2) In 1878 the struggle with the government commenced. At a congress held at Lipezk, shortly after Solovieff's attempt on the life of Alexander II., the acquisition of political freedom was declared to be the first necessity. It was hoped to gain this by the formation of a legislative body, elected by the people, with guarantees for electoral independence, and liberty to agitate for reforms. This was demanded from Alexander III. shortly after the assassination of his predecessor as the price of cessation from violence. The Nihilist program is an agrarian socialism based on communal property. Before the rise of the Bolshe viks in 1917 the Nihilists were identified with French and Italian anarchists.
Consult Kornilov's "Modern Russian History" (1917).
Nihilism in metaphysics is the doctrine that refuses a substantial reality to the NIJNI-NOVGOROD ("Lower Novgorod"), a famous commercial city of Russia, and capital of the province of the same name; at the confluence of the Oka with the Volga; 274 miles E. of Moscow. There is an upper city, containing the Kreml and many churches, a lower city, and a suburb. The great fair before the World War brought buyers and sellers from all climes between. Germany and China. For the convenience of those frequenting the fairs, there was an enormous market hall, and 60 blocks of buildings for booths, containing more than 2,500 apartments sepwalls. There were three annual fairs, two of them of minor account. The third, beginning July 15 and continuing into September, was the greatest in the world. During the fair, the normal population was very largely increased. The value of goods sold at one of these fairs often exceeded $100,- 000,000. At these fairs all foreign goods were supplied in smaller quantities, those of Russian production showing an increase. Nijni-Novgorod, founded in 1221, devastated on several occasions by the Tartars; its prosperity dates from 1817, when the great fair was removed to Nijni-Novgorod from Makariev after a great fire. Pop. about 110,000.