Vera Zasulich: The legacy of a female terrorist

Abstract

In January 1878, Vera Ivanovna Zasulich shot and wounded the Chief-of-Police in St Petersburg. Her trial for the attempted murder later became Russia’s trial of the century. Following her acquittal, Zasulich became a Marxist, and co-founded the Emancipation of Labour group. Despite her important role in twentieth-century Russian history, posterity remembers her primarily as the first female terrorist. She became a celebrated martyr in the strengthening opposition atmosphere in Russian society, and she can be considered as one of the initiators of this new era of Russian revolutionary movement. This chapter re-examines the stereotypical image of Zasulich to analyse her motivations and the consequences of her actions, especially regarding political terrorism. It also considers Russian women’s participation in political terrorism as an extreme form of struggle against tsarism.