Three Sisters Dramaturgy Page: History

Introduction: The following information is designed to inform the Three Sisters cast about Russia during the life of Chekhov (1860-1904). This section deals with history. Direct comments about the content to Lori Ricigliano, library liaison to the University of Puget Sound's Theatre department.

updated 10/03/03

Rulers of the Russia: The Romanov Dynasty

1855-1881 Alexander II

1881-1894 Alexander III

1894-1917 Nicholas II

Historical Timeline

1860

Chekhov born
Vladivostok founded

1860-1869

Populism is embraced by the intelligentsia

1861

Alexander II freed the serfs

1862

Turgenev's Fathers and Sons published
St. Petersburg Conservatory founded

1863

Artists Co-operative Society (Peredvizhniki) founded
Chernyshevsky's What Is To Be Done? is published

1863-1865

Court and education reform instituted

1866

Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment published

1867

Alaska sold to United States

1869

Tolstoy's War and Peace published

1870

Lenin is born

1872

Russian translation of Marx's Capital

1873

Beginning of the movement To the People (V narod)

1876

Land and Freedom Party

1880

Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamzov published

1881

Populist period ended
Alexander II assassinated

1884

Reactionary regulations for universities

1891

Building of Trans-Siberia Railroad begun
Beginning of Franco-Russian alliance

1896

Disastrous production of Chekhov's The Seagull in St. Petersburg

1897

Moscow Art Theater founded

1898

World of Art launched
Moscow Art Theater founded, produces Chekhov's The Seagull

1901

Chekhov's Three Sisters opens at Moscow Art Theater to poor reviews

1903

Split into Mensheviks and Bolsheviks

1904

Chekhov dies

source: Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Soviet Union and Chronology of Russian History: Imperial Period

Russian History Web Sites

Illustrated History of Russia and the Former USSR
History of Russia
The Face of Russia
A Short Overview of the Russian History

Marxism

The 1880s saw Marxism emerge as a new revolutionary theory in Russia. The founding father was Georgy Plekhanov, and ex-populist who studied German Marxism in Switzerland and adapted its theory to Russian conditions. His principles were that Russia, like all countries, had to pass through a period of capitalist development before moving on to socialism; that the traditional peasant institutions had no socialist potential; that the urban proletariat was the social force for revolution in Russia; and that a disciplined and organized working-class party was needed to galvanize the proletariat into action. Plekhanov established the first Russian social democratic organization in 1883, and a network of affiliated groups spread through Russia soon afterwards. One of the young recruits joining the Marxists in the late 1880's was Vladimir Ulyanov, better known as Lenin.

Lenin was born into a civil servant's family in the Volga region in 1870. He became politicized in 1887, when his elder brother was executed for complicity in a plot to assassinate Tsar Alexander III. After some flirtation with narodnichestvo, he developed an interest in Marxism and became a follower of Plekhenov. In 1895 Lenin was put in charge of the first Marxist operational cell in St. Petersburg: its objective was to propagandize the capital's workers, but the cell was discovered and Lenin arrested. He was sentenced to three years' Siberian exile (1896-1899). The conditions of the exile were very lenient, and Lenin spent the time writing his major political tracts ad developing his own variant of Marxist theory. Immediately upon release, he was allowed to travel to Europe. The Russian social democrat emigration there was in discord, Plekhenov's position had weakened and Lenin succeeded in rising to a position of joint leadership with his former mentor. Significant differences were emerging between the two men about the nature and pace of revolutionary strategy. These differences led to a clash at the second convention of the Russian Social Democratic Party in 1903, with Plekhenov's camp being labeled the Mensheviks and Lenin's the Bolsheviks (from the words menshe, "less" and bolshe, "more").

Source: Cultural Atlas of Russia and the Soviet Union

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Content Contact: Lori Ricigliano
revised October 2000