Narodnaia Volia

(The People’s Will), a newspaper published by the People’s Will revolutionary populist organization.

Published illegally from 1879 to 1885, Narodnaia volia appeared in 12 issues. Numbers 1–5 were printed in St. Petersburg, nos. 6–9 in Moscow, no. 10 in Derpt (present-day Tartu), a second edition of no. 10 in Rostov-on-Don, and nos. 11 and 12 in Taganrog and Novocherkassk. Circulation was between 2,000 and 3,000. The editors were L. A. Tikhomirov (nos. 1–5), N. A. Morozov (nos. 1–3), V. S. Lebedev (nos. 6–9), G. A. Lopatin (no. 10), and V. G. Bogoraz (nos. 11–12).

Also taking part in the editing at various times were A. A. Kviatkovskii, A. I. Ivanchin-Pisarev, S. N. Krivenko, N. K. Mikhailovskii, A. P. Pribyleva-Korba, M. N. Oshanina, A. N. Bakh, S. A. Ivanov, P. F. Iakubovich, L. Ia. Shternberg, and B. D. Orzhikh. Other contributors included N. I. Kibal’chich, O. S. Liubatovich, Iu. N. Bogdanovich, N. A. Sablin, G. G. Romanenko, M. P. Troitskii, and P. B. Aksel’rod.

Narodnaia volia published articles on revolutionary goals; political satires; a chronicle of the workers’, peasant, and student movement; and secret government documents. The eighth and ninth issues contained the foreword written by Marx and Engels to the Russian edition of the Communist Manifesto. The newspaper’s editorial board published Listok “Narodnoi volt” (Leaflet of the People’s Will) in seven issues that appeared from 1880 to 1886.

All 12 issues of Narodnaia volia were reprinted in full in Literatura partii “Narodnaia volia” in 1930.