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196 M. MISHKINSKYvolved in the ominous strife within the Russian revolutionary movementthat culminated in 1879. The populist Zemlia і volia had split intotwo new organizations, Chernyi peredel 11and Narodnaia volia. Thefirst, as the name Chernyi per edel implies, adhered to the old conceptsof the narodniki — agrarian socialism coupled with anarchistic orsemi-anarchistic attitudes in political matters. Narodnaia volia, whichattracted the majority of active revolutionaries, was addicted to politicalterror, above all regicide, as a means for eventual seizure of statepower. The goal of its terrorist acts was to win a constitution. Socialrevolution, if considered at all, was regarded as a possibility afterradical political change. 18Koval'skaia and Shchedrin sided with Chernyi peredel. They wereaffiliated with the organization in St. Petersburg when Pavel Akselrodcame to the capital and reorganized it under the old name, Zemlia іvolia. But Akselrod also redefined its program, in a way that Koval'-skaia and Shchedrin regarded as a deviation from true populism. 19They rejected what they considered to be a revaluation with a benttoward German social democracy.Koval'skaia and Shchedrin, as orthodox narodniki, rejected thepolitical terror advocated by Narodnaia volia, not because they objectedto terror per se, but rather because of their fundamentalopposition to its objectives, constitutionalism and political democracy,which they regarded as obstacles to social revolution. Instead, theypreached use of terror against landowners, factory owners and managers,and their "henchmen," including some government officials.Both left St. Petersburg and the renamed Chernyi peredel organization.The Southern-Russian Workers' Union was founded shortly aftertheir arrival in Kiev in April 1880.During its existence the union attracted about 700 members ofdiffering conviction, attachment, and activity. 20Some old local narod-17The term was previously translated into English as "Black Division." Now it isgenerally rendered as "Black Repartition," for the name allegedly had the originalmeaning of the chornozem. It was considered to be a watchword arising from themasses of the peasantry. Drahomanov, who had a propensity for etymology,pointed out that in that context chornyi came from chern', meaning "populace."But there are also other explanations.18This is, of course, only a sketchy outline of the attitudes of the two organizations,provided as orientation for the topic at hand.19One pertinent aspect of this strife will be noted below.20A. M. Pankratova, ed., Rabochee dvizhenie ν Rossii ν XIX veke: Sbornikdokumentov i materialov, vol. 2: 1861-1884, pt. 2: 1875-1884 (Moscow, 1950),p. 427, fn. 1, says that about 1,000 workers were involved in the agitational andpropagandistic work of the union. Cf. Balabanov, К istorii, p. 77.