Catherine Breshkovsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Catherine Breshkovsky
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| Екатерина Брешко-Брешковская | |
Breshkovsky at work, ca. 1918
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Екатерина Константиновна Вериго
13 January 1844 Ivanovo, Vitebsk Governorate, Russian Empire (now Pskov Oblast, Russia)
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| Died | 12 September 1934 (aged 90) Chvaly, Czechoslovakia
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Catherine Breshkovsky (born Yekaterina Konstantinovna Verigo, 1844–1934) was a very important person in Russia. She worked for big changes in the country. She was known as a Narodnik, which means she wanted to help the common people, especially farmers. Later, she helped start the Socialist Revolutionary Party, a political group that wanted to change Russia.
Catherine Breshkovsky is often called Russia's first female political prisoner. She spent over 40 years in jail or sent away to Siberia. This was because she peacefully disagreed with the government, led by the Tsar (the emperor of Russia). Because of her long struggle, she became famous worldwide as someone unfairly held prisoner. People also called her Babushka, which means "grandmother" in Russian. She was known as the "grandmother of the Russian Revolution".
Contents
Early Life and Activism
Yekaterina Konstantinovna Verigo was born in 1844 into a noble family in Russia. She grew up on her family's large estate. Her father owned serfs, who were people tied to the land, almost like slaves. But Catherine said her father treated them well.
In 1861, when serfs were freed, Catherine helped her father. She worked to educate the newly freed people on their estate. In 1868, she married N.P. Breshko-Breshkovsky, a landowner. But she left him after two years. She then moved to Kiev and started a shared living group with her sister and a friend, Maria Kolenkina.
Catherine and her friends followed the ideas of Mikhail Bakunin, who believed in freedom and no government. She also met Andrei Zhelyabov, who later helped plan the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881.
In 1874, Catherine had a son, Nikolay Breshko-Breshkovsky. Her son was raised by relatives, and she did not see him again for many years. Later, he became a writer.
In July 1874, Catherine, Maria Kolenkina, and Yakov Stefanovich decided to "go to the people." This meant they dressed as ordinary workers and went to live in villages. They tried to share their ideas about revolution with the farmers. Catherine was arrested when a police officer noticed she didn't act like a typical peasant.
Years in Prison and Exile
Catherine Breshkovsky was taken to St. Petersburg. At 30 years old, she was the oldest of many women held for political reasons. During her trial, she bravely refused to accept the court's power. She proudly said she belonged to "the Russian socialistic and revolutionary party." Because of her strong stand, she was sentenced to five years of katorga (hard labor in prison). Other women were set free.
She was likely the first woman in Russia to be sentenced to hard labor for political reasons. This earned her great respect from other revolutionaries.
In 1879, Catherine's sentence was changed to exile in Siberia. In 1881, she escaped but was caught again. She was then sentenced to another four years of hard labor in the mines. She was also sentenced to 40 lashes, but the local officials were too afraid to carry out the whipping.
She was exiled again to a village in Siberia. In 1885, an American journalist named George Kennan interviewed her there. Kennan later said that Catherine Breshkovsky made him see courage and strength in a new way.
The Socialist Revolutionary Party
Catherine Breshkovsky was released in 1896. She had spent 22 years in prison or exile. This was part of a general pardon for the coronation of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia.
She found other revolutionaries, many of whom were much younger than her. She and Grigory Gershuni helped restart the movement in Minsk in 1897. Catherine was very good at inspiring young people with revolutionary ideas.
In 1901, several groups joined together to form the Socialist-Revolutionary Party. Catherine and Gershuni spent two years traveling secretly across Russia. They worked to organize the new party. Catherine was like a "Holy Ghost of the Revolution," spreading revolutionary spirit. Gershuni then helped turn that excitement into action. When Gershuni was arrested in 1903, Catherine escaped to Geneva.
Trip to the United States
In 1904, Catherine Breshkovsky traveled to the United States. Her name was already well-known there because of George Kennan's book. Her trip made her a celebrity. In December 1904, almost 3,000 people came to a meeting in Boston to welcome her. People cheered and waved handkerchiefs when she spoke.
She also visited New York and Chicago. She became friends with important women like Alice Stone Blackwell. It was during this trip that she was given the nickname 'Babushka', the grandmother of the Revolution. She raised about $10,000 to help the Socialist Revolutionary Party.
Another Arrest and Exile
Catherine Breshkovsky returned to Russia in time for the 1905 Revolution. She was not caught until 1908. A police spy named Yevno Azef helped the police find her. She was then held in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
In 1910, she was sentenced to exile for life in Siberia. She was sent to a village by the Lena River and watched constantly. In 1913, when she was almost 70, she tried to escape. She rode a horse for more than 620 miles towards Irkutsk. But she was caught just seven miles outside the city. She was kept alone in Irkutsk prison for two years. Then she was sent to Yakutsk, near the Arctic Circle. After people in America protested, she was sent back to Irkutsk.
After the Revolution
After the February Revolution of 1917, a new government took power in Russia. One of their first actions was to invite Catherine Breshkovsky back to Petrograd. The Minister of Justice, Alexander Kerensky, welcomed her personally. A huge crowd also greeted her.
In October 1917, Catherine Breshkovsky was chosen to be part of the Pre-Parliament. As the oldest member, she led its first meeting. By this time, she was a legendary figure in Russia.
Catherine Breshkovsky believed Russia should continue fighting in World War I. She strongly supported the Kerensky government. When the Bolsheviks overthrew that government in November 1917, she was very upset. She asked the Czechoslovak Legion to help bring Kerensky back to power.
In late 1918, she traveled to the U.S. to ask the government for help. She wanted them to send troops to support the groups fighting against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. Later, she moved to Paris. In 1924, she moved to Czechoslovakia. She spent her final years there with her old friend Maria Kolenkina. Their friendship lasted for more than 50 years.
See also
In Spanish: Yekaterina Breshko-Breshkóvskaya para niños
