The Combat Organization (, or the Fighting Organization) was the terrorist branch within the

Social Revolutionary Party The Socialist Revolutionary Party, or the Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries (the SRs, , or Esers, russian: эсеры, translit=esery, label=none; russian: Партия социалистов-революционеров, ), was a major politi ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. It was a terror sub-group that was given autonomy under that Party. In his memoirs, group member

Boris Savinkov Boris Viktorovich Savinkov (Russian: Бори́с Ви́кторович Са́винков; 31 January 1879 – 7 May 1925) was a Russian writer and revolutionary. As one of the leaders of the Fighting Organisation, the paramilitary win ...

called the group the "Terrorist Brigade." (This phrasing was followed in his own memoirs by

Whittaker Chambers Whittaker Chambers (born Jay Vivian Chambers; April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) was an American writer-editor, who, after early years as a Communist Party member (1925) and Soviet spy (1932–1938), defected from the Soviet underground (1938), ...

, an American spy for the Soviets.)

History

In 1902,

Grigory Gershuni Grigory Andreyevich Gershuni (russian: Григорий Андреевич Гершуни; – ) was a Russian revolutionary and one of the founders of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party. Early life Gershuni was born in Kaunas, in the Kovno Go ...

founded and led the group. In July 1904 they murdered the Russian Minister of the Interior,

Vyacheslav von Plehve Vyacheslav Konstantinovich von Plehve ( rus, Вячесла́в (Wenzel (Славик)) из Плевны Константи́нович фон Пле́ве, p=vʲɪtɕɪˈslaf fɐn ˈplʲevʲɪ; – ) served as a director of Imperial Russ ...

. In 1904, Gershuni was arrested, and

Yevno Azef Yevno Fishelevich Azef (russian: Евгений Филиппович (Евно Фишелевич) Азеф, also transliterated as ''Evno'' Azef, 1869–1918) was a Russian socialist revolutionary who also operated as a double agent and agent ...

succeeded him, with Boris Savinkov as his deputy. Azef, a double-agent in the employ of the Tsarist secret police

Okhrana The Department for Protecting the Public Security and Order (russian: Отделение по охранению общественной безопасности и порядка), usually called Guard Department ( rus, Охранное отд ...

, changed the Terrorist Brigade's mode of attack from firearms to dynamite. In its middle period (1903–1906) the brigade's members included more than a dozen women and more than four dozen men—some nobles, honorary citizens, priests, and merchants. Most were 20–30 years old; 19 Jews, and two Poles. In 1908, Savinkov succeeded Azef, but the group disbanded shortly thereafter.

Members

(also "Evno" and "Azev"/"Azeff" and "Yevno Asiev") *

(also "Savinkoff") * Mikhail Melnikov *

Stepan Balmashov Stepan Valerianovich Balmashov, (Russian: Степан Валерианович Балмашев) (April 15, 1881 – May 16, 1902) was a Russian student, who assassinated the Minister of Internal Affairs Dmitry Sipyagin in April 1902 in the Marii ...

* Thomas Kachura *

Igor Sazonov Igor Sazonov AKA Yegor Sazonov, Y.S. Sazonov, and Yegor Sozonov (Russian: Егор Сергеевич Созонов'';'' 7 June ld Style and New Style dates, O.S. 23 May1879 – 10 December .S. 27 November1910) was a Russian revoluti ...

(also "Yegor" or "Egor" and "Sozonov") *

Ivan Kalyayev Ivan Platonovich Kalyayev (russian: Иван Платонович Каляев; 6 July 1877 – 23 May 1905) was a Russian Empire poet, a member of the Socialist-Revolutionary Party. He is best known for his role in the assassination of Gran ...

("Kaliaev" in the 1931 translation of Savinkov's ''Memoirs of a Terrorist'') * Sikorsky * Borishansky * Dulebov * Shveitser (also "Schweitser"/"Schweizer") *

Karl Trauberg Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austria ...

Assassination efforts

Assassinations

* 1902:

Dmitry Sipyagin Dmitry Sergeyevich Sipyagin (russian: Дми́трий Серге́евич Сипя́гин) ( – ) was a Russian politician. Political career Born in Kiev, Sipyagin graduated from the Judicial Department of St Petersburg University in 18 ...

* 1904:

* 1905:

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia (''Сергей Александрович''; 11 May 1857 – 17 February 1905) was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of h ...

Nicholas Bogdanovich Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...

(governor of

Ufa Ufa ( ba, Өфө , Öfö; russian: Уфа́, r=Ufá, p=ʊˈfa) is the largest city and capital of Bashkortostan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Belaya and Ufa rivers, in the centre-north of Bashkortostan, on hills forming the ...

) * 1906:

Vladimir von der Launitz Vladimir may refer to: Names * Vladimir (name) for the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak and Slovenian spellings of a Slavic name * Uladzimir for the Belarusian version of the name * Volodymyr for the Ukr ...

Failed assassinations

Konstantin Pobedonostsev Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev ( rus, Константи́н Петро́вич Победоно́сцев, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ pəbʲɪdɐˈnostsɨf; 30 November 1827 – 23 March 1907) was a Russian jurist, statesman, ...

Nicholas Kleigels Nikolai Vasilyevich Kleigels ( rus, Николай Васильевич Клейгельс, 25 November 1850 – 20 July 1916) was a Russian general, statesman, Adjutant-General, and also préfet de police of Saint Petersburg. Political career A ...

Fyodor Dubasov Admiral Fyodor Vasilyevich Dubasov (russian: Фёдор Васильевич Дубасов ) (3 July ( O.S. 21 June) 1845 – 2 July (O.S. 19 June) 1912, Saint Petersburg) was, Governor General of Moscow from 24 November 1905 to 5 July 1906. Fy ...

Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky ''Knyaz'' Ivan Mikhailovich Obolensky (russian: Ива́н Миха́йлович Оболе́нский), or Prince John Obolenski (1853 – 28 February 1910), was an Imperial Russian Lieutenant-General. He served as the Governor-General of Finla ...

References

External sources

, ''Memoirs of a Terrorist'' (New York: Boni, 1931)/''Воспоминания террориста'' (1917) . *

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

, ''

'' / ''Les Justes'' (Paris: Gallimard 1950) 1905 Russian Revolution Military wings of socialist parties Socialist Revolutionary Party Terrorism in the Russian Empire {{Russia-hist-stub