Grigory Goldenberg (also referred to as Gregory Goldenberg or "Grigorii Goldenberg"; 1855–1880) was a Russian

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

and member of

Narodnaya Volya Narodnaya Volya () was a late 19th-century revolutionary socialist political organization operating in the Russian Empire, which conducted assassinations of government officials in an attempt to overthrow the autocratic Tsarist system. The org ...

("People's Will").

Revolutionary life

Born at

Berdychiv Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...

, son of a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

, according to

Richard Pipes Richard Edgar Pipes (; July 11, 1923 – May 17, 2018) was an American historian who specialized in Russian and Soviet history. Pipes was a frequent interviewee in the press on the matters of Soviet history and foreign affairs. His writings als ...

in his book, ''The Degaev Affair: Terror and Treason in Tsarist Russia'', Goldenberg abandoned his

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...

family and upbringing as a youth. Having established contacts with revolutionaries he moved to

Minsk Minsk (, ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administra ...

where he became involved in revolutionary politics. Goldenberg was arrested and exiled in 1878 to

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies on both banks of the Northern Dvina near its mouth into the White Sea. The city spreads for over along the ...

for his revolutionary activities. He escaped and assassinated

Kharkov Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

Prince Dmitri Kropotkin (cousin of a famous anarchist) in February 1879. After his successful

assassination Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

of the Governor of Kharkov and eluding subsequent arrest, that June (1879) he attended the secret gathering at

Lipetsk Lipetsk (, ), also Romanization of Russian, romanized as Lipeck, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh (river), Voronezh River in the Do ...

which created North dnata Volya and was elected to its executive committee. He volunteered to assassinate Alexander II but was dissuaded on the grounds that it would be unwise for this to be done by a Jew. He was then rearrested on November 14, 1879, in Elizavetgrad with a

suitcase A suitcase is a form of baggage. It is a rectangular container with a handle and is typically used to carry one's clothes and other belongings while traveling. The first suitcases appeared in the late 19th century due to the increased popular ...

full of

nitroglycerine Nitroglycerin (NG) (alternative spelling nitroglycerine), also known as trinitroglycerol (TNG), nitro, glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), or 1,2,3-trinitroxypropane, is a dense, colorless or pale yellow, oily, explosive liquid most commonly produced by ...

, which he intended to deliver to associates in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

to blow up a

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carrying the

tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

. Pipes further claims that once Goldenberg was incarcerated in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

(in November 1879) he was left alone for two

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s, after which he was interrogated by Odessa deputy

procurator Procurator (with procuracy or procuratorate referring to the office itself) may refer to: * Procurator, one engaged in procuration, the action of taking care of, hence management, stewardship, agency * Procurator (Ancient Rome), the title of var ...

A. F. Dorbrzhinskii. Goldenberg was the first to be tested with this new interrogation approach, later used by Lieutenant Colonel

Georgy Sudeykin Georgy Porfiryevich Sudeykin (; 11 April 1850 – 16 December 1883 Saint Petersburg) was a Russian Gendarme colonel, the inspector of the ''Saint Petersburg Department for Protection of Communal Security and Order''. He was killed by his own dou ...

. Yarmolinsky describes Goldenberg as "not unintelligent, but... inordinately gullible and given to day-dreaming" and "self-exaltation". This led him to, prompted by skillful interrogation, into a vision the liberation of Russia through the Tsar's change of heart. The idea suggested to him by the police was that the use of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

was blocking real plans by the Tsar for further political reform. Therefore, the imprisonment of Narodnaya Volya and the end of its assassination campaign would lead to those liberal reforms being ushered in by the Tsar and, "under the sun of freedom the way would be speedily prepared for the advent of Socialism." Overjoyed, Goldenberg confessed his own involvement and willingly disclosed everything he knew about the

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

operations and membership of the People's Will.Yarmolinsky, pp. 266 After conversations with a fellow prisoner, however, Goldenberg realized that he had been tricked. Unable to live with himself, he committed suicide in prison July 1880.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldenberg, Grigory 1856 births 1880 deaths Jewish socialists Narodnaya Volya Russian Jews People from Berdychiv Politicians from Minsk 1880s suicides Prisoners of the Peter and Paul Fortress Suicides in the Russian Empire Russian people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in Russian Empire detention People who died by suicide in prison custody