"A Good Society Cannot be Built with Bad Methods": Discussions on (Non)Violence, Politics, and Devildom in Moscow Dissident Circles of the 1960s and 1970s

Based on an interview with Pavel Litvinov and on Vladimir Kormer's novel Inheritance, this article examines discussions in Moscow dissident circles in 1966-1976 on the themes of the impropriety of violence against representatives of the violent party (the state) and the impropriety of violence against those who fight violence (party discipline). Declarations and attempts to create non-hierarchical associations are examined, as are criticisms of these projects, which were characterized as evil temptations and compared to Nechayevism. The article examines the development of the projects of these associations and their attitude to political activity (turning away from politics) as a reaction to this criticism.