Figner, Vera, 1852-1942

Vera Nikolayevna Figner Filippova (Russian: Вера Николаевна Фигнер Филиппова; 7 July [O.S. 25 June] 1852 – 25 June 1942) was a Russian revolutionary and political activist. Born in Kazan Governorate of the Russian Empire into a noble family of German and Russian descent, Figner was a leader of the clandestine Narodnaya Volya ("People's Will") group, which advocated the use of terror to overthrow the government, Figner was a participant in planning the successful assassination of Alexander II in 1881. Figner was arrested and spent 20 months in solitary confinement prior to trial, at which she was sentenced to death. The sentence was subsequently commuted and Figner was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg Fortress for 20 years before being sent into internal exile. Figner gained international fame in large part because of the widely translated memoir of her experiences. She was treated as a heroic icon of revolutionary sacrifice after the February Revolution in 1917 and was a popular public speaker during that year.