This book examines a series of martyr cults across the socio-political spectrum in late imperial Russia, during the period from 1881 to 1918. It provides a unique cultural-historical analysis of the meaning of mythologies, including rhetoric and symbols surrounding these cults, rather than a biographical study or one about how events caused changed.

Assessing the creation of martyr cults on the political right as well as the left, George Gilbert explores interactions between monarchists and revolutionists following political demonstrations, assassinations and revolutionary conflicts between insurgents and the tsarist state. Gilbert convincingly contends that political conflict between rival cultures arose following cases such as the assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1881, and the deification of revolutionary terrorists in the early 20th century.

Martyr Cults in Revolutionary Russia reveals that cults were often created following the escalation of political violence, which resulted in both leftists and conservatives investing more in populism and engaging with new audiences. The book demonstrates this through close analysis of the language, meaning and tone of unseen source materials, including printed pamphlets, the popular press and archival records.