Pavel Pestel (1793-1826) was the key figure in the Decembrist's Southern Society and author of Russian Justice, Russia's first republican manifesto. He was executed in St. Petersburg for his leading role in the 1825 conspiracy against Tsarist autocracy. This first comprehensive study of Pestel fills a major gap in the literature on nineteenth-century Russia. Focusing on his highly original manifesto, the book analyzes his ideological contribution to the Russian revolutionary movement, and re-appraises his controversial role in the Decembrist secret societies.