extremist (a political . . . , who often believes in violence to attain an end) n.: sans-culotte [French]
[This term derives from name given in the first French Revolution to members of the extreme Republican Party, who rejected breeches as an emblem peculiar to the upper classes or aristocracy.]
The second revolutionary redistribution of Russian property in this century [which created a new upper and middle class] now seems likely to last [as a result of Yeltsin’s victory]. Yet, while Russia’s sans-culotte did not storm the red walls of the Kremlin, they did register a powerful protest that the nation’s triumphant masters will ignore at their peril. Nearly40 million Russians backed Yeltsin, but more than 29 million supported his Communist rival. (Chrystia Freeland, “A Foothold for Democracy; Yeltsin’s Election Indicates Russia Is on Track, but Now It Needs to Share the Wealth,” Denver Rocky Mountain News, 7/7/1996.)
