author
Georgii Valentinovich Plekhanov
1856–1918
A pioneering Russian Marxist thinker, he helped introduce socialist theory to Russia and shaped debates that would influence a generation of revolutionaries. His writing combines political argument, philosophy, and sharp historical analysis.
1 Audiobook
Anarchism and Socialism
by Georgii Valentinovich Plekhanov
About the author
Born in 1856, Georgii Valentinovich Plekhanov began his political life in the populist movement before turning to Marxism. In 1883 he helped found the Emancipation of Labour group, widely described as the first Russian Marxist organization, and he later became known as a leading early interpreter of Marxist ideas in Russia.
Plekhanov wrote on politics, philosophy, history, and art, and his work was important in spreading Marxist thought among Russian readers and exiles. He spent many years outside Russia, where he continued publishing and debating strategy, social change, and the role of the working class.
Though celebrated as a founder of Russian Marxism, he later broke with the Bolsheviks and opposed their seizure of power in 1917. He died in 1918, leaving behind a body of work that remains central to the history of Russian socialist thought.