Georgi Plekhanov
2 books
About the Author
Georgi Plekhanov, often hailed as the father of Russian Marxism, was a pioneering philosopher, revolutionary, and literary critic whose intellectual legacy profoundly shaped socialist thought in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1856 in the Tambov region of Russia, Plekhanov immersed himself in radical politics from a young age, joining the revolutionary movement and later founding the Emancipation of Labour group, the first Russian Marxist organization, while in exile in Switzerland. His writings bridged philosophy, economics, and aesthetics, advocating for a materialist interpretation of history and art that emphasized their role in class struggle. Exiled for much of his life, Plekhanov influenced generations of thinkers, including Lenin, through his eloquent defenses of dialectical materialism. Despite his later criticisms of the Bolshevik Revolution, his contributions to Marxist theory remain enduring, offering incisive analyses of ideology and culture. Plekhanov passed away in 1918, leaving behind a body of work that continues to inform debates on socialism and creativity.
Common genres
Writing style
analytical
polemical
philosophical
