Plekhanov G.V. (1856-1918), revolutionist

Categories / Social Life/Personalia
PLEKHANOV Georgy Valentinovich (1856-1918), political figure, publicist. Upon graduating from Voronezh Military School (1873), entered Konstantinovsky Military College. In 1874-76 studied in the Institute of Mining (since 1956 - Plekhanov Institute of Mining; there is a memorial plaque in the hall of its main building). Since 1876 - member of Populists circles, spread propaganda among Petersburg workers; during a rally at the Kazan Cathedral on 6 December 1876 he delivered a revolutionary speech (memorial plaque on a column of the Kazan Cathedral; see Demonstrations at the Kazan Cathedral). Member of Land and Freedom Organisation, one of the authors of its programme and editor of the underground party newspaper of the same name. After the split of Land and Freedom (1879), became a leader of Black Repartition. At the beginning of 1880, threatened with imprisonment, Plekhanov emigrated. From 1883 - leader of the first Russian Marxist group Liberation of Labour, author of its program and a number of theoretical works. Maintained close contact with Petersburg Marxist Circles that established delivery of Black Repartition group's press to Russia and arranged legal publishing of Plekhanov's works in St. Petersburg. Under a pen-name, he contributed to Petersburg newspapers Novoe Slovo and Nauchnoe Obozrenie. In 1901-05 he was a member of the editorial staff of the Social Democratic newspaper Iskra and journal Zarya, delegate of the Second Congress of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party (1903), in 1903-05 - Chairman of the Party Soviet. After the split of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' Party (1903) blamed both Mensheviks and Bolsheviks, attempted their consolidation, at times drew close to one or other but remained independent. During World War I favoured a defence approach. In March 1917 returned to Petrograd, headed the Social Democratic Unity Group and the newspaper of the same name. From September 1917 he was seriously ill (exacerbation of pulmonary tuberculosis). Condemned the October Revolution of 1917, but refused to struggle against Bolsheviks. From January 1918 was in the sanatorium Pitkajarvi in Finland, where he died on 30 May 1918. Buried at Literatorskie Mostki. In 1923-98 Kazanskaya Street and Kazanskaya Square were named correspondingly Plekhanova Street and Plekhanova Square. In 1925 a monument to Plekhanov was mounted in front of the building of Technological Institute (sculptors I.Y.Ginzburg, Y.G.Gervits, M.Y.Kharlamov). In 1928 the House of Plekhanov was founded to house Plekhanov's archives and his library delivered to Leningrad. There is a memorial plaque on the building of the Russian National Library, where Plekhanov studied in 1874-80.

Reference: Бережанский А. С. Г. В. Плеханов: От народничества к марксизму. Воронеж, 1991; Тютюкин С. В. Г. В. Плеханов: Судьба рус. марксиста. М., 1997.

P. Y. Savelyev. Gevirtz Yakov Germanovich
Ginzburg Ilya Yakovlevich
Kharlamov Matvey Yakovlevich
Plekhanov Georgy Valentinovich
Kazanskaya Square/Saint Petersburg, city
Kazanskaya Street/Saint Petersburg, city
Бережанский А. С. Г. В. Плеханов: От народничества к марксизму. Воронеж, 1991
Тютюкин С. В. Г. В. Плеханов: Судьба рус. марксиста. М., 1997 Plekhanov State Mining Institute, St. Petersburg
Kazansky Demonstrations
Zemlya i Volya (Land and Liberty) of 1870s
Cherny Peredel, revolutionary organizations
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis
1876
1925