Plekhanov, Georgii (1856–1918)

Abstract Georgii Plekhanov is generally acknowledged as “the father of Russian Marxism.” He began his political activities in the 1870s, and early in his career opposed the use of terrorism and assassination. He was arrested in Russia twice, and emigrated to Switzerland in 1880. In the early twentieth century Plekhanov aligned with the Mensheviks against the more extreme elements of Lenin's Bolshevism. In his political thought he offered thoughtful critiques of utopian socialism and of idealism. In doing so he articulated and developed the political thought of Marx and Engels, traced the development of materialist philosophy, and elaborated a theory of individual action suited to Marxism.