Alexander Herzen Biography
Early Life and Education
Alexander Ivanovich Herzen, born on April 6, 1812, in Moscow, Russia, was a popular author, journalist, and political activist. He was the illegitimate kid of Ivan Alekseyevich Yakovlev, a rich Russian landowner, and his girlfriend, a young German Lutheran named Luise Lange (née Haag). In spite of his parents not being wed, Alexander was accepted into his daddy's household and had a privileged childhood.
Herzen went to Moscow State University, where he studied philosophy and lives sciences. He was particularly drawn to the works of French and German philosophers, including
Jean-Jacques Rousseau and
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, which shaped his early political and philosophical views.
Political and Philosophical Ideals
From an early age, Herzen was crucial of the tsarist autocracy that ruled Russia. He believed that social justice could just be achieved through a radical overhaul of Russia's class-based society. Inspired by the eagerness of the French Revolution, his political beliefs were rooted in the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
Herzen became an ardent advocate of socialism, thinking that the working-class had the potential to be an effective force for modification in Russian society. He was also drawn to the principle of utopian socialism, an idyllic vision of a society where communal living and cooperation would change the competitors and greed of capitalist society.
Arrest and Exile
Alexander Herzen's political views, however, were seen as a danger to the Russian autocracy. In 1834, he was arrested for his participation in a secret society that spread revolutionary ideas. Herzen was sent out into internal exile in Vyatka, a remote province in the Russian Urals, where he invested six years.
Throughout his exile, Herzen continued to establish his political and philosophical concepts. He ended up being increasingly disillusioned with utopian socialism and started to promote for agrarian socialism, which concentrated on land reform and the redistribution of wealth. In this period, he also composed a number of essential works, including his autobiography, "My Past and Thoughts".
Emigration to Western Europe
In 1847, Herzen was given consent to take a trip to Western Europe for health reasons. He settled in Paris, where he entered into contact with prominent socialist and advanced leaders, including
Louis Blanc,
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and
Karl Marx. However, he was disappointed with their dogmatic method to socialism and the internal disputes within the socialist motion.
The Birth of Russian Socialism in Exile and "The Bell"
In 1852, Herzen relocated to London, where he established the "Free Russian Press", a publishing house that produced books, handouts, and regulars promoting socialist and advanced ideas. He acquired extensive prestige with the publication of "The Bell" (Kolokol), an extreme paper that was smuggled into Russia and flowed among the intellectual and political elite.
Under Herzen's editorship, "The Bell" ended up being a powerful voice for reform and a driving force in Russian social idea. Its criticism of the Russian government and advocacy for the rights of the peasantry made it an extremely prominent publication. A few of the crucial figures connected with Herzen and "The Bell" consisted of prominent Russian revolutionaries like
Mikhail Bakunin, Nikolai Ogarev, and Vissarion Belinsky.
Tradition and Influence
Alexander Herzen's works and journalism had a profound impact on Russian society and the advancement of socialist idea. His advocacy for social and political modification inspired future generations of Russian intellectuals and revolutionaries, as they worked towards eliminating serfdom and the autocratic routine.
Herzen's influence extended beyond Russia, with his work having a considerable influence on European socialism and the worldwide battle for social justice. His enthusiastic commitment to the reason for the oppressed and marginalized resonated with people across political and social limits.
Alexander Herzen passed away on January 21, 1870, in Paris, but his concepts and vision continued to inspire political motions and thinkers for generations to come. As a pivotal figure in the history of Russian and European socialism, Alexander Herzen's life functions as a testament to the power of ideas and the determination to combat for a more simply and fair world.
Our collection contains 17 quotes who is written / told by Alexander.
Related authors: Karl Marx (Philosopher), Philo (Philosopher), Louis Blanc (Politician), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Philosopher), Mikhail Bakunin (Revolutionary), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete), Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (Economist), Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (Philosopher)
Alexander Herzen Famous Works:
Source / external links: