Lev Tikhomirov

Lev Alexandrovich Tikhomirov (19 January 1852 – 10 October 1923) was a Russian revolutionary and author who, after becoming disillusioned with violent revolution, emerged as one of the leading conservative thinkers in Russia. Born in Gelendzhik, he was initially influenced by radical ideas and became involved in the Narodniki movement. He was arrested in 1873 in connection with the Trial of the 193 and sentenced to a four-year term. By 1878, he was a leader of the Land and Liberty organization and later joined its radical successor, the People's Will. Following the assassination of Emperor Alexander II in 1882, Tikhomirov emigrated to Switzerland and then France. While in France, he began to reconsider his revolutionary views, leading to his public repentance in 1888 with the publication of 'Why I am No Longer a Revolutionary.' His petition to return to Russia was granted by Alexander III. Upon his return, Tikhomirov became a prominent conservative voice, criticizing liberal democracy and advocating for monarchism and a spiritual basis for society. His four-volume work, 'On Monarchist Statehood' (1905), became a key text for the Russian monarchist movement. He also served as editor of the newspaper 'Moskovskie Vedomosti' from 1909 to 1913. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, he worked as a school secretary in Sergiyev Posad, where he died in 1923.