Pyotr Lavrov

Pyotr Lavrovich Lavrov (14 June 1823 – 6 February 1900) was a prominent Russian theorist of narodism, philosopher, publicist, revolutionary, sociologist, and historian. He was born into a military family of hereditary nobles and graduated from a military academy in 1842. Lavrov became well-versed in natural science, history, logic, philosophy, and psychology. He taught mathematics for two decades and served as a professor at the Artillery College in St. Petersburg. Lavrov joined the revolutionary movement in 1862 and was later imprisoned for nine months due to his published subversive ideas. After his release, he was exiled to Vologda, but he escaped and fled abroad. In France, he became a member of the Anthropological Society and fully committed himself to the revolutionary socialist movement, joining the International Workingmen's Association in 1870. He was present at the start of the 1871 Paris Commune and sought international support for the cause. Lavrov arrived in Zürich in 1872, where he became a rival of Mikhail Bakunin. He founded the journal "Vperyod!" (Forward!) in 1872, using it to analyze Russia's historical development. Lavrov also spent time in London in 1877 and 1882. He wrote prolifically, with notable works including "The Hegelian Philosophy" (1858–59) and "Studies in the Problems of Practical Philosophy" (1860). His influential contribution to the revolutionary cause, "Historical Letters" (1870), was published under the pseudonym "Mirtov".