Pyotr Lavrovich Lavrov (1828-1900) is known as one of the main ideologists of Russian populism. At one time he had a considerable influence on the formation of the revolutionary movement in our country. Of interest are his sociological and philosophical studies, which make it possible to understand the attitude of the intelligentsia to the socio-political situation that prevailed in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, as well as the prediction of the collapse of Bolshevism.
Family
Pyotr Lavrov came from a well-known noble family. His father, Lavr Stepanovich, served in the army and participated in the Patriotic War of 1812. He was friendly with the head of the Imperial Chancellery and military settlements, Alexei Arakcheev, who enjoyed the boundless confidence of Alexander the Great. After the war, L. S. Lavrov retired with the rank of artillery colonel and married Elizaveta Karlovna Gandvig. The girl came from a Russified Swedish noble family.kind and was excellently educated for her time. In 1823, their son Peter was born. At the time of his birth, the family lived in the Melehovo estate, located in the Pskov province.
Pyotr Lavrovich Lavrov: brief biography (young years)
Like his other peers from the nobility, the future philosopher studied foreign languages from childhood. In particular, thanks to his mother and an experienced tutor, he mastered French and German very early.
In 1837, Pyotr Lavrov was sent to St. Petersburg, where he successfully passed the exam and entered the artillery school. During the years of study at this prestigious military university, the young man proved to be a diligent cadet and was considered the best student of Academician M. Ostrogradsky. His successes were so serious that after receiving his diploma, he was left to tutor at his native school. In parallel with the classes, Petr Lavrov independently studied the scientific literature on social science and economics, wrote poetry and did research in the field of mathematics. He was greatly impressed by the works of utopian socialists.
Further career
The young tutor of mathematical sciences soon received recognition from his colleagues and took the position of a military teacher at the Mikhailovskaya Artillery Academy in St. Petersburg, rising to the rank of colonel. In 1860, he was transferred to the Konstantinovsky military school, where he was a mentor-observer for several years.
Private life
In 1847 Pyotr Lavrovmarried the beautiful widow A. Kh. Loveiko. Marriage with a mother of two children, and even a German by birth (maiden name Kapger) upset the plans of Lavr Stepanovich, who dreams of a brilliant party for his son. As a result, Peter was deprived of his parent's financial support. Over time, the couple had four more common sons and daughters, which made the financial situation of the family even more precarious. In order to somehow "get out", Lavrov was forced to earn extra money by tutoring "on the side" and writing special articles for the Artillery Journal. The situation changed for the better after the death of his father and older brother, when Pyotr Lavrovich received a good inheritance.
Literary and scientific activities
Despite life's hardships, the tireless Pyotr Lavrov found time to study the most famous works of European philosophers of his time, published poems by A. I. Herzen, participated in the creation of the Encyclopedic Dictionary, published articles on philosophy and sociology, and also on problems of public morality, literature, art and public education.
In addition, in 1860 his first book was published. In this work, en titled Essays on Practical Philosophy, Lavrov argued that a moral person cannot help but come into conflict with a society in which injustice reigns. In his opinion, only a system based on a voluntary union of moral and free people can be an ideal society.
Arrest and exile
In the 1860s, Pyotr Lavrovich Lavrov, whose biography is presented above, was an active participant in the student and revolutionary movement. He became close to N. G. Chernyshevsky and became a member of the first organization "Land and Freedom".
April 4, 1866 at the gates of the Summer Garden D. Karakozov made an attempt on Alexander II. It was unsuccessful, but it was the reason for the repressions, the victim of which was, among other things, Pyotr Lavrov. He was arrested on charges of "spreading harmful ideas" and in contacts with Chernyshevsky, Mikhailov and Professor P. Pavlov. After a short stay in prison and trial, he was sent to exile in the Vologda province. There he lived from 1867 to 1870 and met the exiled participant of the Polish uprising A. Chaplitska, who became his common-law wife.
Historical letters
In exile, Pyotr Lavrovich Lavrov wrote his most famous socio-political work addressed to the progressive Russian intelligentsia.
His "Historical Letters" contained a call to the youth to wake up, and, understanding the tasks of the historical moment, as well as the needs of the common people, help them realize their strength. The appearance of this work was more than timely, as the revolutionary intelligentsia was in search of new opportunities for the application of their forces. Lavrov's "historical letters" became a "thunderbolt" and one of the ideological stimuli for organizing the practical activities of the revolutionary intelligentsia.
Biography (PeterLavrov) after 1870
After returning from exile, the revolutionary managed to illegally leave the country and go to Paris. There he contacted representatives of the Western European labor movement and joined the First International. During the existence of the Paris Commune, he traveled to London in order to organize assistance to besieged comrades.
During his stay in the capital of the British Empire, Lavrov met Marx and Engels.
In 1873-1877, the revolutionary became the editor of the Vperyod magazine and the 2-week newspaper of the same name - the mouthpieces of the direction of Russian populism, called "lavrism". After the assassination of Alexander II, Peter Lavrovich became close to the People's Will. He even agreed to edit the "Vestnik Narodnaya Volya" together with L. Tikhomirov.
At the same time, his international prestige grew. Suffice it to say that in July 1889, members of the Armenian Hunchak Party, the first socialist party with branches in Persia and the Ottoman Empire, authorized Pyotr Lavrov to represent it at the congress of the Second International.
Last years of life
Until his last days, Pyotr Lavrov continued to maintain ties with the revolutionary movement. However, at the end of his life he was more interested in questions related to the history of philosophy. As a result of his scientific research, several theoretical works were written, including the monograph “Problems of Understanding History.”
Pyotr Lavrov, whose main ideas were the basis of the Narodnaya Volya movement, died in Paris in 1900, inaged 72 and was buried in the Montparnasse cemetery.
After himself, he left a vast literary heritage, including 825 works and 711 letters. He is also the author of several dozen political poems, among which the "Working Marseillaise", beginning with the words "Let's renounce the old world …", was especially popular, to which music was later written. In the first two decades of the 20th century, this song was one of the most frequently performed during strikes, strikes, as well as congresses of revolutionaries, and in the early years of Soviet power and people's deputies.
Philosophical views
In official science, it is customary to attribute Lavrov to eclecticism. And this is quite justified, since in his positivist-agnostic philosophy he tried to combine the systems of Hegel, F. Lange, Feuerbach, Comte, Proudhon, Spencer, Chernyshevsky, Bakunin and Marx.
In his opinion, history is made by a moral and educated minority of their own free will, so the first task of revolutionaries is to develop a moral ideal.
In the 1870s, Lavrov had ardent followers, the so-called tower group. In addition, he became the recognized leader of the right wing of the revolutionaries of the Russian Empire. However, this situation did not last long, and soon many supporters of his ideology turned towards more radical Bakuninism. Nevertheless, Laurism played an important role in preparing members for the future first social democratic circles.
Now you knowwho was P. Lavrov. Being one of the few representatives of the nobility who sincerely sought to improve the situation of workers and peasants, Pyotr Lavrovich was not forgotten by the authorities of the First State of Workers and Peasants in the World. In particular, Furshtatskaya Street in Leningrad was renamed in his honor. Thanks to this, today many St. Petersburg residents know the Palace of Peter Lavrov, where wedding ceremonies are held. And this is quite symbolic, since a famous philosopher once sacrificed financial well-being for the sake of marrying his beloved woman, and then lived with her for thirty happy years.
