Alexander Herzen
Alexander Herzen
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Full Name and Common Aliases
Alexander Ivanovich Gertsen was born as Aleksandr I. Gertsén in Moscow, Russian Empire (now Russia). He is commonly known by his pen name, Alexander Herzen.
Birth and Death Dates
April 6 (March 26 OS), 1812 – January 20 (10), 1870
Nationality and Profession(s)
Herzen was a Russian philosopher, writer, and revolutionary. His work spanned various fields, including philosophy, politics, literature, and journalism.
Early Life and Background
Alexander Herzen was born into a wealthy and influential family in Moscow. His father, Yakov Gertsen, was a Jewish merchant who later converted to Christianity and became a successful entrepreneur. Herzen's early life was marked by privilege and access to education. He studied at the University of Berlin, where he developed an interest in philosophy and politics.
During his time in Germany, Herzen was exposed to the ideas of German Idealism and the works of Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. These influences would later shape his own philosophical perspectives on human nature, freedom, and the role of government. In 1833, he returned to Russia and began to develop his own radical views on social reform.
Major Accomplishments
Herzen is best known for his contributions to Russian intellectual life during a time of significant social change. His ideas about democracy, individual rights, and the abolition of serfdom were seen as radical and influential among the intelligentsia. Herzen was also a prominent figure in the movement for Russian emancipation from foreign domination.
Notable Works or Actions
Some of Herzen's notable works include:
_The Bell_ (1833-1834), a literary and philosophical journal that advocated for social reform.
_From the Other Shore_ (1850-1851), a collection of essays on politics, philosophy, and literature.
* _My Past and Thoughts_ (1867), his autobiography, which provides insight into his life and intellectual development.
Herzen was also an active participant in various revolutionary movements. In 1848, he organized the "League of Peace and Freedom," which aimed to promote democracy and individual rights across Europe. His involvement in these efforts led to his exile from Russia and eventual residence in Paris and London.
Impact and Legacy
Alexander Herzen's influence on Russian intellectual life is still felt today. He was a pioneer in promoting democratic values, individual freedom, and social justice. His ideas about the importance of civil society and the need for reform continue to inspire scholars and activists around the world.
Herzen's work also reflects his commitment to understanding the complexities of human nature and the role of government in shaping society. Through his writings, he challenged prevailing notions of morality, politics, and history, offering a vision of a more just and equitable world.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Alexander Herzen is widely quoted for his insightful observations on human nature, freedom, and the role of government. His ideas have had a lasting impact on Russian intellectual life and continue to inspire scholars and activists today.
Quotes by Alexander Herzen
To comprehend... the full sanctity, the full breadth and reality of the individual’s rights and not to destroy society, not to shatter it into atoms, is the most difficult of tasks. It has never been resolved by any historical systems in the past; for that one needs a great maturity, which mankind has not yet attained.
Together with a monopoly in everything else, the Government in Russia has assumed a monopoly of nonsense; ordering everyone to be silent, it chatters itself without ceasing.
Would it be possible to stand still on one spot more majestically – while simulating a triumphant march forward – than it is done by the two English Houses of Parliament?
To see oneself in print is one of the strongest artificial passions of an age corrupted by books. But it requires courage, nevertheless, to venture on a public exhibition of one’s productions.
If nations always moved from one set of furnished rooms to another – and always into a better set – things might be easier, but the trouble is that there is no one to prepare the new rooms. The future is worse than the ocean – there is nothing there. It will be what men and circumstances make it.
You can awaken people by dreaming their dreams more clearly than they dream themselves.
I have served one idea, marched under one banner – war against all imposed authority – against every kind of deprivation of freedom, in the name of the absolute independence of the individual.
All religions have based morality on obedience, that is to say, on voluntary slavery. That is why they have always been more pernicious than any political organization. For the latter makes use of violence, the former – of the corruption of the will.
The Russian system of justice and police is so haphazard, so inhuman, so arbitrary and corrupt, that a poor malefactor has more reason to fear his trial than his sentence. He is impatient for the time when he will be sent to Siberia; for his martyrdom comes to an end when his punishment begins.