Leo Deutsch
Encyclopedia
Lev Grigorievich Deutsch, also known as Leo Deutsch (1855, Tulchyn
– 1941) was a Russian
revolutionary
who was an early member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
and one of the leaders of that organization's Menshevik factions.
, Russia
, the son of a Jewish merchant
.
, he spent his time distributing propaganda
in southern Russia.
His actions let to his being arrested in 1875, but he escaped from custody and over the next few years attempted to organize a peasant
insurrection.
Deutsch joined the Zemlya i volya (Land and Liberty), joining the Black Repartition
once it split into two factions. supporting a socialist propaganda campaign among workers and peasants. The majority of members, joined Narodnaya Volya (People's Will), the group that favoured terrorism
.
In 1880 Deutsch and other leaders of the Black Repartition group, including George Plekhanov, Vera Zasulich
and Pavel Axelrod
went to live in Geneva
, Forming the Emancipation of Labour
group in 1883.
Deutsch was arrested in Germany
1884 and extradited for trial by a Russian court for a terrorist offence he had committed in 1876. Found guilty he was sentenced 13 years hard labour in Siberia
.
Deutsch managed to escape from prison in 1901 and became active in the Social Democratic Labour Party
. At the Second Congress of the Social Democratic Party in London
.
Deutsch joined George Plekhanov, Pavel Axelrod
, Leon Trotsky
, Irakli Tsereteli
, Moisei Uritsky
, Noi Zhordania and Fedor Dan
in supporting Julius Martov
creating the Menshevik
s.
During the 1905 Revolution Deutsch returned to Russia but was arrested and imprisoned. However, on the way to Siberia he escaped and made his way to London, starting a period of foreign exile which lasted until the February 1917 Russian Revolution
.
called Svobodnoe Slovo (Free Word).
Tulchyn
Tulchin , Latin Tulcinum, ) is a small city in the Vinnytsya Oblast of western Ukraine, former Podolia. It is the administrative center of the Tulchynsky Raion , and was the chief centre of the Southern Society of the Decembrists, Pavel Pestel was located there during planning of the rebellion...
– 1941) was a Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
revolutionary
Revolutionary
A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...
who was an early member of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
Russian Social Democratic Labour Party
The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party , also known as Russian Social Democratic Workers' Party or Russian Social Democratic Party, was a revolutionary socialist Russian political party formed in 1898 in Minsk to unite the various revolutionary organizations into one party...
and one of the leaders of that organization's Menshevik factions.
Early years
Lev Grigorievich Deutsch was born September 25, 1855 in TulchynTulchyn
Tulchin , Latin Tulcinum, ) is a small city in the Vinnytsya Oblast of western Ukraine, former Podolia. It is the administrative center of the Tulchynsky Raion , and was the chief centre of the Southern Society of the Decembrists, Pavel Pestel was located there during planning of the rebellion...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the son of a Jewish merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
.
Early political activities
After converting to MarxismMarxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
, he spent his time distributing propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
in southern Russia.
His actions let to his being arrested in 1875, but he escaped from custody and over the next few years attempted to organize a peasant
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
insurrection.
Deutsch joined the Zemlya i volya (Land and Liberty), joining the Black Repartition
Black Repartition
Black Repartition , Party of Socialists-Federalists, a revolutionary populist organization in Russia in the early 1880s....
once it split into two factions. supporting a socialist propaganda campaign among workers and peasants. The majority of members, joined Narodnaya Volya (People's Will), the group that favoured terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
.
In 1880 Deutsch and other leaders of the Black Repartition group, including George Plekhanov, Vera Zasulich
Vera Zasulich
Vera Ivanovna Zasulich was a Russian Marxist writer and revolutionary.-Radical beginnings:Zasulich was born in Mikhaylovka, Russia, one of four daughters of an impoverished minor noble. When she was 3, her father died and her mother sent her to live with her wealthier relatives, the Mikulich...
and Pavel Axelrod
Pavel Axelrod
Pavel Borisovich Axelrod was a Russian Menshevik.- Early life and career :Born Pinches Borutsch in Potscheff near Chernigov and raised to Shklov, a small provincial town in and Mogilev, the biggest town of the three in the Russian Empire , Axelrod was the son of a Jewish innkeeper.In 1875 in...
went to live in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Forming the Emancipation of Labour
Emancipation of Labour
Emancipation of Labour group was the first Russian Marxist group. Founded by Georgi Plekhanov, Vasily Ignatov, Vera Zasulich, Leo Deutsch, and Pavel Axelrod in Geneva in 1883. Leo Deutsch left the group in 1884 when he was arrested and sent to Siberia. Sergey Ingerman joined the group at 1888...
group in 1883.
Deutsch was arrested in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
1884 and extradited for trial by a Russian court for a terrorist offence he had committed in 1876. Found guilty he was sentenced 13 years hard labour in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
.
Deutsch managed to escape from prison in 1901 and became active in the Social Democratic Labour Party
Social Democratic Labour Party
Social Democratic Labour Party may refer to one of the following.*Estonian Social Democratic Labour Party, successor merged into the Estonian United Left Party*Social Democratic Workers' Party...
. At the Second Congress of the Social Democratic Party in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Deutsch joined George Plekhanov, Pavel Axelrod
Pavel Axelrod
Pavel Borisovich Axelrod was a Russian Menshevik.- Early life and career :Born Pinches Borutsch in Potscheff near Chernigov and raised to Shklov, a small provincial town in and Mogilev, the biggest town of the three in the Russian Empire , Axelrod was the son of a Jewish innkeeper.In 1875 in...
, Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
, Irakli Tsereteli
Irakli Tsereteli
Irakli Tsereteli was a Georgian politician, one of the leaders of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party and later the Georgian Mensheviks....
, Moisei Uritsky
Moisei Uritsky
Moisei Solomonovich Uritsky was a Bolshevik revolutionary leader in Russia.He was born in the city of Cherkasy, Kiev Governorate, to a Jewish family. His father, a merchant, died when Moisei was little and his mother raised her son by herself.Moisei studied law at the University of Kiev...
, Noi Zhordania and Fedor Dan
Fedor Dan
Fyodor Ilyich Dan was one of the leaders of Menshevism.Fyodor Dan was born to a Jewish family in St. Petersburg. His original surname was Gurvitch. While still a young man he joined the Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class. He was arrested in 1896 and exiled in Oryol for...
in supporting Julius Martov
Julius Martov
Julius Martov or L. Martov was born in Constantinople in 1873...
creating the Menshevik
Menshevik
The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1904 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party. The dispute originated at the Second Congress of that party, ostensibly over minor issues...
s.
During the 1905 Revolution Deutsch returned to Russia but was arrested and imprisoned. However, on the way to Siberia he escaped and made his way to London, starting a period of foreign exile which lasted until the February 1917 Russian Revolution
February Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
.
Period of exile
From October 1915 to September 1916, Deutsch edited a monthly newspaper in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
called Svobodnoe Slovo (Free Word).
Return to Russia
In 1917, Deutsch returned to Petrograd and joined George Plekhanov in editing Edinstvo (Unity). He also wrote his memoirs and edited a volume of documents associated with the Emancipation of Labour group.Other sources consulted
- Leopold H. HaimsonLeopold H. HaimsonLeopold Henri Haimson was a historian and professor emeritus of Columbia University.Haimson received his PhD from Harvard University in history and social relations in 1952. He was a member of faculty at the University of Chicago from 1956. He joined the faculty at Columbia in 1965 as a professor...
. The Making of Three Russian Revolutionaries, Cambridge University Press, 1987; p.472, note 6. - Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk History on Russian Revolutionaries