Herzen, Aleksandr Ivanovich (1812–1870)

Russian thinker and publicist. From 1847 he lived mostly in London, England, where he established the Free Russian Press and published The Bell, the first Russian emigré journal, which had considerable influence in Russia. A convinced Socialist, Herzen rejected the idea that human beings could and should be sacrificed in the name of abstract principles.

A combination of his revolutionary fervour, anti-authoritarianism, and scepticism about the quality of mass society are evident in his writings, which include From the Other Shore and The Russian People and Socialism. Herzen's autobiography, My Past and Thoughts, put together rather haphazardly in the 1850s, gives a moving account of imprisonment and exile, Herzen's personal life, and his wide acquaintance among European political personalities.