Peter
Struve was
born in Perm, Russia, in 1870. While studying
at the University of St. Petersburg he was converted to Marxism.
Over the next few years Struve wrote a series of articles on economics
for radical journals published abroad.
In 1897
moved to Switzerland where he joined George
Plekhanov, Pavel Axelrod, Vera
Zasulich and Lev Deich and the rest
of the Liberation of Labour Group
living in exile. Struve helped the group to publish the newspaper,
Rabochee Delo (Worker's Cause).
Struve also became editor of the Marxist
periodical, Novoe Slovo (New Word).
Struve
was a foundation member of the Social Democratic
Labour Party (SDLP) and in 1898 wrote the party's manifesto. He
also wrote Critical Notes on the Economic
Development of Russia and edited Nachalo
(Beginning)
In 1901
Struve was arrested during a visit to Russia. After a brief spell
in prison Struve was released and sent into exile. He settled in Stuttgart,
Germany, where he edited Osvobozhdenie
(Liberation).
Struve
returned to Russia during the 1905 Revolution.
Over the years his views had become more conservative and he joined
the Constitutional Democratic Party (Cadets).
A member of the party's Central Committee, Struve was elected to the
Second Duma in 1907.
Following
the abdication of Nicholas II Struve served
as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Provisional
Government. An opponent of the October
Revolution, Struve moved to France where he supported the White
Army during the Civil War. Peter
Struve
died in Paris in 1944.
(1)
As a student Alexander
Kerensky was deeply influenced by the writings of Peter Struve.
One day in the fall of 1902, someone brought into
the university the second issue of the weekly publication Osvobozhdeniye
(Liberation), which had first been published in Stuttgart the year
before and was edited by the young Marxist, Peter Struve. We were
amazed and excited, because until that moment we had been completely
unaware of the secret work that had been going on since the mid-1890s
to organize the movement of which this journal was the official organ,
a movement which combined zemstvo liberalism with the ideas of the
intellectual, liberal, radical, and socialist circles.
(2)
Vladimir Lenin was an early critic of Peter
Struve's interpretation of Marxism. In 1899 he wrote to Alexander
Potresov about Struve's theories.
If Struve ceased being a comrade (as a result of Lenin's
criticisms), so much the worse for him. This is a loss for all comrades,
because Struve is a very gifted and educated man. All the same, friendship
is friendship and duty is duty, and nothing can prevent the conflict.
(3)
David Shub was a member of the
Social Democratic Labour Party who later
wrote a biography of Vladimir Lenin.
When Peter Struve, who had written the manifesto for
the First Congress of the Social Democratic Party, deserted the Marxist
ranks for the Liberal Camp, Lenin wrote an article for Iskra calling
him a renegade and traitor. Takhtarev, who was then Lenin's close
friend, asked him how he could permit himself to use such vitriolic
language, since any worker who read the article might feel it was
his duty to kill Struve as a "traitor". "He deserves
to die", was Lenin's calm reply.
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