Menshevism's theoretical pillar who stood for democratic socialism against Lenin
In 1943, the lifelong anti-Bolshevik Menshevik leader Dan wrote in The Origins of Bolshevism that Bolshevism had been chosen by history to be 'the carrier of socialism, the key idea of our epoch.'
Fyodor Dan was a revolutionary, physician, and a founding leader and chief theorist of the Menshevik faction of the RSDLP. At the 1903 Second Congress he sided with Martov against Lenin; after the February Revolution he became the leading ideologist of 'revolutionary defencism' and served on the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet and the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee. Exiled in 1922, he headed the Menshevik Foreign Delegation from Martov's death in 1923 until 1940, upholding democratic socialism against both Bolshevik authoritarianism and Western social-democratic accommodation. In The Origins of Bolshevism (1943) he recognized Bolshevism as the historical carrier of socialism while arguing for political liberalization in the Soviet Union.
Career Timeline
- 1894–1896Active in St. Petersburg Union of Struggle for the Emancipation of the Working Class; arrested and exiled to Vyatka
- 1901–1903Emigrated to Berlin, joined Iskra assistance group; at RSDLP 2nd Congress sided with Martov, co-founded Menshevik faction
- 1905–1912Editorial board of Nachalo, main Menshevik paper; delegate to 4th and 5th RSDLP Congresses; co-editor of Golos Sotsial-Demokrata
- 1917Executive Committee of Petrograd Soviet, Presidium of Central Executive Committee; ideologist of 'revolutionary defencism'
- 1919–1920Speaker for Mensheviks at 7th and 8th All-Russian Congresses of Soviets; served as Red Army doctor
- 1922–1923Arrested, imprisoned, then exiled abroad; helped found Socialist Workers' International; deprived of Soviet citizenship
- 1923–1940Headed Menshevik Foreign Delegation; exile activity in Berlin then Paris
- 1941–1947Exile in New York, published Novy Put journal; wrote The Origins of Bolshevism (1943)
Related historical events
- 1905–1907The Revolution of 1905Menshevik newspaper editor
- 1917.02–07The February RevolutionMember of the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet
- 1917.10–1918.01The October RevolutionOpened the Second Congress of SovietsAs a Menshevik leader he opened the first session of the Second Congress of Soviets on the night of 25 October, but walked out after his party condemned the insurrection.