Co-founder of the Emancipation of Labour group and a Menshevik pioneer at the origins of Russian Marxism
'Had I announced myself a follower of the prophet Mohammed, they could scarcely have been more surprised' — fellow prisoners on learning he had become a Marxist.
A former Narodnik and member of Black Repartition, in 1883 he co-founded the Emancipation of Labour group in Switzerland with Georgi Plekhanov and Vera Zasulich, Russia's first Marxist organization. As the group's chief organizer, he ran its clandestine printing and smuggling network until his arrest in Germany in 1884 and extradition to Russia, where he served thirteen years of katorga at Kara. After a dramatic escape in 1901, he joined the editorial board of Iskra and at the RSDLP's Second Congress aligned with the Mensheviks, helping shape the party's formative split; his memoir Half a Century (За полвека) remains a primary source on the Russian revolutionary movement.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1874Joined Kiev Narodnik circle
- 1877Chigirin conspiracy organizer
- 1879Member of Black Repartition
- 1883Co-founded Emancipation of Labour in Geneva
- 1901–1903Iskra editorial board
- 1903Menshevik delegate, RSDLP 2nd Congress
- 1911–1916Published Svobodnoe Slovo in New York
- 1917Edited Edinstvo with Plekhanov
Collective life and solidarity among Kara prisoners
Deitch recorded the everyday life of the Kara prisoners not merely as personal reminiscence, but as a detailed account of their collective arrangements. According to his account, the prisoners elected a representative, or starosta, and proposals were circulated in writing among the rooms for votes. They shared cooking, cleaning, and bathhouse duties; groups of five took turns running the kitchen for a week. Food shortages required careful meal planning, and designated distributors divided food and gifts among inmates. An elected librarian maintained the library, while prisoners passed books and newspapers from room to room.
Deitch also recalled that prisoners created clandestine channels to exchange information beyond the limits of censored official mail. With the help of prison staff or by other means, they obtained prohibited publications and communicated with the women’s prison and exiles in other parts of Siberia. Collective life at Kara thus involved more than cooperation in daily survival: under forced confinement and surveillance, political prisoners maintained shared rules and mutual aid. This account draws on Deitch’s own experience as presented in his memoir.