Lopatin G.A. (1845-1918), revolutionary

Categories / Social Life/Personalia
LOPATIN German Alexandrovich (1845-1918, П.), revolutionary and narodnik (Russian populist). He graduated from the Department of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University (1866), in 1867, defended his Ph.D. dissertation but chose not to make either scientific or official career. In the mid-1860s he was closely connected with Petersburg coterie Ishutin's secret society, in the late 1867 together with F.V. Volkhovsky he initiated Rublevoe Obshchestvo (Rouble Society) involved in revolutionary propaganda and educational work among commoners (the society was named so after the amount of the membership fee). In 1870, he emigrated due to the threat of arrest, served as a member of General Council of the 1st International; in cooperation with others, he initiated the translation into Russian of the first volume of K. Marx's Capital (published in 1872 by St. Petersburg by N.P. Polyakov's Publishing House). Consequently, he came to Russia illegally several times. In the early 1880s, he entered People’s Will, and in early 1884 he was elected member of its Administrative Committee, soon to become the actual leader of the party. He visited a number of provincial towns with the purpose of integration of local circles of People’s Will into a single organisation. He lived at 1/3 Malaya Konyushennaya Street since March 1884. Lopatin was arrested on 6 October 1884 on the Kazansky Bridge in St. Petersburg (the addresses found on him, resulted in mass arrests throughout Russia). In 1887 he received life sentence of penal servitude, and was held in solitary confinement in Schliesselburg Fortress. He was amnestied in October 1905, settled in Vilno and often came to St. Petersburg, and kept in touch with St. Petersburg literati and public figures. Since 1913 he lived in the House of Literati in St. Petersburg (19 Literatorov Street). He welcomed the February Revolution of 1917 with much enthusiasm, while his attitude to the Bolshevist overturn in October1917 was sharply negative. Lopatin spent his last days in Petropavlovsky Hospital where he died from cancer. He was buried at Literatorskie Mostki in the section of People’s Will Members. Lopatin’s name was given to a new street in Nevsky District in 1985.

References: Давыдов Ю. В. Герман Лопатин, его друзья и враги. М., 1984; Миронов Г. М., Миронов Л. Г. Герман Лопатин: (Очерк жизни и рев. деятельности). Ставрополь, 1984.

A. N. Svalov. Lopatin German Alexandrovich
Marx Karl
Polyakov Nikolay Petrovich
Literatorov St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 19
Malaya Konyushennaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 1/3
Давыдов Ю. В. Герман Лопатин, его друзья и враги. М., 1984
Миронов Г. М., Миронов Л. Г. Герман Лопатин: (Очерк жизни и рев. деятельности). Ставрополь, 1984 State University, St. Petersburg
Narodnaya Volya
Shlisselburg Fortress.
February Revolution of 1917
Literatorskie (Literary) Mostki, the museum-necropolis