Nikolai Bukharin

Russian revolutionary and politician (1888–1938)

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Lived 1888–1938, aged 50

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Era
1888–1938
Aged 50

Summary

Updated 2026-09-07

Lenin called him the party's "most valuable and major theorist," but that didn't save him. Bukharin rose as Stalin's chief ally, architect of Soviet economic policy, then fell hard when the line shifted — tried for treason in 1938 and shot.

Biography

About

Bukharin joined the Bolsheviks in 1906, studied economics at Moscow Imperial University, got arrested, escaped abroad in 1911, and built his reputation with Lenin and Trotsky through works like Imperialism and World Economy. After the October Revolution he became editor of Pravda and wrote The ABC of Communism during the civil war. He championed the New Economic Policy from 1921 and stood with Stalin against Trotsky, elaborating the theory of "socialism in one country" and serving as General Secretary of the Comintern's executive committee from 1926 to 1929. When Stalin pivoted to forced colle…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Nikolai Bukharin

Nikolai Bukharin

said1934

Fascist ‘order’ is the ‘order’ of military, political and economic barracks; it is the military capitalist system of a state of ‘emergency’.

— "Crisis of Capitalist Culture", (1934)

Nikolai Bukharin

said1918

We see now that infringement of freedom is necessary with regard to the opponents of the revolution.

— Programme of the World Revolution (1918), Ch. VII

Nikolai Bukharin

said1917

History moves in contradictions. The skeleton of historic existence, the economic structure of society, also develops in contradictions. Forms eternally follow forms.

— Imperialism and World Economy (1917), Ch. 15

Nikolai Bukharin

saidundated

In our system of universal military training, barrack life must be reduced to a minimum, so that ultimately the Red barracks may completely disappear.

— 66. Structure of the Red Army

Nikolai Bukharin

saidundated

The political commissars are the representatives of the class will of the proletariat in the army; they are mandated by the party and the military centres.

— 66.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

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