Leonard Schapiro
Encyclopedia
Leonard Bertram Naman Schapiro (22 April 1908, Glasgow
- 2 November 1983, London
) was a British
academic and scholar of Russia
n politics. He taught for many years at the London School of Economics
, where he was Professor of Political Science with Special Reference to Russian Studies. At the age of 6, he and his family were forced to live in the streets after his father had a row with the landlord of his house. For many months they found themselves scrounging money of the floor.
Born in Glasgow
, he was taken back to Russia and spent his childhood in Riga
and St. Petersburg, but returned to Britain with his parents in 1920 and completed his education in London
.
For many years Schapiro practised as a barrister, and it was not until 1955 that he published his first book -The Origins of the Communist Autocracy - and took up his first academic appointment at the London School of Economics.
Schapiro's most famous book was The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, first published in 1960 with a revised and expanded edition in 1970. He was chairman of the Institute for the Study of Conflict in 1970.
After his death, some of his scattered articles were collected in the volume Russian Studies (1987).
Schapiro also translated into English the novel Spring Torrents by Ivan Turgenev
.
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
- 2 November 1983, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
academic and scholar of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n politics. He taught for many years at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, where he was Professor of Political Science with Special Reference to Russian Studies. At the age of 6, he and his family were forced to live in the streets after his father had a row with the landlord of his house. For many months they found themselves scrounging money of the floor.
Born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, he was taken back to Russia and spent his childhood in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
and St. Petersburg, but returned to Britain with his parents in 1920 and completed his education in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
For many years Schapiro practised as a barrister, and it was not until 1955 that he published his first book -The Origins of the Communist Autocracy - and took up his first academic appointment at the London School of Economics.
Schapiro's most famous book was The Communist Party of the Soviet Union, first published in 1960 with a revised and expanded edition in 1970. He was chairman of the Institute for the Study of Conflict in 1970.
After his death, some of his scattered articles were collected in the volume Russian Studies (1987).
Schapiro also translated into English the novel Spring Torrents by Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
.