Leo Tolstoy and Wealth Distribution

Leo Tolstoy had radical views on wealth distribution, rooted in his Christian anarchist and moral philosophy. Tolstoy repeatedly condemned wealth inequality as immoral, un-Christian, and socially destructive.

His key views:

Wealth is a Moral Corruption

Tolstoy believed:

  • Private wealth beyond basic needs was a form of theft from the poor.

  • Accumulating wealth in a world of suffering is morally indefensible.

“The rich must live simply, so that the poor may simply live.”

He saw luxury and excess as a betrayal of Christian values, especially the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Condemnation of Private Property (in excess)

While not necessarily advocating the full abolition of personal property like anarcho-communists, Tolstoy rejected:

  • Land ownership by individuals, especially land not worked by the owner.

  • He viewed land ownership as violence sanctioned by law.

“The land is God’s, and should belong to all people.”

His book "The Slavery of Our Times" (1890) critiques how landowners exploit laborers by controlling access to land.

Voluntary Poverty and Nonviolence

Tolstoy himself practiced voluntary poverty, giving up most of his possessions and living simply. He encouraged:

  • Wealthy individuals to renounce their property voluntarily.

  • Redistribution not through revolution or violence, but spiritual transformation and moral example.

He opposed violent revolution, which put him at odds with socialists and anarchists like Kropotkin (though he admired Kropotkin personally).

Christian Anarchism

Tolstoy believed that:

  • True Christianity demands selflessness, non-possession, and love of neighbor.

  • Organized religion and the state support systems of inequality and violence, including the defense of wealth.

He promoted a non-state society based on compassion, cooperation, and communal living.

Manual Labor as a Moral Duty

In his essay "What Then Must We Do?" (1886), Tolstoy argued that:

  • All people should engage in physical labor, regardless of class.

  • Wealthy people must not live off the labor of others, which he saw as enslaving and degrading.