Tolstoy's interpretation of money and property

This early 20th-century study captures Leo Tolstoy at his most radical: not the author of epic novels, but the prophetic critic who saw money and property as instruments of spiritual corruption and social violence. Stanoyevich examines Tolstoy's argument that private property creates and sustains exploitation, that accumulated wealth is inherently oppressive, and that the entire system of monetary exchange dehumanizes both the rich and the poor. The analysis places Tolstoy's economic philosophy within his broader Christian anarchist vision, showing how his rejection of state power, militarism, and institutional religion all flowed from his conviction that property divides humanity against itself. Written during Tolstoy's final years, this book offers a window into how his ideas were being interpreted and propagated in the early twentieth century, before they would influence Gandhi, Thoreau, and generations of radical thought. For readers interested in the history of economic criticism, the development of anarchist philosophy, or Tolstoy's neglected prophetic voice, this text provides essential context.