At the beginning of the 20th century, in the circles of Russian liberal and radical members of the intelligentsia, anniversaries of some figures of the social movement of the 19th century used to give rise to celebrations during which the question of heritage of the Russian ‘liberation movement’ was brought into focus. The case of Herzen is of special interest. Indeed, his openness and continuous evolution throughout his whole life are characteristic of his ideas and incited various ‘successors’ to lay claim to his heritage. Social democrats, liberals, socialists-revolutionaries – at the beginning of the 20th century, all of them wanted to be his successors. The largest number of texts had been written for the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1912. During this celebration, Herzen became a heroic and tragic figure of Russian emigration, an iconic figure of ‘spiritual father’, a figure of high moral standards who was able to overcome all kinds of ideological disagreements and to view the future of Russia with trust and pride. After the periods of despondency and political disappointments, Herzen was the symbol of belief in the future victory.