This 1956 USSR commemorative stamp honors Georgi Valentinovich Plekhanov (1856–1918), regarded as the founder of Russian Marxism. Issued on the 100th anniversary of his birth, the design features a finely engraved portrait of Plekhanov wearing a hat, rendered in deep violet-brown tones. A symbolic torch and scroll motif emphasizes his intellectual legacy. With its clean Soviet typographic layout and strong ideological theme, this 40-kopeck issue is a valued addition for collectors of political history, Marxist figures, and mid-20th-century Soviet philately.