Tolstoy's interpretation of money and property

The essay analyzes Leo Tolstoy's critique of money and property, contrasting his views with classical economists and monetary theorists. It argues Tolstoy sees money not as a neutral medium for exchange or a true measure of labor but as a conventional token that facilitates exploitation once social violence and law impose unequal rights; legal tender and government authority determine monetary value. The author surveys competing definitions of money, examines functions attributed to it—representation of labor, standard of value, and medium of exchange—and traces how claims of ownership and property are tied to legal and coercive institutions rather than intrinsic economic necessity.