The history of the monument dedicated to revolutionaries and thinkers, which was previously an obelisk in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, begins in 1912. At that time, the obelisk project under the motto "Truth," developed by sculptor Sergey Vlasyev, received second prize in a competition for the monument-obelisk dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the reign of the House of Romanov. The monument was planned to be installed in Alexander Garden in Moscow, and the city council allocated up to 50,000 rubles for this purpose. However, the initial project was not approved by the Academy of Arts, and Vlasyev had to make changes. Ultimately, the ceremony for laying the monument took place in the spring of 1914.

On April 18, 1914, the laying ceremony took place, and on June 10 of the same year, the obelisk was ceremoniously opened. It was made of Finnish granite, with images of Saint George the Victorious and the coats of arms of the provinces and regions of Russia on its base. Above were the names of all the kings and emperors from the Romanov house from Mikhail Fyodorovich to Nicholas II, and above them, the coat of arms of the boyars of the Romanovs. The obelisk was topped with a double-headed eagle, and on the pedestal was the inscription: "In memory of the 300th anniversary of the accession of the House of Romanov."

At the opening ceremony of the monument, a parade of troops took place under the command of Major General Holmsen. Emperor Nicholas II and his family did not attend this event, as they were occupied with the opening of another monument in Old Peterhof.

On August 17, 1918, at Lenin's suggestion and in accordance with the decree on the demolition of monuments to kings, the names of nineteen revolutionaries and thinkers were carved off the obelisk, and the previous symbols of power were destroyed. 150,000 rubles were allocated for the work. The names on the monument were arranged without chronological order and included figures such as Marx, Engels, Liebknecht, and others. At the bottom was the inscription "RSFSR," and below it, "Workers of the world, unite!" The obelisk was given a new name "To the Revolutionary Thinkers and Leaders of the Struggle for the Liberation of the Working Class." In 1966, it was moved to the center of the Upper Garden.

On July 2, 2013, the monument was sent for restoration. Rumors about its demolition were denied by the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Viktor Khrekov. He explained that errors during the relocation in 1966 led to the monument leaning, which became dangerous for people. It was decided to strengthen the pedestal, and Karelia marble, used in the creation of the obelisk, was found for the restoration. The return of the monument to Alexander Garden was planned for November 4, 2013.

On July 4, 2013, Alexander Zakataov, director of the office of the Russian Imperial House, stated that the monument should be restored to its original form. Experts believe that the project can be implemented, and a working group at the Ministry of Culture will take public opinion into account when making a decision about the fate of the monument.