Wednesday, January 29, 2020
The Jewish Role in Bolshevik Revolution Essay Example for Free
The Jewish Role in Bolshevik Revolution Essay The vast territory of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest Jewish population. Within these territories, the Jewish communities flourished, and developed many new theologies and cultural traditions in spite of facing terrible persecutions (â€Å"History of Jews†). The Czars of Russia competed with each other in persecuting the Jews. The Jews were made scapegoats for all the economic and social problems of Russia. The Bolshevik revolution put an end to the Tsarist Regime. Jewish role in Bolshevik revolution is not a new theme. There is extensive literature in English, French, and German reflecting the argument that Bolshevik revolution is a Jewish conspiracy. (Sutton) Those who try to prove that the revolution was non-Russian indicate Jewish names in an attempt to remove from the Russian people the blame of the revolution of 1917.On the other hand the Jewish scholars argue that the Bolshevik leadership which pre-dominantly Jewish was not Jews in spirit.(Solzhenitsyn). However, by that logic, leading Russian Bolsheviks were also not Russian in spirit. Therefore, what exactly was the role of Jews in Bolshevik revolution? Can they be blamed for the revolution? Was there a Jewish conspiracy? What attracted them en masse toward the Bolshevik party? Let us start with the History of Jews in Russia. The History of Jews in Russia. Records exist from fourth century showing that Jews inhabited the cities of Armenia and that there were substantial Jewish settlements in Crimea. Under the influence of these Jews, the ruling class of Khazaria adapted Judaism. After the overthrow of the Khazarian Kingdom, the Jews fled to Crimea and Russian principality of Kiev. In the 11th and 12th century, the Jews appeared to have occupied a separate quarter in Kiev called the Jewish Town. At this time, Jews were also found in northeastern Russia (Hein).     Though Russia had few Jews, countries to its west were unleashing anti-Semitic pogroms. Expelled en masse from England, France, Spain, and persecuted in Germany, Jews migrated to friendly state of Polish controlled parts of Eastern Europe. The Polish ruler, Casimir III invited the Jews to settle there as a third estate, performing commercial and middleman services between the King and the Nobility. The Jews performed the function of tax collecting, money lending, estate management, and trade. After settling in Russia, they extended to Ukraine and Lithuania, which would later become part of the Russian Empire (â€Å"History of Jews†).      In 14th Century, the Lithuanians granted more privileges to the Jews. From Lithuania, they migrated to portions of western Russia. Between 16th to 18th centuries, the Jews entered Russia either illegally or with the permission of Polish or Lithuanians, as they were involved in trade (Hein). Tsarist Russia.      The Tsarist regime started the Jewish persecutions in Russia. Muscovite Russia became a very hostile environment for the Jewish people. The treatment of Jews was harsh in the reign of Ivan IV, The Terrible. For example, after his conquest of Polotsk some 300 Jews who refused to be converted to Christianity were drowned in Dvina. Jews were not tolerated in the area of Muscovy. From 1716, the policies of the Imperial Russian were openly anti-Semitic (â€Å"History of Jews†) The Pale of Settlement      In order to keep the Jews out of Russia, the Tsars established a Pale of Settlement, which included Poland and Crimea. The Jews were supposed to remain in the Pale. They needed special permission to move to Russia proper. Pogroms.      Pogroms were mob violence against the Jews. In Czarist Russia, the number of pogroms unleashed against the Jews was numerous that it is impossible to count them. These pogroms were often organized and incited (Spiro).The Czars organized the pogroms in order to divert the public attention from corruption and allow the masses to let off the steam. Jews were perfect scapegoats for economic problems of Russia. Problems of Russia had nothing to do with the Jews. The problems were total backwardness, highly corrupt and autocratic regime, and poverty. Whenever the public discontentment grew, the Czars organized a Pogrom to divert attention (Spiro).      It is arguable which of the Russian Czars was the worst to the Jews(Spiro).Let us start with Nicholas I. Czar Nicholas I (1825-1855) sought to destroy all Jewish life in Russia. His period was a painful part of European Jewish history. He ordered the conscription of Jewish youth to the military from the age of 12 and they were forced to serve in the military for 25 years (Hein). The youngsters were kidnapped, never to be seen again. Some Jewish parents were so desperate that they would cut off the index finger of their sons in order to escape the conscription (Spiro). The Jews who were not taken into military were expelled from their towns and villages. He divided the Jews as â€Å"useful†and â€Å"not useful.†The wealthy merchants involved in trade were considered as useful and others as not useful. A law was instituted prohibiting Jews from wearing traditional dresses (Hein).      Alexander II (1855-1881) brought to end the harsh treatment of Jews. He implemented new policies for the assimilation of Jews. The Jews moved out of their settlements. Those having Russian secondary school education were given greater rights. This led to many Jews enrolling themselves in Russian schools .Emancipation of Jews began slowly. There was greater visibility of Jewish activities. This increased the anger of non-Jewish communities. The increased competition resulted in the formation of Jewish proletariat and a small Jewish upper class. Many Jews entered new professions (Hein)       In 1881, Alexander II was assassinated and the situation for the Jews deteriorated. The Jews were blamed for the assassination. Thousands of Jewish homes were burned; large numbers of men, women, and children were killed. Families were reduced to a state of poverty (Hein).      The new Czar Alexander III blamed the Jews for riots. He escalated anti-Semitism by depicting the Jews as ‘Christ killers’ and oppressors of Christians. He organized one pogrom after another to keep the anger of the masses focused on the Jews. He promulgated a series laws against the Jews. These Laws were called the May laws (Spiro). He passed restrictions in Jewish landownership and prohibited Jews from living in villages. The state enforced anti-Semitic policies with waves of pogroms, which spread through the villages. These were carried out with the tacit knowledge of the government and the police supporting it. Strict restrictions banned Jews from practicing many professions. The number of Jews studying in schools was curtailed. In 1886, an Edit of Expulsion was enforced on Jews of Kiev. Moscow was ‘cleansed’ of its Jews, except a handful who were deemed ‘useful’. Alexander justified these repressive practices with these words: â€Å"But we must never forget that the Jews have crucified our Master and have shed his precious blood†(â€Å"History of Jews†).     The persecutions resulted in many Jews emigrating to other countries. More than two million fled Russia. Vast majority emigrated to United States. Some of them turned to political activism and Zionism (Hein).      When Nicholas II took over the situation deteriorated further. Pogroms become a government policy. During his tenure one of the most famous pogrom was organized in Kishinev, 1903.This pogrom received international attention. New York Times reported: It is impossible to account the amounts of goods destroyed in a few hours. The hurrahs of the rioting. The pitiful cries of the victims filled the air. Wherever a Jew was met, he was savagely beaten into insensibility. One Jew was dragged from a streetcar and beaten until the mob thought he was dead. The air was filled with feathers and torn bedding. Every Jewish household was broken into and the unfortunate Jews in their terror endeavored to hide in cellars and under roofs. The mob entered the synagogue, desecrated the biggest house of worship, and defiled the Scrolls of the Law. The conduct of the intelligent Christians was disgraceful. They made no attempt to check    the rioting. They simply walked around enjoying the frightful sport (qtd.in Spiro).      From 1903-1907 the level of violence was unbelievable. There were 284 pogroms and casualties exceeded 50000 (Spiro).      Thus, the Jews who migrated to Russia with a hope of living in peace were driven to despair by the atrocities of the Tsarist regime. The Jewish community was devastated. People were looking for a way out. They joined the ranks of radical Russians in large numbers. The leaders of socialists, J.Martov and L.Trotsky were Jewish (Hein). The centuries of oppression led to the polarization of Jews and drove them to radicalism. They were desperate to make things better (Spiro). Socialism and Radicalism.      The last 20 years of the czarist regime were a time of tension and renaissance for the Jews, especially within the younger circles. This awakening essentially stemmed from conscious resistance to, and rejection of, the oppressive regime, the degrading status of the Jew in the country, and the search for methods for change. One response to the oppressive policy of the czarist government was to join one of the trends of the Russian revolutionary movement. The radical Jewish youth joined clandestine organizations in the towns of Russia and abroad. Many Jews ranked among the leaders of the revolutionaries. The leaders of the Social Democrats included J. Martov and L. Trotsky, while Ch. Zhitlowski and G. A. Gershuni figured among the founders of the Socialist Revolutionary Party of Russia (Berdichev). With the growth of national consciousness in revolutionary circles at the close of the 19th century, a Jewish workers revolutionary movement was formed. Workers unions, which had been founded through the initiative of Jewish intellectuals, united and established the Bund in 1897. The Bund played an important role in the Russian revolutionary movement in the Pale of Settlement. It regarded itself as part of the all-Russian Social-Democratic Party but gradually came to insist upon certain national demands such as the right to cultural autonomy for the Jewish masses, recognition of Yiddish as the national language of the Jews, the establishment of schools in this language, and the development of the press and literature. The Bund was particularly successful in Lithuania and Poland, where after a short time it raised the social status of the worker and the apprentice, and implanted in them the courage to stand up to their employers and the authorities.(Berdichev) The misery of common people.      The underlining cause of Russian revolution is deep rooted in the history. For centuries, autocratic and repressive czarist regime ruled the country, while majority of population lived in utter poverty, economically and socially backward (â€Å"Russia 1917-1941†).      In 1900, approximately 110 million people lived in Russia, 97 million of which were peasants and three million were industrial workers. Russia was socially and economically backward as compared to other countries like USA, Great Britain, and France. Large majority of Russians were peasants, who lived on the dependency of soil and aristocracy. The peasantry was growing rapidly and there was great demand for land, which was in the hands of aristocracy (â€Å"Russia 1917-1941†).      Nicholas II ruled with an iron hand. The powerful sections of the society: the aristocrats, the Church, the Bureaucracy, the police and the Russian army maintained their traditional loyalty towards the Monarch. Each of these powerful elites was interested in maintaining their status and welfare. The Government was inefficient. The Tsar, Nicholas II insisted on reading every degree, which delayed the administrative decision for months. The army had been recently defeated in the war against Japan and police was chaotic. The economy was backward. The peasants were driven to misery and the food production was low. In places where industry was developing, the living conditions were so awful that the workers were angry and rebellious (â€Å"Russia 1917-1941†).     The First World War increased the existing discontentment. The war took men from the fields to the front. Railway system was clogged up so the people starved in towns. Prices rose and there was famine in 1916-1917.The Tsar took up the command over the military and the day today running of Russia was left in the hands of Tsarina who was very unpopular. The Tsarina was a German; she was overly influenced by a holy man, Rasputin. The aristocrats felt humiliated and the Church was scandalized. The Russian people lost confidence in the Romanovs (â€Å"Russia 1917-1941†).      In February, there was a general uprising. This was primarily over the lack of food and the way the war was fought. It was a spontaneous uprising. Women queuing for food joined the industrial workers sparked of the revolution. The soldiers who were sent to control the agitators joined the revolution. Tsar was forced to abdicate and a  provisional government was formed (â€Å"Russia 1917-1941†).      The Provisional government was made up of middle class politicians. They were not revolutionaries. They did not give land to the peasant and continued with war. They failed to bring in more foods into the towns. These two aspects created unrest among the public.      In April 1917, Lenin returned to Russia and promised people, Peace, Bread, and Land. This was what they wanted to hear. The Bolsheviks had catchy slogans like ‘All power to the Soviets’. By September 1917, 2 million people had joined the Bolsheviks (â€Å"Russia 1917-1941†).     The problems faced by the common people prior to the Bolshevik revolution were Shortage of food supply due to famine and war. Ruled by an autocratic regime. Awful living conditions of industry workers.     These conditions were similar to that of alienated Jews. However, apart from these problems the Jews faced intense anti-Semitic policies. The fear of impending pogroms made the life Jewish community miserable. A sense of alienation was prevailed among the Jews. The Jewish role in Bolshevik revolution.     There were many opposition parties existing during the last days of Nicholas II. The Liberals, Socialists, and Communists. The liberals wanted to establish a parliament like that of England. This group succeeded in establishing a Duma .But the Duma had no influence over the Tsar. The Socialists wanted a peasant revolution. The Communist wanted a working class revolution. The Communists were split among themselves, the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks. Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov or Lenin led the Bolsheviks (Russia 1917-1945).       Many members of the Bolshevik were ethnically Jews especially in the leadership of the party. The rival party Mensheviks had higher Jewish representation. The idea of overthrowing the Tsarist regime was very attractive to the Jewish intelligentsia because of the centuries of oppression and suffering the Jewish community had undergone.       The role played by Jews especially, the Jewish intelligentsia can be inferred by analyzing the leadership of Bolsheviks. Virtually all of the important Bolshevik leaders were Jews: they included the father of the revolution, Leon Trotsky (whose real name was Lev Bronstein: in an attempt to hide his Jewish ness, he adopted the name Trotsky); Lev Kamenev, the early Bolshevik leader who later went on to become a leading member of the Politburo, was born with the surname Rosenfeld; Grigori Zinoviev, head of the Petrograd Soviet, was born with the surname Apfelbaum; and many other famous Communists of the time, such as Karl Radek, Lazar Kaganovich; and Moses Urtisky, (the head of the Cheka) who all changed their names for reasons similar to that of Trotsky(â€Å"Suppressed Link†). Leo Trotsky was the brain behind the Bolshevik revolution. Trotsky was to lead the revolution and unquestionably, without him it would not have happened. Trotsky arrived in Russia with a large number of international communists in order to carry out the revolution.      Two weeks prior to the October revolution, Lenin convened the Bolshevik party. The central committee took the decision to seize power by violent struggle. This committee consisted of predominantly Jews. There were four Russians, one Georgian (Stalin), one Pole and Six Jews. To monitor the take over, a committee was formed with majority Jewish. Trotsky was the chairperson of â€Å"Military Revolutionary Committee†which was to carry out the actual seizer of power. Therefore, all the committees set by the predominantly Jewish Bolshevik party had majority of Jews in them (Weber). The Bolshevik revolution is described by an American Jewish community paper as largely a product of Jewish thinking and Jewish discontent (Weber). Winston Churchill stated in an article published in February 8, 1920:              â€Å"There is no need to exaggerate the part played in the creation of Bolshevism and in the actual bringing about of the Russian Revolution by these international and for the most part atheistically Jews. It is certainly a very great one; it probably outweighs all others. With the notable exception of Lenin, the majority of the leading figures are Jews. Moreover, the principal inspiration and driving power comes from the Jewish leaders†(Weber). David R.Francis, United States ambassador in Russia wrote in a dispatch:               â€Å"The Bolshevik leaders here, most of whom are Jews and 90 percent of whom are returned exiles, care little for Russia or any other country but are internationalists and they are trying to start a worldwide social revolution†(Weber). A Us military officer, captain Montgomery Schulyer sent two telegrams to Washington in March and June 1919 emphatically states the role of Jews in Bolshevik revolution. The first report said:          â€Å"It is probably unwise to say this loudly in the United States but the Bolshevik movement is and has been since its beginning, guided and controlled by Russian Jews of the greasiest type†(â€Å"Jews and Communism†). The second report said of the,           â€Å"384 commissars there were 2 Negroes, 13 Russians, 15 Chinamen, 22 Armenians, and more than 300 Jews. Of the latter number 264 had come to Russia from the United States since the downfall of the Imperial Government†(â€Å"Jews and Communism†). Post revolution.      Although the Jews were less than five percentage of country’s total population, they played a decisive role in infant Bolshevik regime. With an exception of Lenin, Leon Trotsky headed the red army, Yakov Sverdlov was the head of the Soviet government, and Grigori Zinoviev headed the communist international. They were many other prominent Jews in the initial Bolshevik government. Lenin was a thorough internationalist. He viewed his own fellow citizens with contempt (Weber) He considered nationalism as opposed to internationalism.     In March 1919, Lenin delivered a speech on anti-Jewish pogroms. According to Lenin anti-Semitism was an attempt to divert workers hatred from the oppressors towards the Jews. It was a political trick employed by the Tsar to divert popular anger towards a scapegoat (Weber)       A small group of Bolsheviks having come to power needed bureaucracy to run the government. The Bolsheviks revolution was possible because of the large presence of Jewish intelligentsia. Therefore, the Bolsheviks called upon the Jews to take up bureaucratic work of the Soviet apparatus. Many Jews responded this call. Men of Jewish origin dominated Lenin’s first politburo. Majority of Jews who were non-revolutionary and apolitical joined the Bolsheviks. In order to encourage the Jews to join the Bureaucracy, the Bolsheviks organized a Jewish division of nationalities commissariat. The Bolsheviks rejected anti-Semitism and loosened civil restrictions on the Jews (Solzhenitsyn).       The Jews were predominant in all organs of the Bolshevik government. The central committee of the Bolshevik party had 41 Jews out of 62 members. The secret police had 23 out of 36, the Council of People’s Commissars (the Soviet Government) had 17 Jews out of 21.Out of 556 important functionaries of the Bolshevik state 457 were Jews (Weber). The Russian civil war.     Russia was thrust into a civil war from 1917 to 19121, between the Bolsheviks (Red army) and the anti-Bolsheviks (white army).Anti-Semitism spread widely. The white army targeted the Jews, killing huge numbers. The Red army clamped down on anti-Semitic attacks. This created sympathy for the Red army among the Jews. Jewish youth joined the Red army in huge number. The white army was filled with anti-Semitism. Their slogan was â€Å"Kill the Jews and save Russia.†Finally, white army was defeated and the civil war ended (â€Å"Russia 1917-1945†).      Jews retained their leading roles in Soviet society until growing anti-Semitism within the Communist Party itself led to a change in policy. Trotsky was the first major Jewish casualty: he split with Stalin over the issue of international socialism. A Stalinist agent in Mexico City assassinated him in 1940 (â€Å"Suppressed Link†)      Stalin started removing all important Jews from the Soviet Communist Party. He saw Zionism, the Jewish nationalism contrary to an international socialist brotherhood. Zionism was forbidden and Zionist organization was targeted for persecutions. Secular Jews were put in charge in order to spread hatred towards Jewish religion. Jewish communities were dissolved and their properties confusicated.Traditional institutes of Jewish culture and education were closed down. Those Jews who were not Zionist were left alone and achieved prominent places within the post -Stalin Soviet (â€Å"Suppressed link†). However, Stalin maintained policy of Lenin towards anti-Semitism. In a letter dated January 12, 1931, he declared his official position:             â€Å"Anti-Semitism is of advantage to the exploiters as a lightning conductor that deflects the blows aimed by the working people at capitalism. Anti-Semitism is dangerous for the working people as being a false path that leads them off the right road and lands them in the jungle†(qtd.in â€Å"History of Jews†). He declared anti-Semitism as a crime, which deserves death penalty. Despite the official Soviet opposition to anti-Semitism, critics of USSR view it as an anti-Semitic regime. The Soviet hostility towards Jewish religion, the huge casualties during the Great Purge, the non-aggressive pact with the Nazi appear to be anti-Semitic. However, this hostility was applied to all religions and ethnic group. This reveals the fact that Bolshevism has no connection with Judaism. The Soviet Union did grant official equality of all citizens regardless of sex, race, religion and nationality.     Many thousands of Jews however left Soviet Union with most settling in Israel and United States. The Jewish Intelligentsia and Bolshevism: The Socialist ideals were being formed in the Hebrew literature as early as 1820.In a monthly journal ‘visions of a mad man’ the early socialist Moris vinchevsky writes,               â€Å"Go and tell them that all people are brothers, that in nature there are no great and no little people, lords and slaves, rich and poor, that there is not a person in the world who could say, ‘I have the right to use the fruits of your work, the labors of other people’s hands’†(qtd.in Horowitz).     For members of the assimilated Jewish intelligentsia, participating in the socialist movement was often a method of social integration. The ideology, which stressed strong class divisions rather than ethnic ones, helped them avoid the identity problems associated with assimilation and discrimination. All socialist organizations had Jewish members (â€Å"Socialism and Jews†).The concept of international brotherhood as against nationalism attracted the Jewish intelligentsia     At the close of the 19th century, the Jewish proletariat increased and numbered some 600,000. Approximately half of them were apprentices and workers employed by craftsmen, about 100,000 were salesmen, about 70,000 were factory workers, and the remainder daily workers, porters, and domestics. The desire of this proletariat to improve its material and social status, and its contacts with the revolutionary Jewish intelligentsia during the generation, which preceded the 1917 Revolution, became an important factor in the lives of the Jews of Russia (â€Å"Socialism and Jews†).     The Bolsheviks believed in organizing the party in a strongly centralized hierarchy that sought to overthrow the Tsar and achieve power. Although the Bolsheviks were not completely monolithic, they were characterized by a rigid adherence to the leadership of the central committee, based on the notion of democratic centralism. The Bolsheviks took an internationalist stance that emphasized solidarity between the workers of Russia, Germany, and the rest of the world. The philosophy of Bolsheviks was based on Marxism. Lenin was guided by a spirit of internationalism. According to him nationalism did not exist and must not exist, and that the question of nationalism divided revolutionary from reactionary socialism (â€Å"Bolsheviks†) Jewish Chronicle published in London stated,          â€Å"There is much in the fact of Bolshevism itself, in the fact that so many Jews are Bolshevists. The ideals of Bolshevism are consonant with many of the highest ideals of Judaism.†(qtd.in Weber).An American Bulletin carried the words of Rabbi S.Wise, â€Å"Some call it Marxism I call it Judaism†(qtd.in Weber)     The socialist philosophy of the Bolsheviks, which was based on Marxism appealed to the Jewish intelligentsia. The spirit of internationalism, solved the problem of nationalism in an alien land. The promise of bread and equality of the proletariat solved the problem of poverty. The stand taken by the Bolsheviks against anti-Semitism gave them the dream of security. Role of Western Jews.     The Bolshevik revolution is seen by some as a Jewish conspiracy worldwide. However, this is not entirely true. In Britain the 300000 strong Jewish communities was a recent immigration from Russia. For the indigenous Anglo-Jewry, the fate of a fellow diaspora community could no longer be distant concern. The mass immigration brought the problem to their doorstep. For the immigration, Jews political interest in Russia was not a mere academic concern but it was mixed with sentimental attachment and close family ties. It was limited to relief work, philanthropy, and diplomacy. Relief funds were collected for people affected by pogroms. Lucien Wolf the defacto foreign secretary of Anglo-Jewry engaged in diplomatic activities with British government and at League of Nations (Khadish). However, there was no involvement by the British Jews in the Bolshevik revolution.     In United States, millionaire Jews extended financial support to Bolshevik revolution. A group of wealthy Jews and Jewish firms extended financial support to Trotsky. Jacob Henry Schiff, an investment banker was one of the main financiers. Jacob Schiff was a partner in Wall Street banking house of khuhn, Loeb and company. He was an active member in most Jewish charitable organizations and lobbied for the Jewish interest. He and other Jewish leaders successfully persuaded the federal Government to direct official remonstrance to Russia on behalf of human rights of Jews there. Leo Trotsky was given $20 million for the success of the revolution (Best). On March 1917, Trotsky left along with the communist revolutionaries Jacob Schiff and Paul Warburg helped him to reach Russia. Paul Warburg who was vice chairperson of Federal Reserve board handled large sums furnished by the Germans for Lenin and Trotsky. Rothchilds, the banking dynasty of Jewish origin, Olaf Aschberg, a Jewish banker, another Jewish financier Jovotovsky were some of the wealthy Jews who financed the Bolshevik Revolution(Rivera) Though, there was communication passing between the Jewish leaders in America, Germany, France and Britain, there is no hard empirical truth that western Jews conspired together for a Bolshevik revolution (Sutton). Conclusion.     Jewish hatred for Tsarist regime had a basis in objective conditions. Of the leading European powers, Imperial Russia was most anti-Jewish. What else can we expect from centuries of oppression and suffering? However understandable, and perhaps even defensible, Jewish hostility toward the imperial regime may have been, the remarkable Jewish role in the vastly more despotic Soviet regime is less easy to justify (Weber). Sonya Margolina, a Russian born Jewish writer calls it a â€Å"historical sin†She points to the role of Jewish communists in labor camps and the systematic destruction of churches by the Jewish communists (Weber). Neverthless,it cannot be concluded that Bolshevik revolution was Jewish consiparcy.The Jewish Bolshevik leaders like Trotsky had nothing in common with the people of Pale settlement. The Bolshevik Party had many Jews holding important posts. However, there were many Non-Jews holding important posts for example, Lunacharsky, Bukharin, Kirov, Beria, Molotov, â€Å"Iron Felix†Dzerzhinsky (founder of the KGB), Kalinin (First Soviet President), many others. Whatever their religious or ethnic background the Bolsheviks were essentially atheists who hated all religious and ethnic categories. When they came to power, the Bolsheviks burned down the synagogues and killed the Rabbis as much as they did it to the Christians (Spiro).     Original Bolsheviks received funds from bankers. Some of them were Jews and many of them non-Jews. The Germans who wanted to weaken Russia did the main funding (â€Å"Stanford University†).     In the first days after October revolution made great effort to hunt down Jews for use in the state bueracracy.This is not out of the love they had for the Jews but for the abilities of the Jews. They did the same to Latvians, Hungarians, and Chinese (Solzhenitsyn). Some anti-Semites pick up some prominent Bolsheviks and claim that they were Jews. Trotsky was a Jew.However,he was one of the early critics of Stalin and  his criticisms cost him his life. There were many Jews in the leadership of Bolshevik party. As Aristotle says, â€Å"One swallow does not a summer make†(qtd.in Green), we cannot say all Jews in Russia were Bolsheviks.     We can conclude, therefore, that it is wrong to blame a single ethnicity for the crime of few individuals. We cannot blame all Germans for the Holocaust. Similarly, we cannot blame that Georgians are responsible for the atrocities of Stalin. Guilt should be assigned individually not collectively. Bolshevik revolution was a class struggle and nothing to do with ethnicity and religion (Green).                                                                Works Cited Best,Gary â€Å"Sciff ,Jacob Henry†The Online Handbook of Texas.6 June,2001.Texas State       Historical Association.10 April,2007 http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online//aricle/SS/fsc53.html       httpp://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/fsc53.html  â€Å"Bolsheviks.†Wikipedia.2007 Answer.com 5April 2007.       http://www.answers.com/topic/bolshevik â€Å"Communism and the Jews†. World Association of International studies.5 April 2005. Stanford        University, California.8 April 2007http://cgi.stanford.edu/group/wais/cgi-         bin/index.php?p=1082 Green,Richard.â€Å"The Bolshevik Canard†. The Holocaust History Project. July 2000.8 April 2007          http://www.holocaust-history.org/bolshevik-canard/ Hein, Avi. â€Å"The Jewish Virtual History Tour, Russia.†Jewish Virtual Library.2007.TheAmerican          IsraelcooperativeEnterprise.http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/russia.html Horowitz, Brian.Rev.ofâ€Å"Great Russian-Jewish Historians,†ed.Lokshin.A.V.C.Menorah Review           14 September 2005.5 April 2007. http://menorahreview.org.aspx?id=17 â€Å"History of Jews in Russia and Soviet Union†.AllExperts 2006.6 April 2007.     http://en.allexperts.com/e/h/hi/history_of_the_jews_in_russia_and_the_soviet_union.htm â€Å"Jews and Communism†. March of the Titans.Ostra Publication. 1999. 6 April 2007          http://www.white-history.com/hwr61iii.htm Khadish, Sharman â€Å"Bolsheviks and British Jews†Frank Cass Publishers 1992 Rivera,David,â€Å"Final Warning: A history of the New World order†Modernhistoryproject.org          http://www.modernhistoryproject.org/mhp/ArticleDisplay.php?Article=FinalWarning Russia 1905-1945.Redruth School.2006.7 April.2007           http://www.redruth.cornwall.sch.uk/content/departments/history/gcse/russia/Russia1905- htm â€Å"Russia 1917-41†Greenfield History Site 18 March 2007.5 April2007            http://johndclare.net/Basic Russia.htm â€Å"Socialism and Jews†. Information service.Diapositive. Adam Mickiewicz Institute 8 April2007       http://www.diapozytyw.pl/en/site/slownik_terminow/socjalizm_a_zydzi/ Solzhenitsyn, Alexander â€Å"Two Hundred years Together†ed.Mark Weber.2May 2003 Adelaide        Institute 8.April 2007 http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/Dissenters/weber.htm Spiro, Ken .The Czars and The Jews.†Jewish History 23 December 2001 Aish.com.8 April2007       http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_57_-         _The_Czars_and_the_Jews.asp â€Å"Suppressed Link-Jews and Communism.†March of Titans.1999 Ostra Publication 6 April 2007          http://www.white-history.com/hwr61.htm Sutton, Antony. â€Å"Wall street and the Bolshevik Revolution.†Studies in Reformed Theology2001             April 2007. http://reformed-theology.org/html/books/bolshevik_revolution/index.html â€Å"The Jews and Bolshevism†. Jew Watch. 2000 Jew Watch Library.8 April2007.          http://www.jewwatch.com/jew-genocide-USSRchristians-sexpeditionaryforces.html Weber, Mark. â€Å"The Jewish Role in Bolshevik Revolution and Russia’s Early Soviet Regime†            5 April 2007 http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v14/v14n1p-4_Weber.html
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
The Atomic Bomb Essay -- Essays Papers
The Atomic Bomb The aftermath: Humanity, the Earth, Nature Some people often hear the word "Atomic Bomb" or hear about the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki and picture a war torn city and a bomb that killed many. While they are right in connecting the two, the aftermath of the atomic bomb goes much deeper than that. By simply stating that it killed and injured thousands of people is an understatement. The damage from the bomb ranged from high temperature fires that scorched the land to the killing of fetuses due to in-utero radiation exposure. The atomic age, composed of complex and controversial issues, has forever changed the world and the way in which we live. The following is intended to illustrate that the bombing has changed the world and the immediate lives of the many killed and hurt in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The illustrations are an attempt to show the immense strength of one explosion and its ability to totally wipe out any given area. By showing all of the possible injuries that can occur from a nuclear e xplosion, it becomes visible that an atomic bomb is very complex in its destruction. Showing to be the fastest slaughter that we have ever observed, the bomb in Hiroshima killed about 280,000 civilians and 40,000 members of the military. For those not killed by the immidiate consequences of the bomb, radiation destroyed cells within the human body and still claims the lives of people today. It was estimated that by December 1945, around 140,000 people died from radiation related illnesses. One factor that created much immediate damage was the spread of the blast and its shock waves. In only ten seconds after the landing of the bomb i... ...about. In addition, the site provides a list of outside sources that are written about the atomic bombings. - Grolier Interactive Encyclopedia www.grolier.com/ History: WWII This on-line encyclopedia gives a very descriptive history of the atomic bomb. It shows the work that led up to the construction of the bomb and the several projects that led to the actual bombings. Finally, it tells the effects of an explosion and the significanse that the bombs played on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. - Hiroshima C-Das www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/ C-Das Major effects of atomic bomb This site provides yet another very informative array of facts. It was one of the most useful as it had a file that was almost a direct answer to the question that this paper applies, what were the major effects of the atomic bomb.
Monday, January 13, 2020
Indian Independence Movement Essay
The Constitution of India is the Supreme Law of India. It lays down the framework defining fundamental political principles, establishes the structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions, and sets out fundamental rights, directive principles, and the duties of citizens. It is the longest[ written constitution of any sovereign country in the world, containing 448 articles in 22 parts, 12 schedules and 97 amendments. Besides the English version, there is an official Hindi translation. Dr B.R. Ambedkar is widely regarded as the father of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution was enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949, and came into effect on 26 January 1950. The date 26 January was chosen to commemorate the Purna Swaraj declaration of independence of 1930. With its adoption, the Union of India officially became the modern and contemporary Republic of India and it replaced the Government of India Act 1935 as the country’s fundamental governing document. The Constitution declares India to be a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, assuring its citizens of justice, equality, and liberty, and endeavours to promote fraternity among them. The words â€Å"socialist†and â€Å"secular†were added to the definition in 1976 by constitutional amendment.[ India celebrates the adoption of the constitution on 26 January each year as Republic Day | Background Main article: Indian independence movement The major portion of the Indian subcontinent was under British colonial rule from 1757 to 1947. The impact of economic, political and social exploitation during this period helped the gradual rise of the Indian independence movement to gain independence from foreign rule. The movement culminated in the formation of the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947, along with the Dominion of Pakistan. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and came into effect on 26 January 1950, proclaiming India to be a sovereign, democratic republic. It contained the founding principles of the law of the land which would govern India after its independence from British rule. On the day the constitution came into effect, India ceased to be a dominion of the British Crown. The Indian constitution is the world’s longest constitution. At the time of commencement, the constitution had 395 articles in 22 parts and 8 schedules. It consists of almost 80,000 words and took 2 years 11 months and 18 days to build. In the United Kingdom the office of the Secretary of State for India was the authority through whom Parliament exercised its rule (along with the Council of India), and established the office of Viceroy of India (along with an Executive Council in India, consisting of high officials of the British Government). The Indian Councils Act 1861 provided for a Legislative Council consisting of the members of the Executive council and non-official members. The Indian Councils Act 1892 established provincial legislatures and increased the powers of the Legislative Council. Although these Acts increased the representation of Indians in the government, their power still remained limited. The Indian Councils Act 1909 and the Government of India Act 1919 further expanded participation of Indians in the government. Government of India Act 1935 Main article: Government of India Act 1935 The provisions of the Government of India Act 1935, though never implemented fully, had a great impact on the Constitution of India. Many key features of the constitution are directly taken from this Act. The federal structure of government, provincial autonomy, a bicameral central legislature consisting of a federal assembly and a Council of States and the separation of legislative powers between the centre and states are some of the provisions of the Act which are present in the Constitution of India. The Cabinet Mission Plan Main article: 1946 Cabinet Mission to India In 1946, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee formulated a cabinet mission to India to discuss and finalize plans for the transfer of power from the British Raj to Indian leadership as well as provide India with independence under Dominion status in the Commonwealth of Nations.[6][7] The Mission discussed the framework of the constitution and laid down in some detail the procedure to be followed by the constitution drafting body. Elections for the 296 seats assigned to the British Indian provinces were completed by August 1946. The Constituent Assembly of India first met and began work on 26 November 1946. The mission consisted of Lord Pethick-Lawrence, the Secretary of State for India, Sir Stafford Cripps, President of the Board of Trade, and A. V. Alexander, the First Lord of the Admiralty. However, Lord Wavell, the Viceroy of India, did not participate. Indian Independence Act 1947 Main article: Indian Independence Act 1947 The Indian Independence Act, passed by the British Parliament on 18 July 1947, divided British India into two new independent states, India and Pakistan, which were to be dominions under the Commonwealth of Nations until they had each finished drafting and enacted a new constitution. The Constituent Assembly was divided into two for the separate states, with each new Assembly having sovereign powers transferred to it for the respective dominion. The Act also terminated British suzerainty over the princely states, each of which was left to decide whether to accede to one or other of the new dominions or to continue as independent states in their own right. However, in most cases the states were so dependent on central institutions that they were widely expected to accede to a dominion. When the Constitution of India came into force on 26 January 1950, it repealed the Indian Independence Act. India ceased to be a dominion of the British Crown and became a sovereign democratic republic. 26 November 1949 is also known as National Law Day. Constituent Assembly Main article: Constituent Assembly of India The Constitution was drafted by the Constituent Assembly, which was elected by the elected members of the provincial assemblies.[8] Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Sanjay Phakey, Jawaharlal Nehru, C. Rajagopalachari, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Kanaiyalal Munshi, Purushottam Mavalankar, Sandipkumar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Nalini Ranjan Ghosh, and Balwantrai Mehta were some important figures in the Assembly. There were more than 30 members of the scheduled classes. Frank Anthony represented the Anglo-Indian community, and the Parsis were represented by H. P. Modi. The Chairman of the Minorities Committee was Harendra Coomar Mookerjee, a distinguished Christian who represented all Christians other than Anglo-Indians. Ari Bahadur Gururng represented the Gorkha Community. Prominent jurists like Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer, Benegal Narsing Rau and K. M. Munshi, Ganesh Mavlankar were also members of the Assembly. Sarojini Naidu, Hansa Mehta, Durgabai Deshmukh, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur and Vijayalakshmi Pandit were important women member Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar is hailed as the prime architect of Indian Constitution The first temporary 2-day president of the Constituent Assembly was Dr Sachidanand Sinha. Later, Rajendra Prasad was elected president of the Constituent Assembly. The members of the Constituent Assembly met for the first time on 9 December 1946. Independent India India acquired independence on 15 August 1947 though sections of the country were carved out and stitched together to create another new country, Pakistan. The â€Å"institutional†road to independence was perhaps laid down by the Government of India Act of 1935, where the gradual emergence of India as a self-governing entity had first been partly envisioned. Following India’s independence in 1947, the Constituent Assembly deliberated over the precise constitutional future of India. On 26 January 1950, India became a Republic, and the Constitution of India was promulgated. Jawaharlal Nehru had become the country’s first Prime Minister in 1947, and in 1952, in the country’s first general election with a universal franchise, Nehru led the Indian National Congress to a clear victory. The Congress had long been the principal political party in India, providing the leadership to the struggle for independence, and under Nehru’s stewardship it remained the largest and most influential party over the next three decades. In 1957, Nehru was elected to yet another five-year term as a member of the Lok Sabha and chosen to head the government. His ‘regime’ was marked by the advent of five-year plans, designed to bring big science and industry to India; in Nehru’s own language, steel mills and dams were to be the temples of modern India. Relations with Pakistan remained chilling, and the purported friendship of India and China proved to be something of a hoax. China’s invasion of India’s borders in 1962 is said to have dealt a mortal blow to Nehru. Nehru was succeeded at his death on 27 May 1964 for a period of two weeks by Gulzarilal Nanda (1898-1998), a veteran Congress politician who became active in the non-cooperation movement in 1922 and served several prison terms, principally in 1932 and from 1942-44 during the Quit India movement. Nanda served as acting Prime Minister until the Congress had elected a new leader, Lal Bahadur Shastri, also a veteran politician who came of age during the Gandhi-led non-cooperation movement. Shastri was the compromise candidate who, perhaps unexpectedly, led the country to something of a victory over Pakistan in 1965. Shastri and the vanquished Pakistani President, Muhammad Ayub Khan, signed a peace treaty at Tashkent in the former Soviet Union on 10 January 1966, but Shastri barely lived to witness the accolades that were now being showered upon him since he died of an heart attack the day after the treaty was signed. Shastri’s empathy for the subaltern classes is conveyed through the slogan, â€Å"Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan†, â€Å"Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer†, which is attributed to him and through which he is remembered at Vijay Ghat, the national memorial to him in New Delhi in the proximity of Rajghat, the national memorial to Mohandas Gandhi.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Alternate Dispute Resolution And Conflict Resolution
INTRODUCTION Alternate dispute resolution or ADR (commonly called in Australia) is a procedure by which parties in dispute can settle their differences with third parties or any outside source other than the courts. It is a collective effort by which all the parties can settle disputes with or without any outside sources like litigation procedures or courts. In simple words it can be said ADR is a procedure to settle disputes without resorting to the use of litigation or courts. These procedures are generally less costly affair than courts and litigations and are also much more expeditious. ADR is now extensively being used around the world to settle land disputes and commercial disputes. Alternate dispute resolution can be carried out†¦show more content†¦In the decade of 1980’s and 1990’s many people became concerned by the fact that legal procedures like litigation and court became too expensive for resolving disputes. They were also concerned about the fact that litigation and court matters became too time consuming and cumbersome for many lawsuits. This concern gave rise to finding alternative ways to settle disputes among parties rather than approaching courts or litigations and this gave rise to alternate dispute resolution (ADR). Arbitration – Arbitration is a type of alternate dispute resolution which is used to settle disputes outside of litigation courts. In simple words it can said arbitration is where all parties who are in dispute approach an arbitral tribunal or an arbitrator for settling their disputes. In countries like England and United States of America, arbitration is a very widely used technique in the cases of consumer and employment disputes and related matters. Parties who chose the path of Arbitration for settlement of their disputes should agree to abide by the decision which the arbitral tribunal comes up with. There can be a third party who reviews and imposes decisions which are legally binding and enforceable by the court and litigation. In arbitration only limited number of appeals and rights to review are available for the interested parties. Arbitration can be voluntary or mandatory as well as it can be binding and non-binding as well. Non binding arbitration is very
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)