Dubbed “the Sherlock Holmes of the Russian Revolution” for exposing misdeeds of the tsarist secret police, he has always been a fascinating figure. My curiosity was therefore instantly provoked when, as I was doing research in the UCLA library, I happened upon a dedication he had written in one of his books. The book was Protocols of the Elders of Zion – A Proven Forgery.* The inscription read: “To dear Vasily Alexeyevich Maklakov from his client (1913). Vladimir Burtsev, February 24, 1938. In this book I defend that which you have always defended.”
Just what was it that Burtsev spent his life defending? “The fight against anti-Semitism is our common cause!” he never tired of proclaiming, and, over the course of his long life, he was unwavering in his adherence to this idea. This fight took on new importance after the October Revolution, when the presence of a few prominent, ethnically-Jewish Bolsheviks among its leaders led many in the White émigré community to blame Jews as a whole for the revolution. (Even today, Jews are called on to publicly repent the misdeeds of Sverdlov, Zinoviev, Yurovsky and other prominent revolutionaries with Jewish roots.) During the Civil War that followed the revolution, frenzied antiSemitism led to a spike in bloody pogroms.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November/December 2019 من Russian Life.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November/December 2019 من Russian Life.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Sidewalk Art
The lamentable state of Russia’s roads and sidewalks has long been fertile ground for memes and jokes. Irkutsk artist Ivan Kravchenko decided to turn the problem into an art project. For over two years he has been patching ruts in city sidewalks with colorful ceramic tiles.
Sputnik V: First Place or Long Shot?
The Russian vaccine seems top-notch, but low public trust and a botched rollout remain formidable barriers to returning to normalcy.
the Valley of the Dead
On the Trail of a Russian Movie Star
Food & Drink
Food & Drink
POLAR YOUTH
Misha Smirnov has the day off. There are the traditional eggs for breakfast and the usual darkness out the window.
Russian Chronicles
Russian Chronicles
A People on the Brink
Over the past century, the ancient people known as the Votes has been exiled twice, has seen its language banned, and has faced the threat of having its villages razed. Today, although teetering on the verge of extinction, it holds fast to one of the last rights it enjoys – the right to bear and to say its own name.
Tenders of the Vine
Visiting Russia’s Nascent Wine Region
Restoring the Future
A Small Town Gets a Makeover
Ascending Anik
Here I stand, on the summit of Anik Mountain, drenched to the bone amid zero visibility, driving rain, and a fierce wind.
