Investor Presentaiton
government. For a man who is often described as being the second most powerful figure in
Soviet politics behind Stalin in the 1930s, there are very few sources about his life. These limited
sources are primarily articles or side mentions in other works. In the English selection of Soviet
biographies, only one reliable full-length account of his life exists.² Additionally, Kaganovich's
incredibly prominent role in the Soviet Union is unique given his Jewish background and the fact
that he was the only Jewish individual to hold such a high position and remain so close to Stalin
for so long. His life and later years in power occurred simultaneously with a fascinating period
of transition within the Jewish community of the late Russian Empire and following Soviet
Union, but his Jewish background is often treated by scholars as an afterthought rather than a
point for closer examination. Kaganovich, like many others at the time, rejected his Jewish roots,
but they nevertheless impacted his life and career. It was the realization that Kaganovich was so
prominent and fascinating, yet received so little individual analysis, that sparked the thesis
below.
The one English-language biography, Iron Lazar, which currently exists about
Kaganovich is solid and well-written, but the analysis that author E. A. Rees draws from his
research is focused more on Kaganovich's role in the Stalinist system and less on the
development of Kaganovich as an individual and politician through his upbringing and personal
experiences. In fact, Rees is explicit in his classification of his work as a larger examination of
Stalinist politics from above - a case study which illustrates "the evolution of the leadership of
1
For example, Kaganovich is regularly referenced by historians such as Oleg Khlevniuk in Master of the House,
and by Shelia Fitzpatrick in On Stalin's Team, but these works, like Rees' biography examine him in relation to
Stalin, rather than on his own terms as he saw and described himself.
2
I categorize E. A. Rees' biography of Kaganovich, Iron Lazar, as official in reference to the one notorious
unofficial biography of Kaganovich, titled Wolf of the Kremlin. This unofficial account was written by a man who
claimed to be Kaganovich's American nephew, but he and his book are widely disregarded as absurd and highly
inaccurate by both historians and Kaganovich's family.View entire presentation