Investor Presentaiton

Finally, I also use the collection of letters sent between Stalin and Kaganovich from 1931-1936. These three sources, in addition to a variety of secondary articles and books, have been invaluable to my understanding of Kaganovich as he saw himself, particularly in relation to his Jewish identity, and the role he played in the Soviet Union. It is necessary to note that because the aim of this thesis is to examine Kaganovich as he presents his own life through his memoir, there are important portions of his story that I cover in far less detail. Specifically, I do not cover the crimes and atrocities he supported and committed in depth - this is because Kaganovich himself does not address these topics in extensive detail. My decision to omit a significant discussion of Kaganovich's crimes is not in any way a statement of support, ignorance, or complacency for his actions and the suffering he caused. Rather, it reflects the limited scope of this project and an attempt to remain true to the goal of examining Kaganovich's life as he himself presents it. The Sources in Context Before analyzing the content within the primary sources that I use in this thesis it is necessary to position them in their specific contexts. The leading source for my work is Kaganovich's memoir, written primarily from the mid-1960s to 1985. This source emerged following Kaganovich's expulsion from the Party due to his unwavering support of Stalin and his hardline Communist beliefs that were inconsistent with the new official Party direction under Nikita Khrushchev. Once close friends and allies, Khrushchev and Kaganovich had a falling out after Stalin's death and amid the rise of de-Stalinization. Kaganovich names Molotov, Malenkov, and Shepilov as the men expelled along with him, but there were others beyond these 5 I also do not cover the topic of Soviet crimes in Ukraine in detail for the same reason I have not covered Kaganovich's crimes in extensive detail. The addition of this note is particularly relevant given the recent developments in world events following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Kaganovich and his life hold even greater relevancy because of his Ukrainian nationality and influence in Ukrainian politics at different points throughout his career. There is much to examine about the connection between Kaganovich, the Soviet Union, and Ukraine, and I hope to pursue further research on this topic in the future. 4

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