Investor Presentaiton
ABSTRACT
Della Huffines: Ukrainian Jew and Stalin's Deputy: An Examination of Soviet-Jewish Relations
through the Life of Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich
(Under the direction of Chad Bryant)
Scholars, particularly historians, cite Lazar Kaganovich's life as holding great importance
to the development of the Soviet Union. However, Kaganovich's life, as it relates to the broader
Jewish experience, has gone largely unexamined. This thesis attempts to bridge that gap by
presenting Kaganovich on his own terms, rather than as a lens for understanding Stalinism, as he
has primarily been used in the past. Specifically, this thesis examines Kaganovich's life and
career, as he presents it in his memoir, in relation to the broader Soviet Jewish experience. I
argue that Kaganovich's life shared many similarities with the broader Jewish community before
1917, but his dedication to Bolshevism, access to power, and dismissal of his Jewish background
let him climb the ranks of Soviet power until he eventually became one of Stalin's top deputies.
E:
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