Investor Presentaiton

of Stalin to becoming a full member of Stalin's inner circle and then Stalin's top Deputy from 1930-1935. Kaganovich's full integration into Soviet life is shown in multiple ways, but most clearly through his swift rise in Party status, his close relationship with Stalin, and his separation from the Jewish community almost entirely. Kaganovich's integration began when he joined the Bolshevik Party in 1911. By 1922, his status had significantly increased when he was promoted to the head of the Secretariat's Organization and Instruction Department. At this time, Kaganovich was also selected as a candidate member of the Central Committee. This meant that by 1923 when the Party was deciding its direction on nationalities policy at the XII Party Congress, Kaganovich was in the position of impacting nationalities policy rather than having it forced upon him. At this time Kaganovich was also growing closer to many elite Party members, and he was especially devoted to Stalin. He notes in his memoir: I was lucky enough in 1923 to work in close proximity to the Central Committee of our Party and again and again to learn great idealism, principles in the struggle for the Leninist Party, to learn the art of organizing from members of the Politburo, the Organizational Bureau, and especially in daily contact with the secretaries of the Central Committee and its General Secretary of the Central Committee, Comrade Stalin. 173 Kaganovich goes on to compare Stalin and the Party to a symphony, stating "even the best orchestra needs a conductor. And I can say with all objectivity that in this Bolshevik qualified orchestra, a talented conductor, Comrade Stalin, already showed up.' "174 Here, his praises for Stalin are specifically related to how Stalin handled the question of nationalism by arguing for eliminating the 'national-chauvinism' which had begun to develop under the NEP program, while simultaneously making concessions to some of the national elements that were still loyal to 173 Kaganovich, Pamiatnye zapiski, 349. 174 Ibid. 45 55

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