Lazar Kaganovich: Difference between revisions

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[[File:~~Globus-1935-05-Pavel-Postyshev-foto-0~~.jpg|thumb|~~220x220px~~]]

{{Villain_Infobox

|image = [[File:Lazar_Kaganovich.jpg|thumb|307px]]

|fullname = Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich

|alias = Iron Lazar The Wolf of the Kremlin

|origin = Kabany, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire

|occupation = Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1938 - 1953)

|type of villain = Corrupt Official

|goals =

|crimes = [[War crimes]] Mass starvation [[Genocide]] [[Ethnic cleansing]] Propaganda

|hobby = }}

'''Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich''' (Russian: Ла́зарь Моисе́евич Кагано́вич; November 22nd, [O.S. November 10th] 1893 – July 25th,1991) was a Soviet politician and administrator and one of the main associates of [[Joseph Stalin]]. At his death in 1991, he was the last surviving Old Bolshevik. The Soviet Union itself outlived him by a mere five months.

==Early life==

Kaganovich was born in 1893 to Jewish parents in the village of Kabany, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now named Dibrova, Poliske Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine). Early in his political career, in 1915, Kaganovich became a Communist organizer at a shoe-factory where he worked.

Kaganovich was born in 1893 to Jewish parents in the village of Kabany, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now named Dibrova, Poliske Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine). Early in his political career, in 1915, Kaganovich became a [[Communist]] organizer at a shoe-factory where he worked.

Circa 1911 he entered the Bolshevik party (his older brother Mikhail Kaganovich had become a member in 1905). In 1915 Kaganovich was arrested and sent back[''by whom?''] to Kabany. During March – April 1917 he served as the Chairman of the Tanners Union and as the vice-chairman of the Yuzovka Soviet. In May 1917 he became the leader of the military organization of Bolsheviks in Saratov, and in August 1917, he became the leader of the ''Polessky Committee'' of the Bolshevik party in Belarus. During the October Revolution of 1917 he led the revolt in Gomel.

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In May 1922, Stalin became the General Secretary of the Communist Party and immediately transferred Kaganovich to his apparatus to head the ''Organizational Bureau'' or Orgburo of the Secretariat. This department was responsible for all assignments within the apparatus of the Communist Party. Working there, Kaganovich helped to place Stalin's supporters in important jobs within the Communist Party bureaucracy. In this position he became noted for his great work capacity and for his personal loyalty to Stalin. He stated publicly that he would execute absolutely any order from Stalin, which at that time was a novelty.[''citation needed'']

In 1924 Kaganovich became a member of the Central Committee. From 1925 to 1928, Kaganovich was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR. He was given the task of "ukrainizatsiya" - meaning at that time the building up of Ukrainian communist popular cadres. He also had the duty of implementing collectivization and the policy of economic suppression of the kulaks (wealthier peasants). He opposed the more moderate policy of Nikolai Bukharin, who argued in favor of the "peaceful integration of kulaks into socialism". In 1928, due to numerous protests against Kaganovich's management, Stalin was forced to transfer Kaganovich from Ukraine to Moscow, where he returned to his position as a Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, a job he held until 1939. As Secretary, he endorsed Stalin's struggle against ~~theso~~-called Left and Right Oppositions within the Communist Party, in the hope that Stalin would become the sole leader of the country. In 1933–1934 he served as the

In 1924 Kaganovich became a member of the Central Committee. From 1925 to 1928, Kaganovich was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR. He was given the task of "ukrainizatsiya" - meaning at that time the building up of Ukrainian communist popular cadres. He also had the duty of implementing collectivization and the policy of economic suppression of the kulaks (wealthier peasants). He opposed the more moderate policy of Nikolai Bukharin, who argued in favor of the "peaceful integration of kulaks into socialism". In 1928, due to numerous protests against Kaganovich's management, Stalin was forced to transfer Kaganovich from Ukraine to Moscow, where he returned to his position as a Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, a job he held until 1939. As Secretary, he endorsed Stalin's struggle against the so-called Left and Right Oppositions within the Communist Party, in the hope that Stalin would become the sole leader of the country. In 1933–1934 he served as the

Chairman of the Commission for the Vetting of the Party Membership (''Tsentralnaya komissiya po proverke partiynykh ryadov'') and ensured personally that nobody associated with anti-Stalin opposition would be permitted to remain a Communist Party member. In 1934, at the XVII Congress of the Communist Party, Kaganovich chaired the Counting Committee. He falsified voting for positions in the Central Committee, deleting 290 votes opposing the Stalin candidacy. His actions resulted in Stalin's being re-elected as the General Secretary instead of Sergey Kirov. By the rules, the candidate receiving fewer opposing votes should become the General Secretary. Before Kaganovich's falsification, Stalin received 292 opposing votes and Kirov only three. However, the "official" result (due to the interference of Kaganovich) saw Stalin with just two opposing votes (Radzinsky, 1996).

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==Responsibility for 1932–33 famine==

Kaganovich (together with [[Vyacheslav Molotov]]) participated with the All-Ukrainian Party Conference of 1930 and were given the task of implementation of the collectivization policy that caused a catastrophic 1932–33 famine (known as the Holodomor in Ukraine). He also personally oversaw grain confiscations during the same time periods. Similar policies also inflicted enormous suffering on the Soviet Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, the Kuban region, Crimea, the lower Volga region, and other parts of the Soviet Union. As an emissary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Kaganovich traveled to Ukraine, the central regions of the USSR, the Northern Caucasus, and Siberia demanding the acceleration of collectivization and repressions against the Kulaks, who were generally blamed for the slow progress of collectivization. Attorney Rafael Lemkin in his work ''The Soviet Genocide in Ukraine'' tried to present the fact of Holodomor to the Nuremberg trials as a genocide of a totalitarian regime.[3]

Kaganovich (together with [[Vyacheslav Molotov]]) participated with the All-Ukrainian Party Conference of 1930 and were given the task of implementation of the collectivization policy that caused a catastrophic 1932–33 famine (known as the [[Holodomor]] in Ukraine). He also personally oversaw grain confiscations during the same time periods. Similar policies also inflicted enormous suffering on the Soviet Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, the Kuban region, Crimea, the lower Volga region, and other parts of the Soviet Union. As an emissary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Kaganovich traveled to Ukraine, the central regions of the USSR, the Northern Caucasus, and Siberia demanding the acceleration of collectivization and repressions against the Kulaks, who were generally blamed for the slow progress of collectivization. Attorney Rafael Lemkin in his work ''The Soviet Genocide in Ukraine'' tried to present the fact of Holodomor to the Nuremberg trials as a [[genocide]] of a totalitarian regime.[3]

On January 13th, 2010 Kiev Appellate Court posthumously found Kaganovich, Postyshev, Kosior and other Soviet Communist Party functionaries guilty of genocide against Ukrainians during the catastrophic Holodomor famine.[4] Though they were pronounced guilty as criminals, the case was ended immediately according to paragraph 8 of Article 6 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine.[5] The importance of the case is its historical aspect that legally explains the particularity of that historical event[''clarification needed'']. By New Years Day, the Security Service of Ukraine had finished pre-court investigation and transferred its materials to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The materials consist of over 250 volumes of archive documents (from within Ukraine as well as from abroad), interviews with witnesses, and expert analysis of several institutes of National Academies of Sciences. Oleksandr Medvedko, the Prosecutor General, confirmed that the material gives clear evidence of the genocide occurring in Ukraine[''citation needed''].

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One of many who perished during these years was Lazar's brother, Mikhail Kaganovich, who was people's commisar (Narkom) of the Aviation Industry. On January 10th,1940 Mikhail was demoted to director of aviation plant 124 in Kazan[''citation needed'']. In February 1941, during the 18th Conference of the Communist Party, Mikhail was warned that if the plant missed its quotas he would be eliminated from the Party[''citation needed''].

On June 1st, 1941 Stalin mentioned to Lazar that he had heard that Mikhail was "associating with the right wing". Lazar reportedly did not speak in the defence of his brother to Stalin, but did notify him by

telephone. The same day Mikhail committed suicide.[7]

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Kaganovich and his wife M. Privorotskaya during WW1

In 1987, American journalist Stuart Kahan published a book entitled ''The Wolf of the Kremlin: The First Biography of L.M. Kaganovich, the Soviet Union's Architect of Fear'' (William Morrow & Co). In the book, Kahan made a series of claims about Kaganovich's working relationship with Joseph Stalin and his activities during the Ukrainian famine, and claimed to be Kaganovich's long-lost nephew. He also claimed to have interviewed Kaganovich personally and stated that Kaganovich admitted to being partially responsible for the death of Stalin in 1953 (supposedly by poisoning). A number of other unusual claims were made as well, including that Stalin was married to a sister of Kaganovich (supposedly named "Rosa") during the last year of his life and that Kaganovich (a Jew) was the architect of anti-Jewish ~~pogroms~~.[10]

In 1987, American journalist Stuart Kahan published a book entitled ''The Wolf of the Kremlin: The First Biography of L.M. Kaganovich, the Soviet Union's Architect of Fear'' (William Morrow & Co). In the book, Kahan made a series of claims about Kaganovich's working relationship with Joseph Stalin and his activities during the Ukrainian famine, and claimed to be Kaganovich's long-lost nephew. He also claimed to have interviewed Kaganovich personally and stated that Kaganovich admitted to being partially responsible for the death of Stalin in 1953 (supposedly by poisoning). A number of other unusual claims were made as well, including that Stalin was married to a sister of Kaganovich (supposedly named "Rosa") during the last year of his life and that Kaganovich (a Jew) was the architect of anti-Jewish [[pogrom]]s.[10]

After ''The Wolf of the Kremlin'' was translated into Russian by Progress Publishers, and a chapter from it printed in the ''Nedelya'' (''Week'') newspaper in 1991, remaining members of Kaganovich's family composed the ''Statement of the Kaganovich Family'' in response. The statement disputed all of Kahan's claims.

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[[Category:Karma Houdini]]

[[Category:Deceased]]

[[Category:Russian Villains]]

[[Category:Villains of World War 1]]

[[Category:War Criminal]]

[[Category:Villains of World War 2]]

[[Category:Lawful Evil]]

[[Category:Genocidal]]

[[Category:Propagandist]]

[[Category:Fanatics]]

[[Category:Oppressors]]

[[Category:Saboteurs]]

[[Category:Master Manipulator]]

[[Category:Charismatic]]

[[Category:Totalitarians]]

[[Category:Hypocrites]]

[[Category:Paranoid]]

[[Category:Incriminator]]

[[Category:Arrogant]]

[[Category:Sadists]]

[[Category:Mass Murderers]]

[[Category:Wrathful]]

[[Category:Control Freaks]]

[[Category:Mongers]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:Globus-1935-05-Pavel-Postyshev-foto-0.jpg|thumb|220x220px]]
+{{Villain_Infobox
+|image = [[File:Lazar_Kaganovich.jpg|thumb|307px]]
+|fullname = Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich
+|alias = Iron Lazar<br>The Wolf of the Kremlin
+|origin = Kabany, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire
+|occupation = Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union (1938 - 1953)
+|type of villain = Corrupt Official
+|goals =
+|crimes = [[War crimes]]<br>Mass starvation<br>[[Genocide]]<br>[[Ethnic cleansing]]<br>Propaganda
+|hobby = }}
-'''Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich''' (Russian: Ла́зарь Моисе́евич Кагано́вич; November 22nd, [O.S. November 10th] 1893 –  July 25th,1991) was a Soviet politician and administrator and one of the main associates of [[Joseph Stalin]]. At his death in 1991, he was the last surviving Old Bolshevik. The Soviet Union itself outlived him by a mere five months.
+'''Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich''' (Russian: Ла́зарь Моисе́евич Кагано́вич; November 22nd, [O.S. November 10th] 1893 – July 25th,1991) was a Soviet politician and administrator and one of the main associates of [[Joseph Stalin]]. At his death in 1991, he was the last surviving Old Bolshevik. The Soviet Union itself outlived him by a mere five months.
 ==Early life==
-Kaganovich was born in 1893 to Jewish parents in the village of Kabany, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now named Dibrova, Poliske Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine). Early in his political career, in 1915, Kaganovich became a Communist organizer at a shoe-factory where he worked.
+Kaganovich was born in 1893 to Jewish parents in the village of Kabany, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire (now named Dibrova, Poliske Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine). Early in his political career, in 1915, Kaganovich became a [[Communist]] organizer at a shoe-factory where he worked.
 Circa 1911 he entered the Bolshevik party (his older brother Mikhail Kaganovich had become a member in 1905). In 1915 Kaganovich was arrested and sent back<sup>[''by whom?'']</sup> to Kabany. During March – April 1917 he served as the Chairman of the Tanners Union and as the vice-chairman of the Yuzovka Soviet. In May 1917 he became the leader of the military organization of Bolsheviks in Saratov, and in August 1917, he became the leader of the ''Polessky Committee'' of the Bolshevik party in Belarus. During the October Revolution of 1917 he led the revolt in Gomel.
@@ Line 13: / Line 22: @@
 In May 1922, Stalin became the General Secretary of the Communist Party and immediately transferred Kaganovich to his apparatus to head the ''Organizational Bureau'' or Orgburo of the Secretariat. This department was responsible for all assignments within the apparatus of the Communist Party. Working there, Kaganovich helped to place Stalin's supporters in important jobs within the Communist Party bureaucracy. In this position he became noted for his great work capacity and for his personal loyalty to Stalin. He stated publicly that he would execute absolutely any order from Stalin, which at that time was a novelty.<sup>[''citation needed'']</sup>
-In 1924 Kaganovich became a member of the Central Committee. From 1925 to 1928, Kaganovich was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR. He was given the task of "ukrainizatsiya" - meaning at that time the building up of Ukrainian communist popular cadres. He also had the duty of implementing collectivization and the policy of economic suppression of the kulaks (wealthier peasants). He opposed the more moderate policy of Nikolai Bukharin, who argued in favor of the "peaceful integration of kulaks into socialism". In 1928, due to numerous protests against Kaganovich's management, Stalin was forced to transfer Kaganovich from Ukraine to Moscow, where he returned to his position as a Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, a job he held until 1939. As Secretary, he endorsed Stalin's struggle against theso-called Left and Right Oppositions within the Communist Party, in the hope that Stalin would become the sole leader of the country. In 1933–1934 he served as the
+In 1924 Kaganovich became a member of the Central Committee. From 1925 to 1928, Kaganovich was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR. He was given the task of "ukrainizatsiya" - meaning at that time the building up of Ukrainian communist popular cadres. He also had the duty of implementing collectivization and the policy of economic suppression of the kulaks (wealthier peasants). He opposed the more moderate policy of Nikolai Bukharin, who argued in favor of the "peaceful integration of kulaks into socialism". In 1928, due to numerous protests against Kaganovich's management, Stalin was forced to transfer Kaganovich from Ukraine to Moscow, where he returned to his position as a Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, a job he held until 1939. As Secretary, he endorsed Stalin's struggle against the so-called Left and Right Oppositions within the Communist Party, in the hope that Stalin would become the sole leader of the country. In 1933–1934 he served as the
 Chairman of the Commission for the Vetting of the Party Membership (''Tsentralnaya komissiya po proverke partiynykh ryadov'') and ensured personally that nobody associated with anti-Stalin opposition would be permitted to remain a Communist Party member. In 1934, at the XVII Congress of the Communist Party, Kaganovich chaired the Counting Committee. He falsified voting for positions in the Central Committee, deleting 290 votes opposing the Stalin candidacy. His actions resulted in Stalin's being re-elected as the General Secretary instead of Sergey Kirov. By the rules, the candidate receiving fewer opposing votes should become the General Secretary. Before Kaganovich's falsification, Stalin received 292 opposing votes and Kirov only three. However, the "official" result (due to the interference of Kaganovich) saw Stalin with just two opposing votes (Radzinsky, 1996).
@@ Line 22: / Line 31: @@
 ==Responsibility for 1932–33 famine==
-Kaganovich (together with [[Vyacheslav Molotov]]) participated with the All-Ukrainian Party Conference of 1930 and were given the task of implementation of the collectivization policy that caused a catastrophic 1932–33 famine (known as the Holodomor in Ukraine). He also personally oversaw grain confiscations during the same time periods. Similar policies also inflicted enormous suffering on the Soviet Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, the Kuban region, Crimea, the lower Volga region, and other parts of the Soviet Union. As an emissary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Kaganovich traveled to Ukraine, the central regions of the USSR, the Northern Caucasus, and Siberia demanding the acceleration of collectivization and repressions against the Kulaks, who were generally blamed for the slow progress of collectivization. Attorney Rafael Lemkin in his work ''The Soviet Genocide in Ukraine'' tried to present the fact of Holodomor to the Nuremberg trials as a genocide of a totalitarian regime.<sup>[3]</sup>
+Kaganovich (together with [[Vyacheslav Molotov]]) participated with the All-Ukrainian Party Conference of 1930 and were given the task of implementation of the collectivization policy that caused a catastrophic 1932–33 famine (known as the [[Holodomor]] in Ukraine). He also personally oversaw grain confiscations during the same time periods. Similar policies also inflicted enormous suffering on the Soviet Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, the Kuban region, Crimea, the lower Volga region, and other parts of the Soviet Union. As an emissary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Kaganovich traveled to Ukraine, the central regions of the USSR, the Northern Caucasus, and Siberia demanding the acceleration of collectivization and repressions against the Kulaks, who were generally blamed for the slow progress of collectivization. Attorney Rafael Lemkin in his work ''The Soviet Genocide in Ukraine'' tried to present the fact of Holodomor to the Nuremberg trials as a [[genocide]] of a totalitarian regime.<sup>[3]</sup>
 On January 13th, 2010 Kiev Appellate Court posthumously found Kaganovich, Postyshev, Kosior and other Soviet Communist Party functionaries guilty of genocide against Ukrainians during the catastrophic Holodomor famine.<sup>[4]</sup> Though they were pronounced guilty as criminals, the case was ended immediately according to paragraph 8 of Article 6 of the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine.<sup>[5]</sup> The importance of the case is its historical aspect that legally explains the particularity of that historical event<sup>[''clarification needed'']</sup>. By New Years Day, the Security Service of Ukraine had finished pre-court investigation and transferred its materials to the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The materials consist of over 250 volumes of archive documents (from within Ukraine as well as from abroad), interviews with witnesses, and expert analysis of several institutes of National Academies of Sciences. Oleksandr Medvedko, the Prosecutor General, confirmed that the material gives clear evidence of the genocide occurring in Ukraine<sup>[''citation needed'']</sup>.
@@ Line 35: / Line 44: @@
 One of many who perished during these years was Lazar's brother, Mikhail Kaganovich, who was people's commisar (Narkom) of the Aviation Industry. On January 10th,1940 Mikhail was demoted to director of aviation plant 124 in Kazan<sup>[''citation needed'']</sup>. In February 1941, during the 18th Conference of the Communist Party, Mikhail was warned that if the plant missed its quotas he would be eliminated from the Party<sup>[''citation needed'']</sup>.
- On June 1st, 1941 Stalin mentioned to Lazar that he had heard that Mikhail was "associating with the right wing". Lazar reportedly did not speak in the defence of his brother to Stalin, but did notify him by
+On June 1st, 1941 Stalin mentioned to Lazar that he had heard that Mikhail was "associating with the right wing". Lazar reportedly did not speak in the defence of his brother to Stalin, but did notify him by
 telephone. The same day Mikhail committed suicide.<sup>[7]</sup>
@@ Line 53: / Line 62: @@
 Kaganovich and his wife M. Privorotskaya during WW1
-In 1987, American journalist Stuart Kahan published a book entitled ''The Wolf of the Kremlin: The First Biography of L.M. Kaganovich, the Soviet Union's Architect of Fear'' (William Morrow & Co). In the book, Kahan made a series of claims about Kaganovich's working relationship with Joseph Stalin and his activities during the Ukrainian famine, and claimed to be Kaganovich's long-lost nephew. He also claimed to have interviewed Kaganovich personally and stated that Kaganovich admitted to being partially responsible for the death of Stalin in 1953 (supposedly by poisoning). A number of other unusual claims were made as well, including that Stalin was married to a sister of Kaganovich (supposedly named "Rosa") during the last year of his life and that Kaganovich (a Jew) was the architect of anti-Jewish pogroms.<sup>[10]</sup>
+In 1987, American journalist Stuart Kahan published a book entitled ''The Wolf of the Kremlin: The First Biography of L.M. Kaganovich, the Soviet Union's Architect of Fear'' (William Morrow & Co). In the book, Kahan made a series of claims about Kaganovich's working relationship with Joseph Stalin and his activities during the Ukrainian famine, and claimed to be Kaganovich's long-lost nephew. He also claimed to have interviewed Kaganovich personally and stated that Kaganovich admitted to being partially responsible for the death of Stalin in 1953 (supposedly by poisoning). A number of other unusual claims were made as well, including that Stalin was married to a sister of Kaganovich (supposedly named "Rosa") during the last year of his life and that Kaganovich (a Jew) was the architect of anti-Jewish [[pogrom]]s.<sup>[10]</sup>
 After ''The Wolf of the Kremlin'' was translated into Russian by Progress Publishers, and a chapter from it printed in the ''Nedelya'' (''Week'') newspaper in 1991, remaining members of Kaganovich's family composed the ''Statement of the Kaganovich Family'' in response. The statement disputed all of Kahan's claims.
@@ Line 82: / Line 91: @@
 [[Category:Karma Houdini]]
 [[Category:Deceased]]
+[[Category:Russian Villains]]
+[[Category:Villains of World War 1]]
+[[Category:War Criminal]]
+[[Category:Villains of World War 2]]
+[[Category:Lawful Evil]]
+[[Category:Genocidal]]
+[[Category:Propagandist]]
+[[Category:Fanatics]]
+[[Category:Oppressors]]
+[[Category:Saboteurs]]
+[[Category:Master Manipulator]]
+[[Category:Charismatic]]
+[[Category:Totalitarians]]
+[[Category:Hypocrites]]
+[[Category:Paranoid]]
+[[Category:Incriminator]]
+[[Category:Arrogant]]
+[[Category:Sadists]]
+[[Category:Mass Murderers]]
+[[Category:Wrathful]]
+[[Category:Control Freaks]]
+[[Category:Mongers]]