German Marks Fund Russian Revolution

[august g blume]

Anyone interested in the role of Germany in funding the Russian revolutionaries should see the following by Z.A.B. Zeman, "Germany and the Revolution in Russia 1915-1918," London, Oxford, 1958, and "The Merchant of Revolution, "The Life of Alexander Isreal Helphand (Parvus), 1867-1924," by Zeman and W.B. Scharlu, London, Oxford, 1965.

Helphand was responsible for raising in the neighborhood of 25 million gold marks from the German Foreign Ministry to foment revolution in Russia. He facilitated smuggling paper, ink and the means to print revolutionary pamphlets and fund clandestine operations. Zeman's other two books, "The Break-Up of the Habsburg Empire 1914-1918" (Oxford 1961) and "The Gentlemen Negotiators: A Diplomatic History of World War I" (Macmillan 1971) also make for interesting reading. Best regards, agblume

[Take on me]

Unsurprising given the fact that the German authorities gave Lenin and a number of other revolutionnaries passage through Germany to Petrograd in the period following the February Revolution.

Jon

[MelPack]

Hello August

There is absolutely no doubt that Parvus received substantial payments from the German Foreign Ministry to support a programme of fomenting revolution in Russia.

He was a contradictory and colourful character with a chequered career as an arms dealer, marxist theoretician, embezler and with a taste for the highlife.

Lenin was always careful to keep him at arm's length in exile and prevented Parvus from returing to Russia after October with his notable condemnation that the revolution needs clean hands.

Funds may have been diverted by Parvus to the Bolsheviks but that is not the same as stating that the Bolsheviks accepted German funding. As with any episode as murky as this, questions may not have been asked in spite of well based suspicions as to the source of monies. It is precisely why much was made of this issue particularly in the era of the Cold War.

Paradoxically Parvus was using the German regime as much as they were using him. His decadence, debauchery and corruption did not necessarily preclude his revolutionary sincerity.

Regards

Mel

[august g blume]

Hello Mel, You are quite right on all points, although I have not read sources that would indicate Parvus was an embezzeler, with a taste for debauchery and decadence. My limited knowledge of him is based entirely on Zeman's books. It would appear (please correct me if I'm wrong) that he was from Ukraine and had first gone to the Turks in Constantinople hoping for funding to foment revolution and discord in Ukraine. The Turks passed him on to the Germans in Berlin. Do you know of other sources about him??? Thanks. Best regards, August

Hello August

There is absolutely no doubt that Parvus received substantial payments from the German Foreign Ministry to support a programme of fomenting revolution in Russia.

He was a contradictory and colourful character with a chequered career as an arms dealer, marxist theoretician, embezler and with a taste for the highlife.

Lenin was always careful to keep him at arm's length in exile and prevented Parvus from returing to Russia after October with his notable condemnation that the revolution needs clean hands.

Funds may have been diverted by Parvus to the Bolsheviks but that is not the same as stating that the Bolsheviks accepted German funding. As with any episode as murky as this, questions may not have been asked in spite of well based suspicions as to the source of monies. It is precisely why much was made of this issue particularly in the era of the Cold War.

Paradoxically Parvus was using the German regime as much as they were using him. His decadence, debauchery and corruption did not necessarily preclude his revolutionary sincerity.

Regards

Mel

[MelPack]

Hello August

The best book (and only substantial source in English) still remains Scharlau & Zeman's The Merchant of Revolution.

The embezzling episode is principally based upon the episode of Parvus pocketing the royalties from Gorky's plays but there has been some material published in Rusia in the last ten years or so based upon access to hitherto restricted party records that suggest Parvus also helped himself to party funds being held in Switzerland.

Parvus certainly had an eye for the women and apparently used to organise orgies to cultivate his connections. In the round, I suppose justification can be offered for that insofar as he merely anticipated Kollantai's emancipatory revolutionary millenarianism that sex is much the same as drinking a glass of water.

The Turkish connection is certainly very interesting, not least because Parvus was influential in the circle of the Young Turks but, unfortunately, I know very little about that.

Regards

Mel