Social origin and educational level of the chief Bolshevik leaders in 1917
Submitted by Battlescarred on Nov 1 2009 13:24
A questionnaire filled in by Bolshevik leaders in 1917 reveals their social origin and educational level:
| Name | Profession of father | Studies |
| Antonov-Ovseenko | Officer | Higher |
| Bukharin | Mathematician | ,, |
| Bubnov | ? [Merchant?] | Primary |
| Shliapnikov | Carpenter | ,, |
| Dzherzinski | Lesser nobility | Higher |
| Joffe Rich | merchant | ,, |
| Kalinin | Poor peasant | Secondary |
| Kamenev | Engineer | Higher |
| Kollontai | Nobility | ,, |
| Krupskaya | Nobility | Secondary |
| Lenin | High functionary | Higher |
| Lozovski | Lecturer | Secondary |
| Lunacharski | Functionary | Higher |
| Molotov | Merchant | ,, |
| Pyatakov | Industrialist | ,, |
| Podvoisky | Priest | ,, |
| Preobrazensky | Priest | ,, |
| Radek | Lecturer | ,, |
| Raskolnikov | Functionary | ,, |
| Rykov | Poor shopkeeper | Secondary |
| Smilga | Big landowner | ? |
| Stassova | Lawyer | Higher |
| Skrypnik | Railway worker | Secondary |
| Stalin | Shoemaker | ,, |
| Sverdlov | Engraver | ,, |
| Tomsky | Natural child [Illegitimate] | Primary |
| Trotsky | Landowner | Higher |
| Uritsky | Merchant | ,, |
| Zinoviev | Landowner | Autodidact |
-
Sources:
-
Ferro, Marc. Des Soviets au communisme bureacratique. Collection Archives, France, 1980
- Haupt, G, Marie J-J, Les Bolcheviks par eux-memes, France, 1967
Nov 1 2009 20:08
#2
This is great information, thanks for posting it.
To post tables on the Internet, they need to be coded in a particular way. How to do this is here:
http://www.pageresource.com/html/table1.htm
But if you've not got time, I will go and sort it out when I get a chance this week. Cheers!
Nov 2 2009 01:10
#3
I changed the 1st column from 'age in 1917' to 'name' as no ages were given. Tomsky's 'profession of father' is given as 'natural child'??
Nov 2 2009 02:50
#4
Ret Marut wrote:
Tomsky's 'profession of father' is given as 'natural child'??
would that be a euphemism for child out of wedlock, i.e. father's occupation unknown?
Nov 2 2009 03:14
#5
According to the biographical dictionary "Political Activists of Russia in 1917" (Moscow, 1993), Bubnov's father was a merchant.
Nov 2 2009 09:17
#6
is there equivalent information for prominent anarchist, SR, or menshevik figures?
Nov 2 2009 09:22
#7
Natural child means "illegitmate" or bastard
Perhaps Bubnov was concealing his origins.
Nov 2 2009 17:03
#8
"is there equivalent information for prominent anarchist, SR, or menshevik figures?"
I've not seen one. You'd have to first compile a list of leading members and get their bios.
But at least for the Makhnovists it was almost entirely poor peasant or worker as can be seen from the bios here on libcom.
Nov 2 2009 22:14
#9
I amended Bubnov and Tomsky.
This was meant to be in columns but somehow it's compressed them. Can one of libcom administrators sort this out or tell me how to do it????