Michael Voslensky: why a translator at the Nuremberg trials escaped from the USSR to Germany

Biography 11/02/20 Michael Voslensky: why a translator at the Nuremberg trials escaped from the USSR to Germany

After the war, Mikhail Voslensky was involved as a translator at the legendary trial in Nuremberg. Subsequently, the historian returned to the Soviet Union, where he had quite a career. However, in the early 1970-ies Voslensky, being in Germany, became a defector.

scientific Career in the USSR

How to write A. Y. Vatlin, M. B. a Fork and Neuss in the publication “People among peoples: the characters of Russian-German history of the twentieth century”, Mikhail Sergeyevich Voslensky was born in 1920 in a family that belonged to the old intelligentsia. Voslensky father, Sergei Ivanovich, was a Bank clerk, and his mother taught mathematics. But Michael chose a different path: after finishing high school he chose the history Department of Moscow University. All the years he was an honor student and was even awarded the Stalin scholarship. During the student’s period of Voslensky biography of the Great Patriotic war, but to the front the young historian for some reason were not included.

After working for a year on assignment at Kolomna teachers ‘ training Institute, Voslensky returned to Moscow in 1945, he enrolled in graduate school. A few months later, as specified in the journal “World economy and international relations” (True, 2002), Mikhail Sergeyevich, freely speaking German, French and English, was sent on a business trip to Germany as a translator at the Nuremberg trials against former Nazi leaders. Subsequently, Voslensky pointed out that he participated in the second period of the Tribunal where the judge of a criminal organization. Then the criminal organization, according to the historian, were considered not itself the Nazi party and its item.

one way Ticket

in General, the term “nomenclature” played a decisive role in the fate of Mikhail Voslensky. However, while he blogopolisbut he returned to Moscow and made a good career. As Alexander Nikonov writes in his book “Behind the facade of the Empire. Short course national mythology”, Voslensky worked in system of Academy of Sciences in the sector of common problems of the imperialism of the Institute of Economics, USSR Academy of Sciences, Institute of world economy and international relations Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of General history, USSR Academy of Sciences. In connection with the activity of Mikhail Sergeyevich regularly traveled to foreign business trip. He later called travel to other countries element of additional remuneration of the item.

In 1972, Michael Voslensky was awarded the next, but a private trip to Germany. By the time he was already well acquainted with the country’s President, Gustav Heinemann and with the Austrian state Chancellor Bruno Kreisky. They both had Mikhail Sergeyevich full support after he refused to return home. As he writes in his book “Secrets of the past century. The power of strife, the background” Nikolay Zenkovich, in connection with the act in 1977, Gorbachev was deprived of his Soviet citizenship. After 18 years, he was restored to his civil rights.

the Monograph “Item”

What made a successful scientist to the decision to leave the USSR? The fact that Michael Voslensky was the author of “Nomenclature” in which he described the essence of the Soviet political system. In his book Gorbachev argued that the Soviet Union was not dominated by the dictatorship of the proletariat, but the dictatorship of the party leadership. For the first time this book was published in 1980, but to a wide circle of Russian readers “Nomenclature” became known only in the 1990s But has written the book was in the early 1970-ies. Then, according to the publication “Uncensored culture 1960-1980-ies and the “third wave” of Russian emigration” (MSU, 2002), the Nomenclature was distributed only by means of Samizdat.

it is Clear that to remain in the Union Michael Volinska became unsafe. However, he was well scaredilsya and abroad. According to Alexander Gluschenko, the author of the book “Life under the sign of nuclear risk”, Voslensky became Director of the Institute for the study of Soviet history in Bonn. Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev chose to remain in Germany, where he died in 1997 at the age of 76 years. However, until the end of his days he continued to be interested in what is happening in Russia events. So, Voslensky expressed the need for the trial of the leaders of the CPSU by analogy with the Nuremberg process, but believed that the rank and file Communists to criminals possible replacements.

Yulia Popova

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