Anti-Semitism In 1917

At the heart of anti-Semitism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was the Russian Revolution of 1917. The Russian Revolution of 1917 was composed of two revolutions; first, the February Revolution that removed the existing monarchy from power, and the October or Bolshevik Revolution that ended with the rise of the communist Soviet Union. While this time of revolution proved to be very controversial and unstable, it was also an ephemeral time of Jewish opportunity. For the first time, the Jewish people of Russia claimed a voice for themselves, determined to fight back against being segregated. This opportunity, became overshadowed by the scores of anti-Semitism that continued to run through the blood of Russia. Europe’s long history of

While many Jews did like the ideas of socialism, and it was widely supported in Russia, many non-Jewish workers began to make much less money, and, therefore, form their own ideas about politics. These ideas sparked the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution in October of 1917. Some Jews believed there were many advantages to Bolshevism, including a chance at equality and the continuation of Zionism, or the Jewish movement to protect Israel as a Jewish nation. The ideas of equality expressed in communism appealed to the Jewish people because they never had that equality under the previous leadership. In contrast, some socialist Jews denounced Vladimir Lenin’s communist government as a “criminal anarchy” that “radically constrained Jewish collective action”. However, as time in Bolshevik rule continued, many Jews were forced to join the communist movement because the Bolsheviks were the only group that, briefly, opposed anti-Semitic ideas. Vladimir Lenin even praised the Jewish effort in bringing the communists to power. If the Jews were to support groups opposing the Bolsheviks, they would be on their own because they would be denied rights due to their religion. Many Russian political groups only supported anti-Semitism because it became normal over the past centuries. Although the communists had gained power, there were still groups that opposed them, causing turmoil which would eventually mount to a civil war between the communists and those who opposed