Theodore Rothstein
Encyclopedia
Theodore Aronovich Rothstein (18711953) was a journalist
, writer
and communist. He served as a Soviet
ambassador in the 1920s.
city of Kovno (present-day Kaunas
, Lithuania
), the son of a Jewish family.
Rothstein left Russia in 1890 for political reasons and settled in Britain
. He worked as a journalist in the area of foreign policy for The Tribune, the The Daily News, The Manchester Guardian, and became a member of the National Union of Journalists
. Furthermore he was active in London
as a correspondent for some radical Russian newspapers. Rothstein also wrote articles for Die Neue Zeit
, the organ of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD), which represented the direct way of a consistent Marxism
and in which took place debates regarding Marxism and socialism
.
In 1895, he joined the Social Democratic Federation
(SDF) which was founded by Henry Hyndman
in 1884. He occupied the left wing of the party as a prominent theorists and forward thinker, and in 1900 he was elected to its executive. Within the SDF's successor, the British Socialist Party
(BSP), was he a leader of the opposition to Hyndman's support for the war. After Hyndman and his supporters left the BSP, Rothstein became a leading figure in the formation of the Communist Party of Great Britain
. He also joined the Russian Social Democratic and Labour Party as a British member in 1901, siding with the Bolshevik
s against the Menshevik
s and becoming a close comrade of Lenin, who often stayed at Rothstein's house on Clapton Square
in the Hackney
area of London.
He caused sensation in 1910 in which he published "Egypt's Ruin", an analysis of Egypt's systematic exploitation by the British after the occupation, evidenced by British government documents and correspondent reports from London newspapers regarding Egypt. Although Rothstein was a convinced opponent of the first World War I
, he worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British War Office as a Russian translator and interpreter.
However, following an invitation to Moscow
1920, he could not travel back to Britain due to the Russian Civil War
and its political complications. He remained in Russia, became a member of the Bolshevik Party, took on the chairmanship of the "University reform commission" (1920-1921), became the Ambassador to Tehran
(1921-1922) and was from 1922 on a member of the "Collegium of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs". Rothstein was appointed director of the Institute of World Economy and Politics
in Moscow.
Rothstein's son, Andrew
, remained in Britain and also became a prominent communist.
Rothstein died in Moscow in 1953.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and communist. He served as a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
ambassador in the 1920s.
Life
Theodore Aronovich Rothstein was born 1871 in the Imperial RussianRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
city of Kovno (present-day Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
), the son of a Jewish family.
Rothstein left Russia in 1890 for political reasons and settled in Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
. He worked as a journalist in the area of foreign policy for The Tribune, the The Daily News, The Manchester Guardian, and became a member of the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
. Furthermore he was active in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as a correspondent for some radical Russian newspapers. Rothstein also wrote articles for Die Neue Zeit
Die Neue Zeit
Die Neue Zeit was a German socialist theoretical journal of the Social Democratic Party of Germany that was published from 1883 to 1923. Founded by leading socialist politicians and theorists, it became the most important organ of the SPD competing with Sozialistische Monatshefte...
, the organ of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD), which represented the direct way of a consistent Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and in which took place debates regarding Marxism and socialism
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
.
In 1895, he joined the Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
(SDF) which was founded by Henry Hyndman
Henry Hyndman
Henry Mayers Hyndman was an English writer and politician, and the founder of the Social Democratic Federation and the National Socialist Party.-Early years:...
in 1884. He occupied the left wing of the party as a prominent theorists and forward thinker, and in 1900 he was elected to its executive. Within the SDF's successor, the British Socialist Party
British Socialist Party
The British Socialist Party was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained decisive control of the party and saw the defection of its pro-war Right Wing...
(BSP), was he a leader of the opposition to Hyndman's support for the war. After Hyndman and his supporters left the BSP, Rothstein became a leading figure in the formation of the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. He also joined the Russian Social Democratic and Labour Party as a British member in 1901, siding with the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s against the Menshevik
Menshevik
The Mensheviks were a faction of the Russian revolutionary movement that emerged in 1904 after a dispute between Vladimir Lenin and Julius Martov, both members of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party. The dispute originated at the Second Congress of that party, ostensibly over minor issues...
s and becoming a close comrade of Lenin, who often stayed at Rothstein's house on Clapton Square
Clapton Square
The Clapton Square Conservation Area, Hackney, was designated in 1969 and extended in 1991 & 2000. It is protected by Acts of Parliament as a London Square. It is dominated by the Church of St John-at-Hackney built in 1792-97, and St John’s Gardens. Its made up of listed late Georgian terraces on...
in the Hackney
Hackney Central
Hackney Central is the central district of the London Borough of Hackney in London, England. It comprises the area roughly surrounding, and extending north from Mare Street. It is situated north east of Charing Cross...
area of London.
He caused sensation in 1910 in which he published "Egypt's Ruin", an analysis of Egypt's systematic exploitation by the British after the occupation, evidenced by British government documents and correspondent reports from London newspapers regarding Egypt. Although Rothstein was a convinced opponent of the first World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the British War Office as a Russian translator and interpreter.
However, following an invitation to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
1920, he could not travel back to Britain due to the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
and its political complications. He remained in Russia, became a member of the Bolshevik Party, took on the chairmanship of the "University reform commission" (1920-1921), became the Ambassador to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
(1921-1922) and was from 1922 on a member of the "Collegium of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs". Rothstein was appointed director of the Institute of World Economy and Politics
Institute of World Economy and International Relations
The Institute of World Economy and International Relations was founded in 1956. It was a successor to the earlier organization, the Institute of World Economy and Politics which existed from 1925 to 1948....
in Moscow.
Rothstein's son, Andrew
Andrew Rothstein
Andrew Rothstein was a Russian-British journalist.Rothstein, who was to became a significant figure in British Communism, was born in London to Jewish Russian political emigrants. His subsequent life was always tinged by the identity of his father, Theodore Rothstein...
, remained in Britain and also became a prominent communist.
Rothstein died in Moscow in 1953.
Works
- The Decline of British Industry, 1903.
- The Russian Revolution, 1907.
- Egypt’s Ruin, A Financial and Administrative Record, London, 1910.
- Essays in the History of the British Labour Movement,
- From Chartism to Labourism - Historical Sketches of the English Working Class Movement, Dorrot Press Ltd., London, 1929.
- Theodore Rothstein at the Marxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet ArchiveMarxists Internet Archive is a volunteer based non-profit organization that maintains a multi-lingual Internet archive of Marxist writers and other similar authors...
Sources
- Theodore Rothstein, From Chartism to Labourism - Historical Sketches of the English Working Class Movement, Dorrot Press Ltd., London, 1929.
- Theodore Rothstein - Marxists Internet Archive
- Compendium of Communist Biography by surname - Graham Stevenson, National Organiser for the Transport and General Workers Union
External links
- Theodore Rothstein - Russian article about Rothstein with his photo