Alexander Parvus and Kepínski (crater): Difference between pages

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Revision as of 21:47, 17 November 2005

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{{lunar crater|

[[Image:Helphand_Parvus.jpg|right|thumb|Dr. Helphand (Parvus)]]

latitude=28.8° N|

'''Dr. Israel Lazarevich Helphand''' (last name also spelt as '''Gelfant'''), in Russian: ''Израиль Лазаревич Гельфанд'', is known also by his frequently used pseudonym '''Alexander Parvus.'''

longitude=126.6° E|

diameter=31 km|

depth=''Unknown''|

colong=234|

eponym=[[Felicjan Kępiński]]}}

'''Kepinski''' is a [[Moon|lunar]] [[crater]] on the [[Moon]]'s [[Far side (Moon)|far side]]. It lies to the northwest of the larger [[Vernadskiy (crater)|Vernadskiy crater]], and northeast of [[Meggers (crater)|Meggers crater]].

Kepinski has an outer rim that is marginally eroded due to subsequent impacts, especially along the southwest side. The inner walls are relatively featreless, sloping down to the interior. The floor is prominently occupied by a concentric, bowl-shaped crater. This feature is offset slightly to the northwest of Kepinski's mid-point. The diameter of this concentric feature is less than half that of Kepinski, although it also has a small outer [[rampart]].

Parvus was a [[socialist]] revolutionary born in 1867 in [[Belarus]], the son of [[Jewish]] parents. He was raised in [[Odessa]], where he began associating with revolutionary circles. At age 19 he left for [[Zurich]], where he continued his studies and became a doctor of philosophy in 1891. Having become a [[Marxist]], he moved to [[Germany]] and joined its Social Democratic party, where he became close with revolutionary [[Rosa Luxemburg]]. In 1900 in [[Munich]], Parvus met [[Vladimir Lenin]] for the first time. The two were friendly and admired each other's theoretical works, Parvus suggested that Lenin begin publishing his revolutionary paper "[[Iskra]]".

==Satellite craters==

Parvus's attempts at acquiring German citizenship were thusfar fruitless. He once commented in a letter to his German friend V. Libnekht "I am seeking a government where one can inexpensively acquire a fatherland."

By convention these features are identified on lunar maps by placing the letter on the side of the crater mid-point that is closest to Kepinski crater.

{| class="wikitable"

During the [[Russo-Japanese war]], Parvus correctly predicted via the socialist press that Russia would lose, which would result in unrest and revolution. This article elevated Parvus's prestige in the eyes of his socialist and German comerades. In this, Parvus innovated the concept of using a foreign war to provoke an internal revolt within a country.

!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Kepinski

!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Latitude

!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Longitude

!width="25%" style="background:#eeeeee;" |Diameter

|-

|align="center"|C

|align="center"|30.2° N

|align="center"|128.0° E

|align="center"|20 km

|-

|align="center"|N

|align="center"|26.6° N

|align="center"|126.2° E

|align="center"|40 km

|-

|align="center"|W

|align="center"|30.1° N

|align="center"|124.9° E

|align="center"|25 km

|}

[[Category:MarxistCraters theoristson the Moon]]

[[Image:ParvusTrotskiDeich.jpg|right|thumb|A. Parvus (left) with L. Trotski (center) and L. Deitch (right) in prison.]]

In 1905, Parvus arrived to St. Petersburg, Russia with false Austro-Hungarian papers. In December of that year, Parvus authored a provocational article on behalf of the St. Petersburg Soviet called "The Financial Manifesto", which described the Russian economy as being on the verge of collapse. The consequent rush on the banks managed to upset the economy and enrage prime minister [[Sergei Witte]], but did not cause a financial collapse. In ties with this provocation and Parvus's involvement in the organization of anti-government actions during the 1905 revolution, Parvus (together with other revolutionaries such as [[Leon Trotsky]]) was arrested by the Russian police. While in prison he became close with other revolutionaries, and was visited by Rosa Luxemburg. Sentenced to three years exile in Siberia, Parvus escaped and ran to Germany. There he published a book about his experiences called "In the Russian Bastile during the Revolution".

While in Germany, Parvus struck up a deal with Russian author [[Maxim Gorky]] to produce his play "The Lower Depths". According to the agreement, the majority of the play's proceeds were to go to the Russian Social Democratic party (and approximately 25% to Gorky himself). Parvus's failure to pay (despite the fact that the play had over 500 showings) caused him to be accused of stealing. Gorky threatened to sue, but Rosa Luxemburg convinced Gorky to keep the quarrel inside the party's own court. Eventually, Parvus paid back Gorky, but his reputation in party circles was scathed. He was already disliked by many because of his love of wealth, luxury, and his taste for debauchery (i.e. holding frequent orgies in a Swiss hotel).

Soon afterwards Parvus moved to [[Istanbul]] in Turkey, where he lived for five years. There he set up an arms trading company which profited handsomely during the [[Balkan War]]. He became the financial and political advisor of the [[Young Turks]] and played a role in the planning of the [[Armenian genocide]].

While in Turkey, Parvus became close with German ambassador Von Wagenheim, to whom he offered a plan: the dismemberment of Russia via an internal revolution, financed by the German government (which, at the time, was at war with Russia and its allies). Von Wagenheim sent Parvus to Berlin where the latter arrived on the 6th of March, 1915 and presented a 20 page plan titled "A preparation of massive political strikes in Russia" to the German government.

Parvus's detailed plan recommended the division of Russia by sponsoring the [[Bolshevik]] faction of the [[RSDLP|Russian Social Democratic Labor party]], encouraging ethnic separatists in various Russian regions, and supporting various writers who's criticism of Tsarism would continue during wartime. Basing himself on his 1905 experiences, Parvus theorised that the division of Russia and its loss in the [[First World War]] was the best way to bring about a socialist revolution.

[[Wilhelm_II_of_Germany|Kaiser Wilheim]]'s government became interested in Parvus's plan, seeing that [[Nicholas_II_of_Russia|Tsar Nicholas the IInd]] was firm in his commitment to the allies and refused to sign a separate peace treaty with Germany, moving out the slogan "War to its victorious end!" Parvus was given 2 million Marks to start his plan.

Parvus placed his bets on Lenin, as the latter was not only a radical but willing to accept the sponsorship of Russia's national wartime enemy, Germany. The two met in Zurich and agreed to collaborate, although Lenin became increasingly guarded towards Parvus as time went on and avoided direct contact whenever possible.

Parvus's financial network was set up via offshore operations in [[Copenhagen]], setting up relays for German money to get to Russia via fake financial transactions between [[front organizations]]. The most notorious was the "Institute for the Study of the Social Consequences of War" which Parvus set up in Denmark. Initially he had intended for Nikolai [[Bukharin]] to lead the operation, but under the pressure of Lenin who mistrusted Bukharin's ability to keep secrets (Trotsky's nickname for Nikolai Bukharin was "Nick Blabbermouth"), instituted Lenin's trusted contact man, Bolshevik [[Jacob Ganetski]]. The activities of agent couriers were organized through Bolshevik [[Moisei Uritsky]], later to become the head of Soviet Petrograd's [[Cheka]]. Ganetski's suspicious arms smuggling activities drew unwanted attention to him, as a result he was forced out of Denmark.

Parvus's relations with Lenin became increasingly strained, and Parvus began looking for other avenues of operation.

Parvus's reputation with the German ministry of foreign affairs came into question when in the winter of 1916 a Parvus planned financial catastrophe in St. Petersburg (akin to Parvus's provocation against the Russian banks in 1905) failed to produce a massive uprising. As a result, financing for Parvus's operations were frozen. Parvus went for support to the German Navy, working as their advisor briefly. He managed to help prevent Russian naval admiral [[Kolchak]] from taking on his offensive against the Turco-German Fleet in the Bosphoros and Dardinelles by planning the sabotage of a major Russian warship. This success gave him more credibility, once again, in the eyes of the Germans.

When the February Revolution occurred in Russia, the Russian provisional government continued to commit to the allies and refused to sign a separate peace with Germany. This caused the German ministry to turn to Parvus again and continue its financing of Lenin and the Bolsheviks through him.

In March of 1917, in a plan strategized together with Parvus, German intelligence sent over Vladimir Lenin and a group of 30 of his revolutionary associates from Switzerland through Germany in a sealed traincar under supevision of German socialist Fritz Platt. Lenin was given at his disposal seven million golden marks. Parvus was to have met with Lenin during a planned stopover in [[Stockholm]], but the hostile Lenin sent his associates Jacob Ganetski and [[Karl Radek]] to meet with him instead. Two days before a rumored separate peace treaty, which the Russian provisional government was prepared to sign with all of Germany's allies at the exclusion of Germany, the October revolution took place.

Parvus wrote Vladimir Lenin, whom Parvus helped attain power, to allow him come to Soviet Russia and take up an active role. Lenin rejected Parvus, saying to him in reply "The revolution cannot be done with dirty hands". This permanently ruined Parvus's relations with Lenin. Parvus's relations with Rosa Luxemburg and other German socialists also went sour. His political activity waned. He retreated to a German island by Berlin, where he lived in a well appointed 32 room [[mansion]] and soon afterwards published his memoirs.

Parvus died in Germany, in December of 1924. His body was cremated and interred in a Berlin cemetery.

== External Links ==

[http://www.hrono.ru/dokum/191_dok/1915parvus.html The Parvus plan on creating a revolution in Russia (in Russian)]

[[Category:Communists]]

[[Category:Marxist theorists]]

[[Category:Revolutionaries]]

[[de:Alexander_Parvus]]

[[nl:Parvus Helphand]]

[[pl:Aleksander Izrael Łazariewicz Helphand]]