Alexander Lvovich Kazembek (russian: Алекса́ндр Льво́вич Казембе́к, or ; french: Alexandre Kasem-Beg; – 21 February 1977), often spelled Kazem-Bek or Kasem-Beg, was a Russian émigré and political activist, and founder of the

Mladorossi The Union of Mladorossi (russian: Союз Младороссов, ''Soyuz Mladorossov'') was a political group of Russian émigré monarchists (mostly living in Europe) who advocated a hybrid of Russian monarchy and the Soviet system, best evide ...

political group.

Life

Kazembek was born in

Kazan Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...

into a wealthy noble family. His great-grandfather

Alexander Kasimovich Kazembek Alexander Kasimovich Kazembek (russian: Алекса́ндр Каси́мович Казембе́к or ; Azerbaijani: ''Aleksandr Kazımbəy'' or ''Mirzə Kazım-bəy''; Persian: میرزا کاظم بیگ ''Mirzâ Kâzem Beg'') (22 July 1802 � ...

was a prominent Russian scholar, member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across t ...

and the British

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

to whom ''

The Cambridge History of Russia ''The Cambridge History of Russia'' is a multi-volume survey of Russian history published by Cambridge University Press (CUP). The volumes are: * Vol. 1. ''From Early Rus' to 1689'' edited by Maureen Perrie, covering Russian history before Pe ...

'' refers as "a Dagestani Persian of Shi‘i origin". Robert P. Geraci refers to his great-grandfather as "an Azeri who converted to Christianity." The Archival Collections of

Columbia University Libraries Columbia University Libraries is the library system of Columbia University and one of the largest academic library systems in North America. With 15.0 million volumes and over 160,000 journals and serials, as well as extensive electronic resources ...

refers to Lvovich Kazembek himself as born "into an old noble family of Persian (Azeri) origin". After the

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

and the

White Army The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв� ...

's loss of

Povolzhye The Volga Region (russian: Поволжье, ''Povolzhye'', literally: "along the Volga") is a historical region in Russia that encompasses the drainage basin of the Volga River, the longest river in Europe, in central and southern European Rus ...

and

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

, the Kazembeks emigrated to

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, where Kazembek finished secondary school, and later to

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. In 1925, Kazembek graduated from the

Institut d'études politiques de Paris , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

and started working at a credit union in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

.Kazem-Bek, Alexander Lvovich: Historical Background
''Internet-School.ru'' In 1929, he returned to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and was already a famous political activist within Europe's Russian community. In the 1920s, Kazembek founded the

. His charismatic persona, clear ideas and oratorical abilities led to strong support of his leadership by many White émigrés.Social Monarchist from Kazan
by Rovel Kashapov. ''Vremya i Dengi''. #31-32 (1992-1993). 25 February 2005 Like many other expatriate

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

political organizations in the decades

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Mladorossi sought the restoration of the monarchy in Russia. In addition, other main goals were to meet the needs of the poor and to preserve some of the contemporary ruling methods in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

but without dismissing

traditional values Traditionalist conservatism, often known as classical conservatism, is a political and social philosophy that emphasizes the importance of transcendent moral principles, manifested through certain natural laws to which society should adhere ...

and institutions. Kazembek placed great emphasis on the role of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

, which was being persecuted by

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

.The Chalice
by Vladimir Soloükhin. ''Roman-Gazeta''. #6 (1324). Moscow: 1998 Some regarded the idea as

utopic A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island society ...

and an

oxymoron An oxymoron (usual plural oxymorons, more rarely oxymora) is a figure of speech that juxtaposes concepts with opposing meanings within a word or phrase that creates an ostensible self-contradiction. An oxymoron can be used as a rhetorical devi ...

and so West often saw the Mladorossi as Soviet agents, but in the Soviet Union, they were presented as nationalists and imperialists.A Mladoross's Sunday of Forgiveness
by Valentin Nikitin. ''Religion.russ.ru''. 4 March 2002 Kazembek's political popularity started to decline after it was revealed that he had held meetings with a number of Soviet officials trying to recruit him into collaboration. In 1940, he was arrested and detained in a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

, but he was soon released and moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, where he worked as a columnist for the

Russian-language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is one of four living Eas ...

newspaper ''Novaya Zarya'' and assisted the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

in providing help to the Russian hostages in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

camps. Thus, the Mladorossi was proclaimed officially dismissed by 1942. Between 1944 and 1957, Kazembek taught the Russian language and

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

and

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

. He was also deeply involved in religious work and co-operated with various Russian Orthodox organizations in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. In 1954, while he was visiting

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

, Kazembek applied for permission to return to the Soviet Union permanently. In 1957, his reputation suffered a blow when ''

Pravda ''Pravda'' ( rus, Правда, p=ˈpravdə, a=Ru-правда.ogg, "Truth") is a Russian broadsheet newspaper, and was the official newspaper of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, when it was one of the most influential papers in the co ...

'' published a pro-Soviet article and claimed Kazembek as its author. He demanded immediate rehabilitation from the newspaper and threatened to commit suicide if his demands were not met. In 1957, his request of the Soviet citizenship was sustained. He returned to the Soviet Union and worked at the

Moscow Patriarchate , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

's Department of Exterior Affairs until his death in 1977. He was buried in the village of Lukino, a

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

suburb, near the local Church of the Transfiguration.

References

Sources

*Massip, Mireille. ''Alexandre Kasem-Beg et l'émigration russe en Occident, 1902-1977''. Georg Editeur S.A., Paris: 1999

External links

Aleksandr Kazem-Bek Papers
at the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University, New York, NY {{DEFAULTSORT:Kazembek, Alexander Lvovich 1902 births 1977 deaths Politicians from Kazan People from Kazansky Uyezd Russian untitled nobility Eastern Orthodox Christians from the Russian Empire Russian Orthodox Christians from Russia Russian people of Azerbaijani descent Russian people of Iranian descent National Bolsheviks Soviet fascists White Russian emigrants to France French people of Azerbaijani descent French people of Iranian descent White Russian emigrants to the United States French emigrants to the United States French emigrants to the Soviet Union Defectors to the Soviet Union Sciences Po alumni Yale University faculty Connecticut College faculty