George Lenczowski
Encyclopedia
George Lenczowski was a lawyer, diplomat, scholar, and Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, at the University of California, Berkeley. Lenczowski was a pioneer in his field as the founder and first chair of the Committee (later Center) of Middle Eastern Studies at Berkeley. He was among America's first major scholars of the modern Middle East.
Lenczowski's book, American Presidents and the Middle East, along with The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict by Steven L. Spiegel and Peace Process by William B. Quandt
, are considered by historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren
, as being "three of the genre's finer examples", focusing on the post-World War II period and seeking to investigate broader aspects of America's Middle East history.
Lenczowski was the father of John Lenczowski
, president and founder of the Institute of World Politics.
, on February 2, 1915, at a time when the land of his ancestors was still part of neighboring empires. His father worked as an engineer until the Russian Revolution. One of Lenczowski's earliest memories was a perilous escape from the Bolsheviks through war-torn Russia, which brought the Lenczowski family back to what soon would become an independent Poland, following World War I
. It was there that Lenczowski received his education from primary school to the faculty of law from the University of Warsaw
. He took his LL.M degree in 1936 and continued his studies in France, where he earned a Certificate in Civil Law at the University of Paris
(1936) and a Doctorate in Juridical Science in Lille (1937). His dissertation on Contracts in Private and International Law was written in French and published in Paris by Domat-Montchrestien in 1938.
When Poland was invaded
and occupied by Germany and later
by the Soviet Union
in 1939, Lenczowski's Palestine assignment came to an end. In 1940 he volunteered to serve in the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade which had defected from French Syria
to Palestine. He saw action in Egypt and Libya, but most prominently at the siege of Tobruk
, and advanced to the rank of second lieutenant. At the end of 1940, however, he was recalled by the Polish Foreign Service to be stationed, as press attaché, at the Polish Embassy in Tehran, Iran
. There he was part of the effort to receive, process and assist some two million Poles, who had just been released from Soviet concentration camps upon the intervention of Britain.
It was there that he met his future wife, Bronia, who herself had been a prisoner of the Soviets; they were wed in March 1943. He was also in Tehran during the 1943 Tehran Conference
involving Franklin D. Roosevelt
, Winston Churchill
and Joseph Stalin
. Tragedy struck at this time also, when his parents were arrested by the Germans during the Warsaw uprising
and executed in a concentration camp.
was signed in 1945, the Lenczowskis refused to serve in Stalin’s communist government in Poland and sought refuge in the United States. After a year of graduate study at Johns Hopkins University
, and occasional work for the Foreign Broadcasting Division of the Department of State, Lenczowski found employment as instructor, and later assistant professor, at Hamilton College in New York State. It was here that he came to the attention of Peter Odegard, one of the pivotal figures of the discipline of political science of the time and chair of the Berkeley department. He became a U.S. citizen in 1951.
, he became a tenured member of the faculty. Lenczowski made his scholarly debut in the United States by publishing Russia and the West in Iran (1949). He soon followed this with his path-breaking work, The Middle East in World Affairs (1952). This book was republished, with appropriate revisions, in three later editions and has remained an authoritative text on the politics of the region for over three decades. The forth edition was reviewed by John C. Campbell in Foreign Affairs
in 1980 and states, in part; “This new edition of a well-known survey is worth noting for the extensive additional material covering 18 years of kaleidoscopic events, and because it remains remarkably comprehensive and reliable both as an introduction to the region and as a reference work.”
In Berkeley, Lenczowski pioneered his field as the founder and first chair of the Committee (later Center) of Middle Eastern Studies. Over the years, he served as vice chair and was among the nation's first major scholars of the modern Middle East. As an undergraduate teacher he was respected for his precision and openness; as graduate advisor of his department and mentor of graduate students he raised a generation of scholars who, in 1988, acknowledged their debt to him by publishing the volume, Ideology and Power in the Middle East: Essays in Honor of George Lenczowski. David P. Gardner, then University of California
president, wrote in the book's foreword: "The quality and scope of his contributions to a better understanding of the Middle East, and particularly a better understanding of its international relations, its revolutions, and the crucial role of oil, have earned him the compliment of this volume of essays by leading scholars in the field from the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East." Altogether, between 1949 and his death, Lenczowski authored six books and monographs, coauthored and co-edited two others, and published close to 100 scholarly articles on critical facets of Middle Eastern politics, both domestic and international. Lenczowski retired from Berkeley in 1985; his last book, American Presidents and the Middle East, was released in 1990.
. He was a master interviewer, who could develop unusual rapport with his subjects. "He knew mid-Eastern heads of state, he knew everyone," said Laurence Michalak, vice chairman of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Berkeley, "He was friendly with the royalty of Iran
, Jordan
and Saudi Arabia
. He was a big, tall man with a Polish accent. He had a very courtly manner. He was very, very polished and very well liked." With his reputation for objectivity, would be as welcome by royalty of Moslem countries as by the academic community and political leaders of the (then) new state of Israel
. The same personal qualities earned him the respect of U.S. administrations of both political parties, and made him a frequent visitor to the White House under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
As he was gaining international recognition, Lenczowski was invited to serve on the governing boards of numerous learned societies and centers of research. He was a frequent speaker and resident lecturer at diverse academic institutions: St Antony's College, Oxford
, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the universities of Geneva
, Tehran
, and Toronto
, the American University of Beirut
, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House
), the National War College
(Washington, D.C.), the Army War College (Pennsylvania), and Stanford University's Hoover Institution
. Next to being a professional scholar and trusted advisor in and outside academia, Lenczowski was a true humanist, with a love of the law, and with his belief in social justice and hope for world peace.
George Lenczowski, The Middle East in World Affairs (1952)
George Lenczowski, Oil And State In The Middle East (1960)
George Lenczowski, Ed., The Political Awakening In The Middle East (1970)
George Lenczowski, Political Elites in the Middle East (United States Interests in the Middle East) (Jul 1975)
George Lenczowski, Iran Under the Pahlavis (Hoover Institution publication) (Dec 1978)
George Lenczowski. American Presidents and the Middle East. Duke University Press, 1990. ISBN 0822309726.
Lenczowski's book, American Presidents and the Middle East, along with The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict by Steven L. Spiegel and Peace Process by William B. Quandt
William B. Quandt
William B. Quandt is an American scholar, author, professor and member of the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia. He previously served as senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and as a member on the National Security Council in the...
, are considered by historian and former Israeli ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren
Michael Oren
Michael B. Oren is an American-born Israeli historian and author and the Israeli ambassador to the United States...
, as being "three of the genre's finer examples", focusing on the post-World War II period and seeking to investigate broader aspects of America's Middle East history.
Lenczowski was the father of John Lenczowski
John Lenczowski
Dr. John Lenczowski is the Founder and President of The Institute of World Politics – an independent graduate school of statecraft and national security affairs in Washington, D.C.- Professional life :Dr...
, president and founder of the Institute of World Politics.
Early life
George Lenczowski was born of Polish parentage, in St. Petersburg, RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, on February 2, 1915, at a time when the land of his ancestors was still part of neighboring empires. His father worked as an engineer until the Russian Revolution. One of Lenczowski's earliest memories was a perilous escape from the Bolsheviks through war-torn Russia, which brought the Lenczowski family back to what soon would become an independent Poland, following 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...
. It was there that Lenczowski received his education from primary school to the faculty of law from the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
. He took his LL.M degree in 1936 and continued his studies in France, where he earned a Certificate in Civil Law at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
(1936) and a Doctorate in Juridical Science in Lille (1937). His dissertation on Contracts in Private and International Law was written in French and published in Paris by Domat-Montchrestien in 1938.
A young man
Following graduation, Lenczowski entered the Polish Foreign Service as a junior diplomat, and was stationed in the British Mandate of Palestine, acting as consular officer and liaison between the British authorities and Jewish immigrants from Poland. He was witness to the growing numbers of Jews desperate to escape Eastern Europe. “He was involved in what was a very difficult and delicate process,” said Lenczowski’s son, “The British were trying to control the immigration and the Arabs didn’t want the immigration.”When Poland was invaded
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
and occupied by Germany and later
Soviet invasion of Poland (1939)
The 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland was a Soviet military operation that started without a formal declaration of war on 17 September 1939, during the early stages of World War II. Sixteen days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, the Soviet Union did so from the east...
by the Soviet Union
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....
in 1939, Lenczowski's Palestine assignment came to an end. In 1940 he volunteered to serve in the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade which had defected from French Syria
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
to Palestine. He saw action in Egypt and Libya, but most prominently at the siege of Tobruk
Siege of Tobruk
The siege of Tobruk was a confrontation that lasted 240 days between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War...
, and advanced to the rank of second lieutenant. At the end of 1940, however, he was recalled by the Polish Foreign Service to be stationed, as press attaché, at the Polish Embassy in Tehran, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. There he was part of the effort to receive, process and assist some two million Poles, who had just been released from Soviet concentration camps upon the intervention of Britain.
It was there that he met his future wife, Bronia, who herself had been a prisoner of the Soviets; they were wed in March 1943. He was also in Tehran during the 1943 Tehran Conference
Tehran Conference
The Tehran Conference was the meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill between November 28 and December 1, 1943, most of which was held at the Soviet Embassy in Tehran, Iran. It was the first World War II conference amongst the Big Three in which Stalin was present...
involving Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. Tragedy struck at this time also, when his parents were arrested by the Germans during the Warsaw uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
and executed in a concentration camp.
To America
When the Yalta accordYalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
was signed in 1945, the Lenczowskis refused to serve in Stalin’s communist government in Poland and sought refuge in the United States. After a year of graduate study at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, and occasional work for the Foreign Broadcasting Division of the Department of State, Lenczowski found employment as instructor, and later assistant professor, at Hamilton College in New York State. It was here that he came to the attention of Peter Odegard, one of the pivotal figures of the discipline of political science of the time and chair of the Berkeley department. He became a U.S. citizen in 1951.
At Berkeley
Upon Odegard's invitation, Lenczowski came to Berkeley in 1952 as a visiting associate professor; after another year of research and language study in LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, he became a tenured member of the faculty. Lenczowski made his scholarly debut in the United States by publishing Russia and the West in Iran (1949). He soon followed this with his path-breaking work, The Middle East in World Affairs (1952). This book was republished, with appropriate revisions, in three later editions and has remained an authoritative text on the politics of the region for over three decades. The forth edition was reviewed by John C. Campbell in Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
in 1980 and states, in part; “This new edition of a well-known survey is worth noting for the extensive additional material covering 18 years of kaleidoscopic events, and because it remains remarkably comprehensive and reliable both as an introduction to the region and as a reference work.”
In Berkeley, Lenczowski pioneered his field as the founder and first chair of the Committee (later Center) of Middle Eastern Studies. Over the years, he served as vice chair and was among the nation's first major scholars of the modern Middle East. As an undergraduate teacher he was respected for his precision and openness; as graduate advisor of his department and mentor of graduate students he raised a generation of scholars who, in 1988, acknowledged their debt to him by publishing the volume, Ideology and Power in the Middle East: Essays in Honor of George Lenczowski. David P. Gardner, then University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
president, wrote in the book's foreword: "The quality and scope of his contributions to a better understanding of the Middle East, and particularly a better understanding of its international relations, its revolutions, and the crucial role of oil, have earned him the compliment of this volume of essays by leading scholars in the field from the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East." Altogether, between 1949 and his death, Lenczowski authored six books and monographs, coauthored and co-edited two others, and published close to 100 scholarly articles on critical facets of Middle Eastern politics, both domestic and international. Lenczowski retired from Berkeley in 1985; his last book, American Presidents and the Middle East, was released in 1990.
Beyond Berkeley
His scholarship was characterized by the accumulation of massive amounts of data, most of which he collected in the course of personal encounters and on field trips. In his scholarship he was aided by the mastery of a great number of languages: Polish, English, French, German, Russian, Arabic, and PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
. He was a master interviewer, who could develop unusual rapport with his subjects. "He knew mid-Eastern heads of state, he knew everyone," said Laurence Michalak, vice chairman of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Berkeley, "He was friendly with the royalty of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
. He was a big, tall man with a Polish accent. He had a very courtly manner. He was very, very polished and very well liked." With his reputation for objectivity, would be as welcome by royalty of Moslem countries as by the academic community and political leaders of the (then) new state of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The same personal qualities earned him the respect of U.S. administrations of both political parties, and made him a frequent visitor to the White House under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
As he was gaining international recognition, Lenczowski was invited to serve on the governing boards of numerous learned societies and centers of research. He was a frequent speaker and resident lecturer at diverse academic institutions: St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College, Oxford
St Antony's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.St Antony's is the most international of the seven all-graduate colleges of the University of Oxford, specialising in international relations, economics, politics, and history of particular parts of the...
, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the universities of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
, Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
, and Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, the American University of Beirut
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut is a private, independent university in Beirut, Lebanon. It was founded as the Syrian Protestant College by American missionaries in 1866...
, the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House
Chatham House
Chatham House, formally known as The Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in London whose mission is to analyse and promote the understanding of major international issues and current affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's leading...
), the National War College
National War College
The National War College of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. It was officially established on July 1, 1946, as an upgraded replacement for the...
(Washington, D.C.), the Army War College (Pennsylvania), and Stanford University's Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
. Next to being a professional scholar and trusted advisor in and outside academia, Lenczowski was a true humanist, with a love of the law, and with his belief in social justice and hope for world peace.
List of books
George Lenczowski, Russia and the West in Iran (1949)George Lenczowski, The Middle East in World Affairs (1952)
George Lenczowski, Oil And State In The Middle East (1960)
George Lenczowski, Ed., The Political Awakening In The Middle East (1970)
George Lenczowski, Political Elites in the Middle East (United States Interests in the Middle East) (Jul 1975)
George Lenczowski, Iran Under the Pahlavis (Hoover Institution publication) (Dec 1978)
George Lenczowski. American Presidents and the Middle East. Duke University Press, 1990. ISBN 0822309726.