Michael Voslenski
Encyclopedia
Mikhail Sergeyevich Voslensky (December 6, 1920, Berdyansk, Ukraine
—February 8, 1997, Bonn
, Germany
) was a former Soviet
writer
, scientist
and diplomat
, and author of the book Nomenklatura: The Soviet Ruling Class, about the Soviet nomenklatura
, translated into 14 languages and printed in multiple editions.
Michael Voslensky was an interpreter of the Soviet Union during the Nuremberg Trials
. During 1953-1955 he worked with the World Peace Council
. later he worked in the USSR Academy of Sciences
In 1974, after 4 years of living in West Germany
, he was stripped of Soviet citizenship (restored in 1990) and worked with the Forschungsinstitut für sowjetische Gegenwart (Research Institute for the Soviet Union).
His book Nomenklatura was motivated by Milovan Djilas's idea about the New Class
emerging in communist state
s.
His book Secrets Revealed: Moscow Archives Speak sketches the role of terror in the Soviet system, the evolution of the Soviet secret police
, and the role of the nomenklatura in its hierarchy.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
—February 8, 1997, Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) was a former 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....
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....
, scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, and author of the book Nomenklatura: The Soviet Ruling Class, about the Soviet nomenklatura
Nomenklatura
The nomenklatura were a category of people within the Soviet Union and other Eastern Bloc countries who held various key administrative positions in all spheres of those countries' activity: government, industry, agriculture, education, etc., whose positions were granted only with approval by the...
, translated into 14 languages and printed in multiple editions.
Michael Voslensky was an interpreter of the Soviet Union during the Nuremberg Trials
Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials were a series of military tribunals, held by the victorious Allied forces of World War II, most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, and economic leadership of the defeated Nazi Germany....
. During 1953-1955 he worked with the World Peace Council
World Peace Council
The World Peace Council is an international organization that advocates universal disarmament, sovereignty and independence and peaceful co-existence, and campaigns against imperialism, weapons of mass destruction and all forms of discrimination...
. later he worked in the USSR Academy of Sciences
In 1974, after 4 years of living in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, he was stripped of Soviet citizenship (restored in 1990) and worked with the Forschungsinstitut für sowjetische Gegenwart (Research Institute for the Soviet Union).
His book Nomenklatura was motivated by Milovan Djilas's idea about the New Class
New class
The "New Class" model, as a theory of new social groups in post-industrial societies, gained ascendency during the 1970s as social and political scientists noted how "New Class" groups were shaped by post-material orientations in their pursuit of political and social goals...
emerging in communist state
Communist state
A communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule or dominant-party rule of a communist party and a professed allegiance to a Leninist or Marxist-Leninist communist ideology as the guiding principle of the state...
s.
His book Secrets Revealed: Moscow Archives Speak sketches the role of terror in the Soviet system, the evolution of the Soviet secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
, and the role of the nomenklatura in its hierarchy.