Maxim Maximovich Litvinov (Russian: Макси́м Макси́мович Литви́нов; Russian pronunciation: [mɐˈksʲim mɐˈksʲiməvʲɪtɕ lʲɪˈtvʲinəf]) (July 17, 1876–December 31, 1951) was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turnaround" is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states
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Early life and first exile
Born Meir Henoch Mojszewicz Wallach-Finkelstein (simplified into Max Wallach, Russian: Макс Ва́ллах) into a wealthy Jewish banking family in Białystok in Congress Poland (some sources say a poor Jewish family, [1]), the son of Moses and Anna Wallach, he joined the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (SDLP) in 1898. Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Białystok Lublin Voivodeship Białystok (also known by alternative names) is the largest City in northeastern Poland. Congress Poland Kongresówka, officially and formally Kingdom of Poland (Królestwo Polskie {{IPA-pl|'|p|o|l|s|kʲ|e}} Царство Польское Tsarstvo Polskoye The Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party, or RSDLP ( Росси́йская Социа́л-Демократи́ческая Рабо́чая Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The party was an illegal organization, and it was customary for its members to use pseudonyms. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) He changed his name to Maxim Litvinov, but was also known as Papasha and Maximovich. Litvinov also wrote articles under the names M. G. Harrison and David Mordecai Finkelstein [2] His early responsibilities included carrying propaganda work in Chernigiv region. Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people Chernihiv, also referred to as Chernigov (Чернігів Чернигов Чарнігаў is a historic city in northern Ukraine. In 1900 Litvinov became a member of Kiev party committee, but the entire committee was arrested in 1901. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Kiev, also known as Kyiv ( Ukrainian:, Kyiv, ˈkɪjiw Russian:, Kiyev; see also Cities' alternative names) is the Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting After 18 months of captivity, he led an escape of 11 inmates from Lukyanovskaya prison and lived in exile in Switzerland, where he was an editor for the revolutionary newspaper Iskra. Lukyanivska Prison (Лук'янівська тюрма is a famous historical Prison in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, located in the Lukyanivka Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Iskra (Russian Искра means Spark, was a political Newspaper of Russian Socialist emigrants established as the official In 1903, he joined the Bolshevik faction and returned to Russia. Year 1903 ( MCMIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar or a Common year starting The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction After the 1905 Revolution he became editor of the SDLP's first legal newspaper, Novaya Zhizn (New Life) in St. Petersburg. See also Russian Revolution (1917 The 1905 Russian Revolution also known as the Failed Russian Revolution of 1905 was an empire-wide struggle of Novaya Zhizn (Новая Жизнь New Life) was the first legal newspaper of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party. Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River
Second emigration
When the Russian government began arresting Bolsheviks in 1906, Litvinov left the country and spent the next ten years living in London, where he was active in the International Socialist Bureau. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Year 1906 ( MCMVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Second International (1889-1916 was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889.
There he met and married Ivy Lowe daughter of one of the most distinguished Jewish families in Britain. Miss Lowe’s ancestors emigrated from Hungary to England following the unsuccessful 1848 revolution. Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic From March 1848 through July 1849 the Habsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by revolutionary movements Her father, Walter Lowe, was a prominent writer, a close friend of H.G. Wells. Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political In fact, they enjoyed frequent exchanges, Lowe espousing the Jewish point of view, and Wells a secular philosophy.
For a while Litvinov also lived in North Belfast in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of
After the October Revolution
After the October Revolution of 1917, Litvinov was appointed by Vladimir Lenin as the Soviet government's representative in Britain. The October Revolution (Октябрьская революция Oktyabrskaya revolyutsiya) also known as the Soviet Revolution Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 However, in 1918, Litvinov was arrested by the British government and held hostage until exchanged for Robert Lockhart, a British spy who had been imprisoned in Russia. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security The name Robert Lockhart can refer to a number of people Sir R The following year he published the English tract The Bolshevik Revolution: Its Rise and Meaning, distributed by the British Socialist Party.
Litvinov was then employed as the Soviet government's roaming ambassador. It was largely through his efforts that Britain agreed to end its economic blockade of the Soviet Union. Litvinov also negotiated several trade agreements with European countries. In February 1929 he concluded the Litvinov's Pact in Moscow, signed by the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, Latvia and Estonia, in which those countries promised not to use force to settle their disputes (this was seen as an 'Eastern Kellogg-Briand Pact'). Litvinov's Pact was concluded in February 1929 in Moscow. It was signed by the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, Latvia and Estonia The Kellogg-Briand Pact, also known as the Pact of Paris, after the city where it was signed on August 27, 1928, was an international treaty "providing
In 1930, Joseph Stalin appointed Litvinov as Narkom (Minister) of Foreign Affairs. Joseph Stalin ( ნამდვილი გვარი ჯუღაშვილი|Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili; March 5 1953 was General Secretary of the Communist Party Council of Ministers of the USSR (Совет Министров СССР tr A firm believer in collective security, Litvinov worked very hard to form a closer relationship with France and Britain. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In 1933 he successfully persuaded the United States to officially recognize the Soviet government. Year 1933 ( MCMXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Franklin D. Roosevelt sent comedian Harpo Marx to the Soviet Union as a good-will ambassador, and Litvinov and Marx became friends and even performed a routine on stage together. Arthur Marx (previously Adolph Marx) popularly known as Harpo Marx ( November 23, 1893 &ndash September 28, 1964 Litvinov also actively facilitated the acceptance of the USSR into the League of Nations where he represented his country in 1934—1938. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
After the Munich Agreement between Britain, France and Germany in September 1938 and Western inaction after Germany's occupation of what remained of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 had clearly demonstrated the unwillingness of the Western Powers to participate in collective security against the Axis Powers together with the Soviet Union, Soviet foreign policy was adjusted to face the new realities and Litvinov was replaced as foreign minister in early May 1939, in order to facilitate the negotiations that led to the Non-Aggression Pact with Germany, signed by Litvinov's successor, Vyacheslav Molotov, in August of that year. The Munich Agreement (Mnichovská dohoda Mníchovská dohoda Münchner Abkommen Accords de Munich was an agreement regarding the Sudetenland, which were areas along borders Year 1938 ( MCMXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Axis powers also known as the Axis alliance Axis nations Axis countries or sometimes just the Axis were those Countries Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Molotov redirects here For other uses see Molotov (disambiguation.
Litvinov, like Churchill, had misgivings about Munich. Following the invasion of the U. S. S. R. on June 22, 1941, Litvinov said on a radio broadcast to Britain and the U. S. , "We always realized the danger which a Hitler victory in the West could constitute for us," which one commentator described as, "in the tactful language which underlings must apply to dictators, was tantamount to 'I told you so. '" [3]. With the Soviet Union being embroiled in the Great Patriotic War, Joseph Stalin appointed Litvinov as Deputy Commissar of Foreign Affairs. The term Great Patriotic War (Великая Отечественная война Velikaya Otechestvennaya Vojna) is used in Russia and some other Litvinov also served as Ambassador to the United States from 1941 to 1943 and significantly contributed to the lend lease agreement signed in 1941. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Lend-Lease (Public Law 77-11 was the name of the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union,
Legacy
Perhaps more than anyone else, the businesslike diplomat helped to bring the Soviet Union out of its post-revolutionary isolation; however, Litvinov bluntly condemned Stalin's policies during and after the war with Germany although he was supportive of the general Soviet policy during the Great Ukrainian Famine of 1932-33 as evidenced by Welsh journalist Gareth Jones who interviewed him while in Moscow. The Holodomor (Голодомор is the famine that took place in Soviet Ukraine during the 1932-1933 agricultural season Gareth Richard Vaughan Jones (13 August 1905 Barry &ndash 12 August 1935, Inner Mongolia) was a Welsh Journalist who
After Litvinov's death his wife returned to live in Britain. His last words, directed at his wife, were "Englishwoman go home".
His grandson Pavel Litvinov is a Russian physicist, writer and a Soviet-era dissident. Pavel Litvinov (Павел Литвинов born 1940 is a Russian physicist writer human rights activist and former Soviet-era Dissident.
See also
References
3. Marx, H. Barber, R. Harpo Speaks. 1974. Freeway Press. pp 326-328.
External links
- (Russian) Biography six versions from various resources
| Preceded by Georgy Chicherin |
People's Comissar for Foreign Affairs 1930–1939 |
Succeeded by Vyacheslav Molotov |