Kopelev, Lev (Henry Wallis)

Biographical profile:

Born: April 9,1912

Ethnicity: Ukranian Jew

Field of activity: Literature

Spouse:

Children: None

Died: June 18, 1997

Brief Biography: Lev Kopelev was a professor of languages and author in the 20th century. He grew up in Kiev, , where he attended school. From a young age Kopelev was a strong supporter of the , and this contributed greatly to his commitment and belief in . In 1926, his family moved to Kharkov, Ukraine, where he attended the Kharkov State University, graduating with a degree in Philosophy. I was also here that he had his first taste of political activism- if mostly through exposure. In 1929 Kopelev was arrested for the first time for associating with Bukharists and Trotskyists, for which he was sentenced to 10 days in prison. In the 1930’s, Kopelev worked for various news outlets where he witnessed dekulakisation and

1 collectivisation. By the late 1930’s, Kopelev had obtained a PhD and was teaching at the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History. When war broke out between the USSR and Germany Kopelev volunteered himself for the . While in the army however, he began to have serious misgivings and in 1945 he spoke out against the atrocities he saw the army committing. For this he was sentenced to 10 years in the and was where he met . After the war, he worked primarily in Germany and continued to publish his work in various journals and newspapers.

Biographical Analysis:

The Red Army: Growing up in Ukraine, and being a supporter of the Stalin regime there came a time when Kopelev saw an opportunity to serve Russia as the true patriot he was. Immediately following the outbreak of WWII he joined the Red Army as he saw it as his duty to fight for his adopted country. He was given the role of propaganda officer and also a translator as he spoke Russian, German, and Ukrainian. This shows how there was a spot for even academics in the Red Army, and they were positioned in spots that allowed for them to function to the best of their abilities in order to aid the war effort. In looking at Kopelev’s admittedly short career in the Red Army, are able to clearly see his dedication to the cause and to communism. He had already displayed a great admiration and love for German culture, however when he was part of the invading army he ordered his men to ‘piss on German soil’ demonstrating his true love for Russia, and his belief in Stalin as a great leader.

Incarceration: In 1945, Kopelev felt he could no longer stand by as crimes were being committed by other members of the Red Army. He wrote an article condemning the actions of his men who were raping, looting, and plundering the smaller village folk of Germany and Prussia. In addition to this, he was found to be irritable to his superiors due to his comparatively advanced morals and also tried to protect German women from other soldiers in the Red Army who were non-combatants. For this he was charged with ‘bourgeois humanitarianism’ and also ‘showing pity to the enemy’. While initially acquitted of these ‘crimes’ Kopelev was re-arrested shortly afterwards and subsequently found guilty of his.

Kopelev was incarcerated for the remainder of the war and well into the 1950’s with his sentence being 10 years. In spite of this imprisonment however, Kopelev remained loyal to the communist system, choosing to believe that it was the poor leadership of his immediate superiors, rather than a broken system which caused his incarceration. Once more, we see his almost blind faith in Stalin and the communist system of which he remained devoutly loyal to. It is clear that the system of propaganda which was employed by the Old Bolsheviks, and also the Stalin regime had worked magnificently in creating a deep seated loyalty in young people in the

2 early 20th Century. How else could a well-educated intellectual such as Kopelev appear to be so blind to the faults of the government, and indeed the Stalin regime?

In defense of others: Following Kopelev’s release from prison in 1954, he was reinstated to the Bolshevik party (of which he had been a member since the late 1920’s) however his views towards the Stalin regime and communism began to slowly change. This is not to say that overnight he became a believer in capitalism, nor did he become vehemently opposed to the USSR and its government, but rather he became enlightened to the flaws of the system. He had held lifelong beliefs in Stalin and as these beliefs became fraught with more and more uncertainties, Kopelev became more and more disillusioned with the entire regime. He still believed in socialism, he was still proud to be Russian, but he now held doubts about the Soviet Government, and was unafraid to voice his concerns and misgivings. His growing rejection of the Soviet Government could only be ignored for so long, and in 1968 he was removed from the Bolshevik Party once more, with his and his wife’s Soviet citizenship being revoked in 1981. He lived in Germany from 1980 until his death in 1997, and it was here that he truly became a dissident of the USSR. He published many newspaper and journal articles both praising fellow dissenters, and condemning the actions of both the Soviet government and also its Western allies. In particular he is known for his fervent admiration, and defence of , and Dina Kaminskaya.

Communism:

Growing up in early 20th Century Ukraine, and moving to Russia still as a young man to follow his academic career, it was perhaps inevitable that Kopelev became a staunch believer in communism. His early exposure to communism and politics had a resounding impact on him, and affected him for the entirety of his life. Even after his expulsion from the Bolshevik party, and the revoking of his Soviet citizenship, Kopelev still maintained the belief that socialism was sound political system and would remain a prevalent political construct beyond the foreseeable future. This is evident in many of his writings, even after the fall of communism and the collapse of the USSR. Regardless of the atrocities he witnessed at the hands of the Socialist Regime under Stalin, his belief in communism was so entrenched in his own personal ideals that it became impossible to separate the two. This may be due to pervasive propaganda campaigns, or merely his own independently held beliefs, we may never know; all that can be known for certain is that in spite of facing cruelty at the hands of this system, many Russians still saw something in it that sustained their belief in socialism.

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Primary Sources: Kopelev, Lev. "A Portrait Of The Scientist As A Hero". The Guardian 1981: 13. Web. Kopelev, Lev. Ease My Sorrows. New York: Random House, 1983. Print. Kopelev, Lev. "EVOLUTION IN EUROPE: THE REJOINING OF GERMANY - EUROPEAN VOICES; A Shield Against Responsibility Falls.". New York Times 1990: 78. Web. Kopelev, Lev. No Jail For Thought. London: Secker & Warburg, 1977. Print.

Kopelev, Lev. "One Moscow Lawyer". Encompass 65.3 (1985): 65-68. Web. Kopelev, Lev. The Education Of A True Believer. New York: Harper & Row, 1980. Print.

Secondary Sources: Applebaum, Anne. "Lev Kopelev". Annals Of Communism: Gulag Voices: An Anthology. Anne Applebaum and Jane A. Miller. 1st ed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011. 125-141. Print. Corin, Chris. 'Lev Kopelev: True Believer, Victim, Dissident'. History Review 70 (2011), 34-39.

Dunlop, John B. Slavic Review 40.2 (1981): 323-24. Web.

Additional Information on Lev Kopelev:

 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's character 'Lev Rubin' in his novel 'The First Circle' is based on Lev Kopelev  Kopelev was well respected in Germany for his interest in German literature, and also due to his actions in 1945 where he protected some innocent German women.  In 1947, Kopelev was transferred to a in Marfino, which had much better living conditions for prisoners than other gulag camps.  Kopelev was an extremely enthusiastic supporter of the Five Year Plans.  In 1977, Kopelev was expelled from the Soviet Writer's Union, which also meant he could no longer teach or be published in the USSR.  His Russian citizenship was reinstated in 1990, yet he remained in Germany until his death in 1997.

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