"Currency Speculators' Case" (1961–1963): Case of Latent Antisemitism in the Lithuanian SSR Santrauką imti iš summary Cover Image

„Valiutininkų byla“ (1961–1963 m.): latentinio antisemitizmo atvejis Lietuvos SSR?
"Currency Speculators' Case" (1961–1963): Case of Latent Antisemitism in the Lithuanian SSR Santrauką imti iš summary

Author(s): Justas Stončius
Subject(s): History
Published by: Vytauto Didžiojo Universitetas
Keywords: currency speculation; the file of foreign exchange traders, latent anti-Semitism, the image of Jews, Lithuanian SSR.

Summary/Abstract: The file of foreign exchange traders is related to criminal trials of currency exchange speculators in the Soviet Union (1961–1963). This file is reflected as a part of SSRS anti-Semitic politics against Zionism in the historiography data. This statement can be confirmed by the fact that the ranks of the accused were dominated by the Jewish people. The consequence of speculation was currency exchange trading of the United States dollar and British Pounds Sterling. The United States dollars bought by currency exchange traders were sold to the citizens of the USSR that aimed to travel abroad because they were authorized to buy foreign currency for up to 30 rubles of value. At the beginning KGB aimed to find out the process of speculative exchange trading, therefore firstly persecuted the suspects in Moscow and subsequently in the whole USSR. As this file has never been researched in the historiography of Lithuanian SSR, therefore current theses are verified in this paper: was the USSR anti- Semitic political direction reflected in the Lithuanian SSR? What were the characteristics of the current campaign propaganda in general? It was useful for the USSR to have ideological – political “internal enemy” and criminal trials inspired negative view of Jews – speculators. Thus Soviet regime tried to ground its political legitimacy, the status of “peaceful USSR” as well as it was tool of mass control and social tension deflection, especially after unsuccessful Nikita Khrushchev agro reforms. Leaders of USSR aimed to avoid society dissatisfaction, therefore used the concept of Jew-Scapegoat. However, anti-Semitism was already positioned in the USSR society by latent forms, therefore functioned as not evident but foreknown phenomenon. Soviet propaganda did not lack rhetorical methods to cast a new light on the question of Jewish population loyalty to the regime. Even though non-socialistic behavior was defined without national and religious identity having involved, Jewish names and other semantic Jew’s image details made picture that Jewish people participated in the currency exchange trading speculations. Therefore the making of Jews as the rhetoric figure of the USSR propaganda is the main question analyzed in the research. The noteworthy fact is that it was not useful for the Soviet regime to accept Jews as the objective group for the Third Reich genocide politics, because such a decision might have invited to consider the idea if USSR is also against the same group of Soviet citizens which was killed by the Nazi regime. This circumstance affected tendencies for the formation of negative Jews image which defined not only the identity of currency exchange traders, but also strengthened the influence of ideological anti-Semitic attitudes in the society.

  • Issue Year: 89/2013
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 39-47
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Lithuanian