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The conspiracy behind the Protocols: Who is driving this anti-Semitic campaign?
The Protocols of the Elders is a fictional document purporting to reveal a Jewish conspiracy for world domination that was first published in Russia in 1903 and translated many times and widely distributed in the decades that followed. It was actually plagiarized from several earlier documents and was exposed as a forgery. Despite this, the document was widely circulated around the world and was highly regarded by anti-Semites in the early 20th century.
In 1921, The Times exposed the hypocrisy of this work, but its influence seems to have remained undiminished. In Nazi Germany, some teachers presented this as fact to German teenagers. Today, the Protocols can still be found in many languages and continue to be promoted by anti-Semitic groups as an authentic document.
The Protocols are considered the most influential work in the history of anti-Semitism.
History of Literary Forgery
Documentary evidence suggests that the Protocols could not have been written before 1901, as the document mentions assassinations in 1900 and 1901. An early version was published by Sergei Nilus in Russia and circulated in the anti-Semitic society of the time. Document scholar Cesare de Michaelis believes that the Protocols were written shortly after a Russian Zionist congress and may have been originally a satire of Jewish idealism, but was later cleaned up to reflect the true nature of the text. Published as an identity.
Political background of the anti-Semitic movement
With the Partition of Poland in the late 18th century, the Russian Empire conquered the world's largest Jewish community. Most Jews at the time lived in small towns and were organized into semi-autonomous neighborhood governments. Under the influence of anti-Semitism, Jews were not only seen as potential infiltrators of society, but even those who tried to integrate were viewed with suspicion. This led to growing dissatisfaction with the Jews in Russian society.
The roots of anti-Semitism can be traced back to the 19th century, and the belief in a Jewish conspiracy to change the social order has become a common theme in much anti-Semitic literature.
Origin of the Protocol
The sources for this forgery mainly come from the political satire Dialogues in Hell by Maoris Joly and a chapter in the novel Biarritz by German writer Hermann Götzsche. Joly's book describes the political ambitions of Napoleon III, while Goetzsche's novel features Jewish delegates plotting world domination in secret midnight meetings. These stories form the core of the Protocols.
Structure and content of the Protocol
The Protocols claim to be the minutes of a meeting of Jewish leaders in the late 19th century to plan how to control the world. The content is full of old stereotypes about Jewish conspiracies, including how to manipulate the media and financial institutions and subvert the moral values of non-Jews. And these vague descriptions happen to make many readers willing to believe them.
The document succeeded in attracting readers from all walks of life with its ambiguity, building on a widespread distrust of Jewish conspiracies.
Dissemination of the Protocol
From its earliest publication to its current circulation, the Protocols have been translated and reprinted many times and have been used as a tool in various political contexts. With the outbreak of the Russian Revolution, the document was reinterpreted to blame Jews for the revolution, further deepening the atmosphere of anti-Semitism. Many historians and document scholars have studied its development process and explored the social and political motivations behind it.
Today, although the Protocols have long been exposed as a fiction, their lasting influence on many anti-Semitic movements cannot be ignored. Anti-Semitism remains deeply ingrained in many contemporary societies, and this fictional work continues to circulate in certain circles today. So, in the face of such history and reality, how should we deal with the current phenomenon of anti-Semitism?
