National Alliance of Russian Solidarists, circa 1930-1990

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Summary

Title:
National Alliance of Russian Solidarists : correspondence & photographs
Dates:
circa 1930-1990
Extent:
1.0 Linear feet
Language:
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], National Alliance of Russian Solidarists : correspondence and photographs, 1930-1982 (M1909). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Background

Scope and content:

Includes 150 photographs of NTS activists and events associated with NTS activities, circa 1930-1989. The correspondence includes letters to N.B. Tarasova, 1962-1982, circa 155 pages from Sergei Rafal'skii, 70 pages from Anatolii Darov + unpublished poems, 12 pages from Nina Fedorova, 12 pages from Leonid Rzhevskii, and 10 pages from Nikolai Arsen'ev + unpublished poems. Other batches of correspondence include 200 pages of letters to the chairman of NTS, V.M. Baidalakov, to V.D. Poremskii, and others, and there are some 390 letters and postcards to the editorial office of the weekly Posev.There is also a 136-page typescript by N.S. Kozorez, "About service in a Cossack encampment and 10 ears in Stalin's camps."

Biographical / historical:

The National Alliance of Russian Solidarists (“Народно-Трудовой Союз российских солидаристов” or NTS) is a Russian émigré political organization founded in Belgrade in 1930 by a young generation of exiled Russians. It soon spread to other European capitals, and during the course of the next 50 years, it became the largest and the most active Russian émigré political organization, having its center in Western Germany. The ideology of the NTS was based on anti-communism. The main accent was on the belief that the Soviet system was incapable of evolution, and therefore it needed to be removed by means of internal opposition. The other principle of the ideology of the NTS was solidarism, built largely on the NTS’s understanding of the ethical code of Christianity. The NTS stressed the collective social responsibility of people for the welfare of others, and it praised the principle of national and international solidarity against the communist idea of class struggle. The NTS defended democratic participation in government. Its platform included an appreciation of human rights and the idea of individual freedom and personal responsibility. The NTS proposed to solve the problem of socialism versus capitalism by articulating an ideology which placed itself “beyond right and left”.

The members of the NTS were politically active, striving to find the best ways of creating and underground revolutionary force in Soviet Union and using the following means to try to achieve its goals: sending its people into the Soviet Union covertly; clandestinely distributing propaganda leaflets; setting up radio station. NTS members were strongly opposed to the Soviet regime, but they felt close to the Russian culture and people. The publishing of books and other literature became one of the distinguishing features of all the activities run by NTS. In 1945, the first NTS publishing house, the Russian language press Posev, was created in Germany in the refugee camp Monchehof, located in the Kassel district in the State of Hessen. In 1947, Posev moved its headquarters to Limburg (Limburg an der Lahn); in 1952 it moved to Frankfurt am Main. Over the years, 300 books were published by Posev, and the weekly journal Posev and the literary magazine Grani gained excellent reputations. Not only anti-communist propaganda articles were published, but also highly valued literary works. Between 1960 and the the end of the 80-ties, about 170 titles by dissident authors from the Soviet Union were published by Posev. It can be said that the activity of Posev penetrated the Iron Curtain in both directions, and it contributed immensely to the collapse of Soviet Empire in 1989.

This collection contains materials regarding Posev’s “Limburg” period (1947-1952), and it also contains the correspondence between the editors and several authors (1949-1976). Exceptional value can be attributed to the photograph collection (150 are dated from 1936 to 1983). Most of the photographs have been identified, and they constitute a rich source for future researchers interested in the history of the NTS. Vladimir Semenovich Batshev (Batchev) is a Russian writer who has lived since 1995 in Germany.

Acquisition information:
This collection was purchased by Stanford University, Special Collections in 2012.
Physical location:
Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 36-48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/spc.html.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Elga Zalite
Date Prepared:
January, 2013
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013-03-11T10:44-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

The materials are open for research use. Audio-visual materials are not available in original format, and must be reformatted to a digital use copy.

Terms of access:

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, California 94305-6064. Consent is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner, heir(s) or assigns. See: http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.

Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], National Alliance of Russian Solidarists : correspondence and photographs, 1930-1982 (M1909). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Location of this collection:
Department of Special Collections, Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-6004, US
Contact:
(650) 725-1022
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Website