Marcel Pauker
Encyclopedia
Marcel Pauker was a Romania
n communist militant
and husband of the future Romanian Communist leader Ana Pauker
.
During his life, Pauker took a series of pseudonym
s, the ones used most being: Burghezul, Herman Gugenheim, Paul Lampart, Luximin, Puiu, Priu, Semionovici Marin, Stepan, and Paul Weiss.
family, Marcel Pauker was a polyglot, and noted speaker of Esperanto
. He briefly studied engineering
in Zürich
, before enlisting as an artillery
cadet
and becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1916 (during World War I
). Between 1919 and 1921, he lived in Switzerland
for a second time, receiving his diploma
in engineering.
; in 1922, his position became that of member of the Central Committee and the Politburo
, being sent as delegate
to the Balkan Communist Federation
Conferences in Sofia
(June 1922) and Berlin
(1923). His activities brought to the attention of the Romanian authorities: he was arrested and sentenced first to ten years imprisonment, and then to labour
for life. Nevertheless, he managed to escape and flee to the Soviet Union
in 1925, returning to Romania in 1929. Immediately, he was escorted back to prison, only to be released under the terms of an amnesty
. He was yet again arrested, in Petroşani
after his activities as an instigator during the Jiu Valley
miners' strike of August 1929
.
, reflecting the struggle between the Bucharest section and that of the Ukrainian SSR
that had taken hold of the Party's wing inside the Soviet Union around the proceedings of the 4th Congress in Kharkiv
. Again in the Soviet Union, Pauker was reprimanded by the Comintern
. Forbidden from contributing to political activities, he was sent to assist as an engineer in the industrial expansion of Magnitogorsk
(in western Siberia
), a job he undertook between 1930 and 1932. At the same time, Joseph Stalin
, whose priority at the time was showing the facade of "unity" within his subject Parties, had Holostenco removed from his position.
In 1935 Pauker was appointed a member of the Secretariat of the Romanian Communist Party. He spent time in Prague
until 1937, when he returned to the Soviet Union. He fell victim to the Great Purge
: arrested by the NKVD
on March 21, 1937 and held in the infamous Taganka Prison, Marcel Pauker was first interrogated over a year later, being presented with the charge of espionage
in favor of Romania. Records show that he finally admitted to the charge (most likely after being subjected to torture
). Consequently, he was put on trial, sentenced to death and executed by shooting
.
by Soviet authorities in 1957 (as part of the De-Stalinization
process under Nikita Khrushchev
). Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
's rejection of newer Soviet policies prevented this and other such cases from being mirrored in Communist Romania
. While Gheorghiu-Dej was exercising a looser control of the society, he was not ready to question most of the Stalinist
measures, as these had served to enforce his own rule during the previous decade.
The case was reconsidered under Nicolae Ceauşescu
's further distancing measures. Pauker's name was cleared, but mention of his activities and details of his life were kept secret.
They had three children together:
Vlad and Tatiana (known as "Marie") now live in France.
In 1931 Marcel also fathered a son named Yakov, from his relationship with fellow militant Roza Elbert.
He also had lengthy affairs with Elena Filipovici and Vanda Nicolski.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n communist militant
Militant
The word militant, which is both an adjective and a noun, usually is used to mean vigorously active, combative and aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in 'militant reformers'. It comes from the 15th century Latin "militare" meaning "to serve as a soldier"...
and husband of the future Romanian Communist leader Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker
Ana Pauker was a Romanian communist leader and served as the country's foreign minister in the late 1940s and early 1950s...
.
During his life, Pauker took a series of pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s, the ones used most being: Burghezul, Herman Gugenheim, Paul Lampart, Luximin, Puiu, Priu, Semionovici Marin, Stepan, and Paul Weiss.
Early life
Born to a secular JewishSecular Jewish culture
Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the international culture of secular communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews...
family, Marcel Pauker was a polyglot, and noted speaker of Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
. He briefly studied engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, before enlisting as an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
and becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1916 (during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
). Between 1919 and 1921, he lived in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for a second time, receiving his diploma
Diploma
A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
in engineering.
Militancy
In December 1921, Pauker was designated a member of the Provisional Committee of the Romanian Communist PartyRomanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
; in 1922, his position became that of member of the Central Committee and the Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
, being sent as delegate
Delegate
A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization at a meeting or conference between organizations of the same level A delegate is a person who speaks or acts on behalf of an organization (e.g., a government, a charity, an NGO, or a trade union) at a meeting or conference...
to the Balkan Communist Federation
Balkan Communist Federation
The Balkan Federation was a project about the creation of a Balkan federation or confederation, based mainly on left political ideas.The concept of a Balkan federation emerged at the late 19th century from among left political forces in the region...
Conferences in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
(June 1922) and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
(1923). His activities brought to the attention of the Romanian authorities: he was arrested and sentenced first to ten years imprisonment, and then to labour
Penal labour
Penal labour is a form of unfree labour in which prisoners perform work, typically manual labour. The work may be light or hard, depending on the context. Forms of sentence which involve penal labour include penal servitude and imprisonment with hard labour...
for life. Nevertheless, he managed to escape and flee to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1925, returning to Romania in 1929. Immediately, he was escorted back to prison, only to be released under the terms of an amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
. He was yet again arrested, in Petroşani
Petrosani
Petroşani is a city in Hunedoara County, Romania, with a population of 45,447 .-History:The city of Petroşani was founded in the 17th century...
after his activities as an instigator during the Jiu Valley
Jiu Valley
The Jiu Valley is a region in southwestern Romania, in Hunedoara county, situated in a valley of the Jiu River between the Retezat Mountains and the Parâng Mountains...
miners' strike of August 1929
Lupeni Strike of 1929
The Lupeni Strike of 1929 took place on August 5 and 6 1929 in the mining town of Lupeni, in the Jiu Valley of Transylvania, Romania.-Chronology:...
.
Final years and death
Marcel Pauker got involved in a political fight with Vitali HolostencoVitali Holostenco
Vitali Holostenco or Holostenko was a Romanian and Soviet communist politician. He used several pseudonyms, among which Barbu and Petrulescu.-Early life:...
, reflecting the struggle between the Bucharest section and that of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
that had taken hold of the Party's wing inside the Soviet Union around the proceedings of the 4th Congress in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
. Again in the Soviet Union, Pauker was reprimanded by the Comintern
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
. Forbidden from contributing to political activities, he was sent to assist as an engineer in the industrial expansion of Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk is a mining and industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the eastern side of the extreme southern extent of the Ural Mountains by the Ural River. Population: 418,545 ;...
(in western Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
), a job he undertook between 1930 and 1932. At the same time, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, whose priority at the time was showing the facade of "unity" within his subject Parties, had Holostenco removed from his position.
In 1935 Pauker was appointed a member of the Secretariat of the Romanian Communist Party. He spent time in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
until 1937, when he returned to the Soviet Union. He fell victim to the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
: arrested by the NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
on March 21, 1937 and held in the infamous Taganka Prison, Marcel Pauker was first interrogated over a year later, being presented with the charge of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
in favor of Romania. Records show that he finally admitted to the charge (most likely after being subjected to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
). Consequently, he was put on trial, sentenced to death and executed by shooting
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
.
Rehabilitation
Marcel Pauker was rehabilitatedRehabilitation (Soviet)
Rehabilitation in the context of the former Soviet Union, and the Post-Soviet states, was the restoration of a person who was criminally prosecuted without due basis, to the state of acquittal...
by Soviet authorities in 1957 (as part of the De-Stalinization
History of the Soviet Union (1953-1985)
In the USSR, the eleven-year period from the death of Joseph Stalin to the political ouster of Nikita Khrushchev , the national politics were dominated by the Cold War; the ideological U.S.–USSR struggle for the planetary domination of their respective socio–economic systems, and the defense of...
process under Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
). Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej was the Communist leader of Romania from 1948 until his death in 1965.-Early life:Gheorghe was the son of a poor worker, Tănase Gheorghiu, and his wife Ana. Gheorghiu-Dej joined the Communist Party of Romania in 1930...
's rejection of newer Soviet policies prevented this and other such cases from being mirrored in Communist Romania
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
. While Gheorghiu-Dej was exercising a looser control of the society, he was not ready to question most of the Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
measures, as these had served to enforce his own rule during the previous decade.
The case was reconsidered under Nicolae Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
's further distancing measures. Pauker's name was cleared, but mention of his activities and details of his life were kept secret.
Family
Largely thanks to circumstances, Ana Pauker was able to survive her husband's downfall, and she even reached the peak of her political career in the following years.They had three children together:
- Tanio (1921-1922)
- Vlad (born 1926)
- Tatiana (born 1928)
Vlad and Tatiana (known as "Marie") now live in France.
In 1931 Marcel also fathered a son named Yakov, from his relationship with fellow militant Roza Elbert.
He also had lengthy affairs with Elena Filipovici and Vanda Nicolski.