Conservatism across Borders: The Russo-Turkish War and the Proliferation of Right-Wing Thought

• In Event: Alternative for Russia: Monarchist, Populist and Antisemitic Voices across the 1917 Divide

Abstract

The Russo-Turkish war has been recognized as an event that spurred more radical and noxious forms of antisemitism in Russia. What has not been remarked upon, however, is the fact that the war also led to the proliferation of right-wing ideas, many originating in Russia, across the continent. This paper will examine the effect of the war in creating transnational networks of right-wing activists, authoritarian cults, and antisemitic conspiracy theories across borders. It will also explore how the processes begun in the 1870s laid the foundations for even more meaningful forms of right-wing exchange that occurred at the turn of the century, including the forgery of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. 

Author

• Faith C. Hillis, U of Chicago