bibliophile [semi ia][no longer accepting frqs]’s Reviews > The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion > Status Update

bet the whole class had a giggle 😭

ann ❤︎ wrote: "bet the whole class had a giggle 😭"

Lwk half my class doesn’t get it bc we lwk can’t have phones or TikTok in my school

- What was the plot?
- Name one key player in the evolving plot against the Jewish people – what were his
motivations?
- What do you think motivated the author to write this book?

My answer:
The plot was to make the liberal movement seem as though it was the Jews’ scheme to overtake the world. Gorymikine and Rachovsky's concern for Russia was likely fueled by greed and a hatred of Mitte. Threatened by the idea that the Tsar would value Mitte’s liberal opinion over theirs, they decided to use the Jews as a scapegoat in their plan to undermine Mitte. If Mitte’s influence was stronger than theirs, the Tsar might decide to remove them from his advisory board if they gave him too much pushback. They wanted to keep their positions of power while also convincing the Tsar that they were correct. Taking advantage of the antisemitism that already existed in Russia, they decided to take out two birds with one stone. Remove Mitte from office whilst keeping their prestige, and ensure the downfall of a group they hated.
The author's exigence here is to show how The Protocols of the Elders of Zion were created on an antisemitic basis, lacking truth. His goal is to show how history can be created and manipulated to fit a narrative that isn't necessarily true. He fictionalized a backstory for the writing of the book, trying to show how people can create a really extreme viewpoint that is based on nothing, or, in the case of this story, from a banned book written years prior. He also shows how people can readily believe an extremist viewpoint as long as it is presented in a way that speaks to them. As long as the backstory was believable enough, people were ready to accept the book as true.