Background
Joseph Rothschild was born on April 5, 1931, in Fulda, Germany. He was a son of Meinhold Rothschild and Henriette (Loewenstein) Rothschild.
educator historian political scientist author
Joseph Rothschild was born on April 5, 1931, in Fulda, Germany. He was a son of Meinhold Rothschild and Henriette (Loewenstein) Rothschild.
In 1951, Joseph graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude. The following year, in 1952, he received a Master of Arts degree from the same university. Then, Joseph continued his education at the University of Oxford, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1955.
In 1955, Joseph began his career as a Political Science Instructor at Columbia University in New York City. At the beginning of his career, he also served as an Associate at Columbia's Institute on East Central Europe and at the Russian Institute. In 1958, Joseph was promoted to the post of an Assistant Professor, the post he held till 1962, when he was made an Associate Professor. In 1968, Rothschild was appointed a Professor of Political Science and History and held the post till his death in 2000.
Joseph served as Chair of the Government Department in 1964-1967 and that of the Contemporary Civilization Program in 1968-1971 at Columbia College. In 1971-1975, 1981-1982 and 1989-1991, he acted as Chair of the Department of Political Science at Columbia University. Besides, in 1978, Joseph was named Class of 1919 Professor of Political Science at the same university and remained in this position until his death.
From 1983 till 1991, Rothschild acted as a Departmental Representative for Columbia College and Columbia University School of General Studies. Besides, he served as a member of the administrative board of the Research Institute on Institutional Change in 1968-1992, as well as a member of numerous committees, including the Executive Committee of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences in 1979-1982 and Committee on Instruction, Columbia College, in 1984-1987, among others.
Joseph's research focus was mainly on East Central Europe and he wrote several books on the subject. His first published work, "The Communist Party of Bulgaria: Origins and Development 1883-1936", appeared in 1959. That book was followed by five others, including his 1974's "East Central Europe between the Two World Wars" and his 1989's "Political History of East Central Europe since World War II". Besides, he co-edited two books and contributed writings to a number of anthologies, including the 1980's "Ethnic Russia in the USSR".
Moreover, during his career, Rothschild also served on the editorial boards of the Middle East Review and the Political Science Quarterly.
Joseph Rothschild was a renowned historian and political scientist, who taught at Columbia University for more than forty years. He was an expert on European comparative politics, East Central European studies and Ethnopolitics.
In addition, Rothschild authored a number of books, including "The Communist Party of Bulgaria: Origins and Development 1883-1936" (1959), "Pilsudski's Coup D'etat" (1966), "East Central Europe Between the Two World Wars" (1974), "Ethnopolitics: A Conceptual Framework" (1979) and "Return to Diversity: A Political History of East Central Europe Since World War II" (1989).
Throughout his career, Joseph received numerous academic honors, distinctions and fellowships, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, Mark Van Doren Great Teacher Award, Woodrow Wilson International Fellowship and Ford Foundation-American Council of Learned Societies Research Grant.
In addition, the Joseph Rothschild Prize in Nationalism and Ethnic Studies was established in his honor.
(Since the death of Stalin, the supposedly monolithic char...)
1989("East Central Europe Between The Two World Wars" is a sop...)
1974Joseph was a member of the Academy of Political Science, American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America, Phi Beta Kappa Society and American Professors for Peace in the Middle East, of which he also was the national vice-chairman in the years 1975-1990. From 1985, he was also a member of the Commission on International Affairs for the American Jewish Congress.
Physical Characteristics: Joseph suffered from a nonmalignant brain tumor.
Quotes from others about the person
"Joe was an inspiration to his students and his colleagues, mixing profound learning with inspired humor. He mixed serious scholarship with adroit and generous departmental leadership, and enjoyed not just the respect, but the affection of an enormous community of scholars." - Lisa Anderson, Dean Emerita of the School of International and Public Affairs
Joseph married Ruth Deborah (Nachmansohn) Rothschild on July 19, 1959. Their marriage produced two children - Nina and Gerson.
