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Alexandre Bennigsen
university teacher
- March 20, 1913
- June 3, 1988
- 75 years
About Alexandre Bennigsen
Alexandre Bennigsen, 75, Soviet scholar of Islam.
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Full Biography
|Alexandre Bennigsen (Russian: Александр Адамович Беннигсен) (20 March 1913 – 3 June 1988) was a scholar of Islam in the Soviet Union.
Biography
Count Bennigsen was born in an aristocratic family in St Petersburg in 1913. After the Bolshevik Revolution, his family left Russia for Estonia in 1919 and settled in Paris in 1924, where he studied at the Ecole des Langues Orientales.
He taught at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes (en Sciences Sociales) and became the chair of history of non-Arab Islam. Bennigsen also taught at various American universities, including the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Bennigsen believed that the Muslims of the Soviet Union effectively resisted Sovietization, maintaining a distinctive identity within the Union. He also attributed a political role to Islam, arguing that even though most Soviet Muslims probably knew little of actual Islamic religious practice they retained a strong cultural knowledge. The latter view was current among social scientists, who believed that Soviet social engineering had largely eradicated any sense of being Muslim amongst the historically Islamic people of the Russian empire. Bennigsen appeared prescient when the Soviet Union began to crumble, and especially in its aftermath. Events supported his belief that Soviet Muslims had retained their Islamic identity, though not a solid knowledge of Islamic practice, despite having been cut off from the larger Islamic world since the 1920s. However, his influence as a Cold War strategist influenced US covert activity in the area. Today Islam is a potent political force throughout the former Soviet republics but also, especially, in Russia itself.
Bennigsen influenced the Polish born American diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski, when the latter set up the Nationalities Working Group as an interdepartmental organisation bringing together people from the CIA, the Pentagon and the State Department under the leadership of Paul B. Henze. The group advocated Bennigsen's view that the promotion of Islamism in Central Asia had potential in leading to a Muslim uprising against the Soviet authorities.
Bennigsen, who died in Paris in 1988, is generally considered the "father" of a school of students of nationality issues in the former Soviet Union and in the states formed in its aftermath. These included, prominently, S. Enders Wimbush and Chantal Lemercier-Quelquejay, with whom Bennigsen wrote many books and articles, and Paul A. Goble, the founder and editor of Window on Eurasia.
Marie Bennigsen-Broxup, his daughter, was a well-known scholar on Central Asia.
Works
- The Evolution of the Muslim Nationalities in the USSR and their Linguistic Problems, London, 1961.
- Islam in the Soviet Union, London, New York, 1967.
- Muslim National Communism in the Soviet Union: a revolutionary strategy for the colonial world, Chicago, 1970, (coauthored with S. Enders Wimbush).
- Mystics and Commissars, Sufism in the Soviet Union, London & Berkeley, 1985, (coauthored with S. Enders Wimbush).
- Muslims of the Soviet Empire. A Guide, London & Bloomington, Ind., 1986, (coedited with S. Enders Wimbush).
- The Islamic Threat to the Soviet State, London, 1983. (With Marie Broxup).
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Bennigsen
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 24, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Alexandre Bennigsen's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Alexandre Bennigsen born?
- A.Moscow
- B.St Petersburgcorrect
- C.Tallinn
- D.Paris
Alexandre Bennigsen was born in an aristocratic family in St Petersburg in 1913.
Source: biography section
2.In what year did the family of Alexandre Bennigsen leave Russia for Estonia?
- A.1919correct
- B.1913
- C.1930
- D.1924
After the Bolshevik Revolution, the family of Alexandre Bennigsen left Russia for Estonia in 1919.
Source: biography section
3.At which institution did Alexandre Bennigsen study after settling in Paris?
- A.Ecole des Langues Orientalescorrect
- B.Sorbonne
- C.University of Chicago
- D.Harvard University
Alexandre Bennigsen settled in Paris in 1924, where he studied at the Ecole des Langues Orientales.
Source: biography section
4.What academic role did Alexandre Bennigsen hold at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes?
- A.Chair of history of non-Arab Islamcorrect
- B.Dean of History
- C.Professor of Soviet Studies
- D.Director of Islamic Research
Alexandre Bennigsen taught at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes and became the chair of history of non-Arab Islam.
Source: biography section
5.Which American university did Alexandre Bennigsen teach at?
- A.Columbia University
- B.Princeton University
- C.University of Wisconsin–Madisoncorrect
- D.Yale University
Alexandre Bennigsen taught at various American universities, including the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Source: biography section
6.What did Alexandre Bennigsen believe about Muslims in the Soviet Union?
- A.They had been fully sovietized
- B.They had abandoned all Islamic identity
- C.They effectively resisted Sovietizationcorrect
- D.They had forgotten their cultural heritage
Alexandre Bennigsen believed that the Muslims of the Soviet Union effectively resisted Sovietization, maintaining a distinctive identity within the Union.
Source: biography section
7.What specific political view did Alexandre Bennigsen hold regarding Soviet Muslims?
- A.They were fully integrated into the Union
- B.They lacked any cultural knowledge
- C.They had no interest in political influence
- D.They retained a strong cultural knowledgecorrect
Alexandre Bennigsen argued that even though most Soviet Muslims knew little of religious practice, they retained a strong cultural knowledge.
Source: biography section
8.Which diplomat was influenced by the work of Alexandre Bennigsen?
- A.Henry Kissinger
- B.George Kennan
- C.Paul B. Henze
- D.Zbigniew Brzezinskicorrect
Alexandre Bennigsen influenced the Polish born American diplomat Zbigniew Brzezinski.
Source: biography section
9.Who led the Nationalities Working Group that promoted the views of Alexandre Bennigsen?
- A.S. Enders Wimbush
- B.Marie Bennigsen-Broxup
- C.Paul B. Henzecorrect
- D.Paul A. Goble
The Nationalities Working Group was brought together under the leadership of Paul B. Henze.
Source: biography section
10.In what year did Alexandre Bennigsen die?
- A.1970
- B.1988correct
- C.1986
- D.1983
Alexandre Bennigsen died in Paris in 1988.
Source: biography section
11.Which scholar was a student of Alexandre Bennigsen and the founder of Window on Eurasia?
- A.Marie Bennigsen-Broxup
- B.Chantal Lemercier-Quelquejay
- C.S. Enders Wimbush
- D.Paul A. Goblecorrect
Alexandre Bennigsen influenced students including Paul A. Goble, the founder and editor of Window on Eurasia.
Source: biography section
12.Who was the daughter of Alexandre Bennigsen who also became a scholar on Central Asia?
- A.Elena Bennigsen
- B.Marie Bennigsen-Broxupcorrect
- C.Chantal Lemercier-Quelquejay
- D.S. Enders Wimbush
Marie Bennigsen-Broxup, his daughter, was a well-known scholar on Central Asia.
Source: biography section
13.Which book was coauthored by Alexandre Bennigsen and S. Enders Wimbush in 1970?
- A.The Islamic Threat to the Soviet State
- B.Mystics and Commissars
- C.Islam in the Soviet Union
- D.Muslim National Communism in the Soviet Unioncorrect
Muslim National Communism in the Soviet Union: a revolutionary strategy for the colonial world was published in Chicago in 1970, coauthored with S. Enders Wimbush.
Source: works section
14.Alexandre Bennigsen coedited which 1986 guide with S. Enders Wimbush?
- A.Muslims of the Soviet Empirecorrect
- B.Mystics and Commissars
- C.The Islamic Threat
- D.The Evolution of the Muslim Nationalities
Muslims of the Soviet Empire. A Guide, London & Bloomington, Ind., 1986, was coedited with S. Enders Wimbush.
Source: works section
15.With whom did Alexandre Bennigsen write The Islamic Threat to the Soviet State?
- A.S. Enders Wimbush
- B.Marie Broxupcorrect
- C.Chantal Lemercier-Quelquejay
- D.Paul A. Goble
The Islamic Threat to the Soviet State, London, 1983 was written with Marie Broxup.
Source: works section
16.What is the title of the work published by Alexandre Bennigsen in 1961?
- A.Islam in the Soviet Union
- B.The Evolution of the Muslim Nationalities in the USSR and their Linguistic Problemscorrect
- C.Mystics and Commissars
- D.Muslims of the Soviet Empire
The Evolution of the Muslim Nationalities in the USSR and their Linguistic Problems was published in London in 1961.
Source: works section
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