Murray Feshbach
university teacher
- August 8, 1929
- October 25, 2019
- 90 years
About Murray Feshbach
Murray Feshbach, 90, American economist.
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Full Biography
|Murray Feshbach (August 8, 1929 – October 25, 2019) was an American scholar focusing on the demographics of the Soviet Union and demographics of Russia, including population, health, and environment. He was a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center where he conducted research on the policy implications of the demographic, health and environmental crises in Russia.[1] He was a frequently turned-to source for both detailed analysis and a broad understanding of trends in the USSR and then the Former Soviet Union.
His work had a major impact on the Western Bloc understanding of the Soviet Union, Russia and Eastern Europe. His role in sharing data, and in providing guidance to students and research assistants, helped shape a generation of scholars who came after him. Over time he moved from general demographic analysis to a focus on the impact of the Soviet population of problems in the health care system and ecological degradation. His pioneering article analyzing infant mortality trends in the USSR led to internal improvements which likely saved many lives.
His first major book, "Ecocide in the USSR" with Alfred Friendly Jr., outlined the ways in which the medical system and environmental disasters were significant factors in the end of the Soviet Union. He was among the first in the West to identify a major decline in the size of the ethnic Russian population, and to grapple with its internal implications and its potential impact on Soviet and Russian policy.
Early life
Feshbach was born in New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Syracuse University, his Master of Arts in European diplomatic history from Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in economics from American University.
"He served as Chief of the USSR Population, Employment and Research and Development Branch of the Foreign Demographic Analysis Division (now the Center for International Research) of the Census Bureau from 1957 to 1981. In 1979-1980 he was a Fellow of the Kennan Institute. After his retirement from the U.S. government in 1981, he worked as a Research Professor at Georgetown University until 2000, when he retired as Professor Emeritus. At the request of the Department of State, in 1986-1987 he served in Brussels, Belgium as the first Sovietologist-in-Residence, in the Office of the Secretary General of NATO".[2]
Major publications
Feshbach has published a number of books and over 115 articles and book chapters, and has presented papers at numerous international and domestic conferences, as well as testimony for the U.S. Congress.
- His book, Ecocide in the USSR: Health and Nature Under Siege (with Alfred Friendly Jr.), New York, Basic Books, was published in April 1992. The book also was translated into Russian and published in Moscow in January 1993.
- His book on Ecological Disaster: Cleaning Up the Hidden Legacy of the Soviet Regime was published by the Twentieth Century Fund in February 1995.
- Under his chief editorship, an Environmental and Health Atlas of Russia was simultaneously published in Russian and English in June 1995 in Moscow.
- Another book, Russia's Health and Demographic Crises was published by the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute in April 2003.
Other publications of note include:
- Rising Infant Mortality in the USSR in the 1970s, April 1981.
- The Early Days of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the Former Soviet Union, Prepared for the Conference on “Health and Demography in the Former Soviet Union,” Harvard University, April 2005
- HIV/AIDS in Ukraine: An Analysis of Statistics, with Cristina M. Galvin, Research Associate, March 2005
- HIV/AIDS in the Russian Military – Update*, Prepared for UNAIDS Meeting, 22–23 February 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Potential Social Disarray in Russia Due to Health Factors
- HIV/AIDS in Russia: An Analysis of Statistics, written with Cristina M. Galvin, Research Associate, January 2005
- “Russia's Health and Demographic Crises: Policy Implications and Consequences,” Health and National Security Series (Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute, April 2003)
- "A Country on the Verge," op-ed, The New York Times, May 31, 2003
- “Russia's Demographic and Health Meltdown,” U.S. Congress, Joint Economic Committee, Russia's Uncertain Economic Future, 107th Congress, 1st Session (Government Printing Office, December 2001)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murray_Feshbach
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- October 6, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 15 questions
Questions drawn from Murray Feshbach's archived record and the sources above.
1.When was Murray Feshbach born?
- A.August 8, 1939
- B.October 25, 2019
- C.August 8, 1929correct
- D.October 25, 1929
Murray Feshbach was born on August 8, 1929.
Source: biographical intro
2.What was the date of death for Murray Feshbach?
- A.October 25, 2019correct
- B.October 25, 1939
- C.August 8, 2019
- D.August 8, 1929
Murray Feshbach passed away on October 25, 2019.
Source: biographical intro
3.At which institution was Murray Feshbach a Senior Scholar?
- A.The Soviet Academy of Sciences
- B.The Woodrow Wilson Centercorrect
- C.The Western Bloc Institute
- D.The University of Russia
Murray Feshbach served as a Senior Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
Source: biographical intro
4.What was a primary focus of Murray Feshbach's academic research?
- A.Economic policies of the United States
- B.The history of Western European art
- C.Global climate change trends
- D.The demographics of the Soviet Unioncorrect
Murray Feshbach focused on the demographics of the Soviet Union and Russia, including population, health, and environment.
Source: biographical intro
5.What specific health topic did Murray Feshbach's pioneering article analyze?
- A.Elderly mortality in Eastern Europe
- B.Infant mortality trends in the USSRcorrect
- C.Medical supply chain efficiency
- D.The spread of infectious diseases
Murray Feshbach wrote a pioneering article that analyzed infant mortality trends in the USSR.
Source: career section
6.Who co-authored the book 'Ecocide in the USSR' with Murray Feshbach?
- A.John Wilson
- B.Alfred Friendly Jr.correct
- C.Boris Yeltsin
- D.Vladimir Putin
Murray Feshbach co-authored the book 'Ecocide in the USSR' with Alfred Friendly Jr.
Source: works section
7.What was the result of the improvements driven by Murray Feshbach's research on infant mortality?
- A.The migration of Soviet youth
- B.The collapse of the medical system
- C.A reduction in overall population
- D.Many lives were likely savedcorrect
Murray Feshbach's research led to internal improvements in the USSR that likely saved many lives.
Source: career section
8.What major demographic decline did Murray Feshbach identify in the West?
- A.The decline of the Eastern European youth population
- B.The decline of the American immigrant population
- C.The decline of the rural working class
- D.The decline of the ethnic Russian populationcorrect
Murray Feshbach was among the first in the West to identify a major decline in the size of the ethnic Russian population.
Source: works section
9.Murray Feshbach transitioned his research focus over time to include which specific areas?
- A.Military strategy and nuclear defense
- B.The health care system and ecological degradationcorrect
- C.Urban planning and transportation
- D.Agricultural output and food security
Murray Feshbach shifted his focus toward the impact of the Soviet population's problems with the health care system and ecological degradation.
Source: career section
10.How did Murray Feshbach influence the next generation of scholars?
- A.By sharing data and providing guidancecorrect
- B.By creating a new political party
- C.By funding their university tuition
- D.By authoring a mandatory textbook
Murray Feshbach helped shape a generation of scholars by sharing data and providing guidance to students and research assistants.
Source: career section
11.What role did Murray Feshbach play regarding the Western Bloc?
- A.He served as a diplomat in Eastern Europe
- B.He improved the Western Bloc understanding of the Soviet Unioncorrect
- C.He acted as a government spokesperson
- D.He founded the Western Bloc demographic union
Murray Feshbach's work had a major impact on the Western Bloc understanding of the Soviet Union, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
Source: career section
12.What did the book 'Ecocide in the USSR' link to the end of the Soviet Union?
- A.The failure of the space program
- B.A decline in educational standards
- C.Environmental disasters and the medical systemcorrect
- D.A lack of agricultural innovation
The book 'Ecocide in the USSR' outlined how the medical system and environmental disasters were significant factors in the end of the Soviet Union.
Source: works section
13.Murray Feshbach served as a frequent source for information regarding which region?
- A.The Middle East
- B.The African Continent
- C.South America
- D.The Former Soviet Unioncorrect
Murray Feshbach was a source for analysis regarding trends in the USSR and the Former Soviet Union.
Source: biographical intro
14.What was the nature of the research conducted by Murray Feshbach at the Woodrow Wilson Center?
- A.Policy implications of crises in Russiacorrect
- B.Technological advancements in the West
- C.Economic growth in the United States
- D.Agricultural development in Asia
At the Woodrow Wilson Center, Murray Feshbach conducted research on the policy implications of demographic, health, and environmental crises in Russia.
Source: biographical intro
15.Murray Feshbach was recognized for his analysis of which specific trends?
- A.Urban architecture in Russia
- B.Global stock markets
- C.Infant mortality in the USSRcorrect
- D.Educational reform in the West
Murray Feshbach was recognized for his analysis of infant mortality trends in the USSR.
Source: career section
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