Allan C. Boschen Esperanto Collection

Background on Esperanto

A constructed language developed by a Polish physician, L.L. Zamenhof, and first published in 1887, Esperanto is the most widely spoken auxiliary language in the world. Fundamentally utopian in origin, Esperanto is a simplified and highly rationalized language derived from a pastiche of languages, though primarily European. By creating a universal second language, Zamenhof hoped that Esperanto would help promote peace and understanding in a fractious world by transcending national and cultural boundaries.

Esperanto first gained substantial support in eastern Europe prior to the end of the nineteenth century, but by 1905, it had gained footholds throughout western Europe, spreading to South America, North America, and Asia. At the first world congress of Esperantists was held in France in 1905, Zamenhof resigned his leadership of the growing movement, but left office by proposing the "Declaration of Boulogne" as a statement of principles for Esperantism, seeking to provide a point of stability for the language and its learners. World congresses have been convened annually since, with the exception of the war years of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945.

In the aftermath of the First World War, Esperanto reached a peak of popularity, however the idealism and internationalism of the movement made it a target for suppression in both the Stalinist Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, among other totalitarian regimes. Although diminished in numbers after the Second World War, Esperanto has nevertheless remained an active option as second language internationally, outlasting many rival constructed languages and resisting the significant formation of dialects.

Allan Boschen, an engineer with General Electric in Pittsfield, was a student and teacher of Esperanto and longtime officer with the Esperanto Society of New England.