This section presents notes and articles with further information on the backgrounds and development of various radical left communist  groupings and organizations within the history of workers struggle.

The texts here are not necessarily about the 'council communist' current.

Included are also texts from or about other political currents if they somehow spreads some light or perspective on the political life of the radical workers movements.

 

  

 

 G. Arntz - Election Wheel - 1932

Early history of the German/Dutch left communism:

This article is about the development and radicalization of revolutionary positions by Johann Knief and Anton Pannekoek prior to and during the I. World War. The article follows the 'birth' of the german/dutch left as part of the workers struggles around Bremen and other northwestern parts of Germany.  -   At the same time this text also shows one of the attempts to read up the old history from some of the 'circles' within the European 68-movement.

From the German Revolution:

  • The Hamburg Revolution  -  1918-1919

    Heinrich Laufenberg was a leading figure in the German Revolution in Hamburg. For the first period from November 1918 into early 1919 he was Chariman of the general Workers Council in Hamburg. In this text Laufenberg gives his account of the development of the Workers and Soldiers Councils in Hamburg and of the political questions that were practically dealt with in this period.

     

  • The Wilhelmshaven Revolt  - in January 1919

Ernst Schneider ('Ikarus') gives an account based upon personal participation and experiences of the German Revolution and in particular the revolutionary movement within the German Navy.

The German/Dutch Left Communists in the 20'ies:

The KAPD was founded at a Congress or Conference of the KPD-Opposition on the 4.-5. of April 1920. The 1'st Regular Congress of the KAPD then followed on the 1.-4. of August 1920. In this text from the CWO this Congress is referred following its agenda. As with the actual Congress the text deals at length with the discussions on Nation and Class Struggle, which for the KAPD at that time was the issue of disagreement and splitting from the so called National Bolsheviks or the Laufenberg/Wolffheim-tendency. The text also presents the Congress discussions on the II. International, the question of the Party Programme, of the Workplace Organization etc.

In 1920 the newly formed KAPD sent a delegation (Franz Jung and Jan Appel) to Moscow to negotiate with the Executive of the III. International and participate at its second congress. As nothing clear was heard from the delegation a second team was sent  -  Otto Rühle and August Merges. At the return -   after leaving Moscow before the congress  - Otto Rühle published this account of his experience in the journal Die Aktion. To Rühle and a major wing of the new KAPD this congress showed that the III. International had already corrupted into a bureaucratic instrument of the Bolsheviks in their political leading of State Capitalism in Russia.

Bernhard Reichenbach had been active in the KAPD from its very start and for period in the early years member of the editorial board of the party-paper 'Kommunistische Arbeiter-Zeitung'. In 1921 Reichenbach was a delegate to the third Congress of the III. International together with Alexander Schwab, Jan Appel and Meyer. This Congress constituted the definitive break of the KAPD from the Bolshevik movement.

In 1922 Bernhard Reichenbach he was expelled together with Karl Schröder to form the so-called KAPD Essen-tendency, which existed as a separate 'KAPD' for some years after. Reichenbach wrote this short presentation of the KAPD in 1928 as an article for Carl Grünbergs 'Archiv für die Geshichte des Sozialismuns' (Archive for the History of Socialism), vol. XIII.  

In 1938 and at a critical moment of withering away of the GIC(H) Henk Canne-Meier wrote this general account of the German/Dutch Council Communist movement covering the development of the German Revolution, the formation of the KAPD, the AAU, the AAU-E and the reorganized KAUD. In 1952 a revised and enlarged version were made and published in French. From the mid-60's this text was translated inro other languages as well.  -  The Archive has also a German version.

In 1966 Jan Appel wrote these memories from his personal participation within the German/Dutch council communist movement. Jan Appel was active within the KAPD from its early years and later on also member of the GIC(Holland). However this extract of his memories unfortunately only concentrates on the period of the 20'ies.

'Proletarishce Zeitgeist' was originally a journal within the Allgemeine Arbeiter-Union - Einheitsorganisation, AAU-E, based in Zwickau. In 1922 the circles around this paper was expelled from the AAU-E because of extreme semi-anarchist positions on the question of organization and   anti-intellectualism. The 'PZ' continued to claim its adherence to the AAU-E and 'council communism', although it did became more and more anarchist in principles and politics. The 'PZ'-circles proved themselves to be a relatively stabile current and stayed active right up to 1933 and the Nazi-regime. Following the II. World War small groups of the 'PZ'-current  were among the first to work for a new unified effort, but did not succeed.

  • Art as a Weapon  - Frans Seiwert and the Cologne Progressives
     Franz Seiwert and the 'Cologne Progressives' were a group or circle of artists who followed and participated in the radical currents around the AAU and especially the AAU-E. This group of artists contributed actively to the 'Council Communist' current with some great visual illustrations of political messages  -  not only passive and reflective but also active and changing. The 'Cologne Progressives' may be the most radical group of artists ever.

The Council Communists in the 30'ies:

  • The Dutch and German Communist Left
    This text is an excerpt from     Philippe Bourrinets revised version of his work on the German/Dutch Left Communist current. This work was originally made within a political context not exactly positive to the 'council communist' tradition  -  the left-leninist/bordigist ICC. Although revised this study still has some traces of its original version  -  especially in evaluations and judgements. However when it comes to details   -  especially on the Dutch GIC(H) and the later Communistenbond Spartacus  -  this study is so far unsurpassed.
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  • The Dutch Council Communism and Van der Lubbe
    In this Article from 2003 Philippe Bourrinet gives an account of the Marinus van der Lübbe's involvement in the Reichtag-fire of 1933 and the following reaction among his friends in the various Dutch Groups of Council Communists. Related to this account this Archive has also:
    - The Van der Lübbe biography
    - Pannekoeks '    Individual acts - 1933'
    - Pannekoeks 'Destruction As A Mean Of Struggle - 1933'

  • Giacomo Marramao: Crisis Theory and the Problem of Constitution
    With the distance of 40 years Marramao reintroduced the discussions of Grossmann, Korsch, Pannekoek and Mattick from the 30'ies in order to cournterpose the 'main stream' conceptions held in radical Italian Marxism since the works of Raniero Panzieri in the 60'ies. This article sums up the different positions of the Council Communists fairly well and can still be used as introduction to the 'classical' debates.

  • The Council Communists between the New Deal and Fascism
    In this article Gabriella M. Bonacchi follows the positions and discussions among the council communists concerning the nature of capitalist development and capitalist crisis as the objective ground for workers struggle and radicalization. From the early days of the KAPD and through the 20'ies divergences were repeated on such questions as 'death crisis of capitalism' and actual 'prospects of revolution'  -  most often building on Rosa Luxemburgs theory of capitalist accumulation and crisis. With Henryk Grossman's reconstruction of Marx's theory of accumulation and crisis the discussions gained new grounds in the 30'ies. Bonacchi's text presents the various positions of Anton Pannekoek, Paul Mattick, Karl Korsch and others and shows that the 'council communist' current was one of lively debates and serious efforts to understand the changing conditions of working class struggle.

  • Cajo Brendels account of the Group of International Communists (Holland)

Back in the 30'ies Cajo Brendel held more or less 'trotzkyist' positions, but got into contact with the 'council communists' of the GIC (Holland) and observed their political activities/interventions closely. After the II. World War Brendel collaborated with former members of the GIC(H) organizing the Dutch Spartakus for some years into the 50'ies.

  • Fairfield Porter's account of the Group of International Communists (US)

    In these extracts from a long interview made in 1968 Porter remembered his political interests and acquaintances in the 1930'ies, where he meet and sympathized with the GIC of America. Porter knew Paul Mattick, Fritz Hentzler and Walter Auerbach and recollected some of the specific issues, that appealed to him about this group.

This text by Pierre Lanneret, alias Camille, sketches the left scene of France in the 30'ies and follows the development of revolutionary internationalist positions during the II. World War. Having been active in this period himself Lanneret gives important information on several currents and groups  -  the anarchists, the trotskyists, the bordigists and the German/Austrian RKD

 

Council Communism following the II. World War:

Following the II. World War J.A. Dawson in Australia was one of the few to develop and propagate a more or less clear 'council communist' position in the Anglo-American parts of the world. The 'Southern Advocate of Workers Councils' is little known. It was Dawson and his small publishing house who first published Anton Pannekoeks book on 'The Workers Councils' in English. This text was made by Steve Wright.

In addition to Steve Wrights account of Dawson and the 'Southern Advocate for Workers Councils' these notes examines the bulletin more closely and follows the correspondence and preparations for Dawsons publication of Pannekoeks book  -  first as a serial supplement to the SAWC from 1948 and then as a complete book in 1950.

  • Joachim Bruhn: Avantgarde und Ideologie
    This text is a commentary to the work of Willy Huhn and the tradition of Council Communism. Joachim  Bruhn takes a rather critical stand against Council Communism as not beeing able to reflect the changes of capitalism and thus developing from a positive avangarde-position to blind ideology. Joachim Bruhn belongs to the socalled 'Anti-Deutsche' current of the German left and his critique on Huhn and Council Communism is clearly ridiculous and not worth noticing. The text is here only because Bruhn dispite of all ends up praising Council Communism as the only current of the 'old workers movement' worth remembering.

  • Socialisme ou Barbarie

Cornelius Castoriadis and the groups around the journal 'Socialisme ou Barbarie' does not belong the the 'German/Dutch left' current, but came from trotzkyism to libertarian communist positions, that in some respect are parallel to 'council communism'. To the student-movement of '68 'Socialisme ou Barbarie' as well as the related Situationist International were to some extend influential to form the renewed interests of workers autonomy and workers councils as basic positions of left communist thought and practice.

  • Biographical notes on Serge Bricianer

    Serge Bricianer is perhaps best known for his book on 'Pannekoek and the Worker's Councils'. These biographical notes made by some of his friends sketches his political life and gives interesting hints to the story of French Left Communism as well. Through his life Bricianer was close to groups and persons like Maximilien Rubel, Socialisme ou Barbarie, ILO, ICO, Paul Mattick and others.

  • Socialisme ou Barbarie, ICO and Echanges
    In this text Henri Simon comments the split of Socialisme ou Barbarie in 1958 and briefly accounts for the development of the ILO, the ICO and the later Exchanges et Movement.