Previous editions
 List    -    Annotated
  

2007:

2006:

  • Paul Mattick: Obsessions of Berlin  -  1948
    After the II. World War Paul Mattick renewed his contacts to old friends in Germany. In 1948 he was able to travel to Europe and visit Berlin for a couple of weeks, staying with Alfred Weiland and participating in some of the meetings of the GIS of that time. In this article published in Partisan Review Mattick communicated much of his gathered informations on the actual Berlin-experiences of the Soviet 'liberation' and on the daily life of the inhabitants of the Capital of Germany under the military regimes of the victorious Powers.  - Experiences worth remembering.

2005:

  • Paul Mattick: Marx and Keynes  -  1955
    Int this short article from the mid-50's Paul Mattick presented his main positions on the theory of Keynes. Both title and text were later reused in Matticks more extensive elaboration on "Marx and Keyenes  -  The Limits of Mixed Economy" from 1969.

  • Paul Mattick: Marx and Keynes, The Limits of Mixed Economy  -  1969
         In this book Paul Mattick summed up and enhanced his critique of 'Keynesianism' both theoretically and politically. 'Marx and Keynes' was published in 1969 and had an important role of reference among radical marxists in the 70's and 80's.

  • GIK(Holland): Sowjetrussland, die Wirtschaftskrise und die Weltrevolution  -  1933
    In this short article the editors of Proletarier made clear their fundamental positions on the Soviet Union of Russia as a system of State Capitalism, on the Stalinist propaganda as completely false ideology and on Soviet Communism as a deeply reactionary force against world revolution.

  • Paul Mattick: Die Todeskrise des Kapitalismus  -  1933
         This text was an attempt by Paul Mattick to influence the IWW theoretically towards more coherent 'marxist' positions and politically towards 'council communism'. The political project did not succeed. However the theoretical part became an important contribution to the internal discussions among the 'council communist's in the 30's. This is one of the early texts by Mattick presenting the Grossmann-theorie on the tendency of capitalism to collaps.

  • Fritz Henssler: Die Grundlagen einer revolutionären Krisentheorie  -  1933
         This text is not commonly known, perhaps because of its state as introduction to a never finished series of articles. But actualy this was the opening of the 'council communist's debate on crisis theory in 'Proletarier' and later on in the 'Rätekorrespondenz'. The author is believed to have been Fritz Henssler, who at that time was a student and somehow involved in the circles both around Karl Korsch and the 'council communists' of the KAU.

  • Karl Korsch: Über einige grundsätzliche Voraussetzungen für eine materialistische
    Diskussion der Krisentheorie  -  1933
    In the 30's Karl Korsch and others from the former KP-oppisitional fraction The 'Entschiedene Linke' came close to the positions of the 'Council Communists'. This text on the history of the different 'marxist' theoretical positions on crisis of capitalism appeared in the first and only number of the journal 'Proletarier' in February 1933. 

  • Anton Pannekoek: Die Zusammenbruchstheorie des Kapitalismus  -  1934
    The theory of the collapse of capitalism  -  the same in English
    Following the cyclus of war, revolutions, crisis, reconstructions and new crisis from 1914 into the early 1930's various attempts were made to reformulate a 'marxist' theory of capitalist development and crisis. A very important contribution was Henryk Grossmann's book on 'Das Akkumulations- und Zusammenbruchsgesetz des kapitalistischen Systems' from 1929. In the theoretical discussions of the Council Communists of the early 30's this work held a central position as point of reference. With this article from 1934 Anton Pannekoek intervened critically against the more 'mechanical' or 'determinist' positions possibly advocating some 'automatic collapse' of capitalism.

  • Paul Mattick: Zur Marx'schen Akkumulations- und Zusammenbruchstheorie  -  1934
    With this text Paul Mattick defended Henryk Grossmann's theory against the criticism made by Anton Pannekoek in the text presented just above. Mattick followed the text of Pannekoek's very closely and argued that not only did the opponents of Grosmann not really understand his theory  -  they did not fully understand the laws of capitalist crisis and from this the real agenda of class strugle either.

  • Giacomo Marramao: Crisis Theory and the Problem of Constitution  -  1975
    With the distance of 40 years Marramao reintroduced the discussions of Grossmann, Korsch, Pannekoek and Mattick from the 30's in order to counterpose the 'main stream' conceptions held widely in radical Italian Marxism since the works of Raniero Panzieri in the 60's. This article sums up the different positions of the Council Communists fairly well and can still be used as introduction to the 'classical' debates.

  • Anton Pannekoek: Letter to Socialisme ou Barbarie  -  1953
         In 1953 Chauleiu/Castoriadis sent the first 11 issues of S ou B to Anton Pannekoek. The response from Pannekoek was later reprinted in S ou B together with an answer by Caulieu. Pannekoek did actually write more letters to S ou B, but these were not published.

  • Henri Simon: 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.

  • 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. 

  • FAM: The Statebureaucratic Mode of Production  -  1977
         The Swedish Förbundet Arbetarmakt (FAM)  - translated: Workers' Power League  -  developed from various anarchist and syndicalist positions into a 'Council Socialist' organization close to 'Council Communism'. This text on the understanding of the state-capitalist Eastern 'Socialist' countries shows the difference from the 'Council Communists' taking up positions close to those of Castoriadis and the British Solidarity-movement, or may be some of the positions of the theoretical review Critique of those days.

2004:

  • KAPD:  Bericht der nach Moskau entsandten Delegation  -  1920
    Following the formation of the KAPD Jan Appel and Franz Jung went to Moscow as official delegates of the new Paty in order to discuss and negotiate participation in the III, International. The travel itself was difficult and sensational  -  involving the capture of a ship and forcing it to Murmansk. As nothing was heard of the delegation for some time the KAPD actually sent another delegation (Otto Rühle and August Merges), who reached Moscow first  -  see to this the account by Otto Rühle. Appel and Jung did reach Moscow however and the present document is their official report of the discussions with the leadership of the III. International.

  • Max Hempel (Jan Appel): Speech at the Third Congress of the Communist International  -  1921
         Following the Second Congress of the Comintern a special KAPD-delegation negotiated in Moscow and had the KAPD temporarily recognized as "sympathisizing member". And so the KAPD also joined the Third Congress of the Comintern in 1921. On this Congress the KAPD made several interventions in an attempt to make its positions known and contribute to the possible formation of an international fraction of left communist organizations. This speech by Jan Appel was one these efforts.

  • Hubert van den Berg: Jan Appel - ein deutscher Rätekommunist im niederländischen Exil und Widerstand 1926-1948.
    Jan Appel (1890-1985) was a central figure both in the early years of the KAPD and later on in the Dutch Group of International Communists, the GIC (Holland). In 1920 and in 1921 Appel represented the KAPD as delegate to the III. International in Moscow. Because of the extreme circumstances around his first Moscow-travel together with Franz Jung (forcefully hijacking a ship to go to Murmansk) Appel spent some years underground in Germany  until he got arrested and jailed. In 1926 he went to Holland where he became an important figure together with Henk Canne Meijer in the GIC(H).  -  This article concentrates on Appels years with the GIC(H) and later the Spartakus-Bond, but covers also some of his earlier activities.

  • Art as a Weapon  - Frans Seiwert and the Cologne Progressives
         Originally this text by Martyn Everett was published in The Raven (an anarchist quarterly). The text was prepared long time ago for the Art Pages, but can also be presented here as an account of a special aspect of the Council Communist movement of the 1920's. 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.

  • Cajo Brendel: Anton Pannekoek. Denker der revolution
         This biography on Pannekoek was originally published in Dutch in 1970 and is one of the most important works of Brendel. This German version was slightly revised by the author and published in German in 2001 by the ça-ira Verlag in Freiburg.

  • Willy Huhn: Die Idéen von 1914 und ihre Folgen  -  1933
    In the early 30'ies Willy Huhn was among the young oppositional SPD's who broke with this. Huhn was not from any of the 20'ies traditions of the 'Unionen' or the KAPD, but for some time member of the SAPD. Here he belonged to the wing of 'councillists' and was also part of the 'Rote Kämpfer'-network. This text of his was part of a larger historical account of the SPD-history published in 1933 in the ' Literatur der deutschen Sozialdemokratie.' Later on this work has been republished in 1952 in der journal Aufklärung and in 1970 in the last issue of the SDS-journal Neue Kritik. Just recently it has been included in a book together wither other of Huhn's texts by the the ça-ira Verlag in Freiburg.

  • Willy Huhn: Karl Marx gegen den Stalinismus  -  1950
    Following the II. World War Willy Huhn was active in the small remaining circles of the Germen Left or Council Communist current. For some time he was active editing the Berlin journal pro und contra until he broke with this because of its trotzkyist tendencies. Up thorugh the 50'ies he were among those few who continuously advocated the postions of the German/Dutch Council Communism.

  • Joachim Bruhn: Avantgarde und Ideologie  -  2003
         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 some blind ideology. In some of the critical comments the author clearly develops into the absurd  -  as consequence of his own 'Anti-Deutsche' position in the present German 'left' discussions. On the other hand Bruhn ends up praising  Council Communism as the only current from the past worth remembering.

  • Anton Pannekoek: The German Revolution  -  First Stage  -  1918
         This article was written shortly after the German Revolution of November 1918 and makes a critical account of the first stage of the revolutionary process as it was seen by Pannekoek and most of the German left Socialists/Communists at that time. It should be noted in this text, that Pannekoek is talking about a German 'Communist Party' despite the fact  -  as mentioned in the text also  -  that at the moment of writing this was not yet formed. Pannekoek was associated with the Bremen 'International Communist'-current who in view of the German Revolution was much clearer on the need of founding an independent revolutionary Communist Party than the Spartacus-circles around Luxemburg and Liebknect.

  • KAPD/AAU: Do sollst nicht wählen  -  1920
    This poster was produced jointly by the newly formed Kommunistische Arbeiter-Partei Deutschland and the Allgemeine Arbeiter-Union in their campign to boycott the election to the first German Reichtag in June 1920.

  • Herman Gorter: Why we need the Fourth Communist Workers' International  -  1921
         The newly formed KAPD of 1920 was sharply attacked by Lenin, only just tolerated on the 2.nd Congress of the III. International and de facto expelled from this on the 3.rd Congress in 1921. As this was irreversible the leading fraction of the KAPD around Karl Schröder together with Herman Gorter from Holland decided to immediately work for a new IV. and revolutionary Communist Workers International, the KAI.  -  This article is one of the first formulas of this new orientation within the KAPD-Essen-tendency.

  • Herman Gorter: The World Revolution - 1924
         This text is a translation of, but not fully identical to Gorter's German pamphlet "Die Kommunistische Arbeiter-Internationale" from 1923. Here he presents the contradictionary foundations of the Russian revolution and explains the Bolshevic policies as they had to follow the great masses of peasants and work for the building of capitalism instead of communism. As the Bolshevics generalized their own governmental stateinterests as valid 'communist' slogans and methods through the III. International they became openly counterrevolutionary.   -  Which then in the arguments of Gorter made the founding of the IV. Communist Workers' International necessary.

  • Henk Canne Meijer: Herman Gorter
    This English orbituary on Herman Gorter was first published in 'The Commune'. From there is was abridged and adapted by Guy Aldred and published in his 'Pioneers of Anti-Parliamentarism'.

  • Ph. Bourrinet: Dutch Council Communism and Van der Lubbe  -  The question of "exemplary acts"
    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 reactions among his friends in the various Dutch Groups of Council Communists.

  • Henk Canne Meijer: Das Werden einer neuen Arbeiterbewegung - 1935
         This text is one of the most important texts of the Council Communist current in the 30's. This text presents the positions of the Dutch Group of Council Communists advocating a definitive break with all the old party-traditions of the left, including that of the (Spartacist) KAP-tradition of working for a 'party of a completely new type'. Instead of that the GIK(H) propagated the position of the 'political workgroups' within the working class.
    The English version "The Rise of a New Labor Movement" is allready in the Archive.

  • Cajo Brendel: N. Lenin als Stratege der bürgerlichen Revolution
         From Schwarze Protokolle nr. 4, 1973

  • From the 'Cajo Brendel Homepage'
    Because of some disputes and a scandalous behaviour of 'web-burning' within the Germed 'Left'-szene the partisan.net has suddenly been destroyed and disappeared from the internet. Therefore we have saved the rests of the 'Cajo Brendel Homepage' to this Archive  -  they should have been here anyway:
    Kronstadt - Proletarischer Ausläufer der Russischen Revolution which we have also in Enlish:
    Kronstadt - Proletarian Spin-Off of the Russian Revolution
    Die "Antiautoritäre Bewegung" und ihr Weg in die Sackgasse
    Wen oder  was vertritt Gorbatschow und was ist das Wesen von Perestroika ?
    Zur Kritik der "Vereinigten Linken"

2003:

  • KAPD: Die Russische Tragödie
    In 1927 the Kommunistische Arbeiter-Partei Deutschland published this memorial leaflet  -  The Russian Tragedy  -   remembering the Russian Revolution of 1917 and pointing out the sad fate of the Bolsheviks now leading the Soviet Union in clearly counterrevolutionary defense of state capitalism. The ending remarks on the Soviet exports of weapons to Western Governments was just a hint of a major press event of that year. The Soviet Union supported anti working class policies all over the world  -  including supply to other governments of military equipments that could be used to crush workers revolts. 

  • KAPD: Die Wahrheit über die "Sovjet"-Granaten
    This flier from 1927 is about the so called "Shell-affair", that German Capital had concessions by the Soviet Authorities to run Russian factories producing military equipment for the rearmament of the German Reichwehr. The "Shell-affair" was used rather successfully by the KAPD in a campaign that was even brought into the German Parliament by ex-KPDist Ernst Schwarz from the 'Entschiedene Linke'. 

  • Fairfield Porter: "They were Marxists. They were more radical than Communists" - 1968
    In an interview in 1968 Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) remembered his youth and his political meeting with the American Group of International Communists in the 30'ies. Porter himself was an intellectual and artist who in Chicago got to know Paul Mattick, Fritz Hentzler and Walter Auerbach more or less closely.  -  These extracts from the interview are some of the rare eye-witness accounts of the activities of the Council Communists int the USA.

  • Otto Rühle: Der Kampf gegen den Faschismus beginnt mit dem Kampf gegen den
    Bolschewismus  -  1939
    This text has been known     since the publication made by Paul Mattick in Linving Marxism 1939 in the English version 'The struggle against Fascism begins with the struggle against Bolshevism', but has newer before been published in the original German version.  -  Well, now it is here on the basis of the original manuscript. 

  • Otto Rühle: Which Side To Take ?  -  1940
    In this article Rühle raised the question of the old internationalist position on war, that 'The enemy is at home', as valid for the workers also in the II. World War. Rühle described the 'new' opposing fronts of capitalism  -  democracy against totalitarianism  -  and argued that neither of these would do any good for the working class. Rühle kept the proletarian internationalist position also in his late years advocating the working class to do away with all illusions and work for a consequent break with capitalism. 

  • Paul Mattick: Anti-Bolshevist Communism in Germany
    This essay was originally published in early 1947 in Retort, an anarchist journal edited by Holly Cantine. Later that year it was also brought by J.A. Dawson in Southern Advocate for Worker's Councils. In 1976 it was included in the Telos-magazine no. 26.

  • Helmut Wagner: Theses on Bolshevism  -  1933
    This is one of the most important texts of the 'Council Communsits' in the 30's  -  summing up and presenting systematically the views of the german/dutch left communist positions on the 'Russian question'. The text was originally made within the clandistine Rote Kämpfer network in Germany. In 1934 it was published by the dutch Group of International Communists in both a Dutch and a German version. The English version was made also in 1934 by the US-group around Paul Mattick. In 1935 the Scottish Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation made a pamphlet out iof it.

  • Helmut Wagner: Thesen über den Bolschevismus  -  1933  -  New edition !
    Attached to the 'Theses on Bolshevism'' there is a historical mystery about the actual number of theses. There are in fact a forgotten extra thesis dealing with the prospects of a new international proletarian revolution as precondition for the emancipation of the Russian workers from the Bolshevic State Capitalism of the Soviet Union. As all the later German editions of the 'Thesen' have many misleading errors a completely new edition has been made and published here.The ekstra original thesis is also published in English in the notes.

  • Paul Mattick: The Lenin Legend
    Originally published in International Council Correspondense vol 2, no. 1, Dec. 1935

  • Paul Mattick: Luxemburg versus Lenin
    Originally published in parts in Modern Monthly 1935 and International Council Correspondence 1936.

  • Paul Mattick: Bolshevism and Stalisnism
    Originally published in Politics 1947. A German version is already in this archive as "Bolschevismus und Stalinismus". This article is a critical comment on Trotzky's biography of Stalin.

  • Paul Mattick: Workers Control
    Originally from 1967

  • Paul Mattick: The Modern Machiavellians
    This article from 1943 is a comment on James Burnham's book from the same year on 'The Machiavellians.

  • Group of International Communists (Holland):
    This ' Zielsetzung'  -  or 'Objective'  -  was a sort of minimal programe presented in all issues of the German GIC-publications  'P.I.C. - Persmateriaal van de Groepen van Internationale Communisten' from 1928 to 1933 and later  'Rätekorrespondenz' from 1934 to 1937.

  • KAU: Was will die Kommunistische Arbiter-Union ?
    This presentation the objectives of the 'Communist Worker's-Union' was published in Kamfruf no. 5 1932.

  • Rote Kämpfer: Die Lage der linkskommunistischen Gruppen
    This was published in the 'RK Korrespondenz' issued 16'th of August 1932. The text presents a short history of the German Left or Council Communism and gives an evaluation of the szene as the Rote Kämpfer-network saw it at this time.

  • Roter Kämpfer: Kann der Trotzkismus wirklich siegen ?

  • GIK (Holland: Was will der Proletarier ?
    This is the editorial introduction to the first and only number of the 1933-attempt to set up a new theoretical jouirnal for the regroupment of the council communist currents. The initiative and preparations were done in Germany around the KAU. Because of the new Nazi regime the publication was officially published by the Dutch Group of International Communists.

  • Worker's Power League - a presentation  -  1975
     This text is an English presentation made by the Swedish council socialist network Förbundet Arbetarmak  -  also called FAM. This organisation excisted formally from 1972-85.

Unfortunately the comments to the addings from previous years are not available.