Communist Workers Party of Germany
Encyclopedia
The Communist Workers Party of Germany was an anti-parliamentarian and council communist party that was active in Germany
during the time of the Weimar Republic
. It was founded in April 1920 in Heidelberg
as a split from the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD). Originally the party remained a "sympathising member of Communist International
." In 1922 the KAPD split into two factions, both of whom kept the name but are referred to as the KAPD Essen Faction and the KAPD Berlin Faction.
KAPD Essen Faction was linked to the Communist Workers International
.
The Entschiedene Linke
decided unanimously to join the KAPD during their congress of 4-6 June 1927.
The party published a paper, Kommunistische Arbeiter-Zeitung.
, calling itself the International Socialists of Germany
(ISD). The ISD consisted of elements which were to the left of the Spartacus League of Rosa Luxemburg
and Karl Liebknecht
. The Spartacists and the ISD entered the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
(USPD), the centrist split from SPD, in 1915 as an autonomous tendency within the party. The left-wing of the USPD, consisting of Spartacists and ultra-left council communnists went on to form the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD) in 1918. In 1920, the ultra-lefts of this party, mainly consisting of council communist members whose origins lay in the ISD, split from it to form the KAPD.
(AAUD), which were formed as factory organisations in opposition to the traditional trade unions. The AAUD was formed by the German leftists who considered organising based on trades as being an outmoded form of organisation and instead advocated organising workers based on factories, thus forming the AAUD. The factory organisations in the AAUD consited the basis for organising workers' councils.
A section led by Otto Rühle
, based in Essen
, split from the AAUD, forming the Essen tendency of the AAUD, AAUD-E.
were scorned and their speeches were restricted to a mere ten minutes. This was following the publication of Lenin's Left Wing Communism, which was written as a critique of the left-wing ideas of the KAPD, among other parties, the KAPN and related leftist parties. Following the exclusionary attitude shown towards them by the Comintern, the KAPD broke with the International in 1921. Historian E.H. Carr has argued that the 2nd World Congress — to some extent unintentionally and unconsciously — was the first to "establish Russian leadership of Comintern on an impregnable basis."
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
during the time of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. It was founded in April 1920 in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
as a split from the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD). Originally the party remained a "sympathising member of Communist International
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
." In 1922 the KAPD split into two factions, both of whom kept the name but are referred to as the KAPD Essen Faction and the KAPD Berlin Faction.
KAPD Essen Faction was linked to the Communist Workers International
Communist Workers International
The Communist Workers' International or Fourth International was a council communist international. It was founded around the Manifesto of the Fourth Communist International, published by the Communist Workers' Party of Germany in 1921....
.
The Entschiedene Linke
Entschiedene Linke
The Entschiedene Linke was communist political current formed by Karl Korsch and Ernst Schwarz in 1926. It initially attracted 7,000 members....
decided unanimously to join the KAPD during their congress of 4-6 June 1927.
The party published a paper, Kommunistische Arbeiter-Zeitung.
History
The roots of the KAPD lie in the left-wing split from the SPDSocial Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, calling itself the International Socialists of Germany
International Socialists of Germany
International Socialists of Germany was the name of a political party, formed in September 1915, which split from the Social Democratic Party of Germany, following the latter's decision to support the German war effort in World War I. The ISD consisted of members who were on the left wing of the SPD...
(ISD). The ISD consisted of elements which were to the left of the Spartacus League of Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg
Rosa Luxemburg was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and activist of Polish Jewish descent who became a naturalized German citizen...
and Karl Liebknecht
Karl Liebknecht
was a German socialist and a co-founder with Rosa Luxemburg of the Spartacist League and the Communist Party of Germany. He is best known for his opposition to World War I in the Reichstag and his role in the Spartacist uprising of 1919...
. The Spartacists and the ISD entered the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany was a short-lived political party in Germany during the Second Reich and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of left wing members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany...
(USPD), the centrist split from SPD, in 1915 as an autonomous tendency within the party. The left-wing of the USPD, consisting of Spartacists and ultra-left council communnists went on to form the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
(KPD) in 1918. In 1920, the ultra-lefts of this party, mainly consisting of council communist members whose origins lay in the ISD, split from it to form the KAPD.
Affiliated unionen
The party had affiliated with it, the General Workers' Union of GermanyGeneral Workers' Union of Germany
General Workers' Union of Germany , was the name of factory organisations formed following the German Revolution of 1918–1919 in opposition to the traditional trade unions...
(AAUD), which were formed as factory organisations in opposition to the traditional trade unions. The AAUD was formed by the German leftists who considered organising based on trades as being an outmoded form of organisation and instead advocated organising workers based on factories, thus forming the AAUD. The factory organisations in the AAUD consited the basis for organising workers' councils.
A section led by Otto Rühle
Otto Rühle
Otto Rühle was a German Marxist active in opposition to both the First and Second World Wars, and a founder with along with Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, Franz Mehring and others of the group and magazine Internationale, which posed a revolutionary internationalism against a world of warring...
, based in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, split from the AAUD, forming the Essen tendency of the AAUD, AAUD-E.
Relations with the Comintern
The delegates of the KAPD to the 2nd World Congress of the Comintern2nd World Congress of the Comintern
The 2nd World Congress of the Comintern was a gathering of approximately 220 voting and non-voting representatives of Communist and revolutionary socialist political parties from around the world, held in Petrograd and Moscow from July 19 to August 7, 1920...
were scorned and their speeches were restricted to a mere ten minutes. This was following the publication of Lenin's Left Wing Communism, which was written as a critique of the left-wing ideas of the KAPD, among other parties, the KAPN and related leftist parties. Following the exclusionary attitude shown towards them by the Comintern, the KAPD broke with the International in 1921. Historian E.H. Carr has argued that the 2nd World Congress — to some extent unintentionally and unconsciously — was the first to "establish Russian leadership of Comintern on an impregnable basis."
Prominent members of the KAPD
- Jan AppelJan AppelJan Appel , was a German left communist revolutionary who participated in the German Revolution in the Spartacus League, later on was active in KPD, afterwards KAPD later on Group of Internationalist Communists , Communistenbond Spartacus and finally the International Communist...
- Arthur Goldstein
- Herman GorterHerman GorterHerman Gorter was a Dutch poet and socialist. He was a leading member of the Tachtigers, a highly influential group of Dutch writers who worked together in Amsterdam in the 1880s, centered around De Nieuwe Gids .Gorter's first book, a 4,000 verse epic poem called "Mei" , sealed his reputation...
- Antonie PannekoekAntonie PannekoekAntonie Pannekoek was a Dutch astronomer and Marxist theorist. He was one of the main theorists of council communism .- Biography :...
- Franz Jung
- Karl Korsch Karl Korsch-Biography:Korsch was born in Tostedt, near Hamburg, to Carl August Korsch, a secretary at the cantonal court and his wife Therese. In 1898 the family moved to Meiningen, Thuringia and Korsch senior attained the position of a managing clerk in a bank...
- Heinrich LaufenbergHeinrich LaufenbergHeinrich Laufenberg was a leading German communist and was one of the first to develop the idea of National Bolshevism...
(National Bolshevik) - Paul MattickPaul MattickPaul Mattick Sr. was a Marxist political writer and social revolutionary, whose thought can be placed within the council communist and left communist traditions...
(1904–1981) - Bernard ReichenbachBernard ReichenbachBernard Reichenbach was a member of the Executive Committee of the Communist International. He was a member of the Communist Workers' Party of Germany and acted as their delegate to the Third Congress of the Third International....
- Otto RühleOtto RühleOtto Rühle was a German Marxist active in opposition to both the First and Second World Wars, and a founder with along with Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg, Franz Mehring and others of the group and magazine Internationale, which posed a revolutionary internationalism against a world of warring...
(1874–1943) - Karl SchröderKarl Schröder (KAPD)Karl Schröder was a communist politician and writer.-Life:Karl Schröder was the son of a teacher. He went to Berlin where he studied philosophy, literature, history and art history. He gained his doctorate with a dissertation on art history. He then worked as a private tutor...
(1884–1950), (EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
Tendency) - Ernst SchwarzErnst Schwarz (politician)Ernst Schwarz , was a Communist politician.After attending high school, first in his hometown and then in Berlin, Schawrz attended the University of Grenoble, University of Bonn and Berlin, graduating with a doctorate. During the First World War, he briefly served as a soldier...
- Fritz WolffheimFritz WolffheimFritz Wolffheim was a German communist politician and writer. He was a leading figure in the National Bolshevism tendency that was briefly influential in Germany after World War I.-Early life:...
(National Bolshevik)
See also
- Council communismCouncil communismCouncil communism is a current of libertarian Marxism that emerged out of the November Revolution in the 1920s, characterized by its opposition to state capitalism/state socialism as well as its advocacy of workers' councils as the basis for workers' democracy.Originally affiliated with the...
- Left communismLeft communismLeft communism is the range of communist viewpoints held by the communist left, which criticizes the political ideas of the Bolsheviks at certain periods, from a position that is asserted to be more authentically Marxist and proletarian than the views of Leninism held by the Communist International...
- Communist Workers' Party of the Netherlands