Hermann Heller (legal scholar)
Encyclopedia
Hermann Heller was a German
legal scholar and philosopher of Jewish
descent. He was active in the non-Marxist wing of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
(SPD) during the Weimar Republic
. He attempted to formulate the theoretical foundations of the social-democratic relations to the state, and nationalism. He was politically active in the relatively conservative Hofgeismarer Kreis of the SPD and is believed to have authored the group's statement of principles.
Heller was born in Teschen
, Austrian Silesia
. In World War I
he volunteered for the army, served in an Austro-Hungarian artillery regiment and got a heart disease at the front.
In 1928 Heller had a short time relationship with Elisabeth Langgässer
. Their daughter Cordelia was born in 1929.
In his short life, he was involved in a number of political debates and controversies, most notably with Hans Kelsen, Carl Schmitt
and Max Adler. In short, Heller's theories are both a reinterpretation of Hegelian social theory
and an emendation of Bernstein's revisionism. Heller calls for the integration of the working class in the social, cultural and political structures of the nation-state. Against Carl Schmitt he argued that it is not so much the state of emergency, but rather the state of social and political stability which defines the sovereign. He is generally perceived to have been a major influence on Carlo Schmid
who, in turn, drafted most of the German Constitution and was the main force behind the reform of the SPD.
Heller was forced to go into exile in 1933 and died in Madrid
in the same year, leaving his Magnum Opus, the Staatslehre, unfinished. His collected works, in three volumes, have been published by the Mohr Verlag of Tübingen
.
Recently, there is a renewed interest in Heller's work, especially in Germany. Some of his work has been translated in English. His views have been influential in both Japan
and the Spanish
-speaking world.
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...
legal scholar and philosopher of Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
descent. He was active in the non-Marxist wing of the Social Democratic Party of Germany
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
(SPD) during 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...
. He attempted to formulate the theoretical foundations of the social-democratic relations to the state, and nationalism. He was politically active in the relatively conservative Hofgeismarer Kreis of the SPD and is believed to have authored the group's statement of principles.
Heller was born in Teschen
Cieszyn
Cieszyn is a border-town and the seat of Cieszyn County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It has 36,109 inhabitants . Cieszyn lies on the Olza River, a tributary of the Oder river, opposite Český Těšín....
, Austrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia
Austrian Silesia , officially the Duchy of Upper and Lower Silesia was an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Austrian Empire, from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
. In World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he volunteered for the army, served in an Austro-Hungarian artillery regiment and got a heart disease at the front.
In 1928 Heller had a short time relationship with Elisabeth Langgässer
Elisabeth Langgässer
Elisabeth Langgässer was a German author and teacher. She is known for lyrical poetry and novels...
. Their daughter Cordelia was born in 1929.
In his short life, he was involved in a number of political debates and controversies, most notably with Hans Kelsen, Carl Schmitt
Carl Schmitt
Carl Schmitt was a German jurist, philosopher, political theorist, and professor of law.Schmitt published several essays, influential in the 20th century and beyond, on the mentalities that surround the effective wielding of political power...
and Max Adler. In short, Heller's theories are both a reinterpretation of Hegelian social theory
Social theory
Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...
and an emendation of Bernstein's revisionism. Heller calls for the integration of the working class in the social, cultural and political structures of the nation-state. Against Carl Schmitt he argued that it is not so much the state of emergency, but rather the state of social and political stability which defines the sovereign. He is generally perceived to have been a major influence on Carlo Schmid
Carlo Schmid (German politician)
Carlo Schmid was a German academic and politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany .Schmid is one of the most important authors of both the German Basic Law and the Godesberg Program of the SPD...
who, in turn, drafted most of the German Constitution and was the main force behind the reform of the SPD.
Heller was forced to go into exile in 1933 and died in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in the same year, leaving his Magnum Opus, the Staatslehre, unfinished. His collected works, in three volumes, have been published by the Mohr Verlag of Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
.
Recently, there is a renewed interest in Heller's work, especially in Germany. Some of his work has been translated in English. His views have been influential in both Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking world.