Union of Manual and Intellectual Workers
Encyclopedia
The Union of Manual and Intellectual Workers (Union der Hand- und Kopfarbeiter) was a German trade union that was politically close to the Communist Party of Germany
(KPD). It was formed in the period after the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and existed to the end of 1925.
(ADGB), which they, like other radicalized workers in the General Workers Union of Germany (Allgemeine Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands) and the Free Workers' Union of Germany
had felt was reformist
. The three unions were the Gelsenkirchen
Free Workers' Union, the Berlin-based Association of Manual and Intellectual Workers and the Braunschweig
-based Farmworkers' Association (Landarbeiterverband). At the national level, the newly-merged Union became part of the Profintern
. The Union's was mainly focused in the Ruhr region and bordering areas, as well as in the Berlin area. The dominant sectors were mining
and metalworking
. In the Ruhr region, about half the KPD members who were members of various trade union
s were also members of the Union.
At its inception, the Union had roughly 90,000 members. Between 1922 and 1923, it grew to over 100,000 members. Although losing members by the end of 1923, it still had the strongest voice in Ruhr region mining council elections in 1924. The Union's membership contained different sorts of radicals, many of whom were undisciplined, and caused problems for the more disciplined KPD. The KPD, seeking to advance the class struggle
, wanted to establish revolutionary unions to displace the Christian and liberal unions' position of power in the workplace. The KPD tried to organize party factions within the Union, but with little success.
After the Fifth Congress of the Comintern in 1924, communists were urged to join the free unions, but the more radical Union instead urged workers to leave those unions, further straining relations with the KPD until the KPD ended it completely. Members withdrew and joined the ADGB and by the end of 1924, the Union was just over 20,000 strong; the following August, just 8,000 and faded from activity.
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). It was formed in the period after the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and existed to the end of 1925.
History
The Union was formed in September 1921 by the merger of three left-wing trade unions that had not joined the Allgemeiner Deutscher GewerkschaftsbundAllgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund
The Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund was a confederation of German trade unions in Germany founded during the Weimar Republic. It was founded in 1919 and was initially powerful enough to organize a general strike in 1920 against a right-wing coup d'état. After the 1929 Wall Street crash,...
(ADGB), which they, like other radicalized workers in the General Workers Union of Germany (Allgemeine Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands) and the Free Workers' Union of Germany
Free Workers' Union of Germany
The Free Workers' Union of Germany was an anarcho-syndicalist trade union, which existed from the renaming of the Free Association of German Trade Unions on September 15, 1919 to its official disbandment in January 1933 after the Nazis came into power, although many of its members continued to be...
had felt was reformist
Reformism
Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...
. The three unions were the Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
Free Workers' Union, the Berlin-based Association of Manual and Intellectual Workers and the Braunschweig
Braunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
-based Farmworkers' Association (Landarbeiterverband). At the national level, the newly-merged Union became part of the Profintern
Profintern
The Red International of Labor Unions , commonly known as the Profintern, was an international body established by the Communist International with the aim of coordinating Communist activities within trade unions...
. The Union's was mainly focused in the Ruhr region and bordering areas, as well as in the Berlin area. The dominant sectors were mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
and metalworking
Metalworking
Metalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
. In the Ruhr region, about half the KPD members who were members of various trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
s were also members of the Union.
At its inception, the Union had roughly 90,000 members. Between 1922 and 1923, it grew to over 100,000 members. Although losing members by the end of 1923, it still had the strongest voice in Ruhr region mining council elections in 1924. The Union's membership contained different sorts of radicals, many of whom were undisciplined, and caused problems for the more disciplined KPD. The KPD, seeking to advance the class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
, wanted to establish revolutionary unions to displace the Christian and liberal unions' position of power in the workplace. The KPD tried to organize party factions within the Union, but with little success.
After the Fifth Congress of the Comintern in 1924, communists were urged to join the free unions, but the more radical Union instead urged workers to leave those unions, further straining relations with the KPD until the KPD ended it completely. Members withdrew and joined the ADGB and by the end of 1924, the Union was just over 20,000 strong; the following August, just 8,000 and faded from activity.