The
Left Communists
Left communism, or the communist left, is a position held by the left wing of communism, which criticises the political ideas and practices espoused by Marxist–Leninists and social democrats. Left communists assert positions which they rega ...
were a group of members of the
Reichstag and the
Prussian Landtag expelled from the
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany (german: Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands, , KPD ) was a major political party in the Weimar Republic between 1918 and 1933, an underground resistance movement in Nazi Germany, and a minor party in West German ...
(KPD) in the period 1926–1928.
Reichstag
The Left Communists in the Reichstag were not a uniform political group, but merely a "technical" group to achieve group or parliamentary rights, totalling 15 politicians who had been expelled from the KPD between January 1926 and February 1928.
These were both former members of the "left" wing of the KPD, such as
Ruth Fischer,
Hugo Urbahns
Hugo Urbahns (1890, Lieth – 1946, Stockholm) was a German communist revolutionary and politician.
He was involved in the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in the 1920s. He was jailed for his role in the Hamburg Uprising of 1923, and spent ...
(
de), and
Werner Scholem
Werner Scholem (29 December 1895 – 17 July 1940) was a member of the German Reichstag in 1924 to 1928 and a leading member of the Communist Party of Germany. Scholem and his wife, Emmy, were portrayed in the 2014 documentary "Between Utopia and ...
,
as well as "ultra-left" members of parliament such as
Ivan Katz (
de),
Karl Korsch
Karl Korsch (; August 15, 1886 – October 21, 1961) was a German Marxist theoretician and political philosopher. Along with György Lukács, Korsch is considered to be one of the major figures responsible for laying the groundwork for Western ...
,
Ernst Schwarz,
Heinrich Schlagewerth (
de), and
Karl Tiedt (
de), there was no consensus on fundamental questions for communists, such as the question of a
united front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts and/or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political a ...
, the attitude to the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, or the
ADGB trade unions.
Prussian Landtag
There was also in a group of eight deputies in the Prussian Landtag between 1927-28 who were left communists, led by
Anton Grylewicz
Anton Grylewicz (8 January 1885 – 2 August 1971) was a German communist politician.
Early life
Grylewicz was born into a working-class family in Berlin, where he finished school and was apprenticed as a locksmith. From 1907 to 1909 he did his m ...
.
Dissolution
In 1928, some members of the Left Communists such as Fischer, Urbahns, and Otto Weber participated in the founding of the
Lenin League
The Lenin League (german: Leninbund) was a German revolutionary socialist organisation that was active during the later period of the Weimar Republic. Founded in 1928 by former left communist members of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD), it ex ...
(
de), others engaged in
council communist
Council communism is a current of communist thought that emerged in the 1920s. Inspired by the November Revolution, council communism was opposed to state socialism and advocated workers' councils and council democracy. Strong in Germany a ...
groups, or retired from politics after the loss of the mandate in the
May 1928 elections.
See also
*
List of Left Communist organisations in the Weimar Republic
References
Bibliography
* Otto Langels: ''Die ultralinke Opposition der KPD in der Weimarer Republik. Zur Geschichte und Theorie der KPD-Opposition (Linke KPD), der Entschiedenen Linken, der Gruppe „Kommunistische Politik“ und des Deutschen Industrie-Verbandes in den Jahren 1924 bis 1928'' (= ''Europäische Hochschulschriften.'' Reihe 31: ''Politikwissenschaft.'' Bd. 65) Lang, Frankfurt am Main u. a. 1984, (Zugleich: Heidelberg, Universität, Dissertation, 1984).
*
Rüdiger Zimmermann Rüdiger (English ''Ruediger'', ''Rudiger'', Roger) is a German given name. The meaning comes from Old High German: ''hruod'' (fame) and ''ger'' (Migration Period spear, spear). The name became popular because of the character Rüdiger von Bechelare ...
: ''Der Leninbund. Linke Kommunisten in der Weimarer Republik'' (= ''Beiträge zur Geschichte des Parlamentarismus und der politischen Parteien.'' Bd. 62). Droste, Düsseldorf 1978, (Zugleich: Darmstadt, Technische Hochschule, Dissertation, 1976).
{{Weimar Republic political parties
1924 establishments in Germany
1928 disestablishments in Germany
Defunct communist parties in Germany
Defunct socialist parties in Germany
Left communist organizations
Political parties established in 1924
Political parties established in 1928
Political parties in the Weimar Republic
Politics of the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic