Marcel Liebman (7 July 1929 – 1 March 1986) was a Belgian

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

historian of political sociology and theory, active at the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Life

A historian of

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and of

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

, he published a number of well known essays, notably on the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

Leninism Leninism (, ) is a political ideology developed by Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin that proposes the establishment of the Dictatorship of the proletariat#Vladimir Lenin, dictatorship of the proletariat led by a revolutionary Vangu ...

, and the history of the labour movement in Belgium. He was also an early initiator of Israeli–Palestinian dialogue. On 9 July 1943, Marcel's older brother, Henri, was arrested by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

and sent to Malines. Several weeks later on 31 July, he was transported to Auschwitz with 1,555 other deportees where he was in all probability sent to the gas chambers upon arrival as he had not yet turned 16 years of age. Henri was born 15 October 1927 in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

and died in August 1943. Of the 1,556 deportees sent to Auschwitz on 31 July, only 40 returned after the camps were liberated. From 1962 to 1967, he was editor of the weekly journal ''La Gauche'' (''The Left'') and in 1968 founded the journal ''Mai'' (''May'') which existed until 1973. In 1976, he participated in the creation of the Association Belgo-Palestinienne, with Naim Khader and , where he was General-Secretary. His son Riton Liebman is a comedian, author and director. Riton's actual name is Henri, named after Marcel's lost brother. A foundation under the directorship was created at the

upon Liebman's death in 1986. In December 2005, the foundation was converted into the Marcel Liebman Institute. It aims to contribute to socialist thought and the study of the left as well as a critical reflection on the practices of social movements.

English bibliography

Books

* "Introduction" in Isaac Deutscher, ''Russia After Stalin'' (Jonathan Cape, London, 1969). * ''The Russian Revolution'' (Vintage Books, 1972). * ''Leninism Under Lenin'' (Merlin Press, 1973). * ''Born Jewish: A Childhood in Occupied Europe'' ('' Verso Books'', 2005)

Essays

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Articles

"Trotsky assassiné,"
''La Gauche'' (August 1965).

''Monthly Review'' (1970).

External links

at marxists.org
Institut Marcel Liebman

Articles in English
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebman, Marcel 1929 births 1986 deaths 20th-century Belgian historians Belgian Jews Belgian Marxist historians Jewish historians Jewish socialists Marxist theorists Deutscher Memorial Prize winners