The German Revolution
The Origins of the Movement for Workers Councils in Germany
The pamphlet produced here in English was apparently first published in
Dutch in 'Radencommunismus' No. 3 1938, the journal of the Council
Communist Group of Holland, and later translated into French and published
in 'Internationalisme' No. 45 1952. It was finally published in the 1970s by the Workers Voice group in Liverpool. For some of us who were beginning to discover revolutionary politics at the time it was an important text. It confirmed our hostility to the parties of the Third International and gave a new understanding of just how anti-working class social democracy was and is. Most importantly, we found new evidence that the owrking class is quite capable of developing mass, non-leadership organisations with revolutionary goals.
The Wilhelmshaven Revolt
This pamphlet, with its sub-title, A Chapter of the Revolutionary Movement in the German Navy, 1918-1919 was written in 1943, towards the end of the Second World War, by 'Ikarus', who was an active participant in the events descirbed and analysed.
An Introduction to 'Left Communism' in Germany from 1914 to 1923
. This pamphlet has been freely adapted from an Introduction to 'From the Bourgeois to the Proletarian Revolution' published in 1974 by 'Socialist Reproduction'. It provides further detail on this period of working class history. We would, however, draw readers attention to two limitations of the text. Firstly, it accepts notions of capitalist ascendency and decadence, a weakness explained in a footnote by D Graham in the text. Secondly, it fails to recognise Bolshevism as being part of militant social democracy, operating in conditions of illegality and hence adopting insurrectionary rather than parliamentary reformist policies. The original text fell into the trap of seeing Bolshevism as being a part of the revolutionary tradition.
Jan Appel's Story
An intiriguing account by Jan Appel of his experiences during the German Revolution, as a delegate of the KAPD to the Third International and afterwards. Jan Appel provides an important link, in this at times humourous account, between the proletarian revolutions of 1917 - 1919 and the modern day.
A Summary of The Basic Theoretical Foundations of the Work 'Fundamental Principles of Communist Production and Distribution'
Grundprinzipien kommunistischer Produktion und Verteilung von der Kollektivarbeit der Gruppe Internationaler Kommunisten - [Allgemeine Arbeiter Union Deutschlands - AAUD]The Workers Councils as Organisational Foundation of Communist Production
Published in 1930 by the Gruppe Internationaler Kommunisten, the remnants of the AAUD. A fascinating analysis of the Russian Revolution, showing a deep insight into the nature of social democracy and bolshevism as the midwives of state capitalism. Followed by an interesting discussion of the possible methods of organising production and distribution in a communist society. Nontheless, it falls down in hinting at distribution based on labour time vouchers, a theory which fails to take into account the potentials of production available today (and indeed in the 1930s) and the problems of inequality that this would cause.
Back to Subversion Home Page
These pamphlets were sent to us by:
Dave Graham
PO Box 37
Liverpool
L36 9FZ
UK
This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page