The German Revolution and Political Theory (Marx, Engels, and Marxisms)

This book is the first collection within political theory to examine the ideas and debates of the German Revolution of 1918/19. It discusses the political theorists and actors of the revolution and uncovers an incredibly fertile body of political thought. Revolutionary events led to the proliferation of new political strategies, theoretical insights and institutional proposals. Key questions included the debate between a national assembly and a council system, the socialisation of the economy, the development of new forms of political representation and the proper role of parliaments, political parties and trade unions. This book offers novel perspectives on the history of the revolution, a thorough engagement with its main thinkers and an analysis of its relevance for contemporary political thought. Gaard Kets is a historian and political theorist and lectures in political science at Radboud University, the Netherlands. His current research focuses on council communist ideology and the German Revolution. James Muldoon is a lecturer in political science at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the editor of Council Democracy: Towards a Democratic Socialist Politics (2018) and Trumping the Mainstream: The Conquest of Mainstream Democratic Politics by the Populist Radical Right (2018, with L.E. Herman), and the author of Hegel's Philosophy of Drives (2014). His work has appeared in Political Studies, History of Political Thought, Theory, Culture & Society, Constellations, Critical Horizons, and Parrhesia. Front Matter ....Pages i-xviii The “Forgotten” German Revolution: A Conceptual Map (Gaard Kets, James Muldoon)....Pages 1-22 Front Matter ....Pages 23-23 Women in the German Revolution (Helen L. Boak)....Pages 25-44 The German Revolution and the Radical Right (Robert Heynen)....Pages 45-68 Revolutionary Berlin: Fulcrum of the Twentieth Century (Donny Gluckstein)....Pages 69-90 Working-Class Politics in the Bremen Council Republic (Gaard Kets)....Pages 91-111 Revolutionary Principles and Strategy in the November Revolution: The Case of the USPD (Nicholas Vrousalis)....Pages 113-134 Front Matter ....Pages 135-135 Eduard Bernstein and the Lessons of the German Revolution (Marius S. Ostrowski)....Pages 137-158 Karl Kautsky and the Theory of Socialist Republicanism (Michael J. Thompson)....Pages 159-181 Democracy and Dictatorship: Rosa Luxemburg’s Path to Revolution (Mayra Cotta)....Pages 183-197 Richard Müller, Ernst Däumig and the “Pure” Council System (Ralf Hoffrogge)....Pages 199-214 Gustav Landauer and the Revolutionary Principle of Non-violent Non-cooperation (Christian Bartolf, Dominique Miething)....Pages 215-235 Persistent Memories: Jewish Activists and the German Revolution (Stephen Eric Bronner)....Pages 237-254 Front Matter ....Pages 255-255 A Theory of Council Democracy (Yohan Dubigeon)....Pages 257-276 Insurgent Democracy and the German Councils (Paul Mazzocchi)....Pages 277-297 Forgotten Uprisings and Silent Dialogues: Hannah Arendt and the German Revolution (Shmuel Lederman)....Pages 299-317 Rosa Luxemburg on the Dialectic of Spontaneous and Party Politics (Paulina Tambakaki)....Pages 319-338 The Birth of Council Communism (James Muldoon)....Pages 339-360 Back Matter ....Pages 361-363 "This book is the first collection within political theory to examine the ideas and debates of the German Revolution of 1918/19. It discusses the political theorists and actors of the revolution and uncovers an incredibly fertile body of political thought. Revolutionary events led to the proliferation of new political strategies, theoretical insights and institutional proposals. Key questions included the debate between a national assembly and a council system, the socialisation of the economy, the development of new forms of political representation and the proper role of parliaments, political parties and trade unions. This book offers novel perspectives on the history of the revolution, a thorough engagement with its main thinkers and an analysis of its relevance for contemporary political thought."--Book jacket