A collective biography of four leading figures of German left-wing communism, who challenged the political systems of their time with their revolutionary-democratic stance. Caught between social utopia and political practice, Karl Schröder, Alexander Schwab, Bernhard Reichenbach and Adam Scharrer had a decisive influence on the left-communist movement of the early Weimar Republic. They distanced themselves from the other currents of the political left of their time, particularly the Soviet model, and defended the principle of workers’ councils as the ideal for a democratically constituted communist economy and society. Following the failure of the Communist Workers’ Party of Germany, which they had founded, they continually found new forms of political action and radical social critique beyond party politics – for instance in literature, education or journalism. This collective biographical study examines the development of their worldview from the German Empire through to the 1970s and illustrates the interplay between individual life stories and the major political and social upheavals of the 20th century in Germany, the Soviet Union and Britain. The book offers an actor-centred insight into the transformation of the labour movement beyond the major parties and contributes to the history of political ideas in the 20th century.

This book is included in DOAB.