National Bolshevism

National Bolshevism is the name of a political current, which strove for a dependence of the German Empire to Soviet Russia or the Soviet Union at the time of the Weimar Republic and a national revolution, but not a worldwide communist revolution demanded.

National Bolshevik thoughts could take many different forms, so that the corresponding groups were often at odds. The word is also used as an epithet Nationalbolschewist for communist or socialist revolutionary nationalists. As the inventor of the term applies Karl Radek, so that, after the elimination of the KAP of the KPD, disparaging the syndicalist -oriented communist revolutionaries policy of Hamburg Heinrich Laufenberg and Fritz Wolffheim described (Hamburger national communism ).

Term

As the main founder of National Bolshevism are two of the founding members of the KPD, Heinrich Laufenberg and Fritz Wolff home in Hamburg. Your basic thesis was that the " mutilation of the German Reich body " by the " Treaty of Versailles " and the terms of the Entente had forcibly lead to an impoverishment of the entire German people, with the exception of a small number of capitalists. Accordingly, they no longer saw only the working class, but almost all the people as a revolutionary subject, whose future was the socialist system of councils.

They looked at each other connected nationalism and socialism as inseparable. The concept of a " whole people " appeared in 1919 the first time in their writings. You can see the class struggle as a precursor to the " people's struggle ". The working class, as the most advanced part of the " whole people " should lead the liberation of all oppressed " masses ", the communist organization had held a vanguard function but without creating new leaders. This will be out of proletarian class organization, a " proletarian nation organization." Laufenberg and Wolffheim were also influenced by syndicalist ideas.

Weimar Republic

Otto -Ernst Schiiddekopf analyzed the National Bolshevism in his influential study of people left from the right. The national revolutionary minorities and communism in the Weimar Republic ( Stuttgart 1960) as consisting of three aspects: on the one hand nationalist tendencies in Communism, on the other hand, socialist aspirations in the nationalist camp - and thirdly, the temporary alliance of both currents ( " cross- front ") in the internal political struggle against Weimar and in the foreign policy desire for German - Soviet cooperation.

Fundamentals of National Bolshevism saw Schiiddekopf in the ideas of 1914, in the unfinished November Revolution, the rejection of the emerging Weimar Republic and the concomitant rejection of the Treaty of Versailles, in which the Communists and the right-wing radicals were common opponents of the Weimar Coalition. The tight organization of the Communist Party as a mass party and the ruthlessness of the Soviet government was fascinated by the right-wing nationalists. In addition, Klaus W. Epstein participated in:

" [ A ] statement of fact why this movement despite its universal historical roots won only real importance in Germany " is " in the strength of the romantic - national anti-Western, German movement ' of the 19th century - to the National Bolsheviks were particularly proud of -, partly [ also ] in the special tragedy of the German political development since 1914. "

The term National Bolshevism referred to the fusion of conservative and nationalist thoughts with Bolshevism. Overcoming the class struggle, which is propagated by Marxism, was part of the ideology of the right National Bolsheviks. Ernst Niekisch distanced himself from the " pointed ( n ) formulation of the fact of class antagonisms " by Marxism and advocated against the Marxian internationalism a strong state without parties, which should be modeled on the Soviet Union. Left National Bolsheviks in turn stood for class struggle, such as Karl Otto Paetel. Overall, the National Bolshevism can but in the intellectual environment of the Conservative Revolution lane.

Connection to National Socialism

Part of National Bolshevism were located in the NSDAP or stood its left wing to Ernst Röhm, Otto Strasser and Gregor Strasser temporarily close: Although these were anti-Semites, but presented the goal of national socialism in the foreground. Otto Strasser has already appeared on July 4, 1930, together with some comrades from the NSDAP and published the call The Socialists leave the NSDAP in the mistaken hope to split the party with it.

Present Reception

A head of National Bolshevism was Ernst Niekisch, the editor of resistance. Magazine for national-revolutionary policy, which in the resistance -Verlag, Berlin appeared. Some representatives of today's New Right refer using the cross- front strategy on this ideology and engage their ideas. In addition the group changed its name to Niekisch a circle around Karl Otto Paetel as a group Social Revolutionary Nationalists. For Ruth Fischer, who published in the Frankfurter stitching on the National - Bolshevism example Ernst Niekischs 1959 National Bolsheviks were all in line with Karl Radek's article on Leo Schlageter " Wanderer into the Void ."

In 1992, Eduard Limonov in Russia, the National Bolshevik Party.