Wild socialism: Workers councils in revolutionary Berlin, 1918-21 - Martin Comack

Wild Socialism examines the rise, development, and decline of revolutionary councils of industrial workers in Berlin at the end of the First World War.

Submitted by Tyrion on December 1, 2013

This popular movement spread throughout Germany, and was without precedent in either the theory or practice of the Social Democratic party and the trade unions allied to it.

These workers councils were most highly developed in Berlin, within its particular industrial, political, and cultural milieu. The Berlin Shop Stewards group provided a hard core of militant revolutionaries within the movement, many of whose adherents were more moderate or ambiguous in their views. Externally, the councilists faced a hostile Social Democratic-trade union bureaucracy who characterized council rule as “wilde Sozialismus,” a reconstituted and repressive state power, and a revolutionary rival in the rise of German Bolshevism. This work considers the experience of the Berlin councils as alternative institutions outside of traditional union, party, and governmental structures.

Comments

Tyrion

10 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Tyrion on December 1, 2013

I've tried a couple times to add tags to this, but for some reason they don't seem to be saving.

Ed

10 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Ed on December 1, 2013

Very weird. I've added them in now but no idea why you couldn't..

syndicalist

10 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by syndicalist on December 3, 2013

Per Marty:

Thanks ..... But I don't know what a "tag" is, and how it is "saved", etc.etc.
Marty C.

I'm clueless. A brief explanation?

klas batalo

10 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by klas batalo on December 3, 2013

oh just how to get his name as the author... no worries. it's like a link for the topic and author

Iskra

10 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Iskra on December 4, 2013

I guess I'm completely primtivist when it comes to new technological stuff, but in what can I open .mobi files?

btw. this book has really weird title.

Iskra

10 years 11 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Iskra on December 4, 2013

Cheers!

klas batalo

8 years 5 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by klas batalo on May 27, 2016

I find Chapter 6 on Wartime in this book to be very important for thinking about what really is at play when social democrats and trade unionists are fighting for recognition. In exchange for political legitimacy and labor peace you bargain away everything you ever stand for (or purported to stand for), and out of fear that you are not being pragmatic enough for the masses.

arminius

8 years 4 months ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by arminius on June 21, 2016

Is this available anywhere as a pdf file, or otherwise (than mobi, about which I know nothing) for free viewing?