Anarchism in Germany

and other essays

Table of Contents
G u sta v L an dauer, by C . W . ........................................................................... 5
A n arch ism in G e r m a n y .................................................................................1 4
W alt W h itm a n ...................................................................................................21
Youth S u ic id e .....................................................................................................28
T itan ic's M e s s a g e ...................................................... ....................................... 32
S o c ia l D em ocracy in G erm an y ....................................... ........................... 3 6

Translated by Stephen Bender and Gabriel Kuhn

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One can throw away a chair and destroy

a pane o f glass; but those are idle talkers
and credulous idolators or words who
regard the state as such a thing or as a
fetish that one can smash in order to
destroy it. The State is a condition, a
certain relationship between human
beings, a mode o f behavior; we destroy
it by contracting other relationships,
by behaving differently toward one
another One day it will be realized that
socialism is not the invention o f anything
new but the discovery o f something
actually present, o f something that has
grown... We are the state, and we shall
continue to be the state until we have
created the institutions that form a real
community and society o f men."
Gustave Landauer
Schwache Stattsmnner, Schwcheres Volk!
D er Sozialist, June, 1910

Gustau Landauer

by C.W . First Published in Anarchy #5 4 (Vol 5 N o 8), 1965.

ery liccle o f G u sta v L an d a u e rs th ough t is accessible to the E n glish reader, except

as p arap h rase d in the w ritings o f M artin Buber. Yet E rich From m , in his b o o k

The Sane Society calls L an d a u e r "one o f the la st g re at representatives o f an arch ist

thought, R u d o lf R o ck er d escrib ed h im as "a sp iritu al giant," an d E rn st T o ller called
h im "one o f the fin est m en, the gre atest spirits, o f the G e rm an revolution.
L an d a u e r w as b o rn on A p ril 7, 187 0 , in a m id d le-class Je w ish fam ily in
K arlsru h e an d b ecam e as a stu d e n t a m em ber o f the G e rm a n S o c ia l D em ocratic
Party ( S P D ) . H e w as refused ad m ittan ce to the sch o o l o f m edicine ac Freiburg
U niversity b ecause he h ad served a p riso n senten ce for political activity. H e w as one
o f the g ro u p kn ow n as the Ju n g e n ("T h e Youth) who were expelled fro m the p arty
in 1 8 9 1 , an d w ho sta rte d a w eekly p ap e r in Berlin, D er Sozialist which, b eginn in g
as a d issid en t M arxisc organ, b ecam e u n der L an d a u e rs editorship, a vehicle for
an arch ist ideas. T h is was the p e rio d w hen the S P D w as seekin g to im p o se its rigid
p arliam en tarian so cialism on the w hole E u ro p ean lab o r m ovem ent, an d w hen an
in tern ation al con gress w as convened at Z u rich in 1 8 9 3 , the an arch ists, who h ad
been expelled from the earlier B ru ssels C o n g re ss, return ed to the attack . E xp lain in g
their intervention, Rocker, in his b o o k The London Years, rem arks that:
" H a d the con gresses o f the Se co n d In tern ation al n ot concealed their true
n ature an d ackn ow ledged them selves for w hat they were, in tern ation al conferences
o f parliam en tary so c ialism an d o f S o c ia l D em ocratic Parties, the an arch ists w ould
have b een the la st to w ant to b e represented. B u t as lon g as they called them selves

C .W . ~

In tro d u c tio n

In tern ation al S o c ialist L a b o r C o n g re sse s it w ould b e w ron g to deny th em ad m issio n .

F o r the an arch ists too were after all, socialists, for they o p p o se d econom ic m onopoly,
an d w orked for a co-operative fo rm o f h um an labor, aim in g to satisfy the needs o f
all an d n ot the p ro fits o f the few. N o r could it be d isp u te d th at the g reat m ajority o f
the an arch ists in the different coun tries belonged to the w ork in g class.
A t Z u ric h on the first day, the G e rm an s w ho h ad b een expelled from the S P D
ap p eared an d dem an d ed ad m issio n , with the un exp ected su p p o rt o f the B ritish
trade u n io n delegation . Bebel, the S P D leader attacked th e m abusively an d g o t a
m o tio n carried lim itin g m em b ersh ip to trade u n io n s an d to p arties an d g ro u p s who
accepted political action. "T h ere w as incredible co m m o tio n : W ern er and L an d a u e r
w ere h ustled fro m the ro o m sh o u tin g W e p ro te st!' an d on the follow ing day 15
oth er delegates in clu ding R o sa L u xe m b u rg were excluded. Th ey were jo in e d by
A m ilcare C ip ria n i w ho resign ed his m an d ate saying, I go w ith th ose you have
b an ish ed ; w ith the victim s o f your intolerance and brutality."
In 1 8 9 6 the Intern ation al S o c ia list L a b o r C o n g re ss w as h eld in L o n d o n at the
Q u e e n s H a ll, an d there were m any anarch ists am o n g the 7 5 0 delegates, including
L an d a u e r an d M a late sta (w ho h ad com e arm ed w ith m an d ates from trade u n ion s in
S p a in , France, an d Italy). O n ce again the S P D so u g h t to exclude the an arch ists.
"T h e G e rm an s tried to sceam roller the con gress on this q u estio n so ru th lessly
chat it in fu riated a great m any delegaces. T h e ch airm an on the secon d day w as Paul
Singer, a m em b er o f the R eich stag. H e tried to sto p the discu ssio n , an d said he
w ould take the vote on the qu estio n . But K e ir H a rd ie o f the I L P (In d epen d en t
L a b o r P arty), who w as d ep u ty ch airm an o f the session , g o t up an d m akin g h im se lf
h eard above the uproar, told Sin ger th at peop le didn t con d u ct m eetings like th at in
E n g lan d . B efore che vote w as taken b oth sides m u st be given a hearing. S o M a late sta
an d L an d a u e r were allow ed to speak."
L an d a u e r ad d re sse d a rep ort to the con gress (w hich w as p u b lish ed as ap a m p h le t
by F reed o m P ress), attackin g the S P D in term s w hich its su b seq u e n t h istory show ed
to be correct. O n ly in G erm any, he declared, could such a severely discip lin ed and
p a ttern -cu t lab o r p arty exist, exploitin g in the m o st sh am efu l way the im perialist
and m ilitary spirit, the depen den ce an d obedience o f the m a sse s "as the b asis u po n
which an extrem ely strict p arty rule could be co n stru cted, stro n g enough to crush
on every occasion the rising g e rm s o f freed om an d revolt.
"I, as a G e rm an revo lution ist an d an arch ist, con sid er it m y ducy today, as chree
years ago at Z u rich , to tear oft this p ain ted m a sk an d solem nly declare chat the
ap paren t sp len d o r o f the lab o r m ovem ent in G e rm an y is b u t skin -deep, w h ilst in
reality the n u m b er o f th ose w ho fully and con scien tiously go in for a total regeneration
o f h u m an society, w ho stru ggle to realize a free socialise sociecy, is infinitely sm aller
than the n um b er o f S o c ia l D em o cratic voters. T h e law s (a t the elab oration o f which
che S o c ia l D em ocracic depucies w ork wich greac assiduicy in parliam en c an d in che

C .W .

In tro d u c tio n

various com m ittees) m erely stren gth en the S ta te an d the pow er o f the police
the G e rm an , P ru ssian , m on arch ist an d capitalist S ta te o f to d ay an d it becom es
m ore an d m ore a q u e stio n w hether ou r S o c ial D em o cracy thin ks that so m e m ere
fin ish ing touches ap p lied to o u r cen tralized, tucelary, ceaselessly in terfering police
state, are all th at is n ecessary to tran sfo rm the G e rm a n E m p ire in to the fam ou s
S ta te o f the future."
H e ap pealed to the delegates to allow the an arch ist cause to b e heard:
W h a t we fight is S ta te socialism , leveling fro m above, bureaucracy ; w hat we
advocate is free asso c iatio n an d un ion , the absence o f authority, m in d freed from
all fetters, in depen den ce an d w ell-being o f all. B efore all oth ers it is we w ho preach
tolerance for all w hether we th in k their op in ion s right o r w ron g we do n ot w ish
to crush them by force or otherw ise. In the sam e w ay we claim tolerance tow ards
us, an d w here revolution ary socialists, where w orkin g m en o f all coun tries m eet,
we w ant to be am o n g th em an d to say w hat w e have g o t to say : I f o u r ideas are
w rong, le t th ose w ho kn o w b etter teach us better. (G . L an d a u e r: Social Democracy
in Germ any. F reed o m P ress 1 8 9 6 ).
B u t the an arch ists w ere expelled. A p ro te st m eetin g w as ad d re sse d by K ro p o tk in ,
L o u ise M ich el, E lisee R eclus, L an dauer, and M alate sta, an d am on g n on -an arch ists,
by T o m M a n n an d K e ir H a rd ie , w ho declared that:
" N o one could prop h esy w hether the so cialism o f the future w ould sh ap e itse lf
in the im age o f the social dem ocrats or o f the an arch ists. T h e crim e o f the an arch ists
in the eyes o f the con gress m ajority ap p eared to be th at they were the m inority. I f
they agreed w ith th at attitu d e then the so cialist m ovem ent as a w hole h ad no right
to exist, b ecau se it rep resented a minority.
A ro u n d this tim e L an d a u e r w as b eset w ith a p ro b lem th at alw ays faces an arch ist
editors. H e h ad m ade D e r Sozialist a paper o f a high intellectual sta n d ard b u t w ith
litd e p ro p a g an d a ap peal an d this cau sed continual argu m en t. In the end he agreed
to p u b lish also a p ro p a g an d a p a p e r D er A rm e K on rad edited by A lb e rt W eidner,
who, says Rocker, did his best, b u t it did n o t satisfy L an d a u e rs o p p o n en ts. Th ey
sta rte d a new larger paper, an d L an dauer's Sozialist slow ly died. T h e new p ap er
w as p oo rly edited an d b adly w ritten, and it w as little co n solation to p lead th at it
w as p ro d u c e d entirely by o rdin ary w orkin g m en. For L an d a u e r it w as a tragedy. It
deprived h im o f a valuable activity, for which he w as su prem ely fitted, an d in which
he ren dered sp len d id service.
In 1 9 0 1 he edited w ith M a x N e ttlau , a volum e o f selection s fro m B akun in . I
have loved an d ad m ired B akunin, he w rote, fro m the first day I cam e across him ,
for there are few d issertatio n s w ritten as vividly as h is p erh ap s th at is why they
are as fragm en tary as life itself. B u t in fact it w as P ro u d h o n an d K ro p o tk in w ho
in fluen ced h im m ore. In 1 9 0 5 , echoing K ro p o tk in s views on the in tegration o f
agricultu re an d industry, he w rote:

C .W .

In tro d uctio n

"T h e so cialist village, w ith w ork sh op s and village factories, w ith fields and
m ead ow s an d g a rd e n s you proletarian s o f the b ig cities, ac cu sto m yourselves to
this thought, stran ge an d o d d as it m ay seem at firsc, for th at is the only b eginn in g
o f tru e socialism , the only one that is left to us.
A n d cwo years late r he declared that:
"It will b e recogn ized soon er or later that, as the gre atest o f all so c ia lists
P ro u d h o n h as declared in in com parable w ords, albeit forgotten today, social
revolution bears no resem blance at all to political revolution."
T h is w as in his essay D ie Revolution, w ritten at the req u est o f M a rtin Buber,
who, forty years later w as to b rin g L an d au er s ideas b ack in to circulation in Paths in
U topia. In B u b e rs view, L an dauer's step beyond K ro p o tk in co n sists in his insight
into the n ature o f the S tate, w hich is not, as K ro p o tk in th ough t, an in stitu tion
w hich can be destroy ed by a revolution, b ut rather, L an d a u e r says:
"T h e S ta te is a con dition , a certain relation ship betw een h u m an bein gs, a m o d e o f
behavior; we d estroy it by con tractin g other relation sh ips by behaving differently
O n e day it w ill be realized that so c ialism is n ot the invention o f an ythin g new b ut
the discovery o f so m e th in g actually presen t, o f so m e th in g th at h as grow n.
H e w ants to disp lace the S ta te by uncovering, b rin gin g to the surface, the ancient
c om m un al in stitu tio n s o f society, an d the in stinctive m u tu al aid w hich, rather than
S ta te organ ization , m akes social life p o ssib le p re se rv in g , renew ing, and expan ding
th e m /re le a sin g the sp irit th at lies captive b eh in d the State."
"W e w ant to b rin g the co-operatives, w hich are so cialist form w ith ou t socialist
content, an d the trade un ion s, w hich are valor w ith out avail, to socialist, to great
experim ents." A ll true socialism , he says, is relative an d never a b so lu te ."C o m m u n ism
g o es in search o f the A b so lu te an d can naturally find no b egin n in g b u t th at o f the
w ord. For the only ab so lu te things, detach ed from all reality, are w ords."
E veryth in g com es in tim e, and every tim e after the revolution is a tim e before
the revolution for all th ose w h ose lives have n o t g o t b o g g e d in so m e g re at m om en t
o f the past.
E veryth ing that L an d a u e r th ou g h t and plan n ed an d said an d w rote, declares
Buber, w as steep ed in a great b e lie f in revolution an d w ill for it. B u t the struggle
for revolution, L a n d a u e r in sists, can only b ear fruit w hen we are seized by the
spirit, n o t o f revolution, b u t o f regeneration." F or the stren gth o f revolution lies in
rebellion an d n egation ; it can n ot solve social p ro b lem s by political m ean s. Stu d y in g
the m ean in g o f the French R evolution , he ob served that:
"W h e n a revolution ultim ately g e ts into the terrible situ a tio n th at this one did,
with enem ies all ro un d it in side an d out, then the forces o f n egation an d destru ction
th at still live o n are b o u n d to tu rn inw ards an d ag ain st them selves, fan aticism an d
p a ssio n turn to d istru st an d so o n to b lood th irstin ess, or at le ast to an indifference to
the ad d e d terrors o f killing, an d b efore lon g k illin g b ecom es the sole p o ssib le m eans

C .W .

In t r o d u c t io n

for che rulers o f the day to keep them selves p rovisio n ally in power.
A n d ten years later, he w rote o f the sam e events:
T h u s it h ap p en ed th at the m o st fervent representatives o f the revolution
th ou g h t an d believed in their fin est h o u rs no m atter to w hat stran ge sh o res they
were ultim ately flung by the raging w in ds th at they w ere leadin g m an k in d to a
rebirth; b u t som eh ow this birth m iscarried an d they g o t in each oth ers way and
b lam ed each other b ecause the revolution h ad allied itse lf to war, to violence, to
d ictato rsh ip an d au th o ritarian o p p re ssio n in a w ord to politics.
S o o n afterw ard s L an d a u e r w as to find h im se lf the victim o f such a situ atio n , a
revolution w recked in violence an d politics.
In the G e rm an elections o f 1 9 1 2 , the S P D b ecam e the large st single p arty in
the R eich stag, an d in the follow ing year the S o cial D e m o c rats w ith out exception
voted for the R earm am en t Bill. O n the eve o f the F irst W o rld W ar the S o c ialist
In tern ation al m et in B ru ssels an d Je a n Ja u re s p u t his faith in the stren gth o f the
S P D ." D o n t worry, he said to a frie n d ,four m illion G e rm an so cialists will rise like
one m an an d execute the K a ise r i f he w ants to sta rt a war." B u t L an d a u e r h ad no
such op tim istic h opes, w riting in Ju ly 191 4 :
L et us be un der no illusions as to the situ a tio n in all coun tries today. W h e n it
com es to the poin t, the only thing th at these revolution ary ag itatio n s have served is
the n atio n alist-cap italist ag gran d izem en t w e call im p erialism ; even w hen originally
tin ctu red w ith so c ialism they w ere all to o easily led by so m e N a p o le o n o r C a v o u r or
B ism ark into the m ain stre am o f politics, b ecause all these in su rrectio n s w ere in fact
only a m ean s o f political revolution o r n ation alistic w ar b u t could never be a m ean s
o f so cialist tran sform ation , for the sufficient reason th at the so cialists are rom antics
who alw ays an d inevitably m ake u se o f the m ean s o f their enem ies.
O n A u g u st 4 the S o c ia lists u n an im ou sly voted the govern m ents w ar credits.
T h e S P D , loyal to its reform ist p ast, b ou n d the destin y o f G e rm an lab o r to that
o f the G e rm an Reich." O p p o sitio n to the war, led by K a rl Liebn echt and R o sa
L u xe m b u rg d id n ot b egin until 1 9 1 6 . In the follow in g year, E rn st Toller, w ho h ad
b een p rofou n d ly influenced by L a n d a u e rs For Socialism , w ent secretly to see h im at
K ru m b a c h . T o ller d escrib ed the visit in his au tob iograp h y I W as a G erm an:
I couldnt u n d e rstan d why, a t a tim e w hen everybody w as w aitin g for the voice
o f truth, this arden t revolutionary k e p t silent. B u t w hen I p u t this q u e stio n to h im
he said : A ll my life I have w orked for the dow nfall o f this social sy stem , this society
fo u n d ed on lies an d betrayals, on this beggarin g an d su p p re ssio n o f h u m an bein gs;
an d I know now th at this dow nfall is im m in en t p erh ap s tom orrow , p erh ap s in a
year's tim e. A n d I have the right to reserve m y stren gth until th at m om en t. W h en
the h ou r strikes I shall be ready."
O n N o v e m b e r 9, 1 9 1 8 w ith d efeat in the field, m utiny in the N avy, h un ger at
hom e, an d sold iers an d w orkers' coun cils bein g form ed everyw here, the chancellor,

C .W .

In tro d u c tio n

Prince M a x von B aden , h an d ed over his office to K a rl E bert, the leader o f the S o cial
D em o crats, who h ad told h im two days earlier, "U n le ss the K a ise r ab dicates, social
revolution is inevitable. B u t I will have none o f it. I h ate it like sin. A n d at a tim e
w hen d y n asties w ere falling, the H ig h C o m m a n d decam p in g, an d the p eop le risin g
S c h eid e m a n n an d N o sk e , so u g h t a t all costs to preserve the m ilita rism o f the officer
corps, the fe u d alism o f the Ju n k e rs an d the cap italism o f the in d u strial m agn ates.
In M u n ich on N o v e m b e r 7, so ld ie rs and w orkers d e p o se d the govern m en t and
p roclaim ed the R epu b lic o f Bavaria, and the In d epen d en t S o c ia list K u r t E isn er
form ed a cabinet. O f the role o f E rich M u eh sam , an d o f L an d a u e r w ho h ad com e
to M u n ich at the b egin n in g o f the revolution, W illy Fritzenkotter, w riting o n 'T h e
C o u n cil-R ep u b lic o f M u nich in Freedom ( 2 6 / 9 / 5 3 ) describ ed the events:
T h e first action o f the tw o an arch ists w as to organ ize the R evolution ary
W o rk sh op O rgan izatio n . T h e se councils were to be o rgan ized in every city, an d form
(in con n ection w ith the sailors an d farm ers councils) the ad m in istratio n o f every
city an d village. A ll th ese councils in the cou n try w ere to elect representatives and
se n d th em to a 'C ou n cil C o n g re ss in M unich . A c co rd in g to the plan o f M u eh sam
and L an d a u e r th ese councils an d con gress sh o u ld w ork on a federative b asis, and
not be cen tralized. A g ain st this revolutionary m ovem en t E isn er an d A u er w orked in
con jun ction w ith the reactionary forces. Th ey were for a parliam en tary election. T h e
p arliam en t they aim ed at m akin g the real law -m aker in B avaria, forcin g the'w orkers'
councils into insignificance.
E isn e r h ad M u e h sam an d 11 other revolutionaries arrested on Ja n u a r y 10,
1 9 1 9 b ecause he feared they w ould fru strate the election for P arliam en t which
sh o u ld take place on Ja n u ary 12. Yet M u eh sam an d his com rades were on the next
day liberated fro m p riso n by th e'W ork ers C o u n c il w hich forced E isn er to se t them
free.
E isn e r w as assa ssin ate d in Feb ru ary by a B avarian aristocrat, an d his place w as
taken b y jo h a n n H o ffm an n , a S o cial D em o crat w ho b egan n egotiation s w ith Berlin.
B u t the w orkers o f M u nich were n o t am en able to this, an d on the n igh t o f A p ril 67 they p roclaim ed a S o v ie t R epublic. It w as acclaim ed w ith cries o f L o s vom Reich."
H o ffm an n s go vern m en t fled to B a m b erg in N o r th B avaria. R u th Fisch er gives this
account o f the C o u n cil R epub lic (in her b o o k S ta lin an d G e rm a n C o m m u n ism ):
"E ric h M u e h sa m p ro p o se d to the M unich W o rkers an d S o ld ie rs C o u n cil th at
they p ro claim a so cialist republic. T h is p ro p o sa l w as ad o p ted by 2 3 4 votes to 7 0
with the S p a rta c ists votin g ag ain st it. T h e first B avarian council go vern m en t has
alw ays b een dep icted as a half-crazy adventure o f literati an d in tellectuals. A ll o f
th em later p roved to b e se rio u s m ilitants, w ho su ffered loyally for the cau se they
h ad ad op ted .
A t the h ead o f this g ro u p w as G u stav L an dauer, a cultu red h u m an itarian
an arch ist. H e visu alized so cialism as an anti-autocratic co-operative. L an d a u e r w as

C .W .

In tro d u c tio n

an ou tsp o k en individualist, a defen d er o f so cialist morality, an op p o n e n t o f terror

and violence again st the class enemy. Erich M u eh sam , the oth e r an arch ist w riter in
the cabinet, h ad a follow in g am o n g intellectuals an d youn g w orkers. E rn st Toller, the
third w riter in the governm en t, w as in 1 9 1 9 a young m an u n certain o f his politics.
H e also w as w h at the G e rm an s call an ethical socialist."
T h e C o m m u n ists co n dem n ed w hat they called th is p se u d o -so v ie t an d
d e m an d ed the resign ation o f the C e n tral C ou n cil, an d the S o c ia l D em o crats, w ith
the aid o f the m on arch ist g arriso n arrested several m em b ers o f the C o u n cil on A p ril
13 an d to o k th em to N o r th B avaria. C o m m u n ist tro o p s then defeated the g arrison ,
and the R evolution ary C o u n cil form ed a new So v iet C ab in e t. T h e n N o ske's arm y o f
1 0 0 ,0 0 0 m en c o m m an d ed by G en . von O ven m oved on Bavaria.
R u d o lf C oser, in The Failure of a Revolution says:
" H is arm y w as n ot to crush a h andful o f m en; it w as to crush any idea that the
su b stan ce o f the G e rm a n S ta te cou ld b e changed in any w ay w hatever w h at w as
to b e don e to th em w as to serve as a w arning to all the m illion s o f G e rm an s who
w anted to elim in ate m ilitarism by different m eans.
T h e revolutionary councils realized the h opelessn ess o f fighting a g ain st N o sk e s
arm y an d declared their so lid arity w ith the survivors o f the first soviet govern m en t
and w ere n egotiatin g w ith H o ffm an n in ord er to avert a c atastro p h e an d forestall
the P ru ssia n invasion.
A b o u t 7 0 0 p eop le w ere butch ered by N o sk e s army, am o n g th em L an d au er. A
w ork m an who w as arrested w ith h im d escrib ed his death:
'A m id sh o u ts o f L an d a u e r! L an d au er!' an escort o f B avarian an d W u rttem b erger
infantry b ro u g h t h im o u t into the p a ssa g e ou tsid e the d o o r o f the exam in ation
ro om . A n officer stru ck h im in the face, the m en sh o u te d 'D irty B olsh i! L e ts finish
h im off!' an d a rain o f blow s fro m rifle-butts drove h im o u t into the yard. H e said
to the sold iers ro u n d him : 'Ive n ot becrayed you. You don't kn ow yourselves how
terribly y ouve been betrayed. Freiherr von G a g e rn w ent up to him an d b eat him
with a heavy trun ch eon until he sa n k in a heap on the g ro u n d . H e stru gg led up
again an d tried to speak , b u t one o f the m en sh o t h im th rough the h ead. H e w as
still b reath in g an d the fellow s a id :T h a t b lasted carrion h as nine lives; he can't even
die like a gen dem an.'
"T h e n a serg ean t in the L ife G u a rd s sh o u te d out: 'P u ll off his co at! T h ey
p u lled it off, an d laid h im on his sto m ach . 'S ta n d back there, an d well finish h im
o f f p roperly ! one o f th em cried, an d sh o t h im in the back. L an d a u e r still m oved
convulsively, so they tram p led on h im till he w as d ead ; then strip p e d the b o d y and
threw it into the w ash -h ouse."
T o ller an d M u e h sa m w ere each im p rison ed in a fortress for five years. In 1 9 3 4
M u e h sa m w as killed by the N a z is in O ran ien b erg con cen tration cam p.

C .W .

In tro d u c tio n

In 1 9 3 3 che N a z is d u g up L a n d a u e rs rem ains an d se n : th em to ehe Jew ish

c om m un ity in M u nich . S o m e years ago M rs. A d a m a van Sch elte m s o f A m ste rd a m
told m e how in 1 9 3 9 sh e visited L a n d a u e rs dau gh ter an d son-in-law , living in fear
in a R h in elan d tow n, to ge t his p a p e rs and m an u scrip ts w hich she sm u ggled across
the fron tier for the In tern ation al In stitu te fo r S o c ia l H isto ry .
G u sta v L an d a u e r failed, said the p h ilosop h er F ritz M a u th n e r,"b e ca u se he w as
no politician , an d yet w as driven by h is p a ssio n a te c o m p a ssio n for the people, to
be active politically; too p ro u d to jo in a Party, not n arrow enough to fo rm a P arty
round his ow n name. L an d a u e r failed, b u t w as not the failure o f the political
so cialists m ore ign om in iou s? In the struggle for the so u l o f the so cialist m ovem ent
in the 1 8 9 0 s, like th at betw een M a rx and B ak u n in in the F irst In tern ation al in the
seventies, his fo reb o d in gs on the n ature o f G e rm an S o c ia l D em o cracy w ere ign ored,
b u t w ere sh ow n to b e correct in every detail by the events o f 1 9 1 4 , by the cru sh in g
o f the revolutionary h opes o f 1 9 1 8 , an d by the final collap se before the N a z is . Is his
vision o f 'a society o f equ alitarian exchange b ase d on regional com m un ities, rural
com m u n ities w hich com bine agricultu re w ith in d u stry any m ore ridicu lou s than
the v ision o f a society o f m ach in e-m in ders an d b u reau crats w hich is all th e 're alistic"
so cialists can offer?
B u t w hat are we to say o f the M unich C o u n cil R epublic? W a s it in fact the
e m b o d im en t o f im practical rom an tic anarchism " th at Ja m e s Jo ll calls it in his b o o k
on The Second International? F ro m the fragm en tary and con trad ictory accoun ts th at
are all one can find, it is h ard to com e to any firm con clusion s, b u t a n u m b er o f
p o in ts are w orth m akin g. It is variously referred to as the Bavarian S o v ie t R epu b lic
and the B avarian C ou n cil R epub lic (B ay risch e R terep u b lik ). T h is in itse lf h as no
significance. S o v ie t is the R u ssia n w ord for council, an d the slo g a n 'A ll Pow er to the
Soviets, u su rp e d by the B olsh evik s to gain su p p o rt for an exactly o p p o site policy,
h ad a w ide currency in the years im m ediately after the R u ssia n R evolution , T h e
C o m m u n ists w ere o p p o se d to the R terep u b lik . W h y then d id they fo rm a "S e c o n d
So v ie t C ab in e t" to succeed it? V ery simply, the C o m m u n ists could n ot resist the
drive o f the M u n ich w orkers, who, irritated after the g a rriso n coup, w anted to
defen d M unich," explain s R uth Fischer.
W as the L an d a u e r cabin et a govern m en t? T h is is a m atter o f nom en clature. It
w as the "soviet" in stalled by the B avarian C en tral C o u n cil o f W orkers' an d So ldiers'
C o u n cils. Fritzen k otcer regards the C o u n cil R epu b lic as lastin g for six m on th s, i.e.
the w hole p e rio d from the ab d ication to the su p p re ssio n by the G e rm an A rm y and
the Freik orp s. For h im the term is syn on ym ou s w ith the p e rio d o f the effective
existence o f the w orkers councils. L an d au er regarded the task o f revolution as the
se ttin g u p o f society ou tsid e a n d alongside the State.
W as there any chance o f success? M rs. Fischer, as an ex-com m u n ist, deprecates

the co m m u n ist attitu d e th at it w as sim ply an "adven turist folly. S h e p o in ts o u t that

C .W.

In tro d u ctio n

ic cook place in che contexc o f general un rest in G erm any, especially in n eigh borin g
Saxony, an d o f che seccing u p o f B e la K u n s H u n g aria n Soviec R epublic. M oreover,
Bavaria h ad only b een incorporaced in che G e rm a n E m p ire in 1 8 7 1 , an d h ad a
scron g separacisc cradicion. Ic w as w idely choughc th a t"B e rlin w ould n ot d are invade
Bavaria. In Bavaria, unlike m osc o f G erm any, peasanc's coun cils h ad b een fo rm e d at
the end o f che war. R u d o lf C o se r says:
T h e m ajority o f th em were non-revolutionary. N everth eless they su p p o rte d
the revolution b ecause they feared Bavaria w ould becom e a b attlegrou n d after
the d efection o f A u stria , an d b ecause they regarded the w ar as a private b u sin ess
betw een m on arch s. A fte r the w ar was over, the Bavarian p e a sa n ts councils
rem ain ed im p o rtan t; they w anted to have a say in the ad m in istratio n o f their
country. H ow ever, alth ough one o f their leaders w as in the soviet go vern m en t they
b lockaded the capital; no victuals were delivered to M unich."
T h e C o u n cil R ep u b lic failed b ecau se n o t enough p eo p le su p p o rte d it, b ecause
it failed to w in over the peasantry, an d to w in over the retu rn in g sold iers fro m the
reactionary F reik orp s, b ecau se it failed to alien ate p eo p le fro m their allegiance to
political p arties and p o litical violence, and b ecau se G e rm a n S o c ia l D em o cracy itse lf
w as so deeply w ed ded to G e rm an re a c tio n /'S o cia lism , L a n d a u e r had w ritten years
before, is p o ssib le and im p o ssib le at all tim es; it is im p o ssib le w hen p e o p le either
dont w ill it or only su p p o sed ly w ill it, but are n ot cap ab le o f d o in g it."
T h is is the sen se in w hich the C ou n cil R epu b lic w as d o o m ed to failure.
In his R ecollection s o f a D eath , reprinted in Pointing the Way, M a rtin B ub er
c o n c lu d e s:"L a n d a u e r fough t in the revolution ag ain st the revolucion for che sake o f
che revolution. T h e revolution w ill not th ank h im for it. B u t chose w ill chank h im
for ic who have foughc as he foughc an d perh aps so m e day chose will chank h im for
w hose sak e he fought.

Anarchism in Germany [1895]

hy do so m any o f to d a y s sk eptics an d rebels, these h u m an ists and fu tu rists,

am o n g w h om I count m yself, identify them selves as an arch ists? W h y do

these ap o sd e s o f enlightenm en t w ho w ish n ot only to cultivate a new con scio u sn ess

b ut also to create a new social form , have the closest ties to the m o st radical g ro u p
w hich ad vocates relentless class w ar? W h at are the ch aracteristics o f A n a rc h ism in
G erm an y ? In particular, is it a w ork in g class m ovem enc; an d w ill it rem ain so? Ive
decided to answ er these p articu lar q u estio n s here. N o t in order to p ro p a g an d iz e for
A n arch ism ; b oth the p ub lish ers an d the readers o f D ie Z ukunft, a p u b licatio n w ith a
different agen da, have the right to o p p o se any such attem p t. I do n ot con sider it my
calling to play gatecrash er or to sow the seed s o f dissen tion . M y sole p u rp o se is to
d ispel false im p ressio n s and to p rovide an accurate pictu re o f the id eas h eld by the
b etter p a rt o f G e rm a n an arch ists.
T h e con scio u s, w illful, m eth odical form ation o f a p e rso n al sta k e an d collective fate
o f b oth sm aller an d larger com m u n ities is a m ajo r attrib u te o f the Kulturm ensch. T h is
virtue m anifests itse lf in h u m an ity s fight, first ag ain st the h u m b lin g an d oppressive
force o f n ature an d then again st hum anity's self-ob stru ctive qualities an d b ad faith.
H isco ry to this p o in t has b een co m p rised o f two thin gs: first, the coun tless, isolated
events o f an un con scio u s, stifling, an d determ in istic evolution, fo r which, ju s t as for
all oth er n atural ph en om en a, the so-called law s o f n ature can be con stru ed. S e co n d ,
there are the con scio u s action s o f individuals or com m un ities, often resu ltin g in
effects bearin g little relation to their original intent. U n questionably, the various

G ustav

L an dauer

A n a r c h ism

in

G ermany

o f p h en o m en a on the sp e c tru m can be slotted into different categories o f truth .

T h u s, the p h en o m en a o f desire an d m otivated action len d them selves, even w hen
less certain, to the estab lish m en t o f axiom s.
Ill sta te here: civilization has arrived at the p o in t w here ic can be successful in
overcom ing these so-called law s o f nature, w hose developm en t em erged from the
gen eral aggregation o f m any sm all coincidences. H u m a n s now have the capacity
to freely an d in depen dently create a life th at is their ow n. T h e b attle again st this
hostile en viron m ent has n ot sto p p e d and can n ot sto p . B u t now it is con sciously
w aged ag ain st the one foe th at bars hum anity's path to great fulfillm ent.
In the p a st, two internally related factors h in dered h um anity's ascen sio n . F irst,
a lack o f con scio u sn ess, a certain torpor, an d the n arrow -m in d ed n ess o f the m asses,
as o p p o se d to sm aller g ro u p s, even though there is no n atural difference betw een
the tw o. Certainly, nature p ro d u ce s b oth the intelligent an d the dim , the stron g
and the w eak. T h e conten tion th at the neglected m asse s are essentially p o p u late d
by d o lts, w hile the sm a rt an d stro n g reside only am o n g the fo rtu n ate few, however,
w ould n ot o ccu r to any h on est p erso n . S e co n d , H u m an ity h as b een o p p re sse d
not b ecau se d isu n ited p eo p le stru ggled again st a natural an d hostile environm ent,
b ut rath er b ecau se they fough t an d op p ressed one another. T o b e sure, it has been
the tiny privileged elite, w ho have u se d every physical and sp iritu al m ean s at their
d isp o sa l u sin g the ign orance o f the great m ass o f people, to keep th em ga g g e d an d
o p p re sse d right u p to the p re se n t day.
A n arch ism 's lone objective is to reach a p o in t at w hich the belligerence o f
som e h u m an s ag ain st hum anity, in w hatever form , com es to a halt. A n d w ith this
end p o in t in m in d, p e o p le m u st cranscend them selves in the sp irit o f b roth er an d
siste rh o o d , so th at each individual, draw in g on n atural ability, can develop freely.
H om o homini lupus m an is a w o lf co m an. T h a t w as, as a p ractical m atter,
m ankin d's m otto in the 1 8 0 0 years thac p a sse d since Je s u s sp o k e the w ords: love
your n eigh bor as you love y ourself. A n arch ism isn't in terested in p o stu latin g a G o d ,
or se ttin g up an oth er inflexible m oral code, since we d e sp ise all coercion. O n c e the
events o f h istory an d advances in technology have been an alyzed once and tested
again, A n a rch ism seeks ju s t one thin g: the forgin g o f alliances am o n g all th o se
ad vocatin g a co m m o n in terest w hen one n eeds to w rest con cession s fro m n ature
by en gagin g in difficult, daily struggle. A n d w hen in terests am on g p eo p le diverge,
individuals w ill sim ply follow their ow n discretion ; an d it is again the un ion o f
various con fed eration s th at will p ro te ct the in dividual fro m the h arm fu l action s o f
any individuals. It sh o u ld be gu ard ed against, however, th at th ese confederation s
take on d isp ro p o rtio n ate pow er. It is in this sen se th at we call ourselves an arch ists:
we are for the benefit o f the m u ltitu d e b ecau se w e d e test all violence w hich deprives
the en joym en t an d au ton om y as a resu lt o f deeply seed ed cultu ral facto rs.
W e repudiate, above all, the colossal im age th at im p resses the delusive stam p

G ustav

L an dauer

A n a r c h ism

in

G ermany

o f authority, leaving only the im prin t o f d ocile ad o ratio n beh in d. W e are talkin g
in p articu lar ab ou t the rigid in stitu tion s o f lo n g historical stan din g, into which
p eop le are b o rn and to w hich they accom m od ate them selves, w hether they regard
them a s reason ab le an d beneficial or not. E sp ecially w hen it com es to the organ s
o f coercive sta te pow er, the in dividual has ultim ately b u t one choice: su b m issio n .
T h e lone ju stific a tio n b ein g th at th o se who cam e before acq uiesced in the sam e way
as th eir d escen d an ts now d o. T h e alternative is to radically d e p a rt fro m the terra
firm a o f received life, for today there rem ains h ardly a corn er w here the state h asn t
laid its p erem pto ry h an ds. T h e pow er o f the church, ad m itted ly still m on strou s,
nevertheless finds itse lf in a m o st tim ely sta te o f decay. T h u s, m any are finding it
p o ssib le to extract them selves, even i f w ith difficulty. T h e state, restin g on the sam e
legitim ate fo u n d atio n as its sister, the church, nam ely the blin d faith in authority, will
d e c o m p o se ju st as the religious orders have. Currently, hum anity's real redem p tion
lies n o t in com p u lsion an d spiritu al tutelage, w ere it even w ith the b est in ten tion s,
b u t rath er in freedom .
O n the b asis o f sta te -im p o se d servitude, reinforced by the b lin d faith the m asse s
devote to m usty trad itio n alists an d other rem n an ts o f a bygone era above all to
dy n asties an d p atriarch ies the

oppressive sy stem o f privileged private w ealth

rests. N o w orld trad ition s, n ot even those w ith the w eight o f m illenn ia behin d
them , can m ake ju stify b efore an arch ists the c u sto m th at so few are able to lay real
claim to ow n ership o f lan d. T h o se w ho enjoy the fru its o f its b ou n ty play no actual
role in h arv estin g it, yet they deny its yield to their toilin g fellow m an. N o earthly
pow er or w id esp read prejud ice w ill deter an arch ists fro m the con viction th at the
deprived an d d e stitu te m u st nam e w hat is theirs, th at w hich is due the la st and
m o st w retched am on g them : lan d on w hich to stan d , to stroll, to rest, an d to w ork.
H e w ho com placently enjoys cu sto d y o f inherited "rights" an d privilege, (a c u sto d y
secured only by en closure b eh in d high w alls) rep osin g on m on ey bags, h as once and
for all alm s to pay. T h e se alm s are p aid to the opp ressive regim e, an d its arm ed
fo o tso ld ie rs deployed as they are again st the enem y w ith in w hose con tinued
pow er is secu red by the dull patience and d isso lu te will o f the m asse s. A ll this
w hile en orm o u s m asse s o f p e o p le who have the sam e talen ts an d needs as the
o p p re sso rs th em selves m u st eke o u t a pittance for such n ecessities as the clothing
on their backs.
A n arch ists do n ot even claim , however, chat the m ajority o f o p p re sse d peop le
today even con sider them selves victim s. It m ay also be the case that am o n g ou r
ow n ran ks, c o m p a ssio n an d love are not necessarily che righc w ords co describ e
our deepesc m ocives. A s for m y an im atin g force, ic lies in che repugn an ce ac che
hum anicy chac encircles u s, a rage at the indolence o f the rich w ho blithely b u ild
their h ap p in ess on the ru in s o f the joy less existence o f the d eh u m an ized m ultitude.
M y rage d issip ates n o t one io ta w hen I consider che extent o f che sq u alo r to which

G ustav

L a n d a uer

A n a r c h ism

in

G ermany

che o p p re sse d are su b jected . A s they em erged fro m che m oth ers w om b, che haves
and the h ave-nots are as distin gu ish ab le as one egg is fro m another. A n d then, at
the end o f their m iserable lives, sp e n t as it is am o n g the o u tcasts o f society: slogging,
these sk e le to n s the sh ad ow rem ainin g from an e xh au stin g stru ggle for life have
scarcely en ough m oney to bury their kin w ith dignity.
T h is asse ssm e n t o f o u r tim e an d o u r fu tu re id eal o f lives lived fully th ro u gh free
a sso c ia tio n is ag reed u p o n b y m an y am o n g G e rm a n y s e d u c ate d c lasse s; yet they
rem ain to o rem o te to feel a tru e so lid arity wich u s. T h e b a sis fo r th is e ssen tially
rests on tw o elem en ts. F irst on th e incorrect, i f also explain able, c o n d e m n atio n
o f the an arch ist p arty (th ere is no an arch ist p a rty ) an d its tactics (th e re are no
specifically an arch ist tactics). S e c o n d , it d e p e n d s on the w id esp read d isp e rsio n
o f gen eral d e sp a ir an d sk e p tic ism w ith respect to the p ro sp e c t o f an y such fu tu re
ever e m ergin g o u t o f o u r p resen t. T o these m en , S c h o p e n h a u e r p ro v id e s solace
d u rin g th eir sleep less n igh ts. T h e ir daily w ork is the am elio ratio n o f the su fferin g
w hich m eets th eir eyes; they see it a s ju s t h o p eless so cial reform th a t c o m p rise s
a d rop in the ocean . T h e se sk e p tic s, at le ast th o se o f con sequ en ce, do n o t claim
th at they an d th o se eq u ally-privileged are actu ally su p e rio r fro m the sta n d p o in t
o f spiritu alicy or m oralicy. C ercain ly they co n ced e an d

we are o f com pletely

like m in d h ere th at today in so m e d istricts m aterial co n d itio n s are so sq u a lid

th at so m e are b o rn d eprived o f a h ealthy s ta rt to life. Fortunately, this persp ective
tod ay rem ain s an exception to the rule. By n atu re an d w ith resp ect to th eir in n ate
talent, how ever, the p ro le ta rian cu ltu ral w orld rem ain s p o o r. Yet we th in k th at
b o th th is d e grad aci n on che on e h an d an d che p a m p e re d privilege on the oth e r
have b e g u n to en ter the flesh an d b lo o d o f m a n k in d ; in fac t they have b e g u n to
enter the sp h ere o f the b o d y an d so u l, w h ose q u alitie s w ill be in h erited b y the
com in g gen eratio n . W e con ten d th at no lan g u ag e can be lo u d an d decisive enough
for the u p liftin g o f our c o m p a trio ts, so th at they m ay be in cited o u t o f their
en grain ed daily drudgery. A renew ed social fo rm m u st be sp u rre d on, th rough
the tran scen d en ce o f the p re se n t sp iritu al in ertia, in p u r su it o f en ergetic action ,
d e sign e d to b re ak b arrie rs, an d to p rep are new g ro u n d fo r o u r se e d . "That is the
p ro p a g a n d a o f the d e e d , a s I u n d e rsta n d it. E very th in g else is p a ssio n , despair, or
a g r e a t m iscon cep cion . It h asn t a th in g to do w ith k illin g p e o p le; rather, it reg ard s
the reju ven ation o f h u m an sp irit an d w ill alo n g w ith th e p ro d u c tiv e en ergies
u n leash ed by large com m u n ities.
L arge-scale com m un ities, I say. For, it is a g re at m istake, one n o t even overcom e
by the usually in sightfu l P ro fe sso r Stam m ler, who derives an arch ist theory fro m
the w ritin gs o f P ro u d h o n an d S tirn e r th at an arch ism m ean s in d ivid u alism and
therefore sta n d s, w hen so m isu n d ersto o d , in o p p o sitio n co so cialism . Certainly,
so c ialism for u s m ean s so m e th in g quice differenc fro m the "abolition o f che private
ow n ership o f the m ean s o f production. O u r so c ialism doesn 't sp e ak even o f collective

G ustav

L a n d a uer

A n a r c h ism

in

G ermany

property, since behin d it h ides n oth in g other th an the d o m in atio n o f a bureaucratic

cabal. N o , we sp e ak rather of, to use B en edikt F rie d l n d e rs delightful expression ,
the "ow nerlessn ess o f n atu res bounty. T h is m ean s, once peop le have recogn ized
their real in terests, they w ill develop stron g alliances that will gu aran tee everyone
a sh are o f the E arth s plenty. A n d w hen individuals or g ro u p s claim the m ean s
o f p ro d u c tio n for their ow n p u rp o se s, then th ose rem ain in g shall receive equitable
com pen sation .

I note here that B ru n o W ille expan d s on this line o f argu m en t

in his Philosophy o f Freedom. O n e o f the first, in co n trast to the o b scu ra n tism o f

earlier an d so m e p resen t day an arch o-com m un ists, to sob erly e sp o u se the ideas o f
an arch ism , w as indeed B en ed ik t Friedlnder, in his rath er su ggestive pam p h let Free
Socialism C ontra M a rx ist State Servitude. T h is clearh eaded th rust, recognizable in
Paul K am p ffm e y e rs earlier p am ph let, The M ean in g o f Unions, represents, as I see it,
the prin ciple o f the you n g an arch ist tendency, on w hich E u gen D iih rin g and H e n ry
G e o rge have exercised particularly stron g influence, an d n ot only here in G erm an y.
F rie d l n d e rs pam ph let, even though it com es o ff as m o st m o d e st and lack in g in
presu m p tio n , seem s to m e o f m uch greater significance than, fo r instance, the w orks
of M ackay, as referred to by P ro fe sso r Stam m ler, as they are heavy on im precision
and preten sion. M oreover, the C o m m u n ist K ro p o tk in has the m erit o f having freed
A n a rc h ism fro m clich by his d etailed vision o f a free society.
I have no m isgivin gs in saying th at stron g organ izatio n s w ill exist in an arch ist
society too, ju s t as I am certain that som e already existin g organ izatio n s w ill grow
into A n arch ism . In deed, this term inology is su itab le h ere b y that I m ean, the
organ izatio n s o f real prod u cers, namely, the w orkers.

I allude in p a ssin g to the

exceedingly suggestive state in w hich o u r lan gu age exists w ith respect to the w ords
p ro d u ce r and w orker. T h e w orker isnt a p rod u cer per se, for w here then do the
proceed s o f his w ork collect?
where is his w ork?

A n d the p ro d u ce r is often no w orker b e ca u se

I absolutely in clude am on g the ranks o f the w orkers, w hose

un ification sh all be the b asis for creatin g a free society, the lead in g ligh ts o f science,
those experien ced in exch an ging g o o d s, be they to d ay called engineers, directors,
salespeople, railroad b u reau crats or w hatever else.
O f course, it ab solutely doesn't occur to us to c o n stru ct an artifice o f h istorical
developm ent, by w hich as a m a tter o f m aterial n ecessity the w orkin g class,
to on e extent or another, is called by Providence to take for its e lf the role o f the
p resen t d ay ru lin g class, to say n oth in g o f the fou n d in g o f the dictatorsh ip o f the
proletariat. I have no h esitation in clarifying th at class stru ggle fails to have this
m ean in g for me. I am in no way o f the opin ion that once an individual h as p a sse d
a certain th resh old o f wealch, th at he then b ecom es an irred eem able reprobate,
un d eservin g o f any p lace in the com in g society. It is, obviously, no m ore a scan d al to
have b een b o rn a b o u rg eo is than a proletarian . M o re to the poin t, we an arch ists are
ready to regard anyone, regardless o f their social class o f origin, w ho con siders our

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perspective correct and is w illing to live a life th at co m p o rts w ith the con sequen ces
o f this b e lie f as a com rade.
H ow ever, the p e rso n w ho h as recogn ized the tru th in A n a rc h ism , w ill certain ly
n ot sp e n d all h is tim e in club s o r con vention s d isp u tin g w hich m e th o d the fu tu re
so ciety will em p loy for the w ash in g o f d ish e s or the efficacious clean in g o f b o o ts.
R ath er, this p e rso n , as far as p e rso n a l courage an d sta tio n in life allow, will w ith ou t
d o u b t d e m a n d the ste p -b y -ste p im p rovem en t o f h is life's c o n d itio n . In sig h t alone
tells h im th a t the im p ro v e m e n t o f h is econ om ic lo t, as p re se n t c ircu m stan ce s
dictate, rem ain s in tim ately lin k ed w ith the su ccess o f v ig o ro u s m a ss ac tio n s by
w ork ers. A s lon g as the ow n ers an d the p o w e rfu l have at th eir d isp o sa l all o f the
m ean s they allow th em selves to u p h o ld the w retch ed co n d itio n s o f today, so too
w ill o rg an ize d p e o p le fight b ack w ith all allow able m e th o d s for the com p reh en sive
im p rovem en t o f th eir lo t. W e don t preach class w ar b u t w e ack n ow ledge th a t it is
o ften forced o n the p e rso n s w ho desire an im p rovem en t in th eir c o n d itio n . It isn't
a m a tter o f the d e stru c tio n o f m o d e rn culture, its rath e r a m a tter o f a v ast arm y
o f th o se p rev io u sly lo ck e d ou t, an d who have by now acq u ired an ap p e tite to also
sit at th e tab le an d feast.
T h o se barely keepin g their h eads above water, to say n oth in g o f the jo b le ss an d
d o w n -tro d d en are not well served by talk o f revolution an d future p arad ise . T h ats
why relentless class stru ggle rem ain s self-eviden t for th ose w hose only recourse
for the b etterm en t o f their life statio n , in todays society, is the d eterm in atio n o f
so lid arity an d the energy o f engagem en t. A n d n ot to be m isu n d e rsto o d , I do not
necessarily h old any particu lar enm ity for m any am o n g the b ou rgeoisie. Ju s t as
M r. von E gid y saw fit to call out: "all o f us are am o n g the guilty," so too could the
bourgeoisie, p ro d u c t o f m illenn ia as they are, declare, " N o one is gu ilty !" H ow ever,
this wont b e true m uch longer. W ith respect to ou r gh astly inheritance, w e retain the
right o f checking its inventory, and so shall the d em an d ring ever m ore im peratively:
to sh u n t asid e the old p lu n d erin g order, w hile salvagin g w hat we can fro m the debris
o f the now ob solescen t rot. T h is is the g a u n d e t th at A n a rch ism throw s dow n . T h e
low er o rd ers o f society w ill never in light o f recent an d m o u n tin g evidence o f
in justice be b rou gh t so low as to accept a cease-fire in strivin g for the fo rm atio n o f
a society w hich d o e s everyone ju stic e an d therefore deserves the tid e ju st.
A n arch ists do not com prise a political party, since our scorn for the state
forecloses o u r treading on the sam e g ro u n d w ith it an d especially since we d esp ise
b argain in g an d h aggling. W e A n a rch ists w ant to b e preach ers: a revolution o f spirit
is, for u s, the first order. W h a t end can com e fro m the ob stin acy o f today s elite
w hen they repress the asp iratio n s an d desires o f the m asse s o f o u r p eop le? W e shall
not ab dicate responsibility, rather, we will quietly take it on, safe in the kn ow ledge
that fu tu re gen eration s w ill th ank us for h elping th em respect them selves once
again. T h e co n scio u sn ess th at we w ill not only n ot see the culm in atio n o f o u r

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victory, b ut rath er w ill suffer fresh d isap p o in tm en ts and se tb ac k s to say n oth in g

o f p e rse c u tio n will n o t h old us back. In sp ite o f this, we w ill devote ourselves
to o u r life's w ork and to the exp an sio n o f en lighten m ent to all layers o f society.
W e think, alo n g w ith S ch o p e n h a u e r: "L ife is sh o rt an d even though truth ap pears
rem ote, the truth lives lon g: so tell the tru th ! O f course, m o st anyone, after a bit
o f h on est an d co u rageo u s study, can nam e his ow n truth . W h o ev er believes it is in
order to d em an d the im p o sitio n o f h is T ru th " alo n g w ith the violent su p p re ssio n o f
th ose w ith a divergent belief, m ay w ish to w an der dow n th a t ro ad. T h e an arch ists
will w alk dow n theirs.

l a l t IDMtman

t seem s the figure cut by the p o e t W alt W h itm a n an d all o f h is w ritin gs on the
U n ited S ta te s o f A m erica w ant to respo n d to the w ords o f G o eth e. A m erica,

youve g o t it b etter than our old continent / L ack in g ru in ed casd es an d b asalts!"

A n d the resp o n se the U n ited S ta te s w anted to yell across the ocean w as a lo u d : yes
indeed, so it is! W h itm an h im se lf h as spok en w ith reverence o f the m any p o e ts o f
the d isu n ite d states o f E urope, w hile respectfully con sign in g them to the p a st era o f
feu dalism . H is lon e exception is G o eth e, who th rough his u n iqu e statu re rem ains
a k in g w ith out a dom ain , a p o e t w ith out a nation. A m erica is for W h itm a n the
realm o f the future, the un fin ish ed , m uch less fully-grow n, overarch in g com m un ity
o f peop les.
It w ould be a p e tty detail, so m eth in g p e rh a p s ap p ro ach in g p o litical jealousy, in
criticizin g the p o e ts sta n d p o in t as representing an air o f dan g erou s an d exaggerated
arrogance.

For, in ord er to u n d e rstan d W h itm an s p e rso n a l sen sib ility an d that

w hich he had for his people, one m u st disregard the art o f p olitics, as it lies m any
sto ries low er th an the heights o f the poets im aginative cultu ral ob servation s.
W h itm an se n se s even i f he d oesn t express it exactly s o that his p eo p le are a
new beginning, that they are b arbarian , derived fro m a m ix o f peop le all o f w hom
con tribu te their slice o f history. O n e recalls how the G e rm an ic tribes, already in the
tim es o f A rm in iu s, who h ad even taken h is n am e fro m the R o m a n gens A rm in ia
(w h at w as his actual n am e? certainly not H e rm an n b u t p e rh a p s Sig frie d ?), how
deeply fam iliar th ese tribes w ere w ith the great G re c o -R o m a n culture. E sp ecially
once the new m yth ology o f C h ristian ity overcam e them , they com m en ced w ith

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a com pletely new, seem in gly prim itive culture. S o d o es W h itm an , w ho se n se s in

h im se lf the great w ild n ature, stu n te d by no convention o f any kind, see in A m erican s,
a new, em ergent people m ade o f b arbarian s an d beginn ers. A n d he w ants to help
create che new art w hich m u st ligh t the way for all great p eo p les. H is sen sib ility is
m uch m ore a feeling for his p eo p le than for h im self; therefore one sh o u ld n ot be
deceived by the m y stical'm y self' o f his verse. H e h as clearly sen sed and said th at he
is m erely a first, sm all step, a h arbin ger o f a Periclean era in A m erica. A n d he has
alw ays m ean t chat A m erica's p ro p e r m issio n is to be a few ste p s ah ead, b u t th at all
p eop les o f the w orld will eventually w alk dow n this path .
W h ich path ? H e ask s ju s t th at in h is''D ru m 'T a p s, w hich reverberated du rin g
the Civil W ar.
Be nor disheartend, affection shall solve the problem s o f freedom yet,
Th ose who love each other shall becom e invincible...
(W ere you looking to be held together by lawyers?
O r by an agreement on a paper? O r by arms?
Nay, nor the world, nor any living thing, will so cohere.)

H is'd e m o cracy is th at o f free, active people, who leave b eh in d all o f the strictures
o f class society, w ho, d ispelling the lo n gstan d in g sp ecters o f h istory each on his ow n
stratu m , each in his trade, each w ith w hatever m achinery, each m an lives freely. L ike
P rou d h on , w ith w hom W h itm a n sh ared a co m m o n intellectual b on d, he forged
b oth a conservative an d revolutionary spirit, in d ivid u alism an d socialism . T h e love
betw een people, for the developm en t o f this sp irit an d for his artistic vision, isn't so m e
general, blurry love o f hum anity. Rather, it sh all be the k in d o f a b idin g love we find
in the family. It sh all b in d peop le together, m en w ith m en, w om en with w om en and,
o f course, m en wich w om en, in new social g ro u p s. Ic is in the con text o f this love that
feelings o f solidarity, as reflected in W h itm a n s m o st b eau tifu l an d search in g p o e m s,
converge w ith his d ream s o f new life and social form s. It is a fru itless endeavor,
sm ack in g o f fash io n ab le p seudo-scien tific psychology, to regard these feelings o f
b ro th erh o o d as so m eth in g perverse, path ological, or even degenerate. W e m u st
learn again th at p erso n alities an d m om en tou s tim es are also sen tim en tal; an d that
it is in tim es o f w eakn ess an d am o n g dissolu te gen eration s th at p eo p le sh rin k fro m
the givin g o f u n reserved an d fervent feelings for one's loved ones, intim ate friends,
or the sea, the lan dscape, the cosm os. T h is cosm ic love and exuberance o f feeling
w as m o st p ecu liar to h im an d it w as o u t o f this ch aos an d u n fath o m ab le fervor th at
his new people w ould arise. O n e finds parallels here w ith the sp iritu al w orld and
conventions o f that artistic people, the G reek s. W h ile W h itm a n s p ercep tion w as
peculiar, to con stru e the c on stitu tion o f his n ature as p ath ological could only be the
w ork o f the dilettan tes o f p seudo-scien tific psychology.

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R e sid en t in the n ature o f vision ary im agin ation , all feeling an d in all creation
is eroticism . H a d W h itm an , as F au st had, taken on the tran slatio n o f the B oo k
o f Jo h n , his first sentence w ould have had to be: "In the beginning, there w as
feeling." H e accentuated, quite consciously, that feeling, an d w ith it po etics, w as the
b egin n in g o f all life and all m ank in d, for he knew on w hich flank A m erican s w ere
m o st vulnerable. " W h a t A m erican h um anity is m o st in danger of, he said , "is an
overw helm ing p ro sp e rity /b u sin e ss w orldliness, m aterialism : w hat is m o st lac k in g ...
is a fervid an d glo w in g n ation ality and patrio tism , coh ering all p a rts in to one. W h o
m ay fend th at d an ger an d fill th at lack in the future, b u t a class o f lo ftie st p o ets?
H e m ain tain ed th at only a great p eop le can have great p o e ts b u t in the b eginn in g
it h as to be p o e try th at creates a great people, thus b estow ing "artistic character,
spirituality, dignity. *
T h e p o et, then, that W h itm an , w ith his self-con sciou s m issio n , w an ted to be w as
sim u ltan eo u sly a priest, a prop h et, an d a creator. T h a t h e exercised, an d con tin ues to
exercise, an extraordin ary influence on the sp irit o f his fellow A m erican s is certain.
W h a t the fu tu re h olds, w hether such an au d aciou s p ro clam atio n w ill be realized,
w hether this will an d im agin ation can be fulfilled to help create a vib ran t reality,
rem ains an o p e n qu estio n . T h is m uch is clear, th at he is A m eric as g re atest p o e t and
th at he is a self-con sciously pow erfu l lyricist for the rest o f u s. A n d th at he h as given
ly ricism a new fo rm com prisin g a colossal new range o f su b jects w hich en com p ass
all elem ents o f the sp iritu al an d tem p oral w orld.
I believe a leaf o f grass is no less than the journey-w ork o f the stars...

In this spirit, he n am ed his first b o o k o f p o e try "L e av e s o f G ra ss ( 1 8 5 5 ). F or the

next 3 0 years, he com piled his entire poetical w ork in con tin uou sly u p d ated edition s
o f his b ook .
W h itm an , b o rn on the 3 1 st o f M ay, 181 9 , a s the so n o f a carpen ter in the state
o f N e w York, lived a quin tessen tially A m erican life until fairly late the p o e t in him
brok e free. H e atten ded elem entary school, w orked then for attorney, chen for a
doctor, becam e printer's apprentice, an d at the age o f 19, a teacher. S u b seq u en tly
he fo u n d ed a weekly pub lication , traveled extensively as a typ esetter an d jo u rn a list,
finally b ecom ing, like his father, a carpen ter in B rooklyn. P rio r to th a t tim e, he
h ad already p u b lish ed a variety o f essays as w ell as novellas an d novels. D u rin g
his tim e as a carpenter, less as a direct con sequence o f the ph ysical labor, rath er as
a m atter o f h is leisurely attitude, (h e was frequen tly com plain ed o f in the fam ily
regardin g the frequen cy o f his strolls and w as called a lay ab ou t) he w as overcom e
by the N ew . A ll at once, a new spirit, a new form , an d so w ith this sen se o f infinite
vistas cam e the infinite m aterial. Later, du rin g the Civil W ar, h e volun teered as a

n urse for three years, du rin g w hich tim e he d e m o n strate d the love an d suggestive

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strength o f his p e rso n all o f his pictures sh ow his in ner s e lf w as reflected in his
physical ap pearan ce th rough b o th his conversation an d his em pachetic, silent
attendan ce. For a go o d stretch he held a m in or go vern m en t p o st w here he couldnt
avoid rep rim an d for the sak e o f his poetiy. In 1 8 7 3 he suffered his first stroke, but
retain ed his stro n g an d p ro d ig io u s spirit. H e lived fro m the o u tp u t o f his w ritings
as well as the su p p o rt o f his circle, which grew an d grew aro u n d him . H e died in
C am d e n , N e w Je rse y on the 2 6 th o f M arch, 1 8 9 2 .
It w as not before the age o f 3 0 th at W h itm an grew into his p oetic craft. W h at
he w rote before bore scan t resem blan ce to the essen ce th at eventually em erged . H e
w as one w ho b lo o m e d grad u ally until his su b stan ce b u rst forth w ith un restrain ed
su d d en n ess. T h e forw ard to his 1 8 5 5 w ork un ified the ripen ess o f a w ell-groun ded
m an w ith the p a ssio n o f a y outh. "T h e m o st affluent m an is he that con fron ts all the
show s he sees by equivalents o u t o f the stron ger w ealth o f him self. T h is is his first
discovery only later will we find the influence o f H e g el an d Fichte, as in dicated by
B e rtz in an oth erw ise ted iou s b o o k E m e rso n h ad already left his im prin t: namely,
that the individual, in his sp irit, em b odies the entire w orld as the w orld is n oth in g
m ore than an u n en din g b oun ty o f m icrocosm s, a p luralistic an d in n um erable tally o f
iden tities em ergin g fro m the con scio u s interconn ection s in the stre am o f life. T h a t
w hich he p resen ts to A m erican s as the religion o f the universal sp irit is a new fo rm
o f the eternal teachings o f the ph ilosop h ers an d m ystics from In dia via the C h ristian
m yth ology through the m agician s o f the R en aissan ce an d fu rth er to Berkeley and
Fichte, right co the p resen t day. A g a in st this, today's so -calle d m o n ism b ears only a
p a ssin g resem blan ce to this realization. R elated to W h itm an s teachin gs is only the
non-renunciatory, b ut jo y fu l an d vibrant m agical p an th e ism as it w as developed in
the R en aissan ce u n der the influence o f N ic h o la s o f C u sa, Paracelsus, A g rip p a von
N e tte sh e im , an d com parable figures. T h e su p e rstitio n o f these thinkers sh o u ld not
d isru p t o u r co m p ariso n b ecau se th at w as the origin o f their n atural science, ju s t as
W h itm a n in dulges in the natural science and technique o f o u r day. Yes, one finds
overtones in even the fo rm o f th ose R en aissan ce w iz ard s with w h om W h itm an
w ould scarcely have b een acq u ain ted . In that sp irit d id A g rip p a von N e tte sh e im
con jure the pow erfu l m o tto o f his b o o k " O f the S c ie n tists C onceit," w hich is, in
term s o f sp irit and form , essentially W h itm an esq u e.
A m on g G o d s no one rem ains unpunished by M om us
A m on g heroes H ercules hunts all monsters
A m on g dem ons rages the king o f the underw orld Pluto against the shades
A m ong philosophers D em ocritus laughs at everything
W hile H eraclitus weeps about all
Pyrrho knows nothing o f anything
A n d A ristode claims to know all
Denouncing all is Diogenes

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N o th in g e scap es A g rip p a. (W h itm an s M y se lf). H e sco rn s, know s, kn ow s not,

w eeps, lau gh s, rages, p u n ish es all: even the ph ilosoph er, the d aem on , the hero, G o d s,
and the entire earth.
W h itm a n u n d o u b ted ly sta n d s in close p roxim ity w ith the ag e-o ld In dian
p o ets, w ho by no m ean s iden tified the feeling that the " I is a W orld Iden tity w ith
p e ssim ism or escap ism . In A m erica his poem s were received as an am alg a m o f the
B h ag av ad 'G ita an d the N ew York H erald. Q u ite am using, an d qu ite false. F o r the
B h agavad-G ita entirely e n co m p asse s in itse lf that w hich w as here attrib u te d to the
New York H erald. N am ely, it catalogu es an d collects the w orlds tan gib le realities
and the In d ian p o e t offers im ages th at are every bit as m o d ern as the w orld o f
technology, nature, an d cultu re th at W h itm a n ap p ro p riates in h is w ork.
W h en readin g his p o e m s, n oth in g is m ore evident th at the feeling o f authenticity,
the com plete absence o f so m e so rt o f A lexan d rian overtone. W h ile W h itm a n w as
w ell-read, he w as h ardly a p e d a n t; he sim ply reflected th at w hich w as already w ithin
h im self. T h a ts why the p a rtin g w ords to the reader in L eaves o f G r a s s ring so
true.
C om rade, this is no book,
W h o touches this touches a man,

A s is every auth entic artist, W h itm an w as fully aw are o f the d im en sio n s o f his
creation. T h e b e st o f w hat m igh t be said ab ou t h im either critically or aesthetically,
he says h im self. T h e significance o f his p oetry lies in its'suggestiven ess, the evocative
pow er o f an orch estral con d u ctor w ho feeds the eyes, n ot the ears. It is an ap p arition
that floats before us, p rovidin g the atm osph erics for the them e or idea in w hich our
ow n experience w ill fu rth er develop. H e is a p o e t o f extraordin ary se n su o u sn e ss and
p ersp icacity ; he ap p e ars to p o n d er exclusively th rough the se n se s. T h e ab straction s
in heren t in his inner experience preserve this concrete character. E ven w hen he
w ishes to express the in expressible o r to explain it, nearly to the p o in t o f stam m erin g,
an inw ard con tem p latio n cries forth fro m the very first sta n za.
There is that in m e I do not know w hat it is bu t I know
it is in me.

In this way he in stan tly creates for us a sen se o f vibrant life experience. Su ch a
g rasp a b le tally o f individual realities, all belon gin g to a greater whole, can act as a
p o e m , even w ith ou t an exp ression o f how the experience feels, ju s t as lon g as these
realities rem ain filled by stro n g sensuality. I w an t to give an exam ple w hich I have
on o ccasio n u se d to trick so m e frien ds. Q u ite a few peop le m igh t take this p o e m as
one o f W hitm an 's, as in dicated b y the title N ight at C am p

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W hitm an

A ttention! The sentry before the tent

A ttention! The infantry scout
A ttention! W hen the patrol arrived
The back and forth o f the sentry
The clatter o f the saber against spurs
They baying o f the distant hounds
T h e growling o f nearby hounds
The crowing o f roosters
The paw ing (or) shuffling o f horses
T h e snorting o f horses
The hacking o f the chaff
T h e singing, discussing and quarreling o f the people
The thunder o f canons
The lowing o f cattle
The braying of donkeys

T h e se ap p are n t verses are G o e th e s. T h ey arent verses however, they are rather

m ore an attem p t, on the occasion o f the siege o f M ain z, to record an d exactly
differentiate am o n g th o se provocative and m an ifold noises, b oth n ear an d far. Im
fam iliar w ith m ore than a few im pression istic or m o d ern p o e m s th at are w orse
than G o e th e s catalogu e o f tones.
Sin ce his p oetical sensitivity, his rhythm ic radiance, and his pow ers o f observation
are alw ays presen t, there is hardly anything on this earth w hich in W h itm an 's h an d
isnt tran sform ed into poetry. A n d he does n ot rely on inherited literary conventions;
rather, his truly H o m eric d ep th s are filled w ith the N e w an d the N ovel. B u t is not
this fellow ship o f realization an d sensibility, this con scio u sn ess o f all the w orlds
affairs, sim ply the sam e as that w hich he w ishes to draw o u t o f h um an ity : love? For
he who w an ders 1 0 0 m eters w ith o u t love, w an ders already in his death robe in his
ow n funeral.
W h itm an's form is n ot sim ply p a ssio n a te im provisation , it is rath er a starkly
rhythm ic jo in in g as little as an im p ressio n ist paintin g, leaving an in stan tan eou s
ap preh en sion is don e by b ru sh scrokes. B ut the only law s o f tem po w hich W hitm an's
form obeys are n ot the law s o f any poetical trad ition . T h e b ases fo r this fo rm sh o u ld
n ot be objectively an d restrain edly depicted, b u t rather u n d e rsto o d in all the reality

of experience. T h is fo rm acts as a pow erful, dislocatin g d ep artu re b ase d on actual

G ustav

L an dauer

W alt

W hitm an

experience. T h is experience is m ore th an a scanc, iso lated 'I. It is m uch m ore one th at
derives everything th at is o u t there fro m its ow n universality.
D u rin g the tim e o f his carin g for th ose w ou n d ed at the front, W h itm a n one day
w rote in his diary. " I t is cu rio u s: w hen I a m p re se n t at the m o st ap p allin g scenes,
d eath s, op eratio n s, sick en in g w ou n d s (perh aps full o f m aggo ts), I keep cool an d do
n ot give o u t or budge, alth o u gh my sy m path ies are very m uch excited; b u t often,
h ours afterw ard , p erh aps, w hen I a m at hom e or o u t w alkin g alone, I feel sick and
actually trem ble w hen I recall the case b efore m e. H e w rote th at p a ssa g e so sim ply
in ord er to describ e a fact, n ot to tran sform it into an im age. Yet, this p a ssa g e can
illu strate h is w hole n atu re an d the entirety an d gre atn ess o f his character a s a p oet.
B ecau se w hen m ovin g experiences return w ith even gre ater force, w hen m em ories
sto rm in w ith the full w eight o f experience, it is a sign o f his im ag in atio n which
has vision ary dim en sio n . T h a t is a sign o f his so m e tim e s vision ary capacity for
im ag in atio n ju s t as his co n d u ct d u rin g the w ar in dicated u n sh ak ab le seriou sn ess,
and his inherent courage, his love o f hum anity.

* A s quoted in W alter G runzw eigs translation in the w ork Walt Whitman & the World edited
by G ay W ilson Allen and E d Folsom (University o f Iowa Press: 1995)

Youths Suicide [1911]

o th in g in our tim e n ot the crises o f the poo r, privation, h unger or

h o m e le ssn e ss is so terrible an d om in o u s as the ever-increasing rate o f
youth suicide. Its b ad enough th at young p eo p le are com p elled th an k s to the

chu rch -inspired m oral p latitu d es o f their paren ts, teachers, o f their entire milieu,
w hich envelops b eau tifu l and n atural th in gs in a h aze o f self-satisfied deceitto
pursue, in a stark an d dread fu l way, sexual gratification by w ay o f a prostitu te,
w here m any contract syphilis and choose to die as a result o f the desp eration , the
illness, an d su p p o se d sin. T h is is d ism al enough. Even so m e am o n g th ose w ho avoid
in fection fro m their sexu al experiences, w hether by virtue o f h eredity or inurem ent,
nevertheless fall so sick an d w eaken so that they can no lon ger bear life. T h e m o st
gru e so m e reality is th at m ore an d m ore youth se td e on suicide, n o t b ecau se they are
physically or m entally ill, n ot b ecau se they are incapable o f m eetin g the dem an d s
m ade o f th em at school, b u t rath er because they are too talen ted, too un ique.
L e t m e be clear. T h ere exists a d istin ction betw een sick n ess and h ealth; and
as for sick n ess, there are th o se w ho b ear a m easure o f responsibility. T h e re also
exists, however, the n o rm an d deviation fro m the n orm . T h e sch oo l sy stem sets up
certain sta n d a rd s th at m u st be attain ed . Parents sen d their insufficiently proficient
children to the academ ic sch oo ls w ith the exp ectatio n o f p a rtic u la r societal benefits
and asso ciate d sta tu s. T h e child is incapable o f fulfilling the p rescrib ed role, falls ill,
b ecom es d e sp o n d en t and com m its suicide. A g ain st these children a crim e h as been
com m itted: by the society, by the p aren ts, an d by the teachers.
H ow ever, others stray fro m the n orm in oth er respects. In the later grad e s, they

G ustav

L an d a u er

Yo u t h 's S u i c i d e

outgrow the school experience; they yearn for free thought, free expression , useful
endeavors, an d the p u rsu an ce o f an in expressible life o f che sen ses, body, an d spirit
through love, art, achievem ent, an d w ork. H e ld captive as they are by che gru e so m e
d u llard s w ho ad m in ister their p rison , they find neither love nor u n d e rstan d in g
nor freedom . T h ey do exh ib it feelings o f su p erio rity tow ard so m e o f th eir fellow
stu d e n ts an d later particularly tow ards their teachers. A n d why n ot? Perh aps the
se n se o f their ow n talent an d in dividuality w ill w ane; for now however, they have
the gen iu s o f youth, their h eart is w orn on their sleeve, their fists g rasp the scepter,
and che w orld is cheirs.
Young Siegfried w as a prou d boy
From his fathers casde descended he
Rescing in fathers house w as not his fate to be
Rather w ander ouc and about in the world did he
Ju st as other bygone heroes went striking
T h ose forest and field dwelling dragons and giants

A c 8 or 9 theyve already m em orized ic, b u t no on e ever b o th ers co explain w hat

it m ean s; no one en courages their right to w ild n ess an d b o u n d le ssn e ss. F or u s
ad ults, freed o m m ean s order an d self-discipline, for youth, at le ast for a tim e, it is
allow ed to m ean so m e th in g else, even i f it m ean s p a ssio n an d im petuosity. H o w all
that, often at h om e an d alw ays at sch oo l, is b ro u g h t low and d issolved by the m urky
backw ash o f in sip id P h ilistin ism !
L u d w ig G u rlitt, on e w ho h as frequently wriccen abouc che crisis o f the sch o o ls,
w ith ro b u st w ords an d an energetic air, has now p u b lish ed in the Berliner T age sb latt
o f A p ril 4 the g rip p in g letters w ritten by friends o f three g y m n a siu m stu d e n ts
w ho h ad sh o rtly b efore killed them selves in L eip zig. H e re are a few p a ssa g e s: I
am certain th at Friedrich H a m m e r w ould still b e living to d ay h ad he not faced
the p ro sp e ct o f se ttin g fo o t in side th at school again , as the th ou g h t o f return in g
to sch o o l w as the final scraw in precip itatin g h is act. E veryone kn ow s the k in d o f
strain involved w hen one h as to resum e this enforced w ork. H e too w as coerced, as
his ow n readin gs drove h im to g rasp for different v a lu e s... W ern er N a u n d o r f w as
an d rem ained the p erso n ified o p p o sitio n to the h um aniscic G ym nasium ...w h a c he
w anced w as m ean in gful w ork th at challenged him , even i f to the p o in t o f exh au stio n .
For him , this related to issu es o f the national eco n o m y ...w h at he h ated w as the
fritterin g aw ay o f tim e, w hich the sch oo l required h im to endure. H e w as active in
che S o c ia l D em o cratic m ovem enc, m ore accracced co its ideals th an to its practical
con sequen ces, since they challenged his privileged s e lf...h e realized th at at che core
o f the m a elstro m o f term in ology to w hich w e are su b ject lay a reaction ary spirit.
H e yearned for usefu l w ork an d as a result b ecam e fully alien ated fro m the school

G ustav

L a n d a uer

Yo u t h 's S u i c i d e

cu rricu lu m .'E rich P o sch m an n seem ed co m e a v ictim o f the d ilem m as chat com e
w ith h om e and school. P rotest! H is fam ily w as conservative, the sch o o l reactionary,
an d he a th orou gh go in g m odern . E rich w orked in school only in order to p lease his
paren ts; for h im se lf he delved into art history. H e w anted to be an architect. T h e
w ork he d id for the school w as only a con cession to its authority. A s he h im se lf
said , it h urt h im deeply th at he lacked the stren gth n ecessary to m ake h is p aren ts
acknow ledge his asp iratio n s an d to m ake kn ow n to the sch oo l his con tem p t as he
h ad to us.'
P ro fe sso r G u rlitts su gg estio n to shorten by one year the d u ratio n o f sch oo lin g
in the h igher in stitu tion s o f learn in g m isses the target; it is a shabby, in con sequential
expedient.
T h o se w ho w ish to pu sh their p ro p o sa ls on p ro fesso rs, sch ool b o ard s, and
go vern m en t agencies w ould b e clever to dem an d specific m easu res. H ow ever, fro m
such overtures, I aw ait n othin g decisive. T o be clear, the w orst o f this situ atio n is
not th at it is as it is, b u t th at it cau ses the effects it causes. T h e w orst o f the stu d e n ts
suffering is cau sed by the state o f o u r society.
S a id differently, in oth er eras, am on g oth er p eop les the respo n se to such
o p p re ssio n w ould be resistan ce; the con sequen ce o f sterile tyranny w ould n ot be
sickness, infirmity, an d m eek escapism , but rather virile rebellion.
In th e w ritin g s o f th e s c h o o lm a te s o f th e d e a d , o n e th in g tu r n s up
re p eate d ly , it is th a t w hich we re c o g n iz e all to o w ell in th is y o u n g g e n e ra tio n :
an illu s o r y m a tu r ity a n d o b je c tiv e s e lf- a w a re n e ss, a c e rta in to n e o f se lfc e n te re d m e lan c h o ly re m in isc e n t o f a c o q u e ttish p o se . W e k n o w th is s ta g n a n t
y o u th le ss y o u th , w h o se n u m b e rs co n tin u e to clim b . T h e s e y o u n g p e o p le are
n o t o n ly th e p r o d u c t o f re a c tio n a r y sc h o o lin g , b u t a lso m o d e r n lite ra tu re .
T h e s c h o o ls c o u ld w ell b e le s s m ise ra b le th a n th ey are, i f on ly th o se a r tis ts
a n d n o v e lists, w h o w ere p r o d u c t s o f th em , d id n 't re m a in so a lie n a te d fr o m th e
p e o p le a n d p u b lic a ffa irs .
W h e re are those w ho were once in these sch o o ls, over w h om a sh u d d er still
runs w hen they recall their school days? W h e re are they w hen the tim e com es to
fight ag ain st this school sy ste m an d th at which su sta in s it? W ie r e are they w hen the
tim e com es to create so m e th in g new ? W h ere are they w hen the tim e com es to bring
jo y to the young g en eration in th ese schools?
S tu d e n ts, artists, w riters, w ork in g m en an d w om en m u st jo in togeth er and
devote them selves to the youn g m en an d w om en, in w ord an d deed, in con duct and
in frien dsh ip. Parents, even the b e st am on g them , are n ot enough ; youths require
com rades an d allian ces. Im n ot d em an d in g the fo u n d atio n o f the 1 0 0 1 st club or
reform gro u p , b u t rather solid arity w ith the youth so th at they can escape their
in dividual torm en t and can therefore elevate them selves into p articip atio n in public

life. N o go vern m en t an d no police force can h inder o u r sp ark in g a stro n g youth

G ustav

L a n d a u er

Yo u t h s S u i c i d e

m ovem en t. N o t only do youn g peop le need the public sph ere to help th em in their
stru ggle to grow up an d to draw on the exh ilaration o f life, b u t it is also the public
sph ere th a t needs youth an d its w ild an d great exuberance. H o w else to leave behind
the sw am p o f reaction, the sch em in g and em pty quarrels o f ru d derless political
parties, an d the lan g u ish in g state o f these everm ore artful an d artificial w eaklings,
so th a t we m ay regain o u r origin al b risk n ess an d h ealthy daring.

The Titanics message [1912]

ew m aterials are discovered; new tech nologies are invented. W h e th e r from

the perspective o f faith, m edical superstition , or econ om ic interest, each new
m aterial advance p ro m p ts the sam e q u e stio n :'W h ic h sick n ess will it rem edy? W ith

each new tech nological advance, the m ilitarists from the M in iste r o f W ar to the
arm ch air gen eral a s k : H o w d o es it further the art o f w ar on the sea, the lan d , and
in the air?
W ith respect to lifes b asic requirem en ts, its p ro te ctio n an d preservation , m an is
resigned to expect alm o st everything fro m the treasures o f n atu re o r the w on ders o f
G o d , b u t little fro m his ow n stren gth . W ere there a recovery or an em ergence from
this w eakness, du e to noth in g b u t pure strength , it w ould be con sidered a m iracle.
Yet the leth al stren gth o f m an reveals itse lf in the use o f prim itive tools, even his
b are h an d s. Every slap, each assau lt, and the deathblow teach h im further.
T h is is not the place, nor is it my intention, to discuss the causes o f the nameless
disaster that befell the Titanic on its maiden voyage. N either will the focus be diverted to
the m isuse o f technology nor for die sake o f competition or d ie pursuit o f records. W e
ponder neither the dead nor those responsible for their deaths but rather the survivors
and their seemingly m iraculous rescue due to recent technological innovations. T h e sense
o f urgency that overcame us after hearing the first, false w ord that all had been rescued
shall not vanish. T h is gratitude shall not lose its blessed strength only because the m isused
technology killed so many. T h e rescue o f hundreds through the wireless telegraph should
give us a signal. W e m ust now reflect on how the m ethods we employ, even if som etim es
unintentionally, to ease, beautify, and save life, might be used to better effect.

G ustav

L an d a u er

T he

T i t a n i c s

M essage

Silendy, the T itan ics S O S flew aro u n d the w orld. O n ce o u t there, p e o p le took
n ote by experiencin g the im age as it w as. T h e T itan ics crew d id n ot target friends
or su m m o n the resp o n sib le au th orities. R ather, they sen t their m essage o u t into
the ether, w here it ro u n ded the globe, floating through the air an d over all thin gs.
W h erever the m ute call registered, stran gers sailed in droves; so m any th at sh ip s
from far an d w ide hurriedly arrived in order to save th o se still stran d e d on the
o pen sea. M o st o f th em arrived too late; che Titanic already lay in ics w atery grave.
N e ith e r sh o u ld the m in or d etails nor the terrible d im en sio n s o f the tragedy be
d isc u sse d . T h e n ob lest thing, w hich w ash es over an d p e rm eates u s all even though
it is in com preh en sib le an d only u n d e rsto o d b y its effects is this com m u n ication at
ligh tn in g sp eed by hum anity.
W e alw ays seem p re p are d to lend a h an d w hen n atural d isasters befall u s. W h y
chen d o we lack this sam e w illin gn ess to help, co micigace lo ss, w hen che m atter
o f righ tin g the d am age w rough t by so m e m en on others p re se n ts itself? W h y are
we so lack in g in sp irit an d sen se th at we adapc o u r lab or-savin g an d lab o r-easin g
cechnological advances co a sy stem in which each savin gs results in un em ploym en t
and all its h orrible con sequen ces? W h y have we created a sy ste m in w hich nearly
every advance in efficiency is tran sform ed in to econ om ic com pecition am o n g
the sexes, w hen n ot the ou trigh t exp loitatio n o f child lab or? W h y are we such
cechnological gen iu ses, buc such h elpless econom ic bun glers?
W h e n chat sign ifican t d isaste r che L isb o n earchquake scruck, che earth's m aster
rose in the fo rm o f V oltaire, g a z e d heavenw ard ask in g :'W h y ?' H e fo u n d am o n g the
heavens, the th eologian s, an d teleologists no an sw ers an d hence grew accu sto m ed to
in qu irin g further. W h y d o es it rain in the ocean w hile so m an y lan d s are parch ed?
W h y d o we exist? W h y d o es an ythin g exist? W ith in these m any q u estio n s were
ocher q u e stio n s th at he and his tim e could n ot recognize th at were for so m eo n e
else an d o f a different character. W i y do we always lam en t o u r m isfo rtu n es an d yec
p e rp e tu ate th em all the sam e?
T h e m atter o f truth in the w orld is anoth er q u estio n ; so is the q u e stio n o f h um an
con du ct. W e cannoc alcer che essence o f the w orld, b u t we can change ourselves, as
it is com m on ly sa id ; ic w ould be becter to say that we are so m e th in g qu ite differenc
fro m che w ay we p resen t ourselves, how we behave, an d how we view ourselves.
D o we not also w ant co apply, as Volcaire did co L eib n iczian o p tim ism , o ccasion ed
by chat n atural catastroph e, a serio u s, search in g reevaluation o f o u r ow n indolent
routin es, the w ay we w aste an d m isu se ou r stren gth ? S h o u ld we n ot do so while
che Titan ics S O S scill quavers in che air bearin g a m e ssage reachin g the rem o test o f
stars, a m essage that they dont u n d erstan d w hich we definitely sh o u ld : che healing
and life-affirm in g screngch o f o u r spiric.
T h e Titanics m essage cam e inco being, by virtue o f mans learned ability to use
the air waves in the service o f com m unication. Ph ilosoph ers teach us that everything,

G ustav

L an d a u er

T he

T i t a n i c s

M essage

which we labelmaterial, is better u n derstood in term s o l m ovem ent, force, or relations.

In any event, it is certain that there are m any things to which ou r lan guage ascribes
m eaning indicative o f a m aterial substance, where sim ple contem plation indicates
that it is largely referential in nature. T h e conditions or circum stances in our private,
political, social, and econom ic lives are such relations; we sp e ak and behave as i f these
circum stances were as rigid as fate, as im m utable as a m eteor or the trem bling earth
beneath our feet. In reality these circum stances are convenient shorthand for the
way in which we relate to one another. In order to m ake it yet m ore com fortable we
em ploy w ords o f foreign origin, so that we m igh t better obscure the source o f the
n oun through the u se o f a verb. Sp eak in g then o f the state, we regard this w ord as
n othing m ore than a certain civil-legal construction, existing only at the discretion
o f ou r will. T h is concession to com fort is a great sign o f our com m on understanding,
which w ouldnt be p ossib le w ith out this m aterialization o f the fluidity and spirituality
o f relations. Yet, it is a curse for the attainm ent o f knowledge, because we m istake a
m ere representation for reality; and so it is a m ajor curse for the type o f u n derstan din g
necessary for the establish m ent o f ju s t h um an relations in society. T h is rhetorical
com placency then becom es a lethargy o f the heart. Ja k o b W asserm an n in h is'K a sp a r
H auser,' provides an exam ple o f the hard-heartedness w ith which people degrade
one anoth er in the private sphere. A t the very w orst, this n um bn ess o f relations then
spreads through out society. W e consider, as ju s t stated, the representation o f relations
as an entity or substan ce. I f for exam ple we rem ind ourselves that m oney is nothing
b u t a b lan k mirage, an alluring representation, then we w ould understan d that it is
n othing b u t a binding specter, ju s t as m uch as capital an d credit are.
T ech n ology has outgrow n us, literally: the discoveries and inn ovation s have
e m b ed d ed in th em far m ore know ledge an d u n d e rstan d in g th an ou r m in d s are
capable o f ab sorbin g. T h ere are o ld m yths w hich grow rigid, m ere an ecdotes, or
dried o u t illu sio n s until a p o e t in fu ses them w ith a deep reson ance so that we com e
to believe th at it w as alw ays em b od ied . A s G o e th e d id w ith the legend o f Iph igen ia,
K le ist the sto ry o f A m p h itry on , an d Sch ellin g an d H eg el the trinity, they m ade it
live again. A n d so m u st the stren gth o f spirit, fantasy, p assio n , an d the poetic vision
envelop o u r technology, w hich h as b ecom e a m o n stro u s m yth
...H e r e Fall the Sacrificial O nes
N eith er Broken, Blank, nor Lam e
But Silent Fodder all the S am e ...

th a t can o n ly b e delivered fro m its sta g n a tio n an d b e given it its tru e m e an in g.

W e w ill n o t, in sp ite o f all th e c e n so rio u s ta lk , in d u lg e in c e n so rsh ip . W e w ill
n ot, in s p ite o f th e c ritiq u e o f lan g u ag e, ab o lish w o rd s, an d w e w ill n ot, in sp ite
o f o u r c ritic ism o f society, a b o lish the tra d itio n s o f m ille n n ia . In the sa m e way,

G ustav

L an d a u er

T he

T it a n ic s

M essage

w e w ill n ot d o aw ay w ith n ew d isc o v e rie s, w hich h o ld a b le ssin g in th e m even

th o u g h they o fte n on ly p ro v o k e a cu rse. B u t, as the Je w s ce leb rate Ju b ile e an d
the G r e e k s th e ir S e isa c h th e ia , we la n g u ish in th is in c re asin g ly w ith ere d tim e
aw a itin g a re ju v e n atio n o f s p irit. W e aw ait th e reb irth o f a g e -o ld , au th e n tic
re la tio n s b e tw e e n p e o p le , re la tio n s w hich are to d a y larg e ly o p p re ssiv e ; w e aw ait
the tim e w hen th e s ta te w ill b e co m e h u m an ity s p u b lic life ; w e aw ait th e tim e
w hen tec h n o lo g y w ill b e co m e the to o l o f m u tu a l aid an d th e a lle v iatio n o f
h a rd sh ip an d th e b e a u tific a tio n o f life.
T h e T itan ic s m e ssa g e is on ly o n e o f the m an y in d ic a to rs th a t h u m a n k in d is
evolvin g. H u m a n ity h a sn t yet fu lly arrived, th o u g h it is alive in th e B e c o m in g ,
T h e r e is little a b o u t w hich w e can sp e a k w ith su ch p ro b ab ility , w ith such
certain ty , a s th a t w h ich is re se rv ed fo r o u r tim e a n d no o th e r b e fo re it, nam ely,
th e e m e rg in g reality o f h u m a n ity s ties an d c o m m o n b o n d s . T h e c o m in g
to g e th e r o f the p la n e ts p e o p le s w as b ro u g h t in to b e in g a s a re a listic p o s sib ility
by tech n ology , j u s t a s it w as b ro u g h t in to b e in g a s a sp iritu a l im p e ra tiv e b y je s u s
o f N a z a r e th . H u m a n ity s reality, th is collective s u m o f th e p la n e ts d w ellers, w as
c o n str u c te d by tec h n o lo g y j u s t a s Je s u s o f N a z a r e t h c h a lle n g e d an d s o u g h t to
c o n str u c t o u r sp iritu ality . W h e n th a t sp iritu a l d e m a n d w as th ere th e re a listic
p o s s ib ility w as la c k in g ; now th a t th e re a listic p o s s ib ility e x ists, m u st the sp iritu a l
d e m a n d b e lac k in g ? It w ill b e la c k in g a s lo n g as a c o n c e p t o f h u m an ity d o e s n o t
live in p e o p le s, in c o m m u n itie s, in th e h ea rts an d m in d s o f in d iv id u a ls.
A s the n ew s o f the d is a s t e r an d the S O S o f th e T itan ic raced a r o u n d the
w o rld , h u m an ity at th e sa m e tim e read th e n ew s o f th e p r e c ip ito u s A m e r ic a n
d ip lo m a tic cable to M e x ic o . T h e y read th a t the re v o lu tio n ary G e n e ra l O ro z c o
th re a te n e d to s h o o t h is N o r th A m e r ic a n p riso n e r s, an d th a t the c o m m a n d e r
o f th e re g u la r tr o o p s re sp o n d e d b y th re a te n in g also to s h o o t h is p r iso n e r s
w ith o u t h e sita tio n . A re p e titio n o f th e terrib le ev en ts w hich e n g a g e d V e rsaille s
an d th e P a ris C o m m u n e , w here each sid e trie d to force the o th e r to giv e in,
e x e c u tin g p r iso n e r s an d h o sta g e s, a re cip ro cal a tte m p t to force th e o th e r's h an d
to w a rd s h u m a n ita ria n ism th ro u g h in h u m an a c ts. A n d ju s t to m u ltip ly th e
in h u m an ity , the in te rfe re n ce o f th e U .S ., w hich claim s to w ork on the g r o u n d s
o f in te rn a tio n a l law an d h u m a n ita ria n ism , d erives on ly fro m a v io le n t d e sire
to c o n q u e r a p o litic a l re a so n w ith yet a n o th e r re a so n b e h in d it; th e fin a n c ia l
in te re st o f a few b illio n a ire s.
S p ir it has created the m ean s fo r hum anity. T h e m ean s to avoid all o f this have
alw ays b een there. W e need ad d n oth in g elaborate, w e n eed only find again th at
which can n ot b e lo st in ourselves, it is that which we are essentially: the b on d an d the
tru th fu l life o f the sp irit. L ivin g unjustly is living falsely; the false life is living death .
T h a t we m u st go on, courageou sly an d passionately, to live life, the h u m an e life, th at
is the m essage the Titanic leaves us.

Social Democracy in Germany

Published by Freedom Press in 1896 at 1 2 7 Ossulston St., Euston Road, London, W.C.

his report, ad d re sse d to the L o n d o n Intern ation al C o n g re ss, h as for its ch ief
aim , to give to the n o n -G e rm an S o c ia lists o f other coun tries a concise picture
o f the G e rm a n lab o r m ovem en t as seen by u s A n arch ists, situ ate d as we are in the

m id st o f the lab o r m ovem ent, b u t o u tsid e the S o c ia l D em o cratic Party.

In no other country h as a single party, an isolated sect, m an aged to such a degree
to p ass for the u n ique an d only legitim ate representative o f the p ro letariat as this
h ap p en s in G erm an y. Everyw here else, before all in the two countries where, in m y
opin ion , S o c ia lism an d the evolution tow ards so cializatio n are m o st advanced, in
France an d E n g lan d , different curren ts exist side by side, n o t alw ays peaceful yet
recognizing each others right o f existence. A ll efforts m ade in France, E nglan d, Italy,
S p a in , H o lla n d , to rep resent the M a rx ist theories or in general a party form ed after
the m o d el o f in toleran t an d d esp o tic G e rm an S o c ial-D e m o cra cy as the sole rightful
theory or party, have h ith erto led to m iserable failure an d sh all always fail, th an k s to
the political m aturity an d the free tem p er o f these peop les. O n ly in G erm an y such a
severely discip lin ed an d p a tte rn -cu t lab o r p arty e x ists h uge m asse s w ont to dance
to the tun e played by the u p p e r regions o f the p arty go vern m en t. T o u n d e rstan d this
we m u st rem em ber that G erm an y enjoys the d o u b tfu l h on or o f bein g the h om e o f
m o n arch ism an d m ilitarism . T h is im perialist an d m ilitary spirit, this depen dence
an d obedience o f the m asses exists, we are so rry to say, also in the p o o re st classes
o f the people, w hich are socially, politically an d econ om ically o p p re sse d to the
u tm o st an d the G e rm a n S o c ia l D em ocratic party in the m osc sh am eful w ay u se d

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this reactionary ten dency o f an o p p ressed people, this d epen den ce o f the m asses,
as the b asis u p o n w hich an extrem ely strict p arty rule could be co n stru cted , stro n g
enough to crush on every occasion the rising germ s o f fre e d o m an d revolt.
T h e leaders o f G e rm an S o c ia l D em o cracy (clever stage -m an age rs a n d jo u rn a lists
as they are) contrived in a very clever way to show up their p a rty b efore the eyes
o f oth er coun tries an d to rep resen t the G e rm an lab o r m ovem ent as the stron gest
m ovem ent on the face o f the globe. I, as a G e rm an revo lution ist an d A n arch ist,
c on sider it my d u ty today, as three years ago at Z u rich , to tear o f f this p ain te d m ask
and solem n ly declare, th at the ap p aren t splen d or o f the lab o r m ovem ent in G e rm an y
is b u t sk in -deep, w hilst in reality the n um b er o f th o se who fully an d con scien tiously
go in for a total regeneration o f h u m an society, who stru ggle to realize a free S o c ialist
sociecy, is infinitely sm aller th an the n um b er o f S o c ia l D em o cratic voters.
V o te rs this is the w ord w hich, on the surface, creates such an im p ression u po n
p eo p le of oth er cou n tries; w hilsc it h as b ecom e the tru e cu rse o f the G e rm a n lab or
m ovem en t. By the tactics o f S o c ial D em ocracy in th at country, con cen tratin g all
political in terests in parliam en tarism , all in d ep en d en t action o f the p roletariat, all
education al w ork, the stru ggle fo r ideas, and, above all, the econom ic struggle, have
b een relegated to the b ack gro u n d. T h e c h ie f aim s o f S o c ia l D em o cracy co n sist in
caterin g for votes; an d an election eering con test is only u se d to in d u ce the un ed u cated
m asses, by all the tricks o f d em agog u es, to vote (secredy) for the S o c ia l D em ocratic
can didate. G e n u in e S o c ia list p ro p agan d a, ag itatio n ag ain st private p ro p erty an d all
exploitatio n an d op p ressio n , is o u t o f the q u e stio n at the tim e o f election s; nothin g
else is talked o f save the reform o f taxation , an d other p ro jects by w hich the poo rer
classes, the lab orer or the artisan , the p easan t or the petty official, m ay be benefited
w ith in the p resen t b o u rg e o is society by m ean s o f law s an d the S tate . T h e se law s (at
the elab oration o f w hich the S o c ia l D em ocratic d ep u ties w ork w ith great assid u ity
in p arliam en t an d in the various com m ittees) m erely stren gth en the S ta te an d che
p ow er o f the police the G e rm an , P ru ssian , m o n arch ist an d cap italist S ta te o f
to d ay an d it b ecom es m ore an d m ore a q u estio n w hether our S o c ia l D em o cracy
thin ks th at so m e m ere fin ish in g touches ap plied to o u r centralized, tutelary,
ceaselessly interferin g police-state, are all that is necessary to tran sfo rm the G e rm an
E m p ire in to the fam o u s S ta te o f the future.
F or n ot only at election tim es w hen the blin d p a ssio n s o f the un ed u cated m asses
are p layed u p o n , the S o c ia l D em o cratic p arty denies the p rin ciples o f S o c ia lism , b ut
it also takes p a rt in p arliam en tary w ork entirely fro m the sta n d p o in t o f b ou rgeois
society. N o r is th is even den ied any longer. O fte n en ough lately, S o c ia l D em ocratic
leaders declared th a t in P arliam ent chey concenc chem selves wich m ak in g m erely
R ad ica l (b o u rge o is) D em ocratic d e m an d s; an d th at they do n ot d rea m o f preach in g
the ideas o f S o c ia lism to d e a f ears. I f so, the q u e stio n m ay b e ask ed: W hy, then, do
th ose gen tlem en ease pearls before sw ine? W h y do they n o t rather ad d re ss th ose

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who lon g for w ords o f em an cip ation and o f in sp iratio n the m en an d w om en o f

the o p p ressed classes?
F ro m the m any m aterials at m y disp osal, w hich, i f occasion offers, I am quite
w illing to place b efore the C o n g re ss, I shall only q u o te one quite recent exam ple.
For years, already in fact since the fou n d ation o f the new G e rm an E m pire, the
p ro p ertied classes o f G e rm an y have urged the ad o p tio n o f a u n ifo rm code o f civil
law, th at is, a m od ification o f the law s relating to private property, b u sin ess relation s,
convictions, m arriage, the family, e tc ... T h ere w as never a b etter op p o rtu n ity
offered (for the S o c ia l D em o crats in P arliam ent) to exp ose and to sh ake the real
fou n d ation s o f b o u rg eo is society. A g ain st the G e rm an E m pire, the E m p ire o f the
rich, the universal reign o f freed om and ju stice ough t to have b een p roclaim ed;
ag ain st the ridicu lou s attem p t to p u t togeth er once m ore the law s relating to private
property, on the eve o f a new tim e w hen the exploited m a sse s shall m ake an end to
private property, S o c ia lism o u g h t to have b een p u t forw ard. A n d w hat great, new
vivifying an d fertile id eas m igh t n ot have b een uttered on m arriage an d the fam ily!
H a d it n ot b eco m e n ecessary to say before all th at m arriage, free u n ion an d the
fam ily are not in the le ast any concern o f the State, an d are only m atters concerning
each in dividual for h im self? B u t w hat did the S o c ial-D e m o c ra ts do? N o th in g o f
the kin d . N o th in g w as said on the fou n dation o f m odern society, no w ord spok en
ag ain st private prop erty as such, not a syllable u ttered ag ain st the im pud en ce o f
w ancing to regulate private affairs by S tatu te Law, n ot a single w ord o f principle, in
sh o rt, no S o c ia list id eas w ere b ro u g h t forw ard on this u n iqu e occasion . Ic m u st not
be su p p o se d , however, th at the S o c ia l D em ocratic depucies kep t silen t altogether.
O h no, on the contrary they overflow ed w ith shallow loq u acity ; en deavoring to
tinker an d patch up this p o o r bill o f the rich classes w h om blin dn ess h ad stru ck.
For h ou rs they w rangled w ith the b ourgeois law yers on greater facilities for divorce,
the wifes property, e tc ... Ic w as a law yers quarrel, b u t in no w ay a struggle betw een
two o p p o se d se ts o f id eas; betw een the rotten an d d o o m ed p ast, an d the young,
rising future. C o m in g tim es an d S o c ia lism have no place or vote in P arliam en t
this w as proved once m o re on this occasion ; an d m en w ho by their p a st o u g h t to
b e S o c ialists, give up S o c ia lism w hen once in Parliam ent, an d becom e b ou rgeois
reform ers an d p a rticip a n ts o f S ta te pow er.
O n various o ccasion s d u rin g the la st three years the G e rm a n S o c ial-D e m o c ra ts
proved th at they decline to ro u se the spirit o f revolt slu m b e rin g in the m a sse s and
m ake it p roperly con scious o f itself. O n the contrary they d id all to prevent p ow erful
d em o n stratio n s o f the o p p re sse d m asses, an d to calum n iate the acts o f individuals,
on the advisability o f w hich everyone m ay have his ow n opin ion , b u t which m ay at
least b e u n d e rsto o d , and, ow ing to the m u rderou s sy stem u n d er w hich we all suffer,
excused. Vaillanc an d H enry, w ho d o u b tless sco o d up cou rageou sly for cheir acts,
have b een cried by che Vorwarts ( che central organ o f G e rm a n So c ial-D e m o c ra cy )

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with greater severity an d b ittern ess than by their b lo o d th irsty b ou rgeois ju d g e s.

D o z e n s o f tim es the Vorivarts called them m adm en , fools, lu n atic s although it is
a m atter o f fact th at how ever p a ssio n a te and ready to u se extrem e m ean s they have
been, they w ere S o c ia lists clearly con scious o f their ideas, an d in no w ay o f un h in ged
m in ds. B u t h atred o f A n arch ists and fear th at such acts o f violence m ay je o p a rd iz e
their ow n party, deprives such m en o f all feelings o f ju stic e , g o o d faith , an d even
their right m ind. W h y d o es n ot the Vorivarts call the m en o f violence in the ranks
o f the govern m en t, the arm y an d the ruling classes, lu n atics? W h y are its p o iso n e d
arrow s only u se d again st the u n h ap p y m en fro m the ranks o f the o p p re sse d , w hom
overflow ing pity or extrem e provocation , or cold, reaso n in g h atred drive to o p p o se
illegal violence to legal violence? N e v e r did the G e rm an S o c ial-D e m o c ra tic p arty
o f o rder d o u b t the so u n d reason o f P residen t C arn o t, who sign ed so m any death w arran ts, nor th at o f B ism ark o r M oltke; b u t C ase rio is called by the Vorivarts an
"epileptic attacked by religiou s-anarch ist m ania. T h is is trim m in g an d cow ardly
m en dacity d eservin g o f the sh a rp e st castigation .
A n d how d id the S o c ial-D e m o cra tic party act o n the occasion o f the ann iversary
o f the F ra n c o -G e rm a n w ar? In the b eginn in g they sid e d w ith the gen eral attitu d e
o f p ro te st o f the w orking classes. B u t after the well kn ow n speech o f the E m peror,
callin g all who d id n ot p articip ate in this celebration "a m ob un w orthy o f the
nam e o f G e rm an s and co m m ittin g h igh-treason , the S o c ial-D e m o cra tic p arty at
once so u n d e d a quick retreat. M r. A uer, m em b er o f the p arty executive, delivered
a speech refutin g successfully all th o se asp ersio n s. H e explain ed that, i f properly
treated, S o c ia l D em o crats were qu ite open to be loyal to the C ro w n , th at they to o k
p a rt in the w ar w ith en th u siasm , that a restitu tio n o f A lsa c e and L o rrain e to France
w as o u t o f the q u estio n ; the G e rm a n w orkers h ad fou gh t an d d ied for the unity o f
the E m p ire; his w ords were "and stran ge w ould be the attitu d e o f w orkin g-m en to
o p p o se the fo rm atio n o f a n ation al State. H e em ph atically rejects the reproach o f
enm ity ag ain st the E m pire, an d declares on his p a rt th at th o se are the real enem ies
o f the E m p ire who are o p p o se d to m an h o o d suffrage. H e talked like a can didate
for a place in the cabinet an d n ot a s the m outh piece o f an o p p re sse d an d m ortally
in su lted class o f prod u cers.
A n d w hat w as the attitu d e o f G e rm an S o c ia l D e m o c rats to w ard s the M ay
D ay D em o n stra tio n ? A t the Z u ric h In tern ational C o n g re ss the strict cessation
o f all w ork on th a t day h ad b een resolved. B u t, a few m o n th s after, the C o lo g n e
C on feren ce o f the G e rm an p arty alm o st u n an im ou sly declared the im p o ssib ility o f
such action u n d e r the p re se n t econ om ic co n d itio n s; an d it w as resolved th a t only
those w orkers sh o u ld leave w ork on that day w ho could do so "w ith ou t dam ag in g
the in terests o f the workers. A ll this is cow ardly h u m b u g. T h e econ om ic situ ation
in G e rm an y is identical w ith th at o f A u stria an d w hat w ould be im p o ssib le in
G e rm an y has been possible in A u stria ? T h e reason o f this lam en tab le attitu d e only

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lies in the so -called So c ial-D e m o c ra tic voters and the M a y D ay d e m o n strato rs; for
the result w ould be a plain p r o o f that though there exist m an y voters, these are
by no m eans energetic an d accive So cialists. B e sid e s this, the leaders are afraid, in
general, o f all in depen den t action o f the m asse s. C o u ld n ot these m asse s see th at
in depen den t action and o rg an izatio n is the right thin g for th em to do in all m atters,
and th at it is o f sm all u se for th em to have representatives" in parliam en t? A ll that
is don e fro m below is repulsive to S o c ia l D em o crats, who expect to solve the social
p ro b lem fro m above the com m ittee room , the p arliam en tary platform , by m ean s
o f the m ach in ery o f legislation.
I w ill not en ter into fuller d etails in this report, w hich ow ing to w ant o f tim e
to elab orate a lon ger one m u st be a sh o rt one. B u t this on e fact m u st be ad d ed :
that the sam e aversion to any m ovem ents o f the m a sse s h olds g o o d with regard to
S T R I K E S . N o t only is the cessation o f w ork on M ay D ay n ot carried out; n ot only
is the G en eral S trik e continually treated as a ridicu lou s idea, and in A u e rs w ords
a "general stu p id ity (G en eral b lo d siu n ); w hilst nearly all section s o f the French
w orkers are p a rtisa n s o f the G en eral S trik e b ut in all larger strikes o f single trades
it b ecom es ap paren t th at the So cial-D e m o c ra tic leaders are extrem ely d isp leased
w ith them and will m ake an end o f them as so o n as p ossib le. T h is was seen in a
m o st co n sp icu o u s an d o d io u s w ay during the great strike in the tailorin g trades
in the sp rin g o f 1 8 9 6 , at B erlin an d in other tow ns. A s u sual on such occasion s,
w hen it w as essen tial to ro u se the m a sse s and prep are the strike, none o f the leadin g
S o c ial D em o crats were to be seen. B u t to this we are already u se d in G erm an y :
in p arliam en t, at the d isc u ssio n o f the m o st paltry an d insign ifican t bills, these
gen tlem en are always in their places; but in the m id st o f in depen den t econom ic
struggles o f the w orking classes they will m ostly be look ed for in vain. B u t on the
occasion o f the tailor's strike they were b eforehand in the ran ks o f th ose who by all
so rts o f dark hints tried to d isco u rage the strik e an d fru strate it. In chis they did
n ot succeed ; the strike o f the w retchedly paid w om en an d m en b egan an d reached a
height o f p assio n , and dim en sio n s unforeseen by everybody. M o re th at 2 0 ,0 0 0 w ere
on strike in Berlin, and their n u m b ers were in creasin g daily. Su d d en ly the strike
cam e to an en d the So c ial-D e m o c ra tic strike leaders h ad con cluded peace w ith
the em ployers w ith out con su ltin g the strikers them selves. O f the essen tial item s
o f the m o d e st d em an d s o f the w orkers none w ere gran ted . A t this ju n c tu re som e
Berlin A n a rc h ists intervened, a leaflet w as issu ed u rgin g on the w orkers to rem ain
on strik e an d n ot to throw u p the struggle at a tim e w hen the m ovem en t w as still
increasing. A n d in deed, m ore than h a lf o f th o se p resen t at fourteen large m eetings
resolved to rem ain on strike. T h en the Vorwrts in au gu rated a w hole sy ste m o f lying
reports, an d throw ing su sp icio n an d in su lts, so th at it becam e im p o ssib le to keep
togeth er any lon ger the in experien ced and u n o rgan ized m a sse s m ostly w om en. It
w as a gen eral stam ped e, arran ged an d ordered by ehe G e rm an Social-D em ocracy .

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T ru ly this w as an o ccasio n to learn to d espise m an k in d thorough ly for th o se w ho, at

that tim e, h ad to u n dergo th ese m iserab le in su lts sim ply for having advocaced fro m
g o o d reason s the con tin uation o f the strike, h ad their o p tim ism an d h ope n ot been
inexhaustible. P erson s who in this w ay m ake u se o f their au th ority to the detrim en t
o f class struggle, have full re aso n to provide w ith p a ssio n a te fan aticism for the nonad m issio n to the In tern ation al C o n g re ss o f th ose who are w illing to p o st th em to
an in tern ation al pillory. It is b ecause the S o c ial D em o crats are afraid o f us G e rm an
A n arch ists, th at they fight w ith such an odiou s in toleran ce ag ain st the ad m issio n o f
G e rm an delegates w ho sta n d ou tsid e o f the ran ks o f Social-D em o cracy .
In conclusion, It b ecom es necessary to su p p lem en t this rapidly sketch ed, pitiful
pictu re by so m e less glo om y touches. In spite o f all tutelage an d discipline, the spirit
o f the m a sse s w hich com es to the fron t in sp ite o f everything, is n ot un satisfactory.
N o tw ith sta n d in g all So cial-D e m o c ra tic vilifications, the G e rm a n w orkers begin
to give up their fan atical intolerance again st us A n arch ists an d other in depen den t
section s. In m o st o f the in d u strial centers we are n ot interfered w ith, b u t listen ed
to w ith m anifest interest; revolution ary sen tim en t an d ideas, never qu ite to be
crush ed in an o p p re sse d class, begin to stir w ith new vigor. D o u b t as to the value o f
p a rliam e n tarism begin s to sp read everyw here; it becom es m an ifest th at education
o f the m a sse s them selves is w hat is w anted, an d th at the m a sse s them selves m ust
stru ggle econ om ically an d organ ize new econom ic asso c iatio n s i f they are to
w in S o c ia lism . E co n o m ic stru ggles, dem an d s fo r higher w ages, and strik es have
becom e m ore vigo rou s an d frequ en t durin g the p a s t year. A lso the gen eral interest
in w ork in gm en s produ ctiv e asso ciatio n s on a co-operative b asis is in creasin g
though m eetin g w ith the d istru st o f m any in the A n a rch ist cam p . T h e o pin ion s
o f G e rm a n A n arch ists on this q u estio n are divided; still it m u st be m ention ed
that A n a rch ists w ere am o n g the first to recom m en d th is econ om ic self-help, this
solid ary am algam ation o f the in terests o f c on su m ers as a m ean s o f em an cipation ,
as a nucleus for the so cializatio n o f all w ealth-in o p p o sitio n to S ta te S o c ialism
an d p a rtic ip a tio n in govern m en t an d parliam ent. In do in g so we p o in ted out, the
E n glish C o -o p erativ e societies an d the su ccessfu l B elgian A sso c ia tio n s. W e are
m et by the sn eers o f the G e rm a n So c ial-D e m o c ra tic p a rty ; as a conservative party
execrating all in n ovation s they tell us that the situ a tio n o f o u r country is different
from th o se above-m en tioned. T h is is an easy w ay to prove a p o in t an d shelve the
m atter, it is true; b u t we in ten d to sh o w also to our still reluctan t frie n d s that
also in G e rm an y a stro n g co-operative m ovem en t can exist sid e by side w ith the
T ra d e -U n io n ist m ovem ent, an d th at both shall be the m ain fo u n d atio n s o f free,
an ti-statist, an d an ti-govern m en tal S o cialism ,
W e could also p oin t o u t so m e other sign s o f the adven t o f a m ore free an d lively
sp irit in G erm any. T h ey em b race n ot only an d n o t even in the first p lace the
w ork in g class, b u t ever in creasin g p a rts o f the m id d le d a ss e s w ho th orough ly and

G ustav

L a n d a uer

S ocial

D em ocracy

in

G erm any

finally rejecc all prejud ices an d advocate the regeneration o f h u m an society. T h e se

efforts w hich are b egin n in g to center aroun d V on Egidy, a form er lieuten an t-colon el,
are n ot to be u n d errated . M e n w ho were form erly deeply im b ru e d w ith all the
prejud ices o f religion, m on arch ism , m ilitarism , cap italism m en o f science, artists,
soldiers, an d priests, b egin to em an cipate them selves fro m the m iserab le presen t,
the death b ed o f intellects, an d to w ork hand in h an d w ith u s for free th ou gh t an d
action, for a leveling o f the political, social, an d econ om ic con trasts. I could b ut
desire th at a m an o f the b rillian t en ergy o f M . V on E gidy w as p resen t in L o n d o n ;
ou r foreign frien ds w ould easily com e to the con clusion that his m ann er o f thin king
and actin g is in m any respects m uch m ore advanced that the tactics o f G e rm an
S o c ial D em ocracy, who, eager for d om in ation as they are, sn eer at the rise o f any
oth er m ovem ent b e sid e s their ow n.
S o it b ecom es evident also in G erm an y in sp ite o f the o p p re ssio n o f all free
curren ts fro m tw o different c am p s that the old is rotten an d ready to tum ble
dow n, an d th at so m e th in g new, gran d , m agnificent, is a b o u t to be realized by the
u n ited efforts o f m an k in d h ith erto for the greater p a rt so m uch rep ressed : the
free life o f the in dividual on the b asis o f the interest o f all, o f solidarity, o f S o c ialism .
W e A n arch ists in G erm an y feel ourselves one an d all as S o c ia lists; an d th ose w ho
m ain tain th at we are n ot S o c ia lists, tell lies. W h a t we fight is S ta te S o c ialism ,
leveling fro m above, b ureaucracy; w hat we advocate is free asso ciatio n an d union,
the absen ce o f authority, m ind freed from all fetters, in depen den ce an d w ell-being
o f all. B efore all oth ers it is we who preach tolerance for all w hether we thin k their
op in ion s to b e right or w ron g we do n ot w ant to crush th em by force or otherw ise.
In the sam e w ay we claim toleran ce tow ards u s, an d w here R evolu tio n ary S o c ialists,
w here w ork ingm en o f all coun tries m eet, we w ant to b e am o n g th e m an d to say
w hat we have g o t to say; we are m en with the sam e intellectual capacities as all
others. I f o u r ideas are w ron g let th o se who kn ow b etter teach us b etter; b ut if we
are right, if, w hich is o u r in m o st conviction, the road to p ro gre ss lies u n d e r the sign
o f A narchy, then we shall convince you soon er or later o f the truth o f o u r id eas if
only you will listen to u s, w hether you be eager for conviction or not. A n d even if
you deafen your ears ag ain st us, oth ers shall com e to listen to u s an d to u n d e rstan d
us, an d the logic o f facts shall in the en d carry w ith us also th o se w ho now resist.

A Barbary C oast Collective Publication