Wolfgang Abendroth
Encyclopedia : W : WO : WOL : Wolfgang Abendroth
Wolfgang Abendroth (May 2nd, 1906 - September 15th, 1985)
German politician, intellectual and social scientist
Wolfgang Abendroth was a German scholar, closely connected with the German labour/working class movements since the early 1920ies. His life & work is published in German. Richard Albrecht, a German social psychologist and online editor[link] recenty published a portrait of Wolfgang Abendroth, his life and work in "iwk" 4.2005, enl. online version: [link].
Here´s the English summary of that piece:
Wolfgang Abendroth was born on May 2, 1906 as the son of a middle school teacher in Elberfeld (now Wuppertal), Germany. He attendeed high school (Realgymnasium)in Frankfurt am Main and studied law and economics at the Universities of Tübingen, Münster und Frankfurt am Main, where he passed the First Juridical Exam in 1930 with a a "full sattisfactory" (vollbefriedigend). From 1930 to 1933 he worked an articled clerk of court (Gerichtsreferendar). As the son of a convinced Social Democrat, Abenroth was from early on active in the proletariat youth movement. In November 1920, he became a member of the Young Communist Association (KJV, and later too the German Communist Party (KPD). Additionally, he joined the Roten Hilfe. At the same time, he was active in the German Peace League (Deutschen Freidenverband) and as a member of the national leadership of the League of Socialist Youth, he was responsible for the Marxist training of some of the groups which were members of the League which had exited the bourgeois youth movements. After he was thrown out of the KPD because he crtitisized the course of the KPD and its Social Facsism Theory (Sozialfaschismustheorie, he joined the opposition to the KPD in 1928.
NOTE: This is a translation of a part of the German wiki contribution on Wolfgang Abendroth. . This is my first attempt at editing. I think it is better than what is there in English. But I would appreciate any tips on editing, neophyte that I am.
\"Do not neglect the \"ordinary trade-unionist\"
Wolfgang Abendroth 1906-1985. An intellectual portrait
In his scholarly essay, the author [...] presents an "intellectual portrait" and reminds of Wolfgang Abendroth, a German political scientist and leftiest closely connected with the (small) socialist sector/s of the German working class and labour movement since the early 1920´ies. In his introduction the author very briefly paints his own impression when he was a graduate student in Marburg/Lahn where the portrayed worked for about two decades as an academic teacher (1951-1972). - Quoting Wolfgang Abendroths wife and comrade - Dr Lisa Abendroth - on what Wolfgang once pointed out: "Better imprisoned even within the ´Third Reich´ than forced to be an émigré", the author, in the first part of this piece, tells the story on the very life of Wolfgang Abendroth as a member of the German working class movement, attested to be personal as friendly and bold, partly beloved as an intellectual adviser and moral authority within German labour left but also basically accepted as an honorary person and political figure even from the bulk of his adversaries.In the second part of this piece the author umbrellas Wolfgang Abendroths scholarly work including juridical, sociological, and political analysis of the state as well as historical studies on the European -and of course the German- working class and labour movement/s under what Wolfgang did rate his students:
“And don´t forget to study Franz Neumann´s “Behemoth” thoroughly - even before translated into German"
In his smart epilogue Dr Richard Albrecht reminds of an academic competition named “Wolfgang-Abendroth-Preis” as donated after the death of the patron asking why this specific activity was ceased in the middle of the 1990´ies…
Dr.iur. Wolfgang Abendroth (1906-1985) was in fact as a Marxist scholar a good red herring, and that´s why there is no reason at all either to fish him when stylising him “the probably keenest and most foreseeing political strategist the Marxist left in Germany ever had since Rosa Luxemburg” (Lieberam/Münchow 2000) or to flesh him when refusing his very place within a German reader on relevant “political thinking in the 20th century” (Münkler 1990)."
(The German version got the title: "...denkt immer an den ´mittleren Funktionär´... Wolfgang Abendroth - 2. Mai 1906 bis 15. September 1985, including these chapters: I. Erinnerung/en - II. Methodisches - III. „...lieber im Dritten Reich ins Zuchthaus als in die Emigration....“ Ein Leben in der deutschen Arbeiterbewegung - IV. „und lesen Sie Franz Neumanns ´Behemoth´“ Der politische Wissenschaftler Wolfgang Abendroth - V. Epilog; - VI. Literaturnachweise; - VII. Autor)
The German bibliographical agencies collected Wolfgang Abendroths books [link]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.