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Willi Münzenberg

Fighter against Fascism and Stalinism

John Green

$73.99

Paperback

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English
Routledge
03 December 2019
Willi Münzenberg was a towering figure in the anti-fascist movement during the first half of the twentieth century. He was acquainted with many of the leading left wing activists and thinkers of his day including Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, Karl Liebknecht, and Karl Radek. He also played a foundational role in several important transnational organisations such as the Socialist Youth International, the largest anti-war movement in opposition to the First World War, the International Workers’ Relief organisation, and the League against Colonialism and for National Independence.

As a film distributor and promoter, he brought modern Soviet films to western Europe. As a publicist and manager, he built up the most influential left-wing media empire in the Weimar Republic and initiated the pioneering use of photography and photo montage. He was also a long-time member of the Reichstag. He was a pioneer in the use of a variety of media and the way he gained the support and collaboration of progressive politicians, artists and intellectuals ensured that he would become the leading, and most effective, opponent of Hitler’s and Goebbels’ propaganda machine, as he exposed the venality and brutality of the Nazis. Late in life, his turn against Stalinism almost certainly led to his mysterious death.

This is the first detailed biography in English to give coverage to the full range of Münzenberg's activism. There are valuable lessons to be learnt from the book about the best ways to counter fascism which are powerfully relevant to our contemporary political situation. It should be of great interest to activists, scholars and those studying the history of the radical left.

By:  
Imprint:   Routledge
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 234mm,  Width: 156mm, 
Weight:   453g
ISBN:   9780367344726
ISBN 10:   0367344726
Series:   Routledge Studies in Radical History and Politics
Pages:   288
Publication Date:  
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Primary ,  A / AS level
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Introduction 1. Early life 2. An émigré in Switzerland 3. Germany in Turmoil 4. Rebuilding the socialist youth movement 5. The Comintern’s emissary in Western Europe 6. The Communist Party and Civil War in Germany 7. Entrepreneur and Propagandist supremo 8. Publishing mogul 9. The influence of the KPD and Münzenberg’s organisation on working class culture in Germany 10. League against Imperialism 11. Fleeing the Nazis to France 12. Reichstag Fire and Counter Trial 13. Battles with the KPD leadership 14. French internment and mysterious death 15. Münzenberg’s British Secret Service Files 16. Summing up Münzenberg’s historical contribution

John Green is a journalist and author. He worked for two decades making television documentaries before devoting himself to writing. He has since written several biographies, including one on Friedrich Engels and this his second for Routledge. He lived in Germany for a number of years and has a keen interest in twentieth-century German political history and culture. He and his wife live and work in West London.

Reviews for Willi Münzenberg: Fighter against Fascism and Stalinism

Willi Munzenberg is a key reference for anyone interested in anti-war movements since the First World War, left cultural politics, or specific relations between socialist and communist movements and transnational solidarity during the interwar period. And still, his biography and politics have fallen through existing webs of historical narration due to existing biases. Therefore I wholeheartedly welcome John Green's attempt to rediscover and critically re-evaluate Munzenberg's biography and the extraordinary achievements during his lifetime. - Dr. Uwe Sonnenberg, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Berlin and Internationales Willi-Munzenberg-Forum, Germany Willi Munzenberg remains one of the twentieth century's most intriguing personalities on the political left. His influence and political legacy still remain largely underrated or misrepresented. John Green's Munzenberg biography thus forms an important and timely contribution to this complex story, closely related to the rise of international communism and the Soviet Union. This accessible account will help a new generation of readers to discover Munzenberg and his political activism for international solidarity, anti-colonialism and anti-fascism. - Kasper Brasken, Abo Akademi University, Sweden My grandmother, Babette Gross, worked for Willi Munzenberg from 1920. She later became his life partner, living and working with him until his death in 1940. The aim of her Political Biography was to tell the story of his life objectively, supported by historical evidence and relying as little as possible on subjective experience. Subsequent biographers, although drawing on her account, have interpreted Munzenberg and his activities through their own somewhat tinted historical perspectives and attitudes. John Green's new biography has a more even-handed approach to the historical setting, bringing relevance to this area for a new generation of readers. A welcome addition to the scholarship, it throws a clearer light on the life and times of the enigmatic Willi Munzenberg and his fellow-travellers. - Dr. Catherine Gross, The Australian National University, Australia


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