Against Putschism: Paul Levi's Politics, the Comintern, and the Problems of a European Revolution 1918-1923

Abstract

In this paper I analyze the politics of Paul Levi, who became the leader of the German Communist Party after the deaths of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Levi has for the most part been neglected in the historiography of the period, but Pierre Broué’s and David Fernbach’s recent publications in 2006 and 2009 respectively have brought his ideas back into the spotlight in English. I seek to see how his understanding of politics between 1918-1923 make him unique in what I argue is his model which laid the groundwork for a “mass party” of Communism for Europe early on. This model followed Luxemburg’s dream for a Communist party able to relate to millions of workers, a careful understanding of the role of insurrection in revolutions, and which would work through a more democratic framework than the one set up by the Bolsheviks under their specific circumstances. In particular, the early role played by the Comintern and its relationship to early European Parties was decisive in their failure to lead and grow early on. By understanding the context of European Socialism at the time and by looking closely at the period during 1919-1921, I will argue that Paul Levi set the foundation for a mass- Party in Germany, and that his political theory helps us understand why a revolution did not take place in Europe after World War I.