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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
Gustau Landauer
C .W . ~
In tro d u c tio n
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
C .W .
In tro d u c tio n
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.
G ustav
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G ustav
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A n a r c h ism
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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
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
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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
G ustav
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A n a r c h ism
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G ermany
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?
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
G ustav
L an d a uer
A n a r c h ism
in
G ermany
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
G ustav
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A n a r c h ism
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G ermany
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,
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
G ustav
L an dauer
W alt
W hitm an
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.
G ustav
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W alt
W hitm an
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...
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
G ustav
L a n dauer
W alt
W hitm an
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
G ustav
L an dauer
W alt
W h itm an
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
G ustav
L a n dauer
W alt
W hitm an
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)
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
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
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.
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
G ustav
L an d a u er
T he
T it a n ic s
M essage
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
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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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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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