German Revolution, 1917-1923

Pierre Broué (born in 1926) was for many years Professor of Contemporary History at the Institut d’études politiques in Grenoble. A world renowned specialist of the communist and international workers’ movements, he is the founder of the Cahiers Léon Trotsky, editor of Leon Trotsky’s writings in French and the author of many publications, including La Révolution et la guerre en Espagne (with Etienne Témime, 1961), Le Parti bolchevique. Histoire du Parti communiste de l’URSS (1963), Les Procès de Moscou (1965), La Question chinoise dans l’Internationale communiste (1965), Le Printemps des peuples commence à Prague (1969), La Révolution espagnole (1972), L’Assassinat de Trotsky (1980), Trotsky (1988), Staline et la Révolution. Le cas espagnol (1993), Rakovsky ou la Révolution dans tous les pays (1996), Histoire de l’Internationale communiste, 1919-1943 (1997) and Communistes contre Staline. Massacre d’une generation (2003).

“Broué enables us to feel that we are actually living through these epoch-making events…. [D]o not miss this magnificent work.” — Robert Brenner, UCLA

• Abbreviations and AcronymsForeword to the English EditionPreface1 The Battlefield 2 Social Democracy Before 19143 The Lefts in German Social DemocracyPART 1. FROM WAR TO REVOLUTION: THE VICTORY AND DEFEAT OF ULTRA-LEFTISM4. The War and the Crisis of Social Democracy5. The Foundation of the Independent Social-Democratic Party6. The Rise of the Revolutionary Movement7. Problems of the World Revolution8. The November Revolution9. The Period of Dual Power10. The Crisis on the Socialist Movement11. The Foundation of the Communist Party of Germany12. The Uprising of January 1919PART 2. THE ATTEMPT TO DEFINE THE ROLE OF A COMMUNIST PARTY13. The Noske Period14. Stabilisation in Germany and World Revolution15. The Communist Party After January 191916. The Ultra-Left Opposition and the Split17. The Problem of Cenrism18. The Kapp Putsch19. The Communist Party at the Crossroads20. Moscow and the German Revolutionaries21. The Great Hopes of 192022. Paul Levi: A German Conception of Communism23. The First Steps of the Unified Communist Party24. The Split in the Italian Socialist Party25. The March Action26. Aftermath of a defeat27. The Moscow CompromisePART 3. FROM THE CONQUEST OF THE MASSES TO A DEFEAT WITHOUT A FIGHT28. Unity Preserved With Difficulty29. A New Start30. The Rapallo Turn31. For the United Front Against Poverty and Reaction32. The ‘Mass Communist Party’33. The Worker’s Government34. The Development of the Tactic35. The Occupation of the Ruhr36. Crisis in the KPD37. An Unprecedented Pre-Revolutionary Situation38. The Overthrow of the Cuno Government39 Preparing the Insurrection40. Moscow’s View of the German Revolution41. The German October42. Aftermath of Another DefeatPART 4. AN UNDERTAKING CONDEMNED BY HISTORY?43. History and Politics44. Grafting Bolshevism onto German Stock45. Paul Levi: The Lost Opportunity?46. Karl Radek: The Confusion of Styles? 47. Balance Sheet of a DefeatChronologyBibliographyBibliographical Details