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Peter von Oertzen 1924â2008
A Political and Intellectual Biography
Series: - Historical Materialism Book Series, Volume: 340
Author:
Translator:
This exhaustive study traces Peter von Oertzenâs transformation from a Berlin upbringing marked by Prussian traditions, conservative revolution, and National Socialism to his role as a Marxist and left-wing Social Democrat. It explores his dual impact as a political scientist and activist, detailing his influence in informal networks, journal projects, and trade union education initiatives. Navigating the SPD's delicate internal dynamics, Oertzen faced governmental responsibilities and conservative opposition while engaging in dialogue with various Marxist, council-socialist, and alternative left currents. Awarded the Niedersachsen State History Prize in 2018, this work offers unique insights into twentieth-century left Social Democracy.
Born in 1980, Philipp Kufferath studied history, sociology, media and communication studies, and philosophy in Berlin and Göttingen. Since 2016, he has been the managing editor of Archiv für Sozialgeschichte and a research associate at the Institute for European Sports Development and Leisure Research in Cologne. He received the Christian-Gottlob-Heyne Prize in 2016 for his outstanding humanities dissertation.
Abbreviations
Introduction: Political Intellectuals and Networks between Science and Politics
â1âThe state of research
â2âThe body of source material
â3âIntellectual History as the social history of ideasâ dimensions and definitions
â4âNetworks, circles and journals: intellectual groupings and institutions
â5âThe structure of the present work
1 From National Socialism to Social Democracy: Learning Processes and Defining Influences in Extreme Times
â1âPromises of national glory and educated bourgeois-aristocratic obstinacy: A culturally elitist German youth between democracy, Nazism, and war
â2âReorientation and the search for meaning after the loss of a âworldviewâ: From war captivity to the decision to join the SPD
â3âThe University of Göttingen as a nexus of tension in a society in upheaval: Academic pursuits, university politics, and student activism at the onset of the Cold War
â4âIntellectual ambitions between science and politics: New theoretical influences, political mentors, and first steps in the SPD
2 Left-Socialist Identity and Scientific-Political Perspectives: Between Social Democracy, Political Science, Radical Networks and Trade Unions
â1âA socialist alternative beyond the existing power blocs? Unity initiatives and programmatic divisions among left socialists in the SPD (1954â60)
â2âThe arduous path to recognition as a political scientist: The historical council movement and party sociology as academic fields and political and theoretical interventions
â3âFarewell to the SPD? Syndicalist trends within the New Left amidst the interplay of political intervention and trade-union operational logic
â4âAcademic career or party career? Options and decisions
3 Dare to Be More Pragmatic! Power, Compromises and Perspectives of a Socialist Intellectual in Polarised Times
â1âUnexpected opportunities in the political arena and internal conflicts: The SPD left, the 1968 movement, and the conquest of key institutional positions
â2âSocial-Democratic education policy: Balancing aspirations for co-determination, government-imposed restrictions, and conservative counter-mobilisation
â3âAcid test of a programmatic party in government: Finding a compromise between âtraditionless pragmatismâ and ârevolutionary rigorismâ
â4âThe conservative âtrend reversalâ and the orientation crisis of the SPD left amidst austerity, competing systems, and alternative movements
4 The (Un)stoppable Departure from Socialism: Conservative Supremacy, Red-Green Hopes, and the Triumph of Market Liberalism
â1âExploring the scope for a new reformism: The Social-Democratic programme in the era of neoliberal confrontation and Green-Alternative competition (1982â9)
â2âA missed opportunity for the SPD? The erosion of âactually existing socialismâ and resistance against an Anschluss to West Germany (1989â92)
â3âWhat remains of socialism? âTradition-buildingâ, positional struggles and disappointments
Summary: A Socialist Identity Caught Up in Tensions and Contradictions
â1âIdentity construction and intellectual and political self-conception
â2âRelationship with Social Democracy
â3âEngagement with Communism and the radical left
â4âScientific priorities and fields of action
â5âNetworks and reference groups
â6âSocialist totality and left reformist strategy
Bibliography
Index
Introduction: Political Intellectuals and Networks between Science and Politics
â1âThe state of research
â2âThe body of source material
â3âIntellectual History as the social history of ideasâ dimensions and definitions
â4âNetworks, circles and journals: intellectual groupings and institutions
â5âThe structure of the present work
1 From National Socialism to Social Democracy: Learning Processes and Defining Influences in Extreme Times
â1âPromises of national glory and educated bourgeois-aristocratic obstinacy: A culturally elitist German youth between democracy, Nazism, and war
â2âReorientation and the search for meaning after the loss of a âworldviewâ: From war captivity to the decision to join the SPD
â3âThe University of Göttingen as a nexus of tension in a society in upheaval: Academic pursuits, university politics, and student activism at the onset of the Cold War
â4âIntellectual ambitions between science and politics: New theoretical influences, political mentors, and first steps in the SPD
2 Left-Socialist Identity and Scientific-Political Perspectives: Between Social Democracy, Political Science, Radical Networks and Trade Unions
â1âA socialist alternative beyond the existing power blocs? Unity initiatives and programmatic divisions among left socialists in the SPD (1954â60)
â2âThe arduous path to recognition as a political scientist: The historical council movement and party sociology as academic fields and political and theoretical interventions
â3âFarewell to the SPD? Syndicalist trends within the New Left amidst the interplay of political intervention and trade-union operational logic
â4âAcademic career or party career? Options and decisions
3 Dare to Be More Pragmatic! Power, Compromises and Perspectives of a Socialist Intellectual in Polarised Times
â1âUnexpected opportunities in the political arena and internal conflicts: The SPD left, the 1968 movement, and the conquest of key institutional positions
â2âSocial-Democratic education policy: Balancing aspirations for co-determination, government-imposed restrictions, and conservative counter-mobilisation
â3âAcid test of a programmatic party in government: Finding a compromise between âtraditionless pragmatismâ and ârevolutionary rigorismâ
â4âThe conservative âtrend reversalâ and the orientation crisis of the SPD left amidst austerity, competing systems, and alternative movements
4 The (Un)stoppable Departure from Socialism: Conservative Supremacy, Red-Green Hopes, and the Triumph of Market Liberalism
â1âExploring the scope for a new reformism: The Social-Democratic programme in the era of neoliberal confrontation and Green-Alternative competition (1982â9)
â2âA missed opportunity for the SPD? The erosion of âactually existing socialismâ and resistance against an Anschluss to West Germany (1989â92)
â3âWhat remains of socialism? âTradition-buildingâ, positional struggles and disappointments
Summary: A Socialist Identity Caught Up in Tensions and Contradictions
â1âIdentity construction and intellectual and political self-conception
â2âRelationship with Social Democracy
â3âEngagement with Communism and the radical left
â4âScientific priorities and fields of action
â5âNetworks and reference groups
â6âSocialist totality and left reformist strategy
Bibliography
Index
This book is especially relevant for labour movement historians and students, academic libraries, trade union activists, and historians of twentieth-century Marxism and Social Democracy.