Arthur Goldstein facts for kids

Arthur Goldstein (born March 18, 1887, in Lipine, Germany; died 1943, in Auschwitz, German-occupied Poland) was a German Jewish journalist and a politician who believed in communism. He was an important figure in several political groups during a very busy time in German history.

Arthur Goldstein's Life

Arthur Goldstein joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in 1914. He was known for his strong left-wing views within the party. This meant he wanted big changes in society to help workers and ordinary people.

Joining New Political Groups

In 1917, Arthur Goldstein joined a new group called the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD). Later, he became part of the Spartacus League. This group was very important because it helped start the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). Arthur Goldstein was one of the people who helped create the KPD.

He believed that change should happen outside of the usual government elections. Because of these ideas, in 1920, he helped start another party called the Communist Workers' Party of Germany (KAPD).

Working for the KAPD

For a while, Arthur Goldstein represented the KAPD in Moscow. He worked with the main committee that guided communist parties around the world. He also helped run the party's newspaper, Kommunistische Arbeiter-Zeitung. He used the pen name "Stahl," which means "steel."

Arthur Goldstein was one of the people who signed the KAPD's main statement of beliefs, called a manifesto. He strongly disagreed with another group within the KAPD, known as the Hamburg Faction. This group had different ideas about how communism should work in Germany. At a big meeting in August 1920, Goldstein successfully argued that the KAPD should separate from the Hamburg Faction.

The KAPD was accepted as a member by a big international communist meeting in 1920. However, the KAPD later left this international group in September 1921.

Changing Paths

In 1922, Arthur Goldstein was asked to leave the KAPD. After this, he started working with another politician named Paul Levi on his newspaper, Unser Weg (Our Way). In 1923, Arthur Goldstein decided to rejoin the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

In Berlin, starting in 1928, he helped change a group called the Sozialwissenschaftliche Vereinigung (Social Science Association). This group became a training organization for people who believed in "council communism." This was a specific type of communism where workers' councils would have power.

This group later became the Rote Kämpfer (Red Fighters) in 1931. Arthur Goldstein was the expert on money and business matters for this group. During this time, he also wrote for social-democratic newspapers like Vorwärts. He also kept in touch with other left-wing groups, including the Trotskyist Left Opposition.

Escape and Tragic End

When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Arthur Goldstein had to leave the country. He fled to Paris, France. He tried to set up a leadership group for the Rote Kämpfer resistance movement from outside Germany, but it didn't work out.

After this, he joined another group called the International Communists of Germany. He was part of their leadership team for a time while living in exile.

Sadly, in 1943, Arthur Goldstein was captured. On June 23, 1943, he was sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was part of a large group of Jewish people transported from a camp near Paris. When he arrived at Auschwitz on June 25, 1943, he was murdered by the SS, the Nazi's special police force.