Karl Korsch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karl Korsch
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Karl Korsch
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| Born | 15 August 1886 |
| Died | 21 October 1961 (aged 75) |
| Alma mater | University of Jena (Dr.jur., 1910) |
| Era | 20th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Western Marxism |
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Main interests
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Politics, economics, law |
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Notable ideas
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The principle of historical specification (comprehending all things social in terms of a definite historical epoch) |
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Influenced
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Karl Korsch (born August 15, 1886 – died October 21, 1961) was an important German thinker. He was a Marxist theorist and a political philosopher. He is known for challenging the ideas of other famous Marxists like Karl Kautsky and Vladimir Lenin. Korsch, along with György Lukács, helped create what is known as Western Marxism in the 1920s.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Karl Korsch was born in a small village called Tostedt, near Hamburg, Germany. His parents, Carl August and Therese Korsch, were Lutheran. His father was interested in philosophy and wanted a more intellectual life.
When Karl was eleven, his family moved to a village near Meiningen in the Thuringen region. This move allowed Karl and his siblings to get a better education. Karl was a very bright student and did well in school.
Starting in 1906, Korsch studied at universities in Munich, Geneva, and Berlin. He studied subjects like philosophy and humanities. Later, he focused on law at the University of Jena, where Karl Marx also studied.
Student Activism and Law Degree
While at Jena, Korsch was very active in a student group called Freie Studenten. This group wanted more freedom for students at the university. Korsch also edited the student newspaper and wrote articles for it.
He helped organize talks with important socialist speakers like Eduard Bernstein and Karl Liebknecht. Despite all his activities, Korsch earned his law degree from the University of Jena in 1910. Around this time, he met Hedda Gagliardi, who he would marry in 1913.
First World War Experiences
In 1912, Korsch went to England to work on a legal text. While there, he joined the Fabian Society, a group that wanted to bring about socialist changes peacefully. In 1913, he married Hedda Gagliardi, who was also involved in his work.
Returning to Germany
Korsch returned to Germany in 1914 when he was called for military service. Even though he was against the war, he felt he needed to be with the common people, who were joining the army.
At the start of the war, Korsch was a lieutenant. But he was quickly demoted to sergeant because he spoke out against Germany's invasion of neutral Belgium. Korsch was a pacifist and refused to carry a weapon in battle. He believed it made no difference to his safety. Instead, he focused on saving lives.
Bravery and Leadership
As the war continued, Korsch was recognized for his bravery. He was promoted back to captain and received the Iron Cross twice. His strong character and courage earned him the respect of his soldiers.
In 1917, he joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD). This party had separated from the main Social Democratic Party because they supported the war. When unrest spread through the German military in 1917, Korsch's company formed a soldiers' council. His fellow soldiers elected him as a delegate. This "red company" was one of the last to be released from service in January 1919.
Political Work in Germany (1917–1933)
Korsch's experiences during the war and the Russian Revolution of 1917 made him more radical. He focused on creating a new economic system for workers' councils in Germany. He published his ideas in a book called What is Socialization? in 1919.
Korsch joined the German Communist Party in 1920, even though he had some doubts about the rules for joining the Comintern (a worldwide communist organization). In October 1923, he became the Communist Minister of Justice in the regional government of Thuringia.
Korsch believed the German revolution failed because the working class was not prepared enough. He thought that if workers were better educated in Marxist theory, they would be more ready for political action. In 1926, he formed a group called the Entschiedene Linke (Determined Left). This group later joined the Communist Workers Party of Germany in 1927.
Life in Exile
Korsch was active in left-wing politics in Germany from 1917 to 1933. He left Germany on February 27, 1933, the night of the Reichstag fire, a major event that led to the rise of the Nazis. He first stayed in England and Denmark.
Moving to the United States
In 1936, Korsch and his wife moved to the United States. He taught at Tulane University in New Orleans and worked at the International Institute for Social Research in New York City. Karl Korsch passed away in Belmont, Massachusetts, on October 21, 1961.
In his later work, Korsch believed that traditional Marxism was outdated. He wanted to update Marxist ideas for new times. In his Ten Theses (1950), he wrote that to create new revolutionary ideas, people needed to break away from the old Marxism. He felt that trying to bring back the original Marxist ideas was not helpful anymore.
Philosophical Ideas
Korsch was worried that Marxist theory was becoming less clear and useful within socialist groups. His most famous book, Marxism and Philosophy, tried to show how Marxism was connected to the ideas of Hegel.
Korsch believed that Hegel's ideas represented the progress of the middle class (the bourgeoisie). After 1848, Korsch thought the middle class lost its leading role in society. Marx, by changing Hegel's philosophy, showed that the working class should now lead the revolution.
Historical Specification
A key idea for Korsch was "the principle of historical specification." This means understanding everything in society based on its specific historical time. Korsch stressed that Marx looked at economic and social ideas in the way they appeared in modern middle-class society, not as ideas that are true forever.
Korsch also argued that socialism should not just be about the government owning factories and businesses. It should also create useful ways to organize the economy in a socialist way.
His book Marxism and Philosophy, published in 1923, was not popular with the official Communist Party. Leaders like Grigory Zinoviev strongly disagreed with Korsch's ideas. Zinoviev famously said that if more "Professors" like Korsch and Lukács kept creating their theories, the party would be in trouble. Over the next five years, the German Communist Party removed people who disagreed with them. Korsch was expelled from the party in April 1926, but he remained a communist representative in the German parliament.
Influence on Other Thinkers
Karl Korsch is sometimes overlooked in the history of political theory. However, his ideas were important to other communist thinkers and academics for many years. His influence grew during the revolutionary movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Korsch taught and became friends with Bertolt Brecht, a famous Marxist playwright. Brecht chose Korsch as his teacher because Korsch was independent from the Communist Party. Through Brecht, Korsch met Walter Benjamin, another important thinker. Benjamin read Korsch's book Karl Marx and used it as a main source for his own work on Marxism.
Korsch also taught Felix Weil, who founded the Institute for Social Research. This institute later became known as the highly influential Frankfurt School. Korsch also influenced the German Marxist historian Arthur Rosenberg.
Works
- 1923: Marxism and Philosophy
- 1938: Karl Marx
- 1950: Ten Theses on Marxism Today
See also
In Spanish: Karl Korsch para niños
