Anti-German (ideology)

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Anti-German is the generic name applied to a variety of theoretical and political tendencies within the radical, communist left in Germany. The Anti-Germans emerged as a distinct political tendency as a response to the rise in racist attacks and nationalism in the wake of the German reunification. The term does not generally refer to any one specific radical left tendency, but rather a wide variety of distinct currents, ranging from the so-called "hardcore" anti-Germans such as the quarterly journal Bahamas to "softcore" anti-Germans such as the circle around the radical left journal Phase 2, originally conceived as a federal discussion bulletin for the Antifa movement in the wake of the dissolution of the Antifascist Action/Federal Organisation (Antifaschistische Aktion/Bundesweite Organisation). Some Anti-German ideas have also exerted an influence on the broader radical leftist milieu, such as the monthly magazine konkret and the weekly newspaper Jungle World.

Furthermore, the most common practical and theoretical position commonly associated with the anti-Germans, that of solidarity with the state of Israel, is actually not a position exclusive to the Anti-Germans, and is in fact a position shared among quite a few sections of the German left wing. The Marxist school of Wertkritik, or Value Critique, around the publicist Robert Kurz and the journals Exit! and Krisis, for example, also advocates a position of solidarity with Israel, even though Kurz has openly declared his hostility for the Anti-Germans. Additionally, many Antifa groups in Germany also hold Israel-sympathetic opinions, while rejecting any identification with the Anti-German current.

The basic opinions of the anti-Germans include support of the state of Israel and - although this is only true for some - American foreign policy such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a critique of mainstream left anti-capitalist views, which are thought to be simplistic and structurally anti-Semitic and a critique of anti-Semitism, which is considered to be deeply rooted in German cultural history. The Critical Theory of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer is often cited by anti-German theorists along with the original Marxist theory.

[edit] Emergence of the Anti-Germans and the Birth of the Journal "Bahamas"

The first stirrings of the emergence of the anti-Germans can be traced back to the dissolution process of the Kommunistischer Bund, a Maoist political party primarily active in Hamburg and Northern Germany and noted on the Left for its relative sophistication and high level of theoretical reflection as compared to other Maoist organizations. The KB newspaper Arbeiterkampf (Worker's Struggle), commonly known by the abbreviation AK (the paper is now called "Analyse und Kritik"), distinguished itself by being a broad left journal of debate rather than merely a "party organ." The KB also distinguished itself from other extra-parliamentary groups through a decidedly pessimistic analysis with regard to the potential for revolutionary change in Germany. Known as the "Fascisation" analysis, this theory held that due to the particularity of German history and development, the endemic crisis of capitalism would lead to a move towards the Right and to a new Fascism.

The rapid process of collapse of the German Democratic Republic and the looming reunification of Germany led to an internal crisis within the KB and the development of irreconcilable perspectives within the organization. The majority tendency argued that with the collapse of the GDR, questions of social justice in connection with the restoration of capitalism in the former GDR should constitute the center of political work, and this tendency accordingly sought cooperation with the PDS (see Left Party (Germany)). There also emerged a minority tendency which argued for a position of fundamental opposition to the restoration of a unified German Nation-State, essentially representing a radicalized version of the Fascisation thesis, arguing that the coming period was one of reaction, and advocating a perspective of opposition against German nationalism, racism, anti-semitism, historical revisionism, and a revival of German great power politics. It is said that during an internal debate, representatives of the majority tendency said that the minority current, due to its bleak analysis and unwavering pessimism, "might as well just emigrate to the Bahamas." The minority tendency, in an ironic gesture, thus named their discussion organ "Bahamas."

In its first few years of existence, the journal Bahamas served as a pluralistic journal for a variety of currents of the radical left united by a common opposition to German nationalism, racism, and anti-semitism, as well as against apologetic currents within the Left which sought to relativize such issues. Gradually, this diversity of perspectives gave way to a tendency oriented towards a Freiburger organization known as the "Socialist Forum Initiative," (Initiative Sozialistisches Forum) a radical left formation mixing elements of Council Communism and elements of Critical Theory, particular Theodor W. Adorno and the Frankfurt School. At around the time of this shift in perspective, many of the former KB members left the editorial circle of the journal.

[edit] The Development of the Anti-German Current in the 1990s

The notion of a revival of German nationalism and racism as a result of the reunification seemed to confirm itself over the course of the 1990s, as shown by such events as the racist pogrom in the town of Rostock-Lichtenhagen (Rostock)and a murderous attack on a Turkish family in the West German town of Solingen. As a result of this populist wave of xenophobia and violence against foreigners, the German political establishment responded with an increased wave of repression against immigrants and a tightening of Germany's hitherto liberal asylum laws.

Throughout the 1990s, elements of the anti-German critique of the German mainstream society found their way into the broader left, especially the then-popular Antifa movement, which was the dominant organizational expression of radical leftist youth politics in the 1990s.

The NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999 was also a focus of opposition for the Anti-Germans, as for most of the radical left. The Anti-Germans condemned the war as a repetition of the political constellation of forces during the Second World War, with the Serbs in the role of victim of German imperialism. The Anti-Germans thus issued a call for "unconditional" support for the regime of Slobodan Milošević, whereas pacifist and other Leftist currents also condemned human rights violations committed by the Serbs. This led to a break between "Anti-Germans" and so-called "Anti-Nationalists."