Willi Dickhut

Willi Dickhut (born 29 April 1904 in Schalksmühle - died 8 May 1992 in Solingen) was a German communist and cofounder of the Marxist–Leninist Party of Germany (Marxistisch-Leninistische Partei Deutschlands).

Life

Willi Dickhut was the son of a haulage contractor and completed an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner. He was involved early in the labor movement. Dickhut participated in the 1920 general strike against the Kapp Putsch, in 1921 he joined the German Metalworkers' Federation Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband (DMV)) in 1926 the Communist Party of Germany (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD). After cleavage of Solingen branch of the DMV Dickhut was a member of the communist trade union Unity Association of Metal Workers (Einheitsverband der Metallarbeiter). 1928/1929 he spent eight months in the Soviet Union as a skilled worker in a factory for hair clippers. On his return he was more active for the Communist Party and was elected in March 1933 the city council of Solingen.

In 1933 he was arrested and taken to protective custody (Schutzhaft), until 1935 by the new nationalsocialist-regime. Dickhut was temporarily interned alongside prison stays in the concentration camps Börgermoor and Esterwegen. During this "protective custody" he was subjected to severe ill-treatment by the Gestapo. After his release he resumed his illegal work for the enfeebled and illegal Communist Party in Solingen. In 1938 he was convicted by the Special Court Hamm to one year and nine months in prison. This judgment was not enforced due to its "protective custody" and a nine-month detention. In August 1944 Dickhut was arrested again and faced then with a death sentence. During a heavy bombing of Solingen in November 1944, he managed to escape from prison.[1]

After the end of World War II Dickhut was a functionary of the Communist Party again, having been, Deputy Executive Head of the party executive. In 1966 he was expelled from the party, as he criticized the conditions in the Soviet Union. His work for the restoration of capitalism in the USSR was first published in 1971. In it Dickhut developed a fundamental critique of the changes in the Soviet Union after the seizure of power by Khrushchev, which he saw as a betrayal of socialism and the cause of the failure of the Soviet Union.[2]

After the expulsion from the Communist Party, he became involved in the foundation of the Communist Party of Germany/ Marxist-Leninist (KPD / ML) and promoted by the division in 1970 in a leading position the union of the resulting KPD / ML (Revolutionary Way) with the Communist Workers 'Federation (ML) for Communist Workers' Union of Germany (Kommunistischer Arbeiterbund Deutschlands (KABD)) 1972 who prepared the 1982 founding of the MLPD accomplished. Dickhut was, since he founded it in 1969 responsible for the theoretical organ of the party, the Revolutionärer Weg (revolutionary way).[3]

Dickhut is considered inside the MLPD as one of the "classics of Marxism–Leninism." Two autobiographical publications Dickhuts apply the party as important sources of a blunt and correct view on the 20th century.[4]

Writings in German

References

  1. ↑ Willi Dickhut: So war’s damals, Verlag Neuer Weg, Stuttgart 1979.
  2. ↑ Sascha Dietze: Die Ideologie der Marxistisch-Leninistischen Partei Deutschlands (MLPD). Lit Verlag, Berlin 2010 p. 29-38.
  3. ↑ Andreas Kühn: Stalins Enkel, Maos Söhne : die Lebenswelt der K-Gruppen in der Bundesrepublik der 70er Jahre. Campus Verlag. Frankfurt. 2005 p. 72-83
  4. ↑ http://www.rf-news.de/2012/kw18/20.-todestag-von-willi-dickhut-antifaschist-kommunist-und-mitbegruender-der-mlpd/