In the recent past, there has been an upsurge of interest in socialist ideas - particularly among young people. But these activists, as well as most of those on the Anglophone left, remain cut off from some of the most significant writings of German Marxist socialism that have not yet been translated into English. If you are scandalised by this state of affairs and thirsty to read what thinkers such as Karl Kautsky, Rosa Luxemburg, Heinrich Cunow, Franz Mehring, Clara Zetkin and Rudolf Hilferding had to say on issues from the Anabaptists to alcoholism, from colonialism to Catharge, from genetics to gender - then you are in the right place! 

Marxism Translated is dedicated to the translation and study of 'lost' classic texts of German Marxism. Not only will you be the first to get your hands on these writings, but you will also be able to discuss them alongside like-minded people from across the world. I am a UK-based Marxist with a doctorate in Germanic Studies. I have over 12 years' experience of translating books and articles into German and produced publications such as Martov and Zinoviev: Head-to-head in Halle; Clara Zetkin: Letters and Writings; Karl Kautsky on Colonialism and Karl Kautsky on Democracy and Republicanism. Become a Patreon and help make socialism Marxist again!

Marxism Translated - Introduction

Hello all,

Please find attached the audio file of my talk - and the ensuing discussion from November's All-Patron Meeting - for to you enjoy wherever you and whatever you are doing! If you would like to attend future meetings, or want early access to these recordings, then please consider becoming a Patron of Marxism Translated from just 2GBP/month!

Below you will find a a rough-and-ready timestamp of the contents. If you have not yet listened to Rida's talk then you can do so here. Her talk will also be uploaded onto the Marxism Translated Youtube Channel for the general public in the next few days: please make sure to subscribe and leave us a like there too!

Look forward to your comments, feedback and questions! 

Timestamps:

0:45 Introduction and nature of the articles I am translating

2:45 Luxemburg goes to Baden on a speaking tour

5:45 Party discipline and the vote for the budget in Baden

8:00 The significance of republicanism in Luxemburg and its importance in the party's political decline

9:45 Polemic with Franz Mehring about the purported 'democratic illusions' of republican agitation

13:45 Party unity, resolutions and parliamentarians

18:05 1910, Historical Reflux and 'of course we're against the monarchy' republicanism

19:25 The German Free Thinkers and Karl Radek

20:05 The symbolic significance of republicanism in the SPD and beyond

21:05 Luxemburg and the question of a party split over Baden 

22:40 Comment by Mike M on the 'negative dialectics' of the break between Kautsky and Luxemburg

25:20 Luxemburg and the 'of course we are against the monarchy' position

27:05 Wilhelm Kolb and his role as leader of the Baden SPD

28:50 Mike M and Rida discussing Rosa's role on the Polish left

All-Patron Meeting Recording

Ben Lewis - Rosa Luxemburg on Republicanism

Hello all,

Thanks to those who attended last Saturday's All-Patron Meeting! Particular thanks must go to our guest Rida Vaquas, a translator working alongside me on translating Rosa Luxemburg's Gesammelte Werke, who kindly gave a talk about her translations and the potential political implications of translating Rosa Luxemburg today.

If you would like to attend future All-Patron Meetings or get early access to the recordings, then please become a Patron of Marxism Translated!

Here is a rough breakdown of the topics that Rida covers:

00:00 Introduction and outline of her translations, what Luxemburg's writings reveal about the healthy political culture of open debate in the socialist movement of the time

6:50 Responding to questions from the audience about the articles she is translating

08:15 Explaining the differences between Rosa Luxemburg and Clara Zetkin on the nature and role of the socialist youth movement

11:15 Exploring how these differences fed into debates about whether the aim of the socialist movement was to fulfil the promises of bourgeois culture and education, or whether it was actually a divergence from these promises

12:20 Discussing Rosa's attitude towards party discipline in 1910 and the role of republicanism in the socialist movement

15:40 Looking at the state of play with the translation of Rosa's works  

18:05 Exploring the significance of Polish sources in understanding Rosa Luxemburg's conception of the revolutionary party and her role as a political leader

19:10 Discussing Rosa Luxemburg's letters, the fact that so few of them have been translated and the 'over-representation' of love letters in the English editions of her correspondence 

You can follow Rida on Twitter @rida_again. Her translations and writings can be found in the Prometheus Journal and on Cosmonaut.

Marxism Translated Meetings

Rida Vaquas: Translating Rosa Luxemburg in the 21st Century

My brief introduction to the Menshevik leader Julius Martov text on the mass strike at one of our All-Patron Meetings. I discuss the motivations behind translating it and my criticisms of its approach. This is by no means an authoritative introduction, but hopefully sets the tone for those reading it in English for the first time.

If you would like to attend future All-Patron meetings, or to get early access to these recordings, then please consider becoming a Patron of Marxism Translated over at www.patreon.com/marxismtranslated

Marxism Translated

Julius Martov on the Mass Strike (1910)

To commemorate International Women’s Day 2022, we dedicate the first of our narrated translations to August Bebel’s speech ‘The Social Position of Women Today’ (1891). You can listen to this short speech across pretty much all of the podcast platforms, Soundcloud and Youtube, but let us know if you experience any difficulty getting hold of it!

Please like and share and – for early access to future materials – please consider becoming a Patron of this page: you can sign up from just 20GBP/year!

Marxism Translated Audiobooks

The Social Position of Women Today

Marxism Translated is dedicated to the translation and study of 'lost' classic texts of German Marxism. Not only will you be the first to get your hands on these writings, but you will also be able to discuss them alongside like-minded people from across the world.

Marxism Translated

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