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(Posted to FB by Sebastian Budgen)
Theodor Bergmann, dissident communist and chronicler of the KPO of
August Thalheimer and Heinrich Brandler, has died at the age of 102. We
tried to translate his work into English in the HM Book Series but,
without resources, the wheels turn far too slowly for such projects. I
have to say, although we haven't given up, it depresses me greatly to
think that a figure like this lived more than century without getting
proper recognition in the English-speaking world. Please comrades, if
you don't know an older comrade, militant or intellectual, adopt one
immediately. And once you have, make sure you interview them at length,
transcribe and post the interviews, discuss translation possibilities of
their works, and try to assure that their papers and archives are
catalogued, well stored and so on. The next ten years will be one long
tunnel in which many more comrades will fall - and few will be as lucky
as Bergmann to pass the 100 year mark in good mental health - so please
act NOW to make sure that their legacies not dissipate and disappear.
Get back to work.
"Only The Strongest Fight Throughout Their Entire Lives:" Theodor
Bergmann Has Died
By Mario Kessler Translated by Axel Fair-Schulz]
It felt like the older he grew the less likely he could actually ever
die. Even after Theodor Bergmann celebrated his 100th birthday, this
indefatigable Professor of Agricultural Sciences and, later on,
historian of the labor movement continued his busy schedule of
delivering public lectures and authoring books. He sparkled with
vitality and new ideas. Just a few months ago, the VSA-Verlag published:
Der chinesische Weg. Versuch, eine ferne Entwicklung zu verstehen. [The
Chinese Way. An Attempt to Understand a Development in a Far-Away
Place.] It turned out to be his last book. On June 12th, Theodor
Bergmann passed away, -- being well into his one hundredth and second
year, -- in his elected home of Stuttgart, Germany. With his death, the
last living connection to the labor movement of the Weimar Republic has
been severed: he was the final surviving participant and eye witness.
Born on March 7th 1916, in Berlin, to a large Rabbinical family, young
Theo" joined the Communist movement in 1929, but not the Communist Party
of Germany [KPD]. Instead, he opted for the anti-Stalinist
KPD-Opposition, the KPO, which had coalesced around Heinrich Brandler
and August Thalheimer. Theodor Bergmann remained committed to their
example of a critical Marxism for the rest of his long life. He searched
for a world, where freedom and social justice would be intrinsically
connected. To him, only a truly emancipatory socialism had the potential
to bring such a world into existence; yet, Theodor Bergmann also knew,
only too well, what Bertold Brecht alluded to, when he characterized
socialism as “the simple thing that is so difficult to implement.”
Theodor Bergmann was only 17 years old in 1933, when the Nazi rise to
power forced him into exile – to Palestine, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden,
as the stops along the way. His life was hard and often dangerous. Twice
the Nazis came very close to capturing him. And in 1946, he returned to
West Germany, as Stalinist East Germany was no alternative to him. He
found a new political home in the group “Arbeiterpolitik” [Worker’s
Politics] and a personal home with comrade Gretel Steinhilber, who was
also active within the KPO. In his memoirs, which Theodor Bergmann
updated and republished on the occasion of his 100th birthday, he
described succinctly how arduous his journey had been, from having been
an agricultural laborer, living in exile, to finally becoming a
professor, for Internationally-Comparative Agricultural Policy at the
University of Stuttgart-Hohenheim. And not surprisingly, more than a few
“colleagues,” -- with a Nazi past, -- tried to undermine and sabotage
Theodor Bergmann’s academic career.
Ultimately, Bergmann prevailed, thanks to his legendary work energy,
immense discipline, and an unyielding optimism that defined him until
his last day. The range of his productivity and creativity is
underscored by the over 60 books, which he either wrote or edited, as
well as his several-hundred published scholarly papers, and several
hundred of journalistic pieces -- that have appeared on 5 different
continents. He generously shared his immense knowledge and insights,
without being pretentious or condescending and was a genuine socialist
Weltbürger, a citizen of the world. Bergmann was fluent in five
languages, both as a writer and as a speaker. On top of that, he had a
reading knowledge of another dozen languages as well. No fewer than
seventeen times, he travelled to China on his own dime and to Israel
even more frequently. There were many trips to India and Pakistan, among
many other countries, in order to better “understand developments" there.”
Never an armchair academic, Theo Bergmann, while living in exile worked
as a Hebrew teacher, a mine worker, and as an agricultural laborer.
Agriculture became his chosen field, when he could finally consider a
more academic career. In 1947, he was finally able to finish his college
degree in agricultural science in Bonn. He had begun his studies in
exile but was prevented by circumstances from finishing until after
World War II. Yet, even with his degree in hand, any thought of an
academic career seemed unrealistic for a long time to come. As an
unskilled worker in the metal-processing industry, later on as an
employee of the Chamber of Agricultural Affairs in Hannover, and finally
as a project leader in Turkey, Bergmann worked to complete his Doctoral
degree, as well as his second Doctoral Degree: the so-called
Habilitation [the prerequisite for university teaching]. This was in
addition to his regular professional duties and without much support. It
was not until 1973 that he became a professor in Stuttgart-Hohenheim.
There, he helped students who were targeted by the anti-Leftist witch
hunts of the time, including the extensive black listings and other
forms of harassment, and he offered his help regardless of whether he
agreed with the specific ideological perspective of the targeted
students or not.
Theodor Bergmann’s field of specialization, in his teaching as well as
in his research, focused on the comparative study of the developmental
agricultural models and co-ops in different countries, especially China,
India, and Israel. Even today, his former students and Ph.D. candidates
speak fondly about his helpfulness, his impressive expertise, and his
exceedingly well-rounded humanistic learning. While being unassuming and
approachable, Bergmann nevertheless demanded a great deal from his
students, – while always arguably demanding the most from himself.
The history and politics of the labor movement became increasingly
central to Bergmann’s intellectual activities, especially after his
official retirement, which led him to be busier than ever. His history
of the anti-Stalinist KPO, entitled Gegen den Strom [Against the
Current], appeared first in 1987 and has come out in several new and
expanded editions since. It is now a well-established classic in the
field. In addition, he wrote well-documented works on the Comintern, the
Spanish Civil War, the Israeli-Arab Conflict, to mention just a few.
Theo Bergmann also initiated, together with his colleague and friend
Gerd Schäfer, a range of international conferences on the history and
current problems of the labor and union movements. This started with
conferences on Karl Marx and August Thalheimer in 1983 and 1984 in the
Stuttgart area and ended with a conference of the Rosa Luxemburg Society
in Guangzhou/Canton. In between were conferences on Trotsky, Bukharin,
Lenin, the Russian Revolution, and Friedrich Engels – among others. In
word and deed, and via his extensive networking skills, he supported the
work of the Rosa Luxemburg Society.
Theodor Bergmann saw himself as a critical Marxist. Hence it was no
surprise that his books were banned in the former GDR. Yet, it was only
natural for him to come to the aid of East Germany’s disenfranchised
scholars after 1990, despite the fact that they were supposed to
denounce Theodor Bergmann as a “revisionist” and “renegade,” during the
GDR’s existence. He joined the PDS [Party for Democratic Socialism – the
new organization that emerged from the ashes of the old SED ruling
party] and led its state division in Baden-Württemberg for some time,
remaining active in the political-education efforts of the party until
the end of his life.
Theo Bergmann especially enjoyed speaking in front of High School
students, and he was frequently invited to do so. He placed great
important on sharing his personal experiences, -- as his long life of
great peril and important insights fascinated the politically curious
from younger generations. I myself recall rather fondly how my college
students in Potsdam/Germany stood open-mouthed, as Theo Bergmann
concluded a freely-delivered talk, followed by a spirited discussion and
Q & A session, and finishing with the remark: “I hope that I have not
exhausted you too much.” At that point, Theo Bergmann was already over
100 years old.
Theodor Bergmann was consequent and consistent in his thinking and his
conduct. Yet, he could also empathize with human shortcomings in others.
Not everybody could, and not everybody must, always fight. Those who
falter don’t need our constant criticism, but they always need our
solidarity. Theo identified with Bertold Brecht: “[t]he weak do not
fight. The stronger ones fight for maybe an hour. Those who are even
stronger might fight for many years. But the strongest fight during the
entire lives. They are indispensable.”
Theodor Bergmann never thought of himself as indispensable. But that's
what he was.
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