Eco-socialism

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The eco-socialism is a main flow within the environmental movement . In the 1980s, the Green Party’s eco-socialist positions dominated the discourse; As a prominent eco-socialist, Rainer Trampert became party spokesman.

Basics of the eco-socialists

Eco-socialism has socialist and Marxist foundations. He advocates a democratic , ecological, internationalist and participatory socialism . Analytically, a contradiction between capitalism and ecology is seen. Eco-socialism is directed against eco-capitalist approaches such as those represented by Paul Hawken . In addition to this general categorical use of the word, individual political currents also refer to themselves as eco-socialist, among other things to differentiate themselves from supporters of the social ecology, which is also left-wing . One of these directions is the now historical wing of the eco-socialists within Alliance 90 / The Greens . However, Fritz Vilmar (as an economic democrat in the SPD ) and Ludger Volmer also saw each other as eco-socialists.

History of the eco-socialists

In England as early as the 19th century, William Morris was an early pioneer of eco-socialist approaches. Within the “old” alternative movements of the Wilhelminian era and the Weimar Republic , leftist ideas about nature and environmental protection were represented by some thought leaders such as Paul Robien , long before the New Social Movements .

Eco-socialist ideas within the party Die Grünen

The immediate prehistory of the eco-socialist movement of the 1980s includes the discussions within the Communist League , which was strong in the 1970s, and its split-off, Group Z , about the relationship between avant-garde and ecological politics. From Group Z, which operates from Hamburg, Thomas Ebermann and Rainer Trampert emerged as later eco-socialists, but also Jürgen Trittin and Angelika Beer .

After the conservative-ecological forces left the Green Party in 1980, eco-socialist positions dominated the German Greens. Rainer Trampert was elected to the executive committee in 1982 as one of the most important eco-socialists and was one of the party's spokesmen until 1987. The wing of the eco-socialists combined with the radical ecologists a skeptical attitude towards party alliances and government participation with the SPD. In contrast to radical ecologists, participation in government and toleration were not ruled out in principle, and radical ecology's policy of blocking radical ecology was even sharply criticized. Together with the radical ecologists around Jutta Ditfurth , eco-socialists dominated the board of the Greens until the end of the 1980s. Thomas Ebermann and Rainer Trampert, the most prominent eco-socialists, left the party in 1990. When the Realo party wing around Joschka Fischer prevailed over time , many eco-socialists resigned from the Green Party. Some then moved in communist circles or joined the PDS . Jutta Ditfurth, Manfred Zieran and other radical ecologists founded the small ecological left party in 1991 . Since the early 1990s, Marxist-oriented eco-socialist ideas have no longer played a noticeable role in party politics within West German politics.

Recent developments

In the English-speaking world, efforts are being made towards global networking within the framework of the Ecosocialist International Network . In this context, the eco-socialist debate in Germany was revived. Central to this debate are publications by John Bellamy Foster (including: "The Ecological Revolution: Making Peace with the Planet"), Joel Kovel (for example: "The Enemy of Nature") and the series Democracy and Ecology by editor James O. 'Connor .

The Danish Socialistisk Folkeparti in particular can be seen as a party close to eco-socialism . The British Green Left defines itself as eco-socialist and supports the eco-socialist manifesto of the International Ecosocialist Network . The British organization “Socialist Resistance”, section of the 4th International , describes itself as eco-socialist. The German section of the 4th International, the International Socialist Organization (ISO), also refers to eco- socialism in its founding document.

In Germany, the " Education Community SALZ " (Social - Work - Life - Future) supports the manifesto of the EIN (Ecosocialist International Network) and has presented its own position with its annually updated Kassel Declaration "For an eco-socialist turn from below!" An introduction to the subject of “Eco-socialism - that works!” Also comes from the group of its scientific advisory board. SALZ also works with the “Eco- Socialism Initiative” co-founded by Saral Sarkar .

The Spanish researcher Yayo Herrero is considered one of the best-known representatives of eco-socialism and eco- feminism in Europe . a. also serves as General Director of FUHEM.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ ISO: Our self-image , April 7, 2017 (last checked on September 23, 2019)
  2. ^ Website of the education community SALZ.
  3. ↑ For an eco-socialist turn from below! to: bildungsgemeinschaft-salz.de (PDF; 185 kB)
  4. ↑ Michael Löwy: Eco-socialism - that works! (Book review on: neueispverlag.de ; PDF; 21 kB)