The work (Germany)
The work. Journal for Trade Union Policy and Economics was a monthly magazine of the General German Trade Union Federation , published between 1924 and 1933 . In contrast to the Verbandsblatt trade union newspaper , it was the theoretical organ of the federal government.
founding
The need for a theoretically oriented journal of the trade union movement was low before the First World War . Theoretical discussions took place primarily within the SPD and not in the practically oriented free trade unions . This changed after the war. As a result of the new political and economic framework conditions and the growing tasks of the union, the need for a scientific and theoretical body grew.
Such plans were halted by German inflation . After the stabilization, the approaches became more concrete. At a meeting of the federal committee in January 1924, it was criticized that the association's trade union newspaper did not meet the requirements of a scientific organ. As a result, work was carried out on the personnel and content concept for such a magazine. The journal Die Arbeit was founded in July 1924. Theodor Leipart acted as editor .
profile
Lothar Erdmann took over the editorial management . The magazine saw itself as a discussion forum for fundamental theoretical, economic and political questions. It was hoped that it would put union activities on a scientifically sound basis. The establishment of the journal was related to the expansion of the number of academic staff in the ADGB.
The editor-in-chief Erdmann wrote various articles himself. In addition, he was able to win well-known economists and social scientists at the time to publish in the journal. In the first edition it was emphasized that one does not only want to bring contributions from one's own ranks or from the social democrats close by, but that non-union and critical experts should also have their say. One wanted to deliberately stay away from union bureaucratic and party-political viewpoints.
In 1925 the magazine had 4,200 subscribers. For an organ of this kind, this number was quite remarkable. In the beginning, the recipients included in particular trade union organizations. Due to the poor financial situation of many unions, many organizations had to discontinue the reference. This was offset by the growing number of individual subscribers. Even so, the magazine could not support itself. She was always dependent on contributions from the ADGB.
Erdmann's position
Erdmann himself criticized, among other things, the close ties between the free trade unions and the SPD. He saw reform-oriented national forces in the trade unions, while he assessed the SPD as too ideological and not national enough. With such positions he polarized. It was important that in 1925 he reopened the discussion of the concept of economic democracy . These ideas were later taken up and expanded by Fritz Naphtali and others. Erdmann, who was bourgeois in terms of nation and state, had the advantage of a certain outsider perspective. He clearly recognized that the SPD, which was limited to the labor force, had largely exhausted its potential. He therefore spoke out in favor of a course in the direction of a people 's party . Erdmann also stimulated the discussions with other articles. Overall, he himself only published a limited number of articles, as he was prevented from doing so by editorial work and other duties.
Authors
Leading trade unionists were a minority among the other authors. On the other hand, many contributions came from employees of the ADGB federal executive committee, from editors of trade union magazines or people with a similar background. The authors included: Hans Arons , Bruno Gleitze , Wladimir Woytinsky , Robert Sachs , Franz Karl Meyer-Brodnitz , Walther Pahl , Clemens Nörpel , Bruno Broecker , Franz Josef Furtwängler , Richard Seidel , Franz Spliedt , Gertrud Hanna and Walter Maschke . Some were close to Erdmann's decidedly positive attitude towards the state and nation.
There were also renowned external social and economic scientists. This initially included a number of authors close to the labor movement, for example from the environment of the Research Center for Economic Policy supported by the ADGB and SPD or the Institute for World Economy at the University of Kiel . These included Fritz Naphtali, Fritz Baade , Alfred Braunthal , Gerhard Colm , Jacob Marschak , Hans Neisser , Adolf Löwe and Adalbert Halasi . Professor Eduard Heimann and Carl Mennicke came from the field of religious socialism . Authors were also Theodor Geiger , Paul Hermberg and Annemarie Hermberg . One of the most famous authors was Lujo Brentano . Also Götz Briefs and John Maynard Keynes published in the journal.
Content
The articles in the magazine reflected the social and economic policy debates of the 1920s and early 1930s. These included the debates on socialization or economic democracy. But questions of wages and currencies, industrial sociology , questions of social security , education and agricultural policy also played a role. In the course of the global economic crisis, topics such as economic issues or the debates on job creation measures were increasingly added. After 1930, the rise of the NSDAP was also discussed.
The article Panik im Mittelstand , published by Theodor Geiger after the landslide victory of the National Socialists in the Reichstag elections in 1930 , is now considered a classic in electoral research.
In 1931, Die Arbeit published Vladimir Woytinsky's essay on Active World Economic Policy . Among other things, he called for an active economic policy. A state labor market policy should be organized through a policy of “deficit spending”, among other things. This resulted in a controversial debate within the magazine, in which Fritz Naphtali, among others, was a prominent participant. In a modified form, this was a basis of the trade union WTB plan .
The aim of initiating debates is also evident from the fact that, in addition to the aforementioned religious socialists, Ernst Wilhelm Eschmann from the young conservative Tat group was also able to publish in Die Arbeit . The same goes for Robert Michels , who at the time was close to Italian fascism .
In addition to the essays, there were also book reviews on the relevant specialist literature. There was also an area entitled Rundschau der Arbeit , which consisted of numerous special sections on, for example, the common economy and economic democracy, the German trade union movement and various other topics. The journal opened up an annual register.
The End
After Hitler was appointed Chancellor, the new political situation was initially only reflected indirectly in the magazine. For the April issue - which was also the last issue of the magazine - Erdmann wrote an article entitled Nation, Unions, and Socialism . Again he criticized the pacifism of the SPD. Erdmann, like other trade unionists, hoped for a future for the trade unions in the National Socialist state. He indicated the renunciation of democratic socialism in favor of national socialism ("Through socialism to the nation").
In doing so, he underpinned on a theoretical level the course that Theodor Leipart steered in order to save the organization of the unions in the Third Reich. Hopes turned out to be illusory given the breakup of the unions on May 2nd . On this day, the headquarters of the ADGB was occupied and the employees and officials present were arrested. Erdmann was not among those arrested, but lost his job. Many employees at work were forced to flee abroad.
literature
- Ilse Fischer: “The work. Journal for Trade Union Policy and Economics ”- the theoretical organ of the General German Trade Union Federation (ADGB) 1924–1933 PDF file
- Lothar Erdmann: "The work." In: Ludwig Heyde (Hrsg.): International dictionary of trade unions. Vol. 1, Berlin 1931, pp. 401-402.