Red Army Faction, A Documentary History : Volume 2: Dancing with Imperialism

André Moncourt

ISBN 10: 1604860308 / ISBN 13: 9781604860306

Editore: PM Press Feb 2009, 2009

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Neuware - The first in a two-volume series, this is by far the most in-depth political history of the Red Army Faction ever made available in English. Projectiles for the People starts its story in the days following World War II, showing how American imperialism worked hand in glove with the old pro-Nazi ruling class, shaping West Germany into an authoritarian anti-communist bulwark and launching pad for its aggression against Third World nations. The volume also recounts the opposition that emerged from intellectuals, communists, independent leftists, and then explosively the radical student movement and countercultural revolt of the 1960s.It was from this revolt that the Red Army Faction emerged, an underground organization devoted to carrying out armed attacks within the Federal Republic of Germany, in the view of establishing a tradition of illegal, guerilla resistance to imperialism and state repression. Through its bombs and manifestos the RAF confronted the state with opposition at a level many activists today might find difficult to imagine.For the first time ever in English, this volume presents all of the manifestos and communiqués issued by the RAF between 1970 and 1977, from Andreas Baader s prison break, through the 1972 May Offensive and the 1975 hostage-taking in Stockholm, to the desperate, and tragic, events of the "German Autumn" of 1977. The RAF s three main manifestos The Urban Guerilla Concept, Serve the People, and Black September are included, as are important interviews with Spiegel and le Monde Diplomatique, and a number of communiqués and court statements explaining their actions.Providing the background information that readers will require to understand the context in which these events occurred, separate thematic sections deal with the 1976 murder of Ulrike Meinhof in prison, the 1977 Stammheim murders, the extensive use of psychological operations and false-flag attacks to discredit the guerilla, the state s use of sensory deprivation torture and isolation wings, and the prisoners resistance to this, through which they inspired their own supporters and others on the left to take the plunge into revolutionary action.Drawing on both mainstream and movement sources, this book is intended as a contribution to the comrades of today and to the comrades of tomorrow both as testimony to those who struggled before and as an explanation as to how they saw the world, why they made the choices they made, and the price they were made to pay for having done so.

Codice articolo 9781604860306

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Red Army Faction, A Documentary History : Volume 2: Dancing with Imperialism
• Editore: PM Press Feb 2009
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 1604860308
• ISBN 13: 9781604860306
• Rilegatura: Taschenbuch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 228 L x 151 A x 38 P (millimetri) 228 millimetri di larghezza per 151 millimetri di altezza per 38 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 580 grammi

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

The long-awaited second volume of the first-ever English-language study of the Red Army Faction (RAF)&;West Germany&;s most notorious urban guerillas&;covers the period immediately following the organization&;s near total decimation in 1977. During this period, the RAF was in a state of regrouping and attempting to renew its ties to the radical left in response to the emergence of a new radical youth movement in the Federal Republic, the Autonomen. This reorganization was evidenced by the shifting of focus from freeing prisoners to fighting NATO. By examining communiqués and texts from 1978 up until the 1982 May Paper, the broader movement is examined and the possibilities and perils of an armed underground organization are contrasted to the more fluid and flexible practice of the revolutionary cells at that time. The history of the 2nd of June Movement (2JM), an eclectic guerilla group with its roots in West Berlin, is also evaluated, especially in light of the split that led to some 2JM members officially disbanding the organization and rallying to the RAF. Finally, the RAF&;s relationship to the East German Stasi is examined, as is the abortive attempt by West Germany&;s liberal intelligentsia to defuse the armed struggle during Gerhard Baum&;s tenure as Minister of the Interior. Dancing with Imperialism will be required reading for students of the first world guerilla, those with interest in the history of European protest movements, and all who wish to understand the challenges of revolutionary struggle.

Informazioni sull'autore

André Moncourt is the pseudonym of a writer with his political roots in the movements of the 1970s and 1980s. Along with J. Smith, he coedited The Red Army Faction, A Documentary History, Volume I: Projectiles for the People, and coauthored Daring to Struggle, Failing to Win. J. Smith is the pseudonym of an activist who has been involved in the radical left for more than 20 years. They both live in Montreal. Ward Churchill is a prolific writer and lecturer, having authored, coauthored, or edited more than 20 books. He is a former member of the leadership council of Colorado American Indian Movement (AIM). He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.