Book Launch: “Freedom is Indivisible”: Hilferding’s Correspondence

A Book Launch for “Freedom is Indivisible”: Rudolf Hilferding’s Correspondence - Karl Kautsky, Leon Trotsky, and Paul Hertz, 1902-1938, edited by William Smaldone ——————————————————————————————— "Freedom is Indivisible" Rudolf Hilferding's Correspondence with Karl Kautsky, Leon Trotsky, and Paul Hertz, 1902-1938 Edited and translated by William T. Smaldone https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2127-freedom-is-indivisible ——————————————————————————————— As the author of the ground-breaking work of Marxist political economy, Finance Capital, and a leader in the German Social Democratic Party, Rudolf Hilferding was a dominant intellectual and political figure in the history of European socialism from its halcyon days in the pre-1914 era until its collapse in the 1930s. This collection of his previously unpublished correspondence with key figures from the socialist movement allows readers to trace the evolution of Hilferding's thought as socialism's fortunes declined and his own fate became precarious. It shows how, in the face of rising Stalinism and fascism, democracy remained at the core of his socialist vision. This discussion panel will examine some of the core themes of Hilferding’s political career as he worked to unify a fractious socialist movement, to implement social democratic policy, and to meet the challenge of totalitarianism. ——————————————————————————————— William Smaldone (Willamette University) Rudolf Hilferding: Freedom, Socialism, and the Totalitarian Challenge William Smaldone is the E. J. Whipple Professor of History at Willamette University. He has published extensively on the history of the Central European socialist movement. His books include Rudolf Hilferding: The tragedy of a German Social Democrat (Northern Illinois University Press, 1998), Confronting Hitler: German Social Democrats and the Defense of the Weimar Republic, 1929-1933 (Lexington Books, 2008) and European Socialism: A Concise History with Documents (Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd ed., 2019). With Mark E. Blum he has also published Austro-Marxism: The Ideology of Unity, 2 vols. (Brill/Haymarket, 2016/17). Ben Lewis (University of Leeds) Some Thoughts on Karl Kautsky, Rudolf Hilferding, and Centrism Dr Ben Lewis is a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Leeds, where he is writing a book entitled Of Comradeship and Sisterhood: A Political History of ‘Die Gleichheit’ (1891–1917). He is founder of the Patreon page and podcast, Marxism Translated. Peter Hudis (Oakton College), Chair Peter Hudis is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Humanities at Oakton College (USA) and author of Marx’s Concept of the Alternative to Capitalism (Brill, 2012) and Frantz Fanon: Philosopher of the Barricades (Pluto Press, 2015), and has published numerous book chapters and essays in journals on issues related to Hegelian philosophy, Marxist theory, Critical Pedagogy, Latin American social movements, and Philosophical Perspectives on Race. He co-edited (with Kevin B. Anderson) The Power of Negativity: Selected Writings on the Dialectic in Hegel and Marx, by Raya Dunayevskaya and The Rosa Luxemburg Reader, as well as The Letters of Rosa Luxemburg (with Annelies Laschitza and George Adler). He is General Editor of The Complete Works of Luxemburg, a planned 17-volume collection being issued by Verso Books; he has edited Volume I of The Complete Works of Rosa Luxemburg: Economic Writings 1 and co-edited Volume II, Economic Writings 2 (with Paul Le Blanc), Volume III, Political Writings 1 (with Axel Fair-Schulz and William A. Pelz), and Volume IV, Political Writings 2 (with Sandra Rein). He is author of the Introduction to Critique of the Gotha Program, by Karl Marx (PM Press, 2022). ——————————————————————————————— Please consider subscribing to the Historical Materialism journal, published by BRILL. www.brill.com/hima You can also find paperback copies of all HM Books published by Haymarket Books, and a subscribers offer, at https://www.haymarketbooks.org/series_collections/1-historical-materialism