STEVE ANDREW enjoys an account of the many communities that flourished independently of and in resistance to the empires of old
A forgotten inspiration
Described by MI5 as ‘notorious,’ WILLI MUNZENBERG was at the top of the nazis’ most wanted list in the run-up to WWII. His name may have vanished from history but he was one of the most prominent, charismatic and revered figures in the world socialist movement during the inter-war years and, in this extract from his new biography, John Green explains why
IN THE former communist countries Willi Munzenberg, like Leon Trotsky, was disappeared from history. Even in the West, apart from two US biographies which do more to reinforce Cold War prejudices than illuminate his life, he has also been ignored. The only decent biography was written by his partner, Babette Gross.
Why is Munzenberg not better known?
Similar stories
JOHN ELLISON recalls the momentous role of the French resistance during WWII
CARLOS MARTINEZ welcomes the publication of the writings of the great Palestinian author, political theorist and spokesman for the PFLP
NICK WRIGHT examines the British ruling class's complex relationship with fascism before, during and after the second world war
JOHN GREEN advises caution when reading a highly informative account of the way thousands of top Nazis escaped justice and found employment in the West



