Editing Karl Korsch (section)

==Political activism in Germany, 1917–1933==
Korsch's wartime experiences in Germany had radicalised him, especially the ferment within the leftwing parties of Germany following the [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]]. Korsch focused his studies and writings on working-out a replacement economic system for [[workers' councils]] to implement across Germany, published under the title ''What is Socialization?'' in March 1919. Korsch  was part of the USPD faction which joined the [[Communist Party of Germany]] in 1920. This was despite his misgivings about the [[twenty-one Conditions]] required for adherence to the [[Comintern]].<ref name="M&P intro">{{cite book|last1=Korsch|first1=Karl|editor1-last=Halliday|editor1-first=Fred|editor1-link=Fred Halliday|title=Marxism and Philosophy|isbn=0902308505|date=1970|publisher=Monthly Review Press|location=New York|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/marxismphilosoph0000kors}}</ref> After an SPD-KPD coalition government was formed in [[State of Thuringia (1920–1952)|Free State of Thuringia]] in October 1923, Korsch was appointed Minister of Justice. He served in the [[:de:Kabinett Frölich II|Second Frölich Cabinet]] for 27 days during the [[German October]] until [[President of Germany (1919–1945)|President]] [[Friedrich Ebert]] issued a ''[[Reichsexekution]]'', sending the ''[[Reichswehr]]'' to forcibly dissolve the government. Because he had called for the formation of [[:de:Proletarische Hundertschaften|Proletarian Hundreds]], Korsch was forced to temporarily go into hiding.<ref>Michael Buckmiller: ''Marxismus als Realität.'' In: ''Jahrbuch Arbeiterbewegung'', Nr. 1, ''Über Karl Korsch'', Claudio Pozzoli (Hrsg.), Fischer Taschenbuch-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1973, S.&nbsp;55 {{OCLC|4847844}}</ref>

In [[1924 Thuringian state election|February 1924]], Korsch was elected to the [[Landtag of Thuringia]], and in July he was elected to the [[Reichstag (Weimar Republic)|Reichstag]] in a by-election triggered by the resignation of fellow Communist [[Hermann Schubert (politician)|Hermann Schubert]]. He was re-elected in [[1928 German federal election|December 1924]], serving until 1928.<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1924 |title=Reichstags-Handbuch. 1924, [1] = 2. Wahlperiode |url=https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/en/view/bsb00000002?page=673 |location=Berlin |publisher=Bureau des Reichstages |page=673 |isbn=}}</ref>

On April 30, 1926, Korsch was expelled from the KPD. Earlier that year, he and [[Ernst Schwarz (politician)|Ernst Schwarz]] had formed the [[Entschiedene Linke]] (Determined Left), an opposition faction within the party that had initially attracted 7,000 members.<ref>[http://www.left-dis.nl/d/dhlinke3.pdf Die Entstehung der GIK, 1927-1933], accessed 13 July 2010</ref> Still retaining his Reichstag seat, he formed the [[:de:Groepen van Internationale Communisten|Group of International Communists]] with two other expelled legislators before joining the [[Left Communists (Weimar Republic)|Left Communists]] in November and the [[Communist Workers' Party of Germany]] in June 1927.

Korsch attributed the failure of the German revolution to the lack of ideological preparation and leadership of the working class. Accordingly, he turned his focus to developing workers' organisations into bodies subjectively capable of realizing revolutionary opportunities. In contrast to what seemed to him a [[materialist]] [[fatalism]], he thought it would be possible to galvanize workers' organisations into bolder political action if more effort was put into educating workers in the deeper theory of [[Marxism]].