Overview

A dramatisation of Martin Monath's short life (1913-1944) would need little artistic embellishment; his identity shrouded in mystery, and executed by the Gestapo - twice - the historical record reads like a detective novel. Pieced together for the first time by Wladek Flakin, this biography tells the story of the Jewish socialist and editor of Arbeiter und Soldat ('Worker and Soldier'), and his efforts to turn German rank-and-file soldiers against their Nazi officers in occupied France. Born in Berlin in 1913, Martin Monath was a child of war and revolution. In the 1930s he became a leader of the socialist Zionist youth organisation Hashomer Hatzair in Germany. Fleeing from Berlin to Brussels in 1939, he joined the underground Trotskyist party led by Abraham Leon, and soon became a leading member of the Fourth International in Europe. His relocation to Paris in 1943 saw the birth of Arbeiter und Soldat and his work organising illegal cells of German soldiers for a revolutionary struggle against the Nazis. Drawing on extensive archival research, Flakin uses letters, testimonies and unpublished documents to bring Monath's story to life - weaving a tale rich with conviction and betrayal, ideology and espionage.

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9780745339962

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Reviews

'This biography of Martin Monath, who attempted to organise German soldiers in France to oppose the Nazis, is scrupulously researched but a lively, readable and often moving narrative. Monath was a genuine internationalist and his life has many lessons for activists in our own day' -- Ian Birchall 'In this meticulous study, Martin Monath is brought forward from the mists of time to meet us and show us something of his life. This incredibly brave, remarkably vibrant young militant has much to teach through his resistance to racism and fascist violence, and his struggle for a socialist future worthy of human beings' -- Paul Le Blanc, author of 'Revolutionary Studies: Theory, History, People' 'In this highly absorbing political biography, an indispensable life is restored to the landscape of anti-fascist Left history. Nathaniel Flakin's thorough research and passionate writing transforms Martin Monath into more than just a rare feat of original research; it simultaneously recalibrates our political compass to confront a radically advanced vision of revolutionary internationalism and opposition to Zionism on humanist-universalist grounds' -- Alan Wald, author of 'Exiles from a Future Time: The Forging of the Mid-Twentieth-Century Literary Left' 'Meticulously researched and written with an evident love and admiration, this book shines a light on the militant anti-fascists who retained the belief that the German working class, who had so recently been the pride of the world socialist movement, could once again hoist the red flag and topple the Nazi war machine with the power of international solidarity' -- Marcus Barnett, Tribune 'Highly readable and admirably informed, this is a beautiful portrait of Martin Monath, the Marxist revolutionary who remains little known, even among the left' -- Enzo Traverso, author of 'The End of Jewish Modernity' (Pluto, 2016)

'In this meticulous study, Martin Monath is brought forward from the mists of time to meet us and show us something of his life. This incredibly brave, remarkably vibrant young militant has much to teach through his resistance to racism and fascist violence, and his struggle for a socialist future worthy of human beings' -- Paul Le Blanc, author of 'Revolutionary Studies: Theory, History, People' 'In this highly absorbing political biography, an indispensable life is restored to the landscape of anti-fascist Left history. Nathaniel Flakin's thorough research and passionate writing transforms Martin Monath into more than just a rare feat of original research; it simultaneously recalibrates our political compass to confront a radically advanced vision of revolutionary internationalism and opposition to Zionism on humanist-universalist grounds' -- Alan Wald, author of 'Exiles from a Future Time: The Forging of the Mid-Twentieth-Century Literary Left' 'Meticulously researched and written with an evident love and admiration, this book shines a light on the militant anti-fascists who retained the belief that the German working class, who had so recently been the pride of the world socialist movement, could once again hoist the red flag and topple the Nazi war machine with the power of international solidarity' -- Marcus Barnett, Tribune 'Highly readable and admirably informed, this is a beautiful portrait of Martin Monath, the Marxist revolutionary who remains little known, even among the left' -- Enzo Traverso, author of 'The End of Jewish Modernity' (Pluto, 2016)

Author Information

Nathaniel Flakin is a freelance journalist and historian based in Berlin. He is the author of Martin Monath: A Jewish Resistance Fighter Among Nazi Soldiers.

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