Hans Neumann
Encyclopedia
Hans Neumann (18??–1919(?)) was a founding member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain
.
Neumann had previously been very active in the Social Democratic Federation
, being a public speaker for that party and secretary of its Chelsea
& Fulham
branch in 1897. Neumann was a well-known early Impossibilist, being a victim of the expulsions of April 1904 which led to the foundation of the Socialist Party of Great Britain
in June.
A notable indoor and outdoor speaker for the SPGB (billed as Newman), he was also an enthusiastic writer for the Socialist Standard
, translated foreign-language articles (including the pamphlets based on Kautsky
’s Erfurter Programme) and was the author of the Party song (“The World for the Workers”). From 1904 to 1909 he was on the Executive Committee and from 1909 to 1911 was Treasurer.
Herbert Morrison
described his encounters with Neumann in his 1960 autobiography as follows:
Neumann resigned on 12 September 1911. Along with Henry Martin
, he had been a member of the Provisional Committee of 1911 which opposed notional Socialist MPs ever voting for reforms (the ‘WB of Upton Park affair’) and probably resigned on that issue. He was interned
because of his German
origin during the First World War where he met Rudolf Frank
, co-founder of the Bund Demokratischer Sozialisten, the Austria
n counterpart to the SPGB. He was presumably repatriated to Germany
at the end of the war and is reputed to have died in the Spartacist uprising
of January 1919.
Socialist Party of Great Britain
The Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
.
Neumann had previously been very active in the Social Democratic Federation
Social Democratic Federation
The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...
, being a public speaker for that party and secretary of its Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
& Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
branch in 1897. Neumann was a well-known early Impossibilist, being a victim of the expulsions of April 1904 which led to the foundation of the Socialist Party of Great Britain
Socialist Party of Great Britain
The Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...
in June.
A notable indoor and outdoor speaker for the SPGB (billed as Newman), he was also an enthusiastic writer for the Socialist Standard
Socialist Standard
The Socialist Standard is a monthly socialist magazine published without interruption since 1904 by the Socialist Party of Great Britain. The magazine is written in a simple, direct style and focuses mainly on socialist advocacy and Marxian analysis of current events, particularly those affecting...
, translated foreign-language articles (including the pamphlets based on Kautsky
Kautsky
Kautsky:* Minna Kautsky, née Jaich , Austrian-Bohemian actress, writer ** Karl Kautsky , Czech-German philosopher and politician, leading theoretician of Marxism, husband of Luise...
’s Erfurter Programme) and was the author of the Party song (“The World for the Workers”). From 1904 to 1909 he was on the Executive Committee and from 1909 to 1911 was Treasurer.
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Morrison
Herbert Stanley Morrison, Baron Morrison of Lambeth, CH, PC was a British Labour politician; he held a various number of senior positions in the Cabinet, including Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister.-Early life:Morrison was the son of a police constable and was born in...
described his encounters with Neumann in his 1960 autobiography as follows:
Neumann often spoke at one corner of the small Kennington Triangle while I spoke at another. Often our addresses degenerated into slanging matches which did have the advantage of attracting small crowds which might otherwise have passed by. Neumann was not loath to pour contempt on the views of people like me with all the fervour at his command. The more excited he got the stronger became his German accent. His final words were always the same, the clarion call from the Communist Manifesto of 1848: “Vurkers of the Vurld, unide! You haff a vurld to vin, and only your shains to loose!”
Neumann resigned on 12 September 1911. Along with Henry Martin
Henry Martin (socialist)
Henry Martin , also known as Harry Martin, was a British socialist.Martin was one of the most notable of the impossibilists in the Social Democratic Federation , and helped found the Socialist Party of Great Britain later that year...
, he had been a member of the Provisional Committee of 1911 which opposed notional Socialist MPs ever voting for reforms (the ‘WB of Upton Park affair’) and probably resigned on that issue. He was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
because of his German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
origin during the First World War where he met Rudolf Frank
Rudolf Frank
Rudolf Frank was a German Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military...
, co-founder of the Bund Demokratischer Sozialisten, the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n counterpart to the SPGB. He was presumably repatriated to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at the end of the war and is reputed to have died in the Spartacist uprising
Spartacist uprising
The Spartacist Uprising , also known as the January uprising , was a general strike in Germany from January 5 to January 15, 1919. Its suppression marked the end of the German Revolution...
of January 1919.