''Krisis'' is an anti-political German political magazine and discussion group (Krisis-Gruppe, or Crisis Group) formed in 1986 as a "theoretical forum for a radical critique of

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

society." Its members (before split) includes Robert Kurz, Roswitha Scholz, Nobert Trenkle, Ernst Lohoff, Achim Bellgart and Franz Schandl.

History

The Krisis Group was founded in 1986 in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

, by German left-wing radical intellectuals and activists influenced by the work of

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

and

Theodor Adorno Theodor is a masculine given name. It is a German form of Theodore. It is also a variant of Teodor. List of people with the given name Theodor * Theodor Adorno, (1903–1969), German philosopher * Theodor Aman, Romanian painter * Theodor Blue ...

. Its leading members included Robert Kurz, Roswitha Scholz, Ernst Lohoff, Norbert Trenkle and Claus-Peter Ortlieb. The group published the theoretical journal ''Krisis : Contribution to a Critique of Commodity Society'', and the review ''Marxist Critique''. The Krisis Group also organized seminars and debates, and published articles in different European and South American reviews.

Theory

In its magazine, the group proposes a critique of contemporary capitalist society based on a fundamental reinterpretation of Marx's analysis of

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

, the

commodity In economics, a commodity is an economic goods, good, usually a resource, that specifically has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the Market (economics), market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to w ...

, value, and

money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

in ''

Das Kapital ''Capital: A Critique of Political Economy'' (), also known as ''Capital'' or (), is the most significant work by Karl Marx and the cornerstone of Marxian economics, published in three volumes in 1867, 1885, and 1894. The culmination of his ...

''. ''Krisis'' argues that a distinction exists between an « exoteric » and « esoteric » analysis of capitalism in Marx’s writings. Marx’s "exoteric" analysis (associated with his early works) is a critique of capitalism from the point of view of labor or the working-class, a point of view which leads inevitably to an emphasis on the struggle between capitalists and workers, and

redistribution of wealth Redistribution of income and wealth is the transfer of income and wealth (including physical property) from some individuals to others through a social mechanism such as taxation, welfare, public services, land reform, monetary policies, con ...

, as the aim of class struggle. Marx’s "esoteric" analysis of capitalism, on the other hand, is a critique of the historically specific ''form'' that work and wealth assume in capitalism – abstract labor and value. Moreover, it identifies domination in capitalism with these historically determinant forms, rather than with the classes or individuals who appropriate surplus labor and wealth from the laboring classes. In the '' Manifesto Against Work'' (translated to english as manifesto against labour due to the original german only using the word arbeit), The manifesto argues against the notion of

class struggle In political science, the term class conflict, class struggle, or class war refers to the economic antagonism and political tension that exist among social classes because of clashing interests, competition for limited resources, and inequali ...

as the motor of history. According to ''Krisis'', there is no class-subject, and the struggle between the

proletariat The proletariat (; ) is the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work). A member of such a class is a proletarian or a . Marxist ph ...

and the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

is not a struggle between a revolutionary class and its oppressor, but rather a struggle between two opposed interests that are integral to contemporary society, and form a single "work camp". Contrary to the given notion in modernity, Krisis, then asserts that the struggle against capital is not the struggle for the liberation ''of'' work, but rather a struggle for liberation ''from'' work.

Krisis division

In 2004 the Krisis Group split, and the members Robert Kurz and Roswitha Scholz together with several members of the editorial staff formed the journal Exit! group. According to them, the split was the result of a putsch by a minority of the editorial staff of ''Krisis''.Regarding the Krisis Group Division
- a statement by three members of the old editorial staff.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.krisis.org
Krisis articles in English

''Principia Dialectica''
(UK based magazine and blog influenced by ''Krisis'' and Exit)
EXIT! articles in English
1986 establishments in West Germany Criticism of capitalism German-language magazines Magazines established in 1986 Marxist magazines Mass media in Nuremberg Political magazines published in Germany Socialist magazines

History

Theory

Krisis division

See also

References

External links