Collection Summary
Scope and content
Content
Collection of documents relating to Neu Beginnen. W. Löwenheim: typoscripts of texts
of ORG courses, including the first chapter of the elementary course `Ein Galopp durch
die Geschichte' 1931, the advanced `F[ortgeschrittenen]- Kurse' (or `Alter F-Kurs')
1931-1932, covering theory and history of the socialist workers' movement, and a revised
and augmented version or `Neuer F-Kurs', which also deals with the fascist take-over
in Germany, the latest developments in the USSR and the resulting change in prospects
for the ORG's work 1933-1935. Auslandsbüro: duplicate set of its records kept by its
archivist Francis L. Carsten in Amsterdam 1936-1939, then London, consisting of internal
(code-) correspondence with groups and members in Germany and abroad 1933-1938, 1945-1946;
correspondence with other organizations or their representatives, including the LSI/SAI
(Friedrich Adler) 1933-1937, Otto Bauer 1934, SOPADE (Siegfried Aufhäuser, Siegmund
Crummenerl, Paul Hertz, Hans Vogel, Otto Wels and others) 1933-1940, KPD (Franz Dahlem,
Walter Ulbricht) 1937-1939 and the Internationale Sozialistische Kampfbund (ISK, Willi
Eichler) 1940-1941; files on the ORG's conflicts with the SOPADE 1933-1935, on illegal
work, on the prosecution and defence of arrested members 1933-1938, on the ORG's attitude
to the KPD and the COMINTERN 1935-1943, on developments in the USSR 1936-1941, on
the popular front politics 1936, on the Spanish Civil War, on the investigation into
the disappearance in Spain of the group's member Mark Rein in 1937, who was probably
murdered by soviet agents, on emigration to Britain, on internment and wartime activities
and other subjects; manuscripts by Evelyn Anderson, Karl B. Frank, Richard Löwenthal
and others. Supplementary documents: photocopied records of lawsuits against members
of ORG/Neu Beginnen 1934-1937; stencilled copy of `Die soziale Lage der deutschen
Arbeiter' c. 1934; letters by Eberhard Wiskow to Franz Schleiter on his emigration
and his relation to Miles 1935-1936. Research papers: photocopied documents received
from Peter Lowe (son of Ernst Lowe, originally named Löwenheim) on the history of
Neu Beginnen, consisting of correspondence between Kurt Kliem and Heinrich Hellmann
concerning Kliem's dissertation on Neu Beginnen 1959; text of a historical survey
of Neu Beginnen related by Walter Löwenheim to Heinrich Hellmann n.d.; notes by Ernst
Lowe 1978; transcript by Dorrit Lowe-Maltby and Peter Lowe of recorded talks with
Ernst Lowe in 1982 about his life; list of pseudonyms used by Neu Beginnen n.d.
Record creators history
Historical Note
Originated in 1929 as `leninistische Organisation' (ORG) at the initiative of Walter
Löwenheim (pseudonym: Miles); aimed at the creating of a cadre within the divided
German labour movement for a future united proletarian party; recruited and trained
its members in secret to have them infiltrated into key positions of both the Kommunistische
Partei Deutschlands (KPD) and Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD); found
a growing support after the suppression of these parties by the Nazi regime in 1933,
when the ORG established new contacts with socialist resistance groups, while its
KPD contacts were cut; had about 500 members in 1933/34; challenged the SPD's exile
executive SOPADE in Prague by claiming leadership of the social democrats still active
in Germany and sought recognition by the Labour and Socialist International (LSI/SAI);
established an office (Auslandsbüro) in Prague, headed by Karl B. Frank; got its name
Neu Beginnen after its manifesto `Neu Beginnen!', which was published by Miles in
September 1933; split by diverging views on the prospects of clandestine work, the
original leadership formally dissolved the organization in June 1935; however the
Auslandsbüro and (as has been claimed) a majority of illegal workers continued to
operate with a new leadership; arrests in the autumn of 1935 hit at first groups connected
with the new leaderhip, but eventually the clandestine networks of both factions were
for the most part destroyed in 1938, their members either imprisoned or exiled; only
some Bavarian groups survived until 1942; the Auslandsbüro, which was moved to Paris
in 1938 and to London in 1939, joined the Union deutscher sozialistischer Organisationen
in Grossbritannien in 1941 and formally ceased to exist in 1945.
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Restrictions on Use
Permission required for publication of inv.no. 61 (no.6) and for inv.no.77-78. Please
contact the Reading Room.
Other finding aids
Other Finding Aid
Card index of a part and preliminary list of a part.
Preferred citation
Preferred Citation
Neu Beginnen Archives, inventory number ..., International Institute of Social History,
Amsterdam
Extent
1 m. meter
Keywords
Subjects
Subjects:
Socialist and social democrat parties/Socialist International
Political prisoners/Political trials
Fascism and Nazism/ Fascist and Nazist movements and parties/Anti-fascist movements
Communist movements and parties
Geographic names:
Germany
Spain
USSR (former)
United Kingdom
Genre of the material:
Archival material
Language of the material
German
Record creator
Content provider
International Institute of Social History
( Cruquiusweg 31 , 1019 AT Amsterdam , The Netherlands )