After the red army faction columbia university press. Neal ascherson on how terrorist collective baadermeinhof. The german army wwii in 1935, hitler, fuhrer of nazi germany violated the treaty of versailles by rebuilding the german army s strength. In the early 1960s, the legacy of the third reich, and nazi totalitarianism was still fresh in germany.
The red army faction raf was a german radical leftist group that engaged in terrorism during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Entebbe raid, july 34, 1976, rescue by an israeli commando squad of 103 hostages from a french jet airliner hijacked en route from israel to france. The red army faction is often referred to by the names of two of its primary activists, andreas baader and ulrike meinhof. The first generation of the organization was commonly referred to by the press. The red army faction, a documentary historyvolume 1. Though originally broached as a partial german translation of my first book, dissenting japan, we eventually shaped the project into a kind of spinoff book based on two of the chapters. Two americans were killed and 23 people, including germans, were injured. Read the red army faction, a documentary history volume 1. The baadermeinhof grouplater known as the red army faction rafwas a violent urban guerilla group which terrorized germany in the 1970s and 80s, killing 47 people, wounding 93, taking 162 hostages, and robbing 35 banksall in an attempt to bring revolution to the federal republic. In its 28 years of existence, the leftwing militant red army faction group murdered 34 people.
Targeted by germanys red army faction association for. German guerilla archiving documents and analysis about the urban guerilla experience in the federal republic of germany. Ulrike meinhofs entrance into the west german terrorist underground was both a footnote to the waning student movement of the late 1960s. A look at germanys terrorist group, the red army faction raf, which organized bombings, robberies, kidnappings and assassinations in the late 1960s and 70s. Just another puzzle piece to the fictional history that populates our history books. Meinhof fought to make herself heard as a highprofile journalist before becoming a founding member of the red army faction raf in 1970. Red army faction author of the urban guerilla concept. Artistic portrayals of the baadermeinhof gang books. The saga of the red army factions decadeslong war with the west german state hardly ended when the shooting stopped, as charity scribners superb book explains. For a long time i didnt know what to write about this book. As of 2005, the group has been excluded from the u.
German guerilla archiving documents and analysis about. The red army faction and the urban guerilla represent the only faction and practice which draws a clear line between ourselves and the enemy, and is therefore subject to the sharpest attack. Last remaining urban guerrillas of red army faction announce that they have dissolved their organization because they and their cause are now history m. A short history has been published in paperback by the austriabased bahoe books. Two more generation of leftist terrorists should follow until 1998.
The rad army faction was a leftwing terrorist group in germany. German red army faction trio wanted by dutch police. This is the inside history of the red army faction, with all of its communiques and manifestos. More generally, the red army faction grew out of specific german political circumstances and out of broad leftist tendencies in and beyond europe in the late 1960s and 1970s. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Smith is the pseudonym of an activist who has been involved in the radical left for more than 20 years. The red army faction existed in west germany from 1970 to 1998, committing numerous crimes, especially in the autumn of 1977, which led to a national crisis that became known as the german autumn. Ulrike meinhofs entrance into the west german terrorist underground was both a footnote to the waning student movement of the late 1960s, and a preamble to the bloodiest period in germanys postwar history. Martina gedeck, moritz bleibtreu, johanna wokalek, bruno ganz. Baader, born in 1943, spent his late teens and early twenties as a combination of a juvenile delinquent and stylish bad boy. The red army faction is also known as baadermeinhof gang and baadermeinhof group. Baadermeinhof terrorist may have worked for the stasi.
The first in a twovolume series, as part of a copublishing project between pm press and kersplebedeb, is by far the mo. Stefan austs masterful history of the group presents the definitive account, capturing a highly complex. A documentary history, is an important exposition of what it means to wage armed struggle as an urban guerilla in the post wwii western imperialcapitalist paradigm. Herrhausen launched his career as an assistant manager with the utility ruhrgas in his native city 195255. I personally am very interested in the subject red army faction, baadermeinhof group, and i found the historical bits, and all the detailed descriptions of events and biographies rather fascinating. Selfstarvation in the red army faction, the book provides a fascinating investigation of how the raf prisoners inscribed their own bodies into their fight against capitalism, imperialism, and what they perceived as the fascist tendencies of the west german political system. The saga of the red army faction s decadeslong war with the west german state hardly ended when the shooting stopped, as charity scribners superb book explains.
Red army faction, west german radical leftist group formed in 1968 and popularly named after two of its early leaders, andreas baader 194377 and ulrike meinhof 193476. Although the red army faction was claimed to have formed in 1978, its roots can be traced back to the late 1960s, according to published reports. If he really was collaborating with the stasi, it shines a whole new light on his time with the red army faction better known in the uk as the baadermeinhof gang. Instead, the conflict captured and even haunted the imagination of generations of german novelists, filmmakers, and visual artists, whose diverse works are themselves an integral part of the rafs legacy. To my knowledge, the german intelligence services never penetrated the raf and very few of them got arrested. The chinese civil war would begin in 1927 and see the formation of the other largest faction the communists which would oppose the kmt. The raf was founded in 1970 by andreas baader, gudrun ensslin, ulrike meinhof, horst mahler, and others. The west germany city of stuttgart is in the grip of fear from home grown terror attacks from the far left terrorism group the red army faction. The red army faction operated from the late 1960s to 1998 leading to 34 deadly casualities. Smith, he coedited the red army faction, a documentary history, volume i. Instead, the conflict captured and even haunted the imagination of generations of german novelists, filmmakers, and visual artists, whose diverse works are themselves an integral part. The red army faction firebombed our residence over the holidays, right after our son. Learn about the goals and actions of these leftwing terrorists and how german society and politicians dealt with the ongoing attacks over a period of nearly three decades. After stopping at athens, the airliner was hijacked on june 27 by members of the popular front for the liberation of palestine and the red army faction a west german radical leftist group and flown to entebbe, ugan.
German red army faction trio wanted by dutch police this article is more than 3 years old fugitive farleft militants ernstvolker staub, burkhard garweg and daniela klette sought in connection. Book description the baadermeinhof grouplater known as the red army faction rafwas a violent urban guerilla group which terrorized germany in the 1970s and 80s, killing 47 people, wounding 93, taking 162 hostages, and robbing 35 banksall in an attempt to bring revolution to the federal republic. Projectiles for the people, and coauthored daring to struggle, failing to win. Alfred herrhausen, west german captain of industry, chairman of the countrys largest commercial bank deutsche bank. The urban guerilla concept german guerilla archiving. Raf the german red army fraction in the movies imdb. Below is a chronology of the groups terrorist activities. Terror, state, and society in west germany, held at the german historical institute in washington, dc, on thursday, september 7, 007. Projectiles for the people starts its story in the days following world war ii, showing how american imperialism worked hand in glove with the old pronazi ruling class, shaping west germany. The 1962 oberhausen manifesto which launched the new german cinema of fassbinder, herzog and wenders, didnt sound all that dissimilar to the mission statements of the red army faction. The roots of the baadermeinhof group the red army faction or raf were in the revolutionary student movement which swept west berlin and west germany between 1967 and 1969. The internal documentation from the movement is where the book.
The red army faction, or raf, was also often referred to as the baadermeinhof gang with reference to two of its founding members, andreas baader and ulrike meinhof. The rheinmain air base bombing was a terrorist car bomb attack against the american rheinmain air base near frankfurt am main in west germany on 8 august 1985. The west german german government as well as most western media and literature considered the red army faction to be a terrorist organization. The red army faction engaged in a series of bombings, assassinations, kidnappings, bank robberies and shootouts with police over the course of three decades. This requires that one have a political identity, and it presumes that a learning process has already occurred. In april 1992, the red army faction raf took the step of unilaterally calling off its campaign of assassinations of key members of the political and economic apparatus as a first step towards a negotiated settlement with the state, a settlement which they insisted must include the release of prisoners, particularly those, such as bernd roessner. A brief history of the red army faction german guerilla. Projectiles for the people, volume one of the red army faction. Andreas baader and others fight against the state, which they describe as fascist.
Former red army faction member ronald augustin discusses the prevalence of myths, propaganda, and lies in current historical writing about the raf. The group undertook a violent terrorist campaign in the hopes of sparking a broader revolutionary movement. The history of the red army faction has recently drawn much international attention with the release of the movie the baadermeinhof complex by director uli edel. The first in a twovolume series, as part of a copublishing project between pm press and kersplebedeb, is by far the most indepth political history of the red army faction ever made available in english. Red army faction disbands, saying its cause is now history. Projectiles for the people by available from rakuten kobo. Birgit hogefeld born 27 july 1956 is a former member of the west german red army faction raf. The red army faction was the successor to the infamous baadermeinhof gang and they were much better organized. German officials have confirmed that a botched armed robbery near bremen last year was the work of three wanted militants from the now disbanded red army faction raf. West german communist urban guerrilla political organisation. The red army faction, a documentary history rakuten kobo. This book about the red army faction of americanoccupied germany is one that should be read by any serious student of antiimperialist politics. Projectiles for the people provides a history of the rafs development through the words of its letters and communiques. Like his recent german history article the art of hunger.
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