Heinrich Brandler German communist Date of Birth: 03.07.1881 Country: Germany

1. Early Life and Socialist Roots
2. Opposition to War and the Spartacist Group
3. Leadership of the KPD and the March Uprising
4. Co-Chairmanship and Criticism
5. Removal and Opposition
6. Return to Germany and Communist Party – Opposition (KPO)
7. International Communist Opposition and Exile
8. Later Years

Early Life and Socialist Roots

Heinrich Brandler was born in 1881 in the Bohemian village of Warnsdorf, to a working-class family with social-democratic leanings. In 1901, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

Opposition to War and the Spartacist Group

During World War I, Brandler opposed the SPD's support for the war. He aligned himself with Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg's group, and was expelled from the SPD in 1915. He became a member of the Spartacus League and played a role in founding the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in 1918.

Leadership of the KPD and the March Uprising

In 1919, Brandler became a member of the KPD Central Committee. During the March Uprising in 1921, he took a radical stance. His arrest and imprisonment led to his exile in the Soviet Union, where he worked for the Comintern and Profintern.

Co-Chairmanship and Criticism

In 1923, Brandler served as co-chairman of the KPD alongside August Thalheimer during the revolutionary events. Their leadership opposed armed insurrection, which drew criticism from the party's left wing led by Ruth Fischer and Arkadij Maslow.

Removal and Opposition

In 1924, Brandler was removed from the KPD leadership and moved to the USSR. He lived in Moscow until 1928, working for the Peasant International. During this time, Fischer and Maslow were expelled from the party for supporting the United Opposition in the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks).

Return to Germany and Communist Party – Opposition (KPO)

Brandler returned to Germany in 1928, when the KPD under Ernst Thälmann and Hermann Remmele adopted an ultra-left course. He aligned himself with the Right Opposition in the Soviet Union led by Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, and Mikhail Tomsky. In 1929, he was expelled from the KPD and founded the KPO with Thalheimer, Paul Frölich, and Jakob Walcher.

International Communist Opposition and Exile

Brandler helped unify his supporters internationally, leading to the formation of the International Communist Opposition. After Hitler's rise to power in 1933, he emigrated to Strasbourg and then Paris, where he led the KPO from exile alongside Thalheimer. Interned in 1939, he escaped to Cuba in 1941.

Later Years

In 1949, Brandler returned to West Germany, where he founded the Workers' Politics Group (Gruppe Arbeiterpolitik), which inherited the KPO's ideological legacy. He died in Hamburg in 1967 and was buried in the Ohlsdorf Cemetery.