War of position and movement: reflections on Central Europe 1917-21 and the South African Trade UniOli Movement 1973-94

Abstract

Abstract The article examines Gramsci's concepts of ‘war of position’ (trench warfare) and ‘war of movement’ (frontal assault), and allied concepts of ‘civil society’, ‘united front’ and ‘counterhegemonic apparatuses’. It argues that these concepts underpin new forms of socialist politics: embodying more stagist wars of position. These concepts emerged from reflection on the defeats of workers' movements in the relatively industrialised societies of Central Europe such as Germany and Italy, in the aftermath of World War I. Gramsci, among others, identified problems emerging from an overemphasis on insurrectionist wars of movement, as in Germany in 1918–20, which resulted in serious defeats and counter-revolution. This case study is developed as an analytical contrast to the South African trade union movement of 1973–94, where, as in early 20th century Central Europe, rapid industrialisation had given rise to a semiskilled workforce as the basis of a new workers' movement in large-scale factories. But this...