Life and achievements
Early life
Herbert Marcuse was born in Berlin, Germany, on July 19, 1898, to a well-to-do Jewish family. His father, Carl Marcuse, was a businessman while his mother, Gertrud Kreslawsky, came from a family of academics, thus giving him a good grounding in the family home. Marcuse was born at a time when there were many changes in the political and social systems of the world, and his early life during the First World War influenced his future philosophy. Marcuse was drafted into the German army during the War and served in the military, but he was not a combatant; he was posted in Berlin. His first direct participation in socialist and revolutionary politics was during the Spartacist uprising of 1919, where he was involved in a Soldiers' Council.
After the War, Marcuse entered the Humboldt University of Berlin and chose German literature and philosophy at the beginning of his studies. His academic interests soon widened, and he became interested in economics and political science. Marcuse finished his Ph. D. at the University of Freiburg in 1922, and his dissertation was on the Künstlerroman, a novel that portrays the growth of artists in society. Marcuse's dissertation was a study of the relationship between culture and society, which was an interest of Marcuse from the beginning and was to become a significant concern in his later work in the field of critical theory.
Marcuse returned to Freiburg in 1928 to study with the phenomenologist Edmund Husserl and the existentialist Martin Heidegger. He tried to combine the existentialism of Heidegger with Marxism, but he cut off his relationship with Heidegger when the latter supported Nazism. This period was necessary for forming Marcuse's ideas about freedom, alienation, and the potential for history, which he used in his contribution to critical theory.
Legacy
Herbert Marcuse was a prolific writer and thinker whose ideas influenced philosophy and politics in the twentieth century. Marcuse is considered one of the most influential theorists of the Frankfurt School and critical theory, as he can connect classical Marxist paradigms with the new conditions of advanced industrial societies. His criticism of 'technological rationality' and capitalist hegemony inspired scholars and activists, especially in the 1960s.
Marcuse's ideas contributed to the emergence of the New Left, a political movement that went beyond classical Marxist politics and embraced such concerns as the fight for civil rights, anti-imperialism, and individual emancipation. His concept of the "Great Refusal", which meant the refusal of the conformist and consumerist values of the capitalist society, became the slogan of the countercultural and student movements of the period. These involvements in the movements in the United States and Europe made Marcuse referred to as the 'Father of the New Left', but he did not like this title and instead saw himself as a participant in the liberation struggle.
After he died in 1979, Marcuse's ideas remained relevant in the academic and activist milieus. His analysis of the relationship between capital, technology, and control is still current, especially in the discussions about surveillance, consumer culture, and ecological crisis. His critique of the 'one-dimensional' consciousness, which he regarded as the product of the capitalist societies' capacity to incorporate opposition and thereby emasculate revolution, is relevant to the present-day discussions on incorporating protest and the constraints of the liberal democratic order.
Marcuse's contributions to developing feminist theory were also relevant and valuable, although they are less discussed. In the final years of his life, he focused on the Women's Liberation Movement as the only force capable of bringing revolutionary change and disrupting the phallic power that defines both capitalist and authoritarian societies. His call for a society that is less harsh and more liberal has remained relevant to the present generation in their struggle for human rights, conservation of the environment, and women's emancipation.
Today, Marcuse's works are still considered among the most important for critical theory and are used in philosophy, political science, cultural studies, and sociology. His call for human liberation and the destruction of the structures of domination is still as timely as ever in the fight for emancipation and against oppression.
Milestone moments
Dec 19, 1919
Involvement in Spartacist Uprising
Herbert Marcuse was a member of the Spartacist League.
In 1919, he joined the Spartacist uprising in Germany, supporting the socialist revolution.
This involvement was the starting point of his political activism, further defining his Marxist orientation.
Despite the uprising's failure, Marcuse's experience during this period influenced his perception of the role of intellectuals in revolutionary struggles.
He joined the Soldiers' Council, which sought to transform German society into a socialist society.
This revolution, which he participated in but failed to succeed in, further reinforced his idea of the need for a complete revolution in society, which remained evident throughout his career.
Jun 30, 1934
Emigration to the United States
Marcuse left Germany in 1934 when the Nazis came to power and came to the United States, where he joined the Institute for Social Research at Columbia University.
His migration to the U.S. was a significant development in his career since he began to analyze the post-industrial societies of the West.
During this period, Marcuse emerged as one of the most important figures of critical theory, which critiqued both capitalist and communist societies as oppressive.
He was involved in the Institute's research on authoritarianism and state capitalism and helped to define the theoretical framework which would later underpin the work of the Frankfurt School and its critical theory.
It also enabled him to work with other leading academics in the U.S., such as Max Horkheimer and Theodor Adorno.
Mar 14, 1943
Employment with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
In the Second World War, Marcuse served in the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), where he was one of the leading analysts of Nazi Germany.
He generated papers on the political systems of Nazi Germany, and these papers were later published as Secret Reports on Nazi Germany.
This work was Marcuse's first significant engagement with U.S. government operations and his academic knowledge of wartime intelligence.
His reports contributed to the formation of the U.S. policy towards Germany during the post-war period and reconstruction.
It also shaped his postwar academic output as he analyzed how totalitarian systems control discourse and organization.
Aug 15, 1955
The Publication of Eros and Civilization
Marcuse's Eros and Civilization, published in 1955, was a revolutionary book that combined Marxist and Freudian analyses of society and its repression.
The book states that capitalist societies suppress not only economic needs but also human instincts, including freedom and creativity.
Marcuse argued that a society without repression could be attained by freeing these instincts, thus going against the conventional Marxist analysis centered on economic factors.
The work established Marcuse as a key critical theory figure and paved the way for other intellectual developments centering on culture, psychology, and liberation.
Eros and Civilization was one of his most famous books, and it provided a basis for his further analysis of capitalist society.