The "Red Army Faction" is one of the most famous left groups of the second half of the 20th century. Her activities still periodically cause controversy in German and world society. The group operated on the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany and became famous for its daring deeds committed in the name of revolution and the fight against the capitalist system.
The ideas and images of the RAF (such an abbreviation is often found in Russian-language sources, since the organization was called Rote Armee Fraktion in German) often inspire young leftists today.
Prerequisites for Creation
The "Red Army Faction" officially appeared in 1968. However, the organization of the group took place much earlier. After the end of World War II, Germany was divided. The western part was occupied by American and British troops. The capitalist Federal Republic of Germany was created on this territory. The government was heavily dependent on the United States. In the 1960s, a new generation grew up who did not remember the Nazi era. They interpreted the events of the first half of the 20th century in their own way, and because of thisThere is a gap between the youth and the older people. Among the intelligentsia, left-wing ideas began to gain popularity. Hatred towards the government and the United States of America gradually began to grow, which had a significant impact on the life and politics of Germany.
American imperialism
After the US invasion of Vietnam, discontent only intensified. A wave of anti-American protests swept across Europe. Most of these were student demonstrations. Unofficial organizations appear on the territory of Germany, which become in strong opposition to the current regime. Due to pressure and repression, all these organizations do not get into parliament. In the first half of the 60s, student groups held various rallies and protests, all of which were peaceful. Future members of the RAF are active politically.
But all attempts to create an organized structure fail. The opposition breaks up into small isolated associations, which are mainly engaged in ideological disputes.
Members
The "Red Army Faction" was not a serious political force or a huge structure. Its active participants were familiar with each other and were very secretive. During the entire existence of the association, there were no more than a hundred people from the main asset in it. However, the RAF worked closely with other radical leftist and communist organizations in Germany and beyond. "Red Army Faction" and "Redbrigades" often staged joint actions of direct action and helped each other.
At the origins of the RAF was Andreas Baader.
He was born into a family of historians and raised by his grandmother. Immediately after graduation, he took up active social activities. He tried to open a shelter for homeless children, participated in various actions and demonstrations. After meeting Gudrun, Enslin begins to fight against the bourgeoisie and the government of the FRG. Ulrika Meinhof can also be named as a leader. Her story is very similar to the biographies of other prominent members of the RAF. Ulrika was left without parents early. Raised by relatives. She studied philosophy and sociology at the university. Then she worked in various publications. During her studies, she met Spanish radical leftists. She wrote several well-known works on political science and philosophy. Together with Baader and Ensslin, Ulrika participated in the arson of a supermarket, which was the starting point. It was from the ashes of the supermarkets in Frankfurt am Main that the "Red Army Faction" emerged.
Escalation
By 1968, the RAF members had already created a kind of association. Along with other people of leftist views, they participated in demonstrations. At the same time, discussions began to be held regarding the possibility of using violence against their opponents. So, from young dreamers, young people turned into confident terrorists, ready for anything. A turning point in the ideology of the "Red Army Faction" can be considered a demonstration in 1967. Shah of Iran Mohammed arrived in Germany on June 2Pahlavi. Then thousands of people came out to protest against the Muslim dictator. The angry mob began clashes with the police, as a result of which one of the policemen shot student Benno Ohnesorg. Then the young revolutionaries realized that the system would not allow them to spread their ideas so easily.
Arson
A year later, several members of the RAF set fire to large supermarkets in the city of Frankfurt am Main.
According to the arsonists, this action was supposed to remind European society that there are other countries in which people suffer because of the wars unleashed by the imperialists. The fire symbolized the napalm that American troops dropped on Vietnamese settlements, burning them to the ground. All participants in the arson were detained a few days later. They were sentenced to three years in prison. However, this decision caused discontent in West German society. Protests forced the government to release all RAF members on bail.
Direct Shares
Nine days after the arson attack, a member of an ultra-right group assassinates socialist student Rudy Dutschke. After this assassination attempt, the RAF leaders decide to take more radical action. They do not appear in court and hide from the authorities. However, in 1970 Baader was arrested. Ulrika Meinhof decides to carry out a daring plan to free her colleague. Being a well-known journalist, she literally knocks out permission for an interview with Andreas. He is taken to the Institute of Sociology. On theUlrika took a weapon with her, with which she wounded the guards and fled with Baader.
Immediately in the summer she sends the RAF manifesto to one of the German magazines. The members of the group themselves consider Andreas's escape the beginning of their activities. The faction explains the meaning of the word "red army" as a reference to the Russian revolutionary army of 1918. The revolutionaries take the experience of the Latin rebels and their urban guerrillas as the basis for their methods of struggle.
Guerrilla warfare
In the first years after Baader's escape, members of the RAF began preparations for guerrilla warfare. They attacked cash-in-transit vehicles and robbed banks. Also, a wave of thefts of secret documents swept through Berlin. The group has created a very impressive underground network.
There were many supporters of the German "Red Army", the faction continued to distribute propaganda materials. The government has thoroughly taken up the radicals, declaring them on the federal wanted list.
In 1972, the first major terrorist attack occurred. Left fighters staged a series of explosions throughout Germany. The targets of the attack were the establishments of the diplomatic and other missions of the United States of America. As a result of the actions of the RAF, 4 people were killed, several dozen were injured.
Capture Leaders
In the summer of 1972, all prominent members of the RAF were arrested. The entire world press wrote about the organization "Red Army Faction" at that time. Well-known lawyers undertook to defend the arrested. Leftists around the world held actionsprotest. The famous French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre personally came to Germany and met with the prisoner Baader. The image of the martyrs recruited new supporters in the so-called "second generation of the RAF". They carried out a series of murders and hostage-taking in order to get the German government to release the terrorists.
One of the most famous cases can be considered the hijacking of a Lufthansa aircraft by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Nevertheless, all RAF leaders received life sentences. And in 1976-1977, they all died in Stamheim prison under suspicious circumstances. Authorities said the deaths were caused by collective suicide. However, this version did not inspire confidence, especially given the severity of the detention of terrorists and the difficulty of committing suicide in solitary confinement.
Dissolution
After the death of Baader, Meinhof and others, the RAF gained a large following. For more than twenty years, they have carried out daring attacks against high-ranking officials and large corporations.
In 1998, the "Red Army Faction" ceased to exist. Self-dissolution was declared by members of the so-called "fourth generation". As a reason, they indicated the futility of further struggle and the pressure of the repressive machine of the state.
Nevertheless, among the left-wing intelligentsia to this day there are many supporters of the RAF. Still alive in the hearts of young revolutionaries"Red Army Faction". The history of this group formed the basis of many films and songs.
