Arendt and the Council Tradition

Abstract

This chapter discusses the council movement that emerged within the socialist and anarchist movements in the twentieth century, from which Arendt drew her own support for the councils. It seeks to show that while Arendt often distorted the actual history of the councils, she added an original and important new dimension to the vision of a council democracy. It further demonstrates how one can benefit from examining Arendt’s discussions of the councils and more general themes in her political theory against the background of the council tradition.