Rodolphe Prager Papers
Period (1889-)
1921-1996
Total size 9.75 m.
Consultation Not restricted
Biography
Rodolphe (Rudi) Prager was born in Berlin 1918; pseudonyms: A. Duret, Jung and Robert Leblond; Trotskyist militant and publicist; emigrated with his parents to Paris 1929; active in French socialist youth organizations 1931-1935; sympathized with the Trotskyist ideas of the Groupe Bolchevik-Léniniste of the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière (SFIO); from 1936 member of the Central Committee of the Jeunesses Socialistes Révolutionnaires (JSR) but left the JSR in 1937 when he joined the Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI) of Pierre Frank and Raymond Molinier; member of the Central Committee of the PCI; cofounder of the Jeunesses Communistes Internationalistes (JCI); in 1938 member of the Parti Socialiste Ouvrier et Paysan (PSOP); in 1940 he founded the clandestine group La Seule Voie, later named the Comité Communiste Internationaliste (CCI); from 1943 member of the European Secretariat of the Fourth International on behalf of the CCI; from 1944 member of the newly established PCI and later of the Parti Socialiste Unifié (PSU), often in leading positions; expelled from the PSU in 1969; board member and vice-president of the Institut Léon Trotsky in Paris until 1978; author of `Congrès de la Quatrième Internationale', his opus magnum, and of numerous articles.
Content
Manuscripts and typescripts of his four volume `Congrès de la Quatrième Internationale' 1979-1982, 1988 and n.d.; manuscripts, typescripts and notes concerning the first international conference and congresses of the Fourth International; collected documents (including photocopies) used for his publications, on the International Executive Committee, the International and European Secretariat and on committees of the Fourth International 1936-1969, 1979, 1988 and n.d.; on political parties and organizations in France, including the Ligue des Communistes-Internationalistes (Bolcheviks-Léninistes) (LCI-BL) 1930-1939, 1977 and n.d, the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière (SFIO) 1934-1936, the Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI) 1936-1941, 1944-1966, the Parti Ouvrier Internationaliste (POI) 1936-1943 and the Comité Communiste Internationaliste (CCI) 1940-1944; on youth organizations in France including the Jeunesses Léninistes 1930-1934 and the Jeunesses Socialistes Révolutionnaires (JSR) 1946-1951; on Trotskyist parties and groups in other countries including the USA, Latin America, Indo China, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Switzerland and many other countries 1930-1987; and documents of and concerning Lev Trotsky, Heinz Epe (pseudonym Walter Held), Pierre Frank, Manouchian, Raymond Molinier, Ignace Reiss, Lev Sedov, Natalija Sedova and others (1906-) 1921-1994 and n.d.; documents relating to his contributions to Jean Maitron's `Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier français' 1929-1996.
Processing information
Inventory made by Henk Hondius
I N T R O D U C T I O N
Biography
Rodolphe Prager
(pseudonym: A. Duret) was born in Berlin, Germany in 1918.
In 1929 his parents emigrated to France because of the economic crisis. From
1931 till 1935 Rodolphe Prager was active in different French radical youth
organizations.
In 1931 he became member of the Campeurs
Rouges, where Roger Foirier made a big
impression on the young Prager, and of Les Jeunesses
Socialistes. In 1935 he became deeply influenced by the Trotskyist
ideas of the Groupe Bolchevik-Léniniste of the Section Française de
l'Internationale Ouvrière (SFIO). He became member of the
Comité Central des Jeunesses Socialistes Révolutionnaires
(JSR) in 1936. In 1937 he left the JSR and joined the
Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI), the party of
Pierre Frank and Raymond Molinier.
Prager was chosen in the central committee of the PCI and was cofounder of the
Jeunesses Communistes Internationalistes (JCI). He became
a collaborator of its periodical Le Jeune Bolchevik. In
1938 he became member of the new established Parti Socialiste Ouvrier
et Paysan (PSOP) and was cofounder of the Jeunesses
Socialistes Ouvriers et Paysans (JSOP), in which the JCI
amalgamated.
In 1938 he was naturalized as a French citizen. 1939 he went
to Belgium where he, together with George Vereeken,
Raymond Molinier and Eduardo Mauricio
published two declarations concerning the German-Soviet Pact and the
declaration of the 2nd World War in La Correspondance Internationaliste under
the pen name of Jung.
He became one of the
correspondents of this periodical in spite of its prohibition by the Belgian
authorities. Arrested in Brussels, but released after the capitulation of
Brussels to the Germans he left Belgium and went to Paris again. There he
established a clandestine group of militants, the group 'La Seule
Voie', together with Roger Foirier and
Jacques Grinblat. 'La Seule Voie'
soon got the name Comité Communiste Internationaliste
(CCI).
In 1943 he negotiated with Yvan
Craipeau, Marcel Hic and Michel
Raptis (Pablo) for a merger of the CCI with the Parti
Ouvrier Internationaliste (POI) and got entrance to the European
Secretariat of the IVth International for the CCI. From september 1943 he got a
seat on behalf of the CCI in the European Secretariat. Prager was also one of
the delegates of the CCI at the secret European conference, held in l'Oise. In
the last year of the war he became member of the political bureau of the new
established Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI).
After the liberation he was active with the editing and publishing of
La Vérité and Quatrième Internationale. Under great
pressure of the French communist party he was arrested and
condemned to three months in prison, because he had no permit of publication.
The fact that he was already condemned by default for a three years term by a
military court of justice in 1939, added to the loss of his French nationality
in 1941, forced him to live as an illegal. Early in 1946 and being a
representant of the colonial commission of the PCI he got in touch with
Messali Hadj in Algeria and also with Vietnamese
Trotskyist groups living in France.
From 1950 to 1952 he lived in Israel,
where he worked in a kibbutz and where he married Louisette
Bonnet. In 1953 he got amnesty and in 1955 his French nationality
was restored. From 1953 to 1959 he was member of the political bureau of the
PCI.
He wrote articles about the Algerian war in La Vérité des
Travailleurs under the name of Robert Leblond.
He became also at the same time member of the Parti Socialiste
Autonome and afterwards of the Parti Socialiste Unifié
(PSU). In Tunisia where he stayed from 1959 till 1963, he worked in
the tourist branch. There he had also intensive relations with Algerian
comrades. Back in France he became again member of the political bureau of the
PCI until 1969 and he was also elected as member of the control commission of
the IVth International. At the same time he was member of the Comité
Politique National du PSU from 1966 to 1969 and of the
Bureau National du Comité Vietnam National.
After
his exclusion from the PSU in 1969 he started to publish his Congrès de la
Quatrième Internationale, consisting of 4 volumes:
Volume 1:Naissance de
la IVe Internationale (1930-1940);
Volume 2:L'Internationale dans la
guerre (1940-1946);
Volume 3:Bouleversements et crises de l'après guerre
(1946-1950);
Volume 4:Menace de la troisième guerre mondiale et tournant
politique (1950-1952).
He was also one of the contributors of
Jean Maitron's Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement
ouvrier français. Until 1978 he was member of the board of the
Institut Léon Trotsky in Paris.
The papers
The papers of Rodolphe Prager
arrived in 1996 at the IISH. The greatest part consists of
files used for his magnum opus in 4 volumes: Congrès de la Quatrième
Internationale. These files contain many photocopies, completed with some
originals, which he had obtained or collected during his lifelong involvement
in Trotskyism. The arrangement of the documents relating to organizations took
place as much as possible according to the structure of these organizations.
Periodicals and pamphlets have been transferred to the library of the IISH,
except those which are part of a file.
However, in the case of the
original copies of the Bulletin Intérieur the decision has
been taken to keep them in the files, because of their relationship with other
documents and also because of annotations, sometimes written on them. Documents
concerning persons have been arranged in mostly alphabetical series.
After
their arrangement the papers have a size of 9.75 metres.
I N V E N T O R Y
AUTHORSHIP
Typescripts and manuscripts
- 1
- Typescripts, manuscripts and annotations concerning the first International Conference of the IVth International. 1936. 1 folder.
- 2-18
-
Typescripts, manuscripts and
annotations concerning World Congresses of the IVth International. With
photocopies, some original documents and other annexes.
1938, 1948, 1951-1954, 1957, 1960-1961,
1963, 1969, 1979, 1988-1989 and n.d. 3 boxes and 14 folders.
- 6-9
- 3rd World Congress. Contains also Pragers' correspondence with Ernest Mandel, Michel Lequenne and Livio Maitan. 1951-1952, 1988 and n.d.
Source material on Trotskyism and the IVth International
-International Executive Committee-
-International and European Secretariat -
- 27-28
- Documents concerning the International Secretariat of the IVth International in New York. 1939-1945. 2 folders.
- 29
- Documents concerning the Provisional European Secretariat ('Secrétariat Provisoire Européen' SPE), the European Secretariat ('Secrétariat Européen' SE) and the International Secretariat ('Secrétariat International' SI) of the IVth International. 1942-1943. 1 folder.
- 33
- Minutes of meetings of the International Secretariat and the European Secretariat of the IVth International. 1946-1948. 1 folder.
- Committees-
- 44
- Documents concerning the `Comité pour l'enquête sur le Procès de Moscou'. 1936-1937 and n.d. 1 folder.
- 45
- Documents concerning the (group of) Internationalist Communists of Buchenwald (the 'Manifeste de Buchenwald'). 1945. 1 folder.
-Trotskyist political parties and organizations in France-
Ligue des Communistes-Internationalistes (Bolcheviks-Léninistes)
- 50-56
- Documents concerning the Ligue des Communistes Internationalistes (Bolcheviks-Léninistes) (LCI-BL) and its forerunners. 1930-1939, 1977 and n.d. 2 boxes and 5 folders.
- 50-51
-
Photocopies and some
original copies of the Bulletin International de l'opposition communiste de
gauche (in German: Internationales Bulletin der Kommunistischen
Links-Opposition), from 1934: Bulletin de la ligue des
Communistes-Internationalistes (Bolcheviks-Léninistes). With annexes.
1930-1936. 2 boxes.
NB. Incomplete.
Parti Communiste Internationaliste
- 57-77
- Documents concerning the Parti Communiste Internationaliste (PCI). 1936-1941, 1944-1966, 1971-1985. 4 boxes and 17 folders.
- 61-72
- Photocopies and original copies of the Bulletin intérieur de la Parti Communiste International, Section Française de la IVe Internationale. With annexes. 1944-1949, 1951-1966. 4 boxes and 8 folders.
Other Trotskyist parties and organizations
- 93-102
-
Documents concerning
other Trotskyist parties and organizations in France, operating at a national
level.
1934-1936, 1938-1939, 1943,
1945-1948, 1952, 1954, 1965, 1971-1972, 1976, 1979, 1986, 1988 and n.d.
10 folders.
NB. Alphabetically arranged by name of the organization.
French youth organizations
- 116
- Documents concerning the Bureau International des Jeunes pour la Quatrième Internationale. 1934-1938. 1 folder.
- 117-119
- Documents concerning the Fédération des Pionniers Rouges and other youth organizations. With documents from the papers of Roger Foirier (used pseudonyms Roland). 1935-1937. 3 folders.
- 120
- Documents concerning the Jeunesses Socialistes Révolutionnaires (IVe Internationale) (JSR)/Faucons Rouges. 1935-1939. 1 folder.
- Trotskyist political parties and other organizations abroad -
The Americas
- 124-127
- Documents concerning the Socialist Workers' Party (SWP) in the United States of Ameri ca. 1930-1940, 1946-1947, 1950-1957, 1959-1961, 1970, 1976-1982 and n.d. 1 box and 3 folders.
Europe
- 137-168
-
Documents concerning
Trotskyist parties and other organizations in various European countries.
1926, 1929-1953, 1956, 1972, 1976-1982,
1985 and n.d. 30 folders and 1 box.
- 146-147
- Parti Communiste International (PCI) and the parti Communiste Révolutionnaire (PCR). 1939-1946.
-Press and publications-
- Persons-
Leon Trotsky
- 177-179
- Photocopies of correspondence by Leon Trotsky with prominents of the IVth International. 1930-1939. 3 folders.
Other persons
- 185-225
-
Files concerning
other persons, active in the IVth International, containing typescripts,
transcriptions of articles, annotations and (partly photocopies of) articles,
correspondence and printed documents. In alphabetical order.
1930-1956, 1962, 1972, 1974-1978,
1982-1994 and n.d. 2 boxes and 30 folders.
NB. Arranged alphabetically by person; see also inv.nos 22628.- 187-192
-
Epe,
Heinz (pseudonym Walter Held).
1933-1942, 1983-1986.
6 folders.
- 187-188
-
Correspondence
with RSP/RSAP, with Leon
Trotsky, Erwin (Ackerknecht) and others.
1933-1934.
NB. Originals at the IISH.
- 189
-
The Walter Held
affair. 1933-1942, 1983-1986.
NB. With correspondence by Rodolphe Prager with Harrison E. Salisbury.
- 194-199
- Frank, Pierre. 1931, 1934, 1937, 1939-1945, 1955, 1962, 1976, 1978, 1985 and n.d. 6 folders.
- 201
- Korner, David (used pseudonyms Barta, Albert, A. Mathieu). 1939, 1945-1947, 1972, 1977, 1983, 1985.
- 202
- Lambert, Pierre (used pseudonyms Pierre Boussel, Pierre Andréi, Temansi, Lejeune, Victor Lepage and Lamotte). N.d.
- 204-206
- Manouchian, Armenak (also called Missak or Arpen Davidian). 1974-1978, 1982, 1985-1994. 1 box and 2 folders.
- 209-211
-
Molinier,
Raymond. Photocopies of his correspondence with Leon
Trotsky, Marceau Pivert, Natalia
Sedova and Lev Sedov.
1930-1937.
NB. Originals at the Harvard University and the IISH.
- 213
- Salus, Wolfgang Vaclav. With some correspondence by Rodolphe Prager with Rudolf Segall. 1993 and n.d.
Contributions and editorship
-Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier français-
- 233-331
- Correspondence, typescripts, annotations, clippings and other documents concerning French Trotskyist persons on behalf of Pragers' contributions at the 'Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier français'. 1929-1949, 1951-1952, 1956-1962, 1964-1965, 1969-1972, 1976-1996 and n.d. 99 folders.
Contacts with research centres
- 335
- Indexes from the Houghton Library (Harvard University) and the Hoover Institution (Stanford University), concerning the correspondence by Leon Trotsky, his wife, his son, his secretaries and others. 1930-1939. 1 box.
- 337
- Documents concerning the Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur les Mouvements Trotskyste et Révolutionnaires Internationaux (CERMTRI). 1977-1980. 1 folder.
DOCUMENTATION
Publications by others
- 340-377
-
Articles, theses and
essays, written by various authors.
1925, 1937, [1965], 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1987 and n.d.
37 folders and 1 volume.
NB. Arranged alphabetically by author.- 340
- Albert, Jörg: 'Versuche einer selbständigen Arbeiterpolitik und Zeitgeschichte neben SPD und KPD am Beispiel der UAP 1949-1951'. N.d.
- 346
- Brabant, Jean-Michel: 'Les partisans de la IVe Internationale en France sous l'occupation (POI, CCI, Groupe Octobre) et leur fusion (1940-1944)'. N.d.
- 356
- Hirsch, Robert: 'Le Mouvement Trotskyiste en France de 1929 à 1933: Les idées et les hommes'. 1974.
- 360
- Ketz, Salomon: 'De la naissance du Groupe Bolchévik-Léniniste à la crise de la Section Française de la Ligue Communiste Internationale 1934-1936'. 1974.
- 363-364
- Michelet, Stéphane: 'L'exclusion de la Section Française de la Quatrième Internationale 1952'. Thesis. N.d.
- 368
- Poggio, Pier Paolo: 'Le peculiarita' storiche della Russia nell'analisi e nella prospettiva di Trockij'. [1980].
- 371
- Stobnicer (?). Project of a thesis concerning Trotskyism. N.d. 372-374.Telloli, Giancarlo: concerning Alfonso Leonetti. N.d.
Colloquia
Press clippings and other documentation
- 385
- Press clippings and photocopies of articles concerning Armenia. 1951, 1958, 1962, 1967, 1972-1973, 1978-1982, 1985-1990 and n.d. 1 box.
- 386
- Articles concerning the affair André Marty - Charles Tillon within the French Communist Party. 1952-1953. 1 folder.