Herbert Marcuse

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Lore & Background

Herbert Marcuse was born July 19, 1898, in Berlin, to Carl Marcuse and Gertrud Kreslawsky, an upper-middle-class Jewish family. He studied at the Friedrich Wilhelm University of Berlin and the University of Freiburg, where he received his PhD under Martin Heidegger. Drafted into the German Army in 1916, he worked in horse stables in Berlin during World War I and later became a member of a Soldiers' Council that participated in the abortive Spartacist uprising. He completed his habilitation under Heidegger in 1932, titled *Hegel's Ontology and the Theory of Historicity*. In 1933, he left Nazi Germany for Geneva to work for the Institute for Social Research, emigrating to the United States in June 1934. During World War II, he worked for the US Office of War Information on anti-Nazi propaganda, then transferred in 1943 to the Research and Analysis Branch of the Office of Strategic Services, where he became 'the leading analyst on Germany.' After the war, he taught at Brandeis University from 1954 to 1965 and at the University of California, San Diego from 1965 to 1970. His major works include *Eros and Civilization* (1955), *One-Dimensional Man* (1964), *Soviet Marxism: A Critical Analysis* (1958), and the essay 'Repressive Tolerance' (1965).

Reader's Guide

Herbert Marcuse's significance lies in his role as a leading intellectual of the New Left and his influence on student movements in the 1960s and 1970s. His critiques of capitalism, technology, and popular culture as mechanisms of social control resonated deeply with activists in West Germany, France, and the United States. Works like *Eros and Civilization* and *One-Dimensional Man* became foundational texts, with Marcuse rejecting the theory of class struggle and claiming that 'all questions of material existence have been solved, moral commands and prohibitions are no longer relevant.' He regarded the realization of man's erotic nature as true liberation. Marcuse spoke at student protests and was given the title 'Philosopher of the New Left.' He brushed aside the media's label 'Father of the New Left,' saying, 'It would have been better to call me not the father, but the grandfather, of the New Left.' His work influenced scholarly popular culture studies, and he understood the importance of rock and roll as a symbol for New Left activism. Despite his prominence, the name 'Marcuse' remains obscure outside specialized contexts where critical theory is taught.

Did You Know?

• Marcuse was drafted into the German Army in 1916 but only worked in horse stables in Berlin during World War I.
• He was assigned as an anti-sniper during the instability after WW1, searching for and shooting right-wing snipers targeting left-wing demonstrators.
• During World War II, Marcuse worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, and became 'the leading analyst on Germany.'
• Marcuse married three times: first to mathematician Sophie Wertheim in 1924, then to Inge Neumann, the widow of his close friend Franz Neumann.
• He dismissed the media's label 'Father of the New Left,' saying it would have been better to call him 'the grandfather.'