Wittfogel, Karl August, 1896-?

Biography

• 1896, Sept. 6: Born, Woltersdorf, Germany
• 1912: Joined the German youth movement Wandervogel
• 1917: Drafted, German Army Signal Corps
• 1918: Joined the Unabhangige Sozialdemokratische Partei
• 1920 - 1921 : Teacher, Volkshochschule Schloss Tinz, Tinz, Germany
• 1920: Joined the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands
• 1921: Married Rose Schlesinger Author, Rote Soldaten: Politische Tragodie in 5 Akten
• 1922: Author, Der Mann, der eine Idee hatDie Mutter, Der FluchtlingVom Urkommunismus bis zur proletarischen RevolutionDie Wissenschaft der burgerlichen Gesellschaft: Eine marxistische Untersuchung
• 1923: Author, Wer ist der Dummste?
• 1924: Author, Geschichte der burgerlichen Gesellschaft: Von ihren Anfangen bis zur Schwelle der grossen Revolution Der Wolkenkratzer: Amerikanischer Sketch
• 1924 - 1925 : Author, Die spannenden Abenteuer des 12 jahrigen Freiheitshelden Antonio Mascaro im Bauernaufstand zu Mallorka
• 1925: Cultural editor, Die Rote Fahne
• 1925 - 1933 : Research associate, Institut fur Sozialforschung, Universitat Frankfurt, Germany
• 1926: Author, Das erwachende China: Ein Abriss der Geschichte der gegenwartigen Probleme Chinas
• 1928: Ph.D. in economics, Universitat Frankfurt
• 1931: Author, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Chinas: Versuch der wissenschaftlichen Analyse einer grossen asiatischen Agrargesellschaft
• 1933: Married Olga Joffe Arrested; spent nine months in prison and in three concentration camps
• 1934: Left Germany for England and then the United States
• 1934 - 1939 : Research associate, International Institute of Social Research, associated with and located on the campus ofColumbia University, New York City (formerly the Institutfur Sozialforschung)
• 1935 - 1937 : Researcher in China
• 1936: Author (under the pseudonym Klaus Hinrichs), Staatliches Konzentrationslager VII
• 1939: Joined the Wider Quaker Fellowship Broke with the Communist movement after the Nazi-Soviet Pact
• 1939 - 1968 : Founder and director, Chinese History Project, Columbia University, New York City (co-sponsored by the Institute of Pacific Relations and the International Institute of Social Research, and after 1947, by the University of Washington and Columbia University)
• 1940: Married Esther S. Goldfrank
• 1941: Naturalized American citizen
• 1943 - 1944 : Lecturer in Chinese, Columbia University, New York City
• 1944 - 1945 : Associate Professor in International Studies, Columbia University, New York City
• 1945 - 1946 : Associate Professor in the University Seminars, Columbia University, New York City
• 1947 - 1949 : Acting professor of Chinese History, University of Washington, Seattle
• 1949: Author (with Feng Chia-sheng), History of Chinese Society: Liao (907-1125)
• 1949: Joined the American Committee for Cultural Freedom
• 1949 - 1966 : Professor of Chinese History, University of Washington, Seattle
• 1950: Subpoenaed to appear before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in executive session
• 1951: Subpoenaed to appear before the Internal Security Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee in open session
• 1957: Author, Oriental Despotism: A Comparative Study of Total Power
• 1960: Author, From Marx to Mao: A Viewer's Guide
• 1966 - 1988 : Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Washington, Seattle
• 1977: Author, Beitrage zur marxistischen Asthetik
• 1988, May 25: Died, New York City

From the guide to the Karl August Wittfogel papers, 1728-1992, (Hoover Institution Archives)