136 years ago this month, in March 1879, Albert Einstein was born. His contribution to science is unquestionable, but lesser known are his political views. Einstein was a convinced socialist and wrote an essay in defence of socialism in which he discusses the role of the individual in society and concludes:
“the economic anarchy of capitalist society as it exists today is, in my opinion, the real source of the evil…I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals”
In 1929 Albert Einstein sent to the Greek government of Eleutherios Venizelos a letter, published in the KKE newspaper Rizospastis, demanding political freedom for students who had been expelled from university for their left-wing activism. Einstein was a member of the committee of defence against White Terror in the Balkans.
We publish below an image of the original of Einstein’s letter along with a translation from Greek into English.
Prime Minister Venizelos,
AthensWe protest strongly against the expulsion of students from the university. We demand the freedom of students to express their thoughts.
Professor Albert Einstein
by Arturo Rodriguez, MSF Executive
