Means for a future policy: "Critique of violence" by Walter Benjamin

The article focuses on Walter Benjamin's enigmatic essay Critique of Violence from 1921. The author interprets it in the context of the political ideas of the German Youth movement before and after the First World War. Different from other interpretations, he focuses more on a certain political act than on a usual messianic way of reading. It becomes evident that Benjamin refers to an act not far from for example Kierkegaard's decision in ethics. In the second part, the author discusses some recent misinterpretations and points out the actuality of Benjamin's heterogeneous and highly political conclusions for today.