The End of ‘the Historic Leadership’ in Hakibbutz Haartzi and in Mapam, 1956-1973: Economic, Social and Political Aspects

Abstract

During 1967-1973, the two main bodies that constituted the Hashomer Hatzair movement in Israel – Hakibbutz Haartzi and Mapam – underwent a seemingly contradictory process of strengthening and institutionalization, together with a decline in their internal cohesion and political power. This article seeks to show that this contradiction can be explained through examining the interaction between economy, society, and politics.

The article shows how the accelerated economic development of the kibbutzim of Hakibbutz Haartzi, which has occurred since the mid-1950s, created a state of incongruence between the social and political structure that had existed since their establishment and the new living conditions of the kibbutz members. Consequently, since the late 1950s, the leadership of Hakibbutz Haartzi and Mapam was involved in a survival struggle to preserve its power. This struggle aggravated the internal crisis in the movement and in the party, since it caused most of the attention to focus on their internal balance of power, and prevented innovations, initiatives, and the growth of a future leadership. In the mid-1970s, an era ended in Hashomer Hatzair, when the traditional social and political structure, which had existed since the beginning of the operation of this movement in Eretz Israel, completely crumbled, precisely when, economically, the kibbutzim were at the height of their power.