rudi dutschke born alfred willi rudi dutschke (march 7, 1940 – december 24, 1979, århus, denmark) was a spokesperson of the left-wing german student movement of the 1960s. he famously split from those who went on to form the violent red army faction. instead he wanted to have 'a long march through the institutions' of power to create radical change from within government and society by becoming an important part of the machinery. this was an idea he took up from antonio gramsci and the frankfurt school of cultural marxism.