THE COMMUNIST ALL POWER TO THE WORKERS!
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF AMERICA VOL II. No. JULY 1, 1920.
PRICE CENTS The Counter Revolution in Germany e By LOUIS FRAINA, International Secretary, Communist Party of America Berlin, March 28. action but the Socialist bourgeois Government tained the ascendancy of democracy. The petty had disarmed the proletariat, while aggressive The Ebert Noske Bauer Government shorn of measures against the reaction would have meant cy of watchful waiting and neutrality, which bourgeois democracy, accordingly, adopted a poliNoske and Bauer, is again in power. The streets an open break with the Right, and the collapse under the circumstances assisted the counterare still mass of barbed wire entanglements of the Government under pressure of Right and revolution democracy did not defend itself against erected by the counter revolutionary troops against Left. At a meeting of the National Assembly the Left, with whom there could be neither comon March 14, Socialist Chancellor Bauer said: bayones and hand grenades, patrol the streets prepomise nor merger. It might be unpleasant for pared to shoot down the workers (scores have nafter mature de libertatian the Government decided the military reaction to conquer, but a satisfactory agreement could be arranged.
already been shot the identical troops that au upstarts, and therefore determined to leave Berlin This, then, was the consequence of the Socialism counter revolutionary invasion of Luttwitz Kapp. munists there never was any thought of avoiding democracy as the means to socialism in aeveropres The old apathy is again dominant in the streets violence. But that is miserable equivocation. means for the ascendency of Junker Capitalism, had at its disposal in Berlin mediately impresses the observer in The Governand 50, 000 armed civilians, thereby directly promoting the coming of military Germany. alone counter revolution.
In the high life districts, in Unter den Linden and about 300, 000 in all Germany, yet the Governand Friedrichstrasse, the swirl of frightful gayety ment evaded a struggle with 10, 000 counter revolu And after 19 months of murdering the proagain rushes on while in the proletarian district. tionary troops Why? Because the Government letariat and Socialism, the Government and the there is sullen resentment, tempered by partial knew that its troops, reliable in crushing Com Social Democratic Party were compelled to call anticipations of a new struggle.
munist uprising, were completely unreliable as a upon the proletariat and Socialism to act against means of defense against a reactionary uprising its own creation, the military counter revolution.
Five days ago it appeared as if this new struggle might immediately. The proletariat of Berlin Moreover, an open military struggle would compel DEVELOPEMENTS OF THE CRISIS In choosing the alternative of a General Strike the Government and the Social Democratic Party ment and the trades union bureaucracy issued orders to end the strike. In city were fully aware of the fact that the strike might city the workers used the opportunity of the AGENDA develop beyond the limits imposed upon it as a crisis to usurp power, developing the General strike in defense of democracy and the GovernStrike beyond the limits imposed upon it as FOR THE SECOND CONVENTION ment. But the Government was aware strike in defense of the Government. In Westphalią and the Rhineland, in the Ruhr mining OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY event of the General Strike assuming revolutionary districts, the working class, while not yet wholly OF AMERICA proportions; and, moreover, the Governmeissue. simul clear on means and purposes, was in complete taneously with the call for a General Reports: in name of Ebert, Bauer, Noske, Muller and David an active Red Army of 30, 000 men, with control. seizing government power and Soins 2) and National Secretary (Noske afterwards denied subscribing to the call)
reserve. But, for reasons which will develop later, b) International Relatiens Committee.
c)
hcomingeasures to drevent the General Strike Editorial Committee.
revolutionary. In the Ruhr district.
been compelled to accept an armistice: disaster d) Defense Committee.
for example, revolutionary and under a state of and massacre will come in the Ruhr.
martial law, the strike was consciously limited, II. Curaesent world situation, Fundamental Problems.
and it did not become a General Strike until These are the inescapable facts of the situation: a)
March 17, when the struggle was no longer against the Ebert Government is in power, but the military coup etat has a nt to compromise and b) Present situation in the United conquered since it has States.
the military coup but against the Socialist bourcompelled the geois Government.
c) Soviet Russia.
move more to the Right; the Government is with d) Communist International and ParIn accepting the alternative of a General Strike drawing its concessions, or rather its promises ty International Relations.
the Government, moreover, simply legalized an of concessiosns to the masses: the interests behin Our attitude towards Parliament.
the military coup are securing concessions as arisrn.
decomplished fact, since the masses acted inof the Government.
against the proletariat which rallied to the Govern1) Mass Action.
On Saturday March 13 the General Strike was s)
ment defense; the Government is compelled to Industrial Unionism anti Syndirely more than ever on military forces; while the calism Boeslapemocratic Party and the Independent Cabinet is being reconstructed according to the h) Our Attitude towards Economic, Socialist Party. All three proclamations agreed policy of the Right and not according to the Educational and other Legal in fundamentals strike against the coup. in dedemands of the Left. The proposal of the InWorkers Organizations.
dependent Socialist Party for a Socialist Govern Workers Councils Before, During fense of democracy: the Independents juggled with i)
revolutionary phrases in ment (Cabinet coalition of Independents and style, but and After the Revolution.
no definite revolves while Social Democrats) has been contemptuously rethe the legal III. Revision of tlie Program and Mani.
jected a rejection accompanied by a new Terror: the Socialist bourgeois Government, having to fexto.
beins menaced by the coup. of the danger of reIV. Organization Problems action being restored in state and shops, of tho choose between the proletariat and the reaction, Communist Party Centralization Republic being in danger. There was no clen again chooses reaction.
Discipline.
call to revolutionary action, not even from the b)
The revolutionary crisis produced by the miliUnders round Organization and its ommunist Party which, on Saturday, declare. tary coup. developing conditions for the final forms.
the General Strike on the assumption that the military coup and the Government were identi struggle for power. sibieinsith the Independen?
a c) Communist Party uniis and cal.
Socialist Party manipulating the situation to se1) Functions of Language Federa The response of the proletariat to the General tions in the Communist movement Strike was inmediate and complete: in Berlin.
cure Cabinet concessions and patoguh the power: the struggle immediately and completely assumed ected not with an eye to the revolutionary seizure Propaganda. Agitation and Other the character of a proletarian struggle against the military bourgeois reaction.
of power. but with an eye to (1) the reconstruction 1) General Propaganda and Agita The situation in Berlin was most characteristic coming elections in which they anticipate becoming tion.
of the General situation in Germany. The collapse 2) Classes for Propagandists and of the Government was complete: there was not Germanoritas represented by then Reichst Zentrale Other Communist Study Classes.
1)
a tracecoupisan utkochancelies resistancener Herr sassisting the conversion of the revolutionary Party Press and Literature.
crisis into a 1) Policy a parliamentary crisis by not measuring up to the requirements of the situation and by Luttwitz installed himself in the Ministry of War 2)
from whenoe Comrade Noske had issued orders ot g) Communist Unity Literal.
to the Independents in their proposal for a death against tho Communist proletariat.
VO.
Centrist Government district. now a fortress of barbed wire ist Government.
Unity.
entanglements, machine guns and artnery, opens h) Defense and Relief Work.
And the masses? The masses are stirring unReviston of Countitution.
Liebknecht urged the proletariat to Revolution: easily, baffled and betrayed and they may. Yet, VI.
Resolutions.
under the pressure of events, initiate a new strug while three streets beyond is the turgid canal into which the assassins of the Socialist Governsle, compell as the hesitants and the moderates VII.
Election of Party officials.
to accept revolutionary action.
ment cast the mutilated body of Rosa Luxemburg.
The National Army either retired to its barracks Bauer Noske Government was directly COLLAPSE OF DEMOCRACY the The developernment to arm the proletariat, thereby or fraternized with the counter reveactive the forces of proletarian troops. The Noske Guards, insolently responsible for the military coup etat. The cou)
The Government, accordingly, chose to retreat and all the streets of Berlin the day before. now Baltic provinces, where the Government allowed compromise: never for a moment did the Socialist scurried to cover, and did not appear again until the struggle against the revolutionary masses concentration of the most reactionary troops of menace of a proletarian revolution: concessions started. The Einwohnerwehr (literally, Guards of the old German army for use against the Revoluthe Inhabitants, civilian White Guards) issued a. tion and against Soviet Russia troops which, with declaration of neutrality (neutrality under the the connivance of the Socialist Government sur proletarint to conque permit the revolutionary cirincos meaning assistance to the counterreptitiously assisted Col. Avalofr Bermondt in his while emphasizing its readiness to counter revolutionary campaign against Petroc Democracy and the parliamentary regime, as the final symbols of the Revolution march against plunderers, that is to say, against coup had been discussed for months and the means to Socialism, broke in pieces. Demoand open preparations made; but the Government crcay? It was, fleeing to Pin an automobile: the persons of the Government, the triat: and it did march to action when did nothing. On March 11 General von Luttwitz Strike began to threaten law anri order and the struggle developed against the met issuing proclamations about law and order, right Government.
ultimatum Ebert in Conference and issued an but von Luttwitz was not placed under and the constitution at a moment when the issue As against these open and masked forces of Arrest; while Noeke, actively or compliantly, al. was power against power and might against might.
lowed the reactionary troops to prepare their coun. The Parliament, the National Assembly? It was counter revolution, Strike was alone. It was clearly, emphatically Late issued alspersed as chaft before the wind by the bayostate the evening of March 12 the working class against all. The paralysis of nets of the Luttwitz troops tho Reichstag. where industry, of most public activity, was complete: milltary coup were unfounded six or severi the Assembly met, now as imposingly empty and it was as if a hours later 10. 000 troops invaded Berlin to the impotent as democracy itself. was guarded by giant mass of ice pressed down strains of martial music and the plaudits of a upon the city, The Kapp Littwitz Governmen: three soldiers, while children played upon its steps was isolated; its troops occupied the streets, but Crowd: the Government troops firing not a single an appropriate shot in defense of the city, while the Government The National Assorin! to Karl Kautzky.
the prolotariat closed he factories, halted and street car trafie, and kept the city dispersed, issued its de itself fled in an automobile.
fiance to the military coup. spoke of democracy There was no power of resistance in the Govern.
at night. The Kapp Luttwitz dictatorship issued and right, of law and Toent no resistance in aemocracy and the parlia.
innumerable proclamations about right and thg to convene in IT inuence Unuttgart constitution, decided. and exercised scarcely constitution, bread and libertymentary Tegime. Aggressive and relentless against but the iron the proletarian revolution, the Government was the march of events. The National Assembly, which approvingly observel answer of the proletariat mocked it all: the Kappweaker than a woman tears against the counterLuttwitz dictatorship styled itself the Government the revolution butenery of the workers on January 13, now.
Democracy and the Government had been compelled to rely the most reactionary the inilitary old regiune.
the moral or physical enersy Luttwitz dictatorship, issued threats against the forces, upon the to Demoto counterrevolution cracy and uncomwhile the General Strike did the Kappetits promisingly against the military. Since antagoniz. The representatives of petty bourgeois demodictatorship issued directors. but the General a decree providing death or ing or weakening the military meant weakening cracy threats against the military coup.
Fikers and but democracy itself was apathetic. Event implacably persisted. All the Government Thent supinels allowed the preparations for a coup where hostile. democracy had no means of its authority. legal and illegal. was now a mytn to proceed. revolutionary Government would own for action against the counter. revolution.
in comparison with the reality and the might have answered the threat of von Luttwitz to Moreover, for this democracy to act decisively of the General Strike march upon Berlin by mobilizing the armed pro against the couter revolutionary troops meant pre.
The struggle of the proletariat in Berlin was. cipitating a strugkle within the military forces objectively. a revolutionary Struss But, mass Terror against the bourgoin Junker re. of the nation, to disrupt the power which mainContinued on page This Tevolution Brad The