SATAWAY, MAY 7, 1932 THE MILITANT PAGE IN THE INTERNATIONAL OF LABOR Reviews and News of the Working Class and Revolutionary Movements GERMAN SKETCHES page 243. The German Revolution of 1923 and the «Lessons of October»
for the successful outcome of their extra parliamentary struggle for power. It is a not the task of the Communists to sup.
port the Braun Severing Government While the editorials of the Permanente, made known to him, but that they had BERLIN, GERMANY from the Marxian line. How were the the speakers were applauded against the Fascists, that is clear. Stul Revolution permit the foreign comrades not particularly excited him. He nego The attitude of a political party to new members trained? On the basis of only when they spoke of the extra perless is it the task of the Communists to to get a good view of the fundamental tiated with the Nazis in their complaints ward its mistakes is the most important the people revolution, on the basis of lamentary struggle against Fascism. support the Fascists, to make easier their lines of development in Germany, we against Severing, although he has always and surest criterion of the sincerity of programs for national and social libera Their speeches on the repubile and the road to power. The problem of the should like to supplement them with the very klibly referred to them as people the party and the actual fulfilment of its tion, on the basis that the 18 Weimar constitution were listened to in party now is to place itself in the fore following few character sketches, so as guilty of high treason. He openly handduties to its class and to the working now the main enemy, on the basis of silence by the demonstrators. The fact front of the struggle against Fascism. to lend concreteness to the picture. ed a rebute to the representatve of Sevmasses. To acknowledge a mistake len vo the trade unions (R. o. that the Reichsbanner workers no long Lenin demanded of a Communist party Minister of the Interior Groener ering before the state court. He negoopenly, to lay bare its causes, to analyze polley. on the basis of common referer, as formerly, withdraw before the the re examination of its policies, the The most typical and the most promin tiated with the Brunswick Nazi governthroughly the circumstances which endums with the Nazis, on a rejection of Fascists but instead, actually defend open acknowledgement of its mistakes. ent representative of the present method ment and has, without being in any way brought it about soundly to test the the United Front with the and themselves against them, shows that they This must take place now, re examina of domination of the German bourgeoisie contradicted, assured them of his accord means for the eradication of mistakes, other worker organizations. Is it are prepared against the will of their tion of the whole polley of recent years, is undoubtedly this Suablan general who with their policy. He did not take the these are the characteristics of a sincere any wonder then that a number of the leaders to fight on the streets.
acknowledgment before the working class conceals beneath his demonstrative mufti slightest measures against the so called party, this means to fulfill its duties, to youthful strata of the proletariat so These heartening tidings the Thael of mistakes made. Turn towards the the good old Prussian warrior heart. crown prince, who according to ancient train and teach the class and then also trained should, out of despair over the mann leadership does not know how to workers and trade unionists, scrap The head of the government, the Catholic Hohenzollern custom, broke his word the masses (Lenin, Works, Vol. 25, failures of the party, sive its votes to use. Instead of the constant prattling the national Bolshevik theories. unt Bruening, remains in the background, in of honor regarding his non participation the class enemy in order to eut the knot that Severing is a social Fascist and ted front with the and the free line with the very best Jesuit traditions in politics and who openly agitated with faster. Are the party members of of writing in several passages of the trade unions. It must not happen as it is preferable for them to have the adventures have left him, for the elecAbout 36. million votes were cast in Magdeburg to blame who declared in a diotrial in the Rote Fahne of April 7th lately in Hamburg that the Reichsbanner General act as the symbol of the success the feeble means which his very intense the run off elections. From this number party conference that they had voted for that Severing cannot prohibit the Workers attacked by Fascists refused the es, and in the last analysis, of the fail tion of Hitler.
Hindenburg received in round figures Hitler in order to hasten the decisions. Fascist Storm Divisions) it is the aid of Communists with the words: ures of the regime of emergency de Only after Groener had been praised a bourgeoisie which short tow weeks ago as a hearth of dem19, 350, 000, the absolute majority, Hitler, since Remmele had stated after the task of the party to use Severing ac You are exactly like the Fascists. crees. The German 13, 417, 000 and Thaelmann 3, 706, 000. Hin Fascists, we come. Their action is a tions for the purposes of the revolution. Fascists. This makes the gult between between Fascism and democracy and is after he had undertaken all these meaStop all referendums together with the is still attempting to veer in its course ocracy by the social democrats and only denburg 800, 000 votes as against the first election present party leadership pursues. Not go so far as to poison the water supply the and workers only therefore forced, as never before, to consures to strengthen Hitler and to weaken Hitler about 2, 000, 000 while Thaelmann they are to blame but rather those very in the proletarian quarters by means of greater.
duct a policy of negotiations, of betray the social democracy, when he had allost 1, 276, 000 votes. The million Stalinist theoreticians who confuse the aniline dyes in order to come to power. The comrades of Charlottenburg Berlinals, of masked brutality could not have ready been able to get the results of the units found a better representative than this second ballot for Groener is a very cauvoters who voted in the first election Communist ranks. Is it not frightful as the documents from Wiesbaden testify have voted in four of the party for Duestenberg went over in the run when the Vorwaerts, the organ of the should have served as the occasion for with 85 votes to 15, against the theory imperial general who was elastie enough. tious gentleman only then did he prooff election mostly to Hitler.
parts of organized betrayal of the in the party to carry through a decisive of social Fascism. This is a tremen on the day of the collapse of the Emceed to prohibit Hitler private army, De Rote Fahne of March 15th wrote terests of the proletariat, dares to write turn in the united front question. Here dous step forward in view of the con pire, to save himself through an imme the Storm Divisions (S. Sturm Abtel: immediately after the elections of March on the 11th of March of the betrayal the possibility was given for the ap ditions within the party. All worker diate and determined collaboration with lungen. We must not nurture too many Illu13th that the five million Thaelmann of the Not the counter proach to the and to the trade Communists must follow this example the people whom he only yesterday had voters of March 13th are the most class revolutionary Trostkyists supply the unlons for the purpose of establishing Thar into tatters the general line of called traitors to the country, with the slons over this prohibition. It took conscious, revolutionary determined part leaders with arguments but the class front of the proletariat the policy of defeat put forward by the actual traitors to their class, with Ebert, place days after the Nazis had been inof the proletariat. The whole party solely and alone the present Thaelmann What a tremendous impression just im party bureaucracy! Demand internal Scheidemann and Co.
formed about everything, that is, after press considered the votes cast for leadership.
agine would this united march of the party bureaucracy! Set everything into The policy which General and Minister they had safely been able to bring every Thaelmann as a clear avowal of revolu The Fascist danger is great but the Berlin proletariat have made on the hour. Detion for turn in the paty policy of the interior Groener carried out in the thing that was of any value for them in tionary class struggle. Doubtless, a proletariat is not yet beaten. The recent seols and the Pascisst. Such an outpour Demand the extra ordinary party con 14 days that intervened between the first this great number of votes lost by Thaelmann demonstrations in the country, and sing would have filled three Lustgartens srees! Without a thorough reform of and second ballots of the presidential Since their party apparatus can continue on the the party no voltory over Fascism, no elections, permits one to get a good grasp to function legally, the proscription has in the run off elections are to be found pecially in Berlin, show an upsurge of a million Berlin workers among the abstainers. The results of the Berlin proletariat not witnessed in streets.
struggle for the dictatorship of the pro of the present as well as of the future not weakened the Nazis in the least, as the election in a series of proletarian many years. The Communist demonstra: is not a question of normal parliamentary Lenin by an open change of policy be sensational exposures of severing re And now in the Prusslan elections it letariat is possible. Only in the way of In these weeks there took place the persons, buildings, meetings within the acts against districts, however, give a terrifying pletion as well as that of the Iron Front elections. Much more is involved!
Stalin Thelmann leadership in the com. Streetse contrarwise, the demonstration policy of legalism of the Fascists is to fore the whole class, by taking into accarding the putsch ist plans of the Nazis, from this, the act of Groener has once munist ranks of Germany. In Red of the Nazis was very come to a definite conclusion with this count the currents among the masses, Groener, who is still in power today, more given them the halo of the only Wedding in Berlin, Hindenburg received means that the proletariat is absolutely with the working class although the polley only in this way is the victory ocrats and tomorrow most certainly, to tem in the eyes of many among the un small. That They are still afraid of an open conflict by pushing them forward with a correct perhaps together with the social dem. honest fighters against the present sys98, 308 (during the first elections 96, 843. clear that the decision between them and workers are not yet fused into a united of the proletariat conceivable.
Hitler 49, 616 (35, 851 and Duestenberg the Fascists will be carried out into the front. The conquest of the state appar gether with the Nazis is doing everything employed and in this manner, they have 12, 274. Thaelmann 77, 755 (90, 693. PERMANENTE REVOLUTION cal democrats. Coolly smiling, he de paign in the Prussian elections. On the to discredit and to cow his faithful so received considerable aid for their camSimilar changes from Thaelmann to streets. Significant of the demonstration atus in Prussia by legal means is to Hitler occured also in Neukolln, Fried of the Iron Front was the fact that serve them as the necessary condition (April 15, 1932) clared that these plans had also been other hand, it has enabled Hitler to rid himself of the organizational influence richshain and Spandau, where at least 1, 000 Communist voters gave their votes of dissatisfied and unreliable elements in the run off elections to Hitler. Such Nine Years o he Struggle oft. Opposition who were concentrated precisely in these is the picture in Berlin. In the country Storm Divisions. It may aiso be assumit stands out even in bolder reliet. In ed that the proscription will disappear the voting district of Lewis, Duesten!
shortly after the Prussian elections.
berg received on March 13th 36, 000 votes.
The has likewise been strengThaelmann lost 23, 000, Hitler won 10, 000 thened considerably in its election camIn the district of Dresden Bautzen: Dues, period of the growth and progress of should have, and, by its capitulation with Bulgarian party leaders on the eve of loud is on the one hand is resultaat cere far as the O, is concerned. But sharp dividing line marks off the ternational, did not understand what it the problems confronting the German and munist parties in the pre October per paign through this act, especially in 80 tenberg had 77, 500 votes. Hindenbers its decline and opportunist degeneration out a struggle, enabled the German bour. their insurrections and how they failed greatest objective difficulties and dangers the has paid dearly enough for won 15, 000, Hitler 92, 000, under the regime of Stalin Zinovier. egoiste to set that breathing space to solve them with either resolution or of this jump but on the other hand this advantage. The real price they have Zwickau. Duestenberg stadt che, moniin: Bucharin. This line is drawn by the rer. which, with subsequent aid from the success. An excellent summary of the the result of a furious assault fiebone paid is not yet known, but we can aldenburg won 35, 000, Thaelmann lost 50. 000 Hitler 70, 000. the end of 1923 and the disputes that Plan, was the direct precursor of the sequently by comrade Trotsky himsele. whole import of the Right croupings, Ily dissolve its Reichsbanner. The Ausand more striking results are to be ternational around the lessons to be decline of the revolutionary wave.
arose in the Russian party and the In socalled stabilization of Europe and the The Ideas set out by me in the Les And that is just why irresolution and trian game with general disarmament observed in Manuheim, Frankfort o. drawn from them. Just as the Bolshevik unfailingly sons of October retain their full strength vacillations arise the is being repeated. While the Fascists In the face of its imperative tasks, even now. Yes, even more, they receive Communist parties at the moment when will within a short time be in a postDie Rote Fahne strintot deny the fact party stew steel hard in the study of with all the chances in its favor, when confirmation over and over again after it is most dangerous. Wie dership as tion to reconstruct their armed divisions, the 1906 revolution and the refutation of the moment came to strike the German 1924.
of the swinging over Communist leadership was the voters to Hitler.
the Menshevik conception of its nature party leadership simply quit the field of It was forced to ad. and problems, so Bolshevism today can battle, permitted the armed intervention Among the numerous difficulties in seized by such vacillations in 1917, which at the end of this whole comedy. disor mit it in the issue of April 12th where he strengthened only in the study not of the reactionary troops without offer proletarian revolution there is a parti. were, however, overcome, thanks to the ganized and with empty hands.
sharp energy of Lenin. In Germany, on it states that the attempt of the Hit merely of the successful October rev. Ing resistance, and surrendered its post cular, definite, specific difficulty. It the contrary, the leadership as a whole These are the undisputed and lasting through the Communist front was resolution of 1917, but also of the defeated tions without firing a shot. Only in arises out of the position and tasks of vacillated and that was carried over to results of the apparently contradictory revolutionary party leadership. Even the allowed itself to be misled into cistine China of 1925 1927. It is to an appraisalbattles take place as a result of the lo confronting the events, slogan and The revolutionary situation was thereby ous in every respect against all parties pelled. Only a very small number revolutions in Germany of 1923 and in Hamburg did herole rear guard street most revolutionary parties run the risk the party and through it to the class glamorous policy of Groener, treacherinvolved.
of the missed revolution in 1923 that failure of the Central Committee to ar.
its votes for one or the other of the comrade Trotsky devoted himself in his rive in time with the instructions chane measures of struggle of yesterday that passed up. All these were not of bourgeois candidates. What do these famous work The Lessons of October. ing the plan of battle previously arrived new tasks and requirements. And there these inevitable crises to a minimum. is course the last crises of leadership in Berlin, April 17, 1932 are being sharply precipitated, with the BAUER.
words mean? They mean nothing else a decisive historical moment. To limit Other sketches will appear in the but that in a time especially favorable The German Situation in 1923 at.
forthcoming issues of The Militant, for a Communist advance, a Communist The utumn of 1923 found Germany party states with satisfaction that its confronted with a revolutionary situation to develop, with all the disastrous uprising. It is right here that the dan Communist parties and the Comintern.
How was it possible for such a situs events than that required by the armed one of the most important tasks of the class enemy, which is doomed by history tion of the highest order. The country consequences which it subsequently cover also arises that the policy of the This can be achieved only when the ex. Stalin. Lovestone Parleys breaking through the Communist front greatly accentuated by the French of national, Zinorier, Bucharin and Stalin, eral does not correspond to the action of tical content of the Right Opposition in (Contined from page 1)
and that nevertheless, where it aia cupation of the Ruhr which threatened explained the whole thing away with the class and the requirements of the and contrasted with the experiences of the Russian party bloc? That would succeed the whole question was only of the Versailles Treaty was supposed to beimer, the bends of the German party course of political life, such a contra the German party in 1923. Therein lies mean the end of Stalin (This is what war a a small number of Communist hangers have ended. Not only were the masses were to blame. The whole trouble lay. diction can be straightened out, even the purport of the Lessons of October. Lovestone told us. don know whether This the bankrupt party cracy writese atanak time.
munist Party of Germany could day in flocking to the standard of the com a parliamentary comedy in the trophe. But in a period of violent crisis, ginning of 1924 aroused a terrific storm The man then told Lovestone to and day out have made inroads into the munist party which was then reaching coalition government in Sexony and had it is precisely time that is lacking to in the ranks of the Russian party bursend a Jeter to the Polcom of the party making his proposition for unity.
the highest point it has ever attained tailed to strike the decisive blow at the eliminate this contradiction and to recaucracy. The vials of wrath of the rul: letter was sent. Weinstone forwarded This reformist and petty bourgeois campe.
but even the petty bourgeoisie, disinte right time. But, added the Russian dress the front, so to speak, under fire. ing clique were poured out to the last that Communist voters give their votes being rallied in great numbers to the by Brandler and Thalheimer. the rev of revolutionary crisis are by their ovlev, Rykov, Stalin and Co were. com How could matters go so far, however, grating. declassed and impoverished W88 trinity. and in this they were echoed The periods of the highest accentuation, drop upon Trotsky head. What Zin a copy of the letter to Moscow negotiations were suspended for a while the party comrades in the shops and em nationalists and Pascists had by no mistake has been made which we will contradiction between revolutionary tan criticism to which Trotsky submit brlet. This cerned with was not so much the Mars until the return of the party delegation then in Moscow.
ployment exchanges then really fully means the scope and power which they easily and swiftly repair by putting the leadership (vacillations, a temporizing ted the conduct of the German party and Wicks returned the negotiations When the delegation Browder, Stachel armed against the theory of the lessor enjoy at the present moment, for ex Left action at the head of the party attitude despite the assault of the bour leaders, but the fact that in drawing his were resumed, Then. sala Lovestone, the workers as being for a capitalist regime, the social democracy, with a Bolshevik leadership and the lead in the course of a few weeks and tion in Russia, Trotsky had revealed conference. Gitlow represented our denburg and therefore also for there was experiencing a process of disinte revolutionary situation still at hand, the even days to a catastrophe and to a that vacillations and capitulatory ten group this time. The party representa action. This was correct. But this gration and dislocation to the Left.
argument could not carry great weight whole mistake will be made good and loss of what took years of work to dencles similar to Brandler had existed tive was Stachel. Stachel assured Gitsince the leadership of Every day brought increasing di Incidentally, our wisdom and prestige prepare.
In the very highest spheres of the Bollow that the whole trade union policy plunged the party into the policy of re culties for the bourgeoisie desperately will not only remain unimpaired but will. In Germany) the situation shevik party.
would be revised gradually.
ferendums together with the Nazis. seeking for a way out of its crisis. Ex. be greatly enhanced in the minds of the was ripe and the leadership lagged be The bureaucrat and the opportunist Gitlow said the group sotod on the The workers replied to them: ery day brought new accretions of party members.
bind. By the time this contradiction live from hand to mouth, and, just as basis of the letter sent to the party.
Well, if you, Communists, carried through strength to the Communists. The wide In other words, the art of their lead was straightened out, the situation had they refuse to see or hear, they dislike stachel said he would report the intertogether with Hitler the referendum in spread network of factory councils was ership consisted exclusively of learning already changed, the masses receded and to look backward, or to have their own vie wto the Polcom and that an answer Prussia against Severing Braun and are in the hands of the revolutionists. Bivery nothing from the events, of teaching the relationship of forces became fun pasts spoken of and analyzed. Add to would be forthcoming up to Tuesday now pursuing the same policy in Saxony important factory had its militant pro nothing about their essential lessons, of damentally worse.
this the fact that the cliques which was night the answer had not been received.
and Oldenburg, why can we come outletarische Hunderschaften. the well knit finding a scapegoat upon whom the blame The German defeat of 1923 naturally then busily engaged in usurping the (Comment on the above letters will for you Hitler is the lesser evil then Saxony and Thuringia, coalition governot preserving intact the myth of bureau had many national peculiarities. But It control of the party was doing it bal be found on page same already contained many typical features, attempting to revise the truthful record social democrats and the Communists also, which signalized a general danger of the October Insurrection, and by un.
robbed the party comrades of the posal In this way the party bureauerney has which, despite the radically false policies of comrade Trotsky, proceeded from an crisis of the rerolutionary leadership on defeat, and you have the reasons for the The Russian Opposition, in the figure This danger can be characterized as the londing all responsibility for the German THE MILITANT Published weekly by the Communist ers. The theory of the lesser evil canisters, gave an index of the tremendous at such an objective analysis of the sing. The depths of a proletarian party launched against Trotsky and the Op League of America (Opposition)
celebrate victory due to the help render strength commanded by the party. So eventa, at such an extraction of at 84 East 10th St.
ed it by the Thaelmann leadership.
ripe was the situation that, as Trotsky the are already by their very nature far less position.
lessons presented by the defeat, EDITORIAL BOARD (To be continued)
How could Hitler obtain Communist says, became quite a clear that she would not only reveal who and what certain elements of the party hat susceptible to bourgeoise public spender Martin Abern MAX SHACHTMAN.
James Cannon mol Geri ourgeoisle extricate itself MAI Shachtman votes? One must not forget for Amol from this inextricable position only Ip were at fault but would serve Maurice Spector ment that the majority of the party SPECIAL ATTENTION Arne Swabeck members consist now of new member the Communist party did not understand source of instruction to those Communist will always unfailingly succumb in larger recruited between the years 1930 31 32. at the right time that the position of the parties which still had before them the or smaller measure to the material and If you have one or more coples of the Entered as second clasa mall matter These youthful elements naturally lack bourgeoisie was inextricable and did final struggle for the selzure of power. Kleological terror of the bourgeoiste paper edition of the Draft Program of Novomber 28, 1928, at the Post Omce Under the act of ed Marxian training and Marxian tradi not draw the necessary revolutionary This aim was brilliantly achieved in such a danger should not simply be re the Communist International Critic. New York, tions. It was the duty of the Commun The Lessons of October.
conclusions.
Jected. To be sure there is no remedy ism of Fundamentals which you can March 3, 1879.
ist party to supplement what was lacking The tragle outcome of the SATURDAY, MAY 7, 1932 German The essence of this document lles in against it suitable for all cases. Never apare, send it at once to Pioneer PubVol. 5, No. 19 (Whole No. 115)
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