Saturday, March 29, 1919 THE REVOLUTIONARY AGE The German Revolution. First Stage in kopekernment.
is necessary a T: HE logical result of the collapse of Gerinan InBy Anton Pannekoek makes them fear the gigantic task which the historical perialism following the military defeat, was the revolution Of the Communist Party of Holland situation imposes upon the German proletariat. For this reason they want a National Constituent AssembOn November 4, the revolt in Kiel occured. The ferment manifested itself first among the sailors.
burst forth anew. It will be sharp and violent in Ger. responsibility.
ly, at the earliest possible moment, to relieve them of Rumors of revolt among the sailors were heard dur many because both the bourgcoisie and the proletariat The middle class also wants the convocation of this ing the past year, and the Independent Social Demo are strong, their class consciousness is forceful and crats defended themselves against the accusations of production is highly developed. This will be the next normal conditions, the establishment of a stable assembly, because through it they hope to restore complicity.
Now broke out anew, stronger and siage of the revolution, it is even now developing government which would send the councils of workmore general, by mistake as the ossiche Zeitung (This was written in the latter part of Nov. 1918. ers home with expressions of thanks for services rensaid. Revolutions often occur through such mistakes In normal times the bourgeoisie rules through its especially among the Independents, they begin to dered. This has made part of the workers reflec and. the conviction amongst the sailors that the fleet was ordered out to hopeless combat.
prowerful and perfectly organized state apparatus, doubt and strive to delay the convocation of the assThe sailors organized a council, arrested their offic whereas the masses are livi into separate groups embly. The Independents occupy in the coalition, the ers, hoisted the red Hag and presented their demands and thus are powerless. Revolutions occur when the place which the social patriots formerly occupied in to the The social patriot, Noske, arriv masses are spontaneously inspired by one will and thus the bourgeois government, namely, to prevent the ing attempted to stop them but in vain. find power in their unity.
government. But On Noveniber the movement extended to Ham helm, different forms of government come, but then they are compelled, on account of the revolutionary pathetic strike. traffic ceased and the soldiers joined of one powerful will evaporates, they again fall apart conservative dealings of the government.
This explains the growing friction between Kurt ment spread to Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Lubeck and atus, that remained and was deprived of its power only Eisner (since assassinated. the leader of the Bavarian throughout the northern regions generally, while temporarily, retakes its old position unopposed by any Councils, and Barth on one side, and Ebert and ScheiWolf Bureau sent out vague reports of the revolt preanized force, som de again becomes the stable organ demann on the other. The Independents also propose and the prediction that would be quickly suppressed In Berlin the intrigue of new ministries continued.
tion, class rule grows and becomes stronger as the experiments. They propose beautiful plans for the up; Max von Baden disappeared, the Social Democratic experience of the revolution teaches it to pretend, to building of Socialist production upon the basis of great industries and great agriculture whose support the Vorwaerts entreated the workers to remain calm people rule the rulers change but the rule over the they must have. They do not think about the fact counter revolutionary to the last. Meanwhile the masses remains. To destroy this rule it revolution continued to spread; in Cologne, Munich, bureaucracy, and to strengthen the temporary organ letariat in the theoretic writings of Kautsky nothing that Socialism is not a question of the nationalization of industry, but is a question of the power of the proStuttgart, throughout Germany.
Everywhere workers and Soldiers Councils sprang ization of the masses into lasting power. This happen is said about this! The result will be that when the into being and imprisoned the officers and officials of red in Pariseri by sme byviles. commune. and in Russia bourgeoisie again assume power it will make an end In Germany the workers have created such an orgof all these plans, or realize them in its own way as ingness to assist the revolution. Everywhere the new State Socialism.
Republic was proclaimed, kings and princes abdicated anization, the same as took place in Russia, in the forBesides, the Independents already go arm in arm and disappeared and finally on November 9, Emperormation of Workers and Soldiers Councils. These with Jaffe, the Bavarian professor of economy, who Wilhelm abdicated. Berlin, which remained calm councils gave the revol rect power, until the last, went over to the revolution, the Soldiers during the war outlined a project for extensive State to its initial speedy victory. They are the new instrutwo parties, the majority Socialists and the Indepenand the police of the old regime disappeared from home proletarian wears for the masses, the organization of the Socialism, which is better called State Capitalism. The dents, will without a doubt unite with the radical bourstreets. The movement extended to the Western bourgeoisie. They do not, as yet, know what they front and Wilhelm was forced to flee from the Gen want, but they are there not their program but their ceois parties upon this State Socialism program, proeral Staff Headquarters at Spa to the Netherlands. very existence has revolutionary significance. revvided the proletariat does not intervene. While the With scarcely any resistance, in one assault, the rev olutionary government, which wishes to be the organ government is only concerned with externals and the olution was victorious. This maintenance of order which in reality becomes inproves that the old tem was already crumbling and had lost the end of the Socialist proletariat. should comience now to creasingly chaotic the friction between the classes remove the old functionaries and abolish their funct develops. The bourgeoisie organize White Guards, the masses, whose sufferings had reached ions.
their climax through the war and whose fear of the The government of Ebert, Scheidemann and Haase workers form Red Guards, and in secret reaction conold regime was banished through the military defeat has done the contrary. It has attempted to force the spires and prepares for civil war. And while the This inflammable situation, where one spark spread the Soldiers Council into a subordinate commission of arrival of the troops strengthens the reactionaries, the Aames everywhere, enabled the secret preparations of advice and to restore the disciplinary powers revolutionary spirit flames amongst the workers.
the groups of the Independents and the extreme left officers, which has resulterd, in many places, in strong The great struggle which must develop will be betfor an armed uprising to break into action and thus resistance and refusal by the soldiers. It has main ween the bourgeoisie, openly or covetly represented to take command. So tained the old bureaucracy and allowed it to continue by the Social Democratic and the Independent parties, with the fall of German Imperialism also fell the pol its rule; it had done the same as every bourgeois party and the revolutionary movement now called the com munist Party but which during the war was embodied feudal, militaristic, police state was replaced by the best positions and left all else in status quo ante. It in the Spartacus Group and the Bremen Internationdemocratic republic.
las continued the old generals in command of the alists. Although, as an organization it is not yet distThrough its rapidity and unanimity the revolution army and has inade no attempts to further revolution inct and apart from the Social Democracy and the rested on the surface of civil society and could not as ary propaganda amongst the soldiers. Thus by allow Independents, the Communist Party is in direct opyet penetrate into the depths of the people masses. ing the apparatus of the ruling class to remain intact, position, it defends the dictatorship of the proletariat For those who accomplished it, the revolution, as all openly encourages the counter revolution. Already as against democratic parliamentarism and is opposed modern revolutions, is a proletarian revolution. But the burcaucrats openly clenounce the government of to the convocation of the National Assembly; it demin its objects and results it is, as yet, only a purely diletantes, the generals at the front order the reci ands the abolition of Capitalism and the annulment of political and therefore a state debts. It represents the ideal of Russian Bolsheevident from the fact bourgeois revolution. This flag hauled down, every reaction is encouraged.
ers, Ebert and Scheidemann, were selected to function ernment, especially since it announced that 110 chansnin. By the bourgeoisie and the Social Democracies that the social patriotic leadvik party although not directly connected with it, on The bourgeoisie is entirely satisfied with this govaccount of friction between Rosa Luxemburg and Leas the heads of the provisional government. will be made in property rights and that the banks It seems at first glance unaccountable, that the mass will not be nationalized. The reason for these anthe Communists are represented as being the Bolshees, driven to desperation on account of the war and nouncements is that the government is trying to rely viki and all the denunciation and misrepresentation diits horrors, should overthrow and expell those respon the wlwle population, upon ilic workers and the rected against the Russian Bolsheviki are also directed ponsible for the war and at the same time allow their bourgeoisie alike, thus. upon the cooperation of the against them. Many motions adopted by the Soldiers accomplices, who always supported the war policy: to classes, it hopes to be the government of the continu Councils especially at the front where they are least take the helm. But this is simply the result of political el Coll peace. This is a reflection of the unconsci developed politically, and where above all they desire incompetence and traditional adherence to the old So ousness of the masses, and will become increasingly rest and peace express their abhorrence of Bolshercial Democracy. The four years of war, through the impossible with the more forceful awakening of the ism. As yet the Communists are but a small minority pressure of the battle field and the activity of the cenclass struggle.
and the social patriots and the bourgeoisie use this fact sor, made political development, except in small or the time being the government swings between 10 consolidate their forces. The influence of the Comgroups, impossible. The masses have destroyed the the classes. las conservative «leeds for the bourgeoi munists upon the workers, however, is growing by inachinery that crushed them, they have won their pol sie and revolutionary phrases for the workers be leaps and bounds.
itical liberty. and now the political development. the canse the bourgeoisie is alertly class conscious and not The international situation, the threatening food orientation of what They are still impressed with the naive illusions of the Middle classes, is taken care of by Ebert and Scheidle many. From a military point of view Germany is abt they further desire, can be started. casily defrauded, while the workers are not yet fully shortage and the menace of the Entente troops are awakerved. The first part. the appeasement of the great obstacles to revolutionary developments in Gerof the revolution even as in Paris in 1848 these later revolutions must first go through the dev mum, while the nice radical specchmaking is the task solutely at the mercy of the Entente and economically elopment of former revolutions the illusions of the of the so called Left ing. the ladepcndents: Ditt she is also dependent upon the Allies. Her stores of people unity, of liberty and democracy.
man and Barth, who were included the rivernment foodstuffs are very small and she dependent upon The various denominations and reflections of these for this reason.
the goodwill of the Poles for grain from the Eastern fantastic illusions: we speak of the People Republic, The majority Socialists lack confidence in Socialism provinces. Through the loss of Lorraine Germany has the rulers are called the People representatives, we and in the ability of the proletariat. They do not care not enough iron ore to supply her industries. The pass motions against all discord and dissension. The to socialize society against the bourgeoisie, they are Entente had already notified her that the delivery of reality of society, the class distinction of bourgeoisie afraid to rule without the old bureaucracy. The rule grain depends upon the maintenance of order and the and proletariat seems to have disappeared. As this of the workers appears to them even as to the bour establishment of an orderly government. The Entente, reality again becomes apparent the class struggle will geoisie to be chaos; their own theoretic inability (Continued on Page 8)
sympathy of the of the first days