Marxism and Social Democracy: 3. Social Democracy and the rise of Hitler
Socialist Challenge1980sPhil HearseScanned print read by OCR, and not yet proofread: expect run-together words, dropped letters and, where a piece began partway down a page, a few lines of its neighbour. The printed page is the authority.
Nothing is easier than to ridicule the democratic bureaucracy (who have) struck up a Solomon song to socialism. Yet, forgotten that the reformist workers have a thoroughly serious attitude to the question of socialism. One must have a serious attitude to the reformist workers. Hence the problem of the united front rises up again in all its scope'. Leon Trotsky Out of the defeat 1918-19 revolution the Weimar Republic, SPD founders created most perfect constitution in the Between 1918-23 the SPD leaders participated in several generally 'democratic' bourgeois allies. But the shape of the German workers movement changing.
In 1920 the majority of the Independent crats (the USD) fused with the small German Communist Party. For the first time since the outbreak of the war, the German workers had a mass revolutionary party, the KPD.
Throughout the Weimar Republic German capitalism staggered from crisis to crisis the most unstable country in Europe. But after a temporary economy during 1924-28, again in 1929. It was collapse which gave the Nazis their sensational breakthrough September 1930 ultimately their victory in 1933.
But why did the Nazis gain from the crisis. Why were the swaggering stormtrooper thugs (human Trotsky called them) able to mobilise behind them millions of middle class people ruined by the economic crisis? The answer lies in the policies of both the social democrats munist KPD, under the direction of the Stalinised Russian Party.
In 1921 the KPD tried an ill-timed and badly supported putsch which was easily put down. botched when a planned insurrection was called off, but eventually went off at half-cock. These defeats led to a downturn in the class struggle and, with the tem porary economic stabilisation, a drift back to the SPD by the workers. But the down turn did not last long.
In 1925 the KPD launched a Socialist Challenge 10 December 1982 it must not be paign proved working class strength and combativity.
I his resurgence of emerged whose 'the vote reached its governments, весатте their was from their mis-leaders. A Democrisis to boot. referendum for the confiscation of the lands and riches of the German princes. hroughout 1926 this camimmensely popular; German workers, cluding many social democrats, threw their energies into this campaign. It proved to be a turning point. Just a couple of years after the defeat of the stormy struggles of 1923 the German Was regaining the the workers miners movement was reflected in the out- defeated. come of the 1928 election: the SPD vote went up from 7.9 million to 9.15 million. Those of the KPD went up from 2.7 to 3.36 million. The Nazi all time low of 810,000. SPD leader Herman Muller transport Chancellor; the democrats were back in office for the first time since 1923. Here was the op- Nazis portunity for the KPD to begin to break the social democratic workers growing radicalisation inside the working class coincided with an SPD government, and an impending world economic But just at this point the KPD under the guidance of the Stalinised made its the soThaimann and the other KPD leaders social democracy had now become 'the left wing of fascism'. They called the SPD 'social fascist'. They argued that it was more dangerous than ordinary fascism because of its left-wing Thus any united front with social democratic workers could only communist leadership, hence a 'united front from below.
Lenin and Trotsky had always ex- ment, plained that the united front was not a 'exposing' the reformist leaders, but a genuine pro- aLICHIDI posal from the Communists to the rerormust organisauions or Joml de- even crucial of the Only if the reformist leaders turned down the united front proposal should the Communists try to build a united front 'from below' evitably going direct to the social democratic The KPD now made any form of SPD united front impossible. Its appeals to the social democratic workers became appeals to assemble under the KPD insane was deepened by the policy of ignoring the union federa'Red unions'. Up until 1924 the ComHitler with Von Paper (centre) munists had held many positions of influence inside the ADGB, but now they built the RGO (Red Trade Union Opposition) as opposition unions to the official ADGB In the Berlin metal workers strike in 1930 the RGO accused the social democrats, in completely justified way, of collaborating with the Nazis to break the strike. In the miners strike in the same year RGO isolated the communist and the strike was quickly Perhaps the most bolically criminal episode of "Red' the transport workers strike of 1932.
Berlin was part of SPD-controlled Prussia, and thus the demands of the workers were directed against a Social Democratic state government. Opportunistically, among the workers supported the strike. Correctly the KPD did too, but then made the criminal error of collaborating with the Nazi trade union federation in building support for the strike. Nazis and Communists stood shoulder to shoulder in the streets collecting money for the strikers. response of the democratic behind the workers movement.
The leader of the Centre Party, Bruning, an extreme right winger now took power. His government was opposed by Communists and Nazis indeed the KPD called it 'fascist and in doing so confused many about the real character of fascism -3888- the fact that if the Nazis took power all working class organisation would be destroyed. After all, if the government were already 'fascist', would the Nazis be so bad? This was precisely sym the logic the KPD drew in coining the slogan 'after Hitler Berlin spreading the criminal illusion that Hitler's rule would be short-lived and followed (!) by socialist revolution. Decree the Bruning's defeated on its budget base votes of the KPD, deputies, decree. The sanctity of parliamentary rule, so dear to the Weimar constitution and the SPD leaders, breached. Bruning's represented a form of Bonapartism. The the combination of some parliamentary forms with one-man dictatorial workers us thus democracy capitalism government. WHeE by the joint SPD and Nazi imposed its will through the unemployed.
was being rule fact revolutionary with one another to argue who was responsible. Both were The lessons of Hitler's victory are some of the most crucial for any socialist, class conscious worker, to remember.
Hitler was impelled to power by the German bourgeoisie when all the traditional parties of Weimer Ger many were incapable of solving Germany's economic catastrophe. social democrats, by their reliance on parliamentarism and their failure to go beyond reformist tinkering with the system also failed to give political answers to the crisis. German social which rescued during the revolutionary crisis of 1918-19, was now repaid for its loyal services by being strangled But the KPD also failed the test by its chronie sectarianism towards the reformist workers. In a situation of chronic crisis it was always able to re inforce its forces from the ranks of But through refusal of the united front, by its refusal to engage in a serious dialogue with the SPD cadres in the factories, it laid the basis for permanent division and the continuing hold of the SPD bureaucracy. Nothing is simpler than verbiage against the
Communist disastrous ultra-left turn Germany remained called "Third Period".
upturn in the crashed this economic in the and guise.
be dust' manoeuvre aimed at and the comtion in defence Communist working class.
Again in 1923 it SILUaLIOH rank and file.
banner. This militant (majority) reformist tion, the ADGB and *page 10 workers to this kind of collaboration can be well imagined! This kind of alliance with the Nazis most famously occured during the 1929 referendum against the Prussian social democratic government organised by the Nazis. After some hesitation, the KPD backed the referendum dubbing it the Red referendum'.
Smash A united front policy would have been precisely the opposite. While explaining to the workers the repressive policies of the Prussian state governthe KPD should have fought shoulder to shoulder with the social democratic workers to defeat the Nazi overthrow the government and replace it with an/ more repressive one. Instead, KPD policy went as far as jointly organising with the Nazis to smash up SPD meetings.(1)
The economic crash of 1929 inpolarised German politics While in the 1930 elections the KPD vote went up 1¼ million, while the vote went down a clear move to the left amongst the workers — the Nazi vote increased spectacularly from 800,000 to over six million. While the KPD ultra-leftism had gained some small short-term successes, it has been incapable winning the bourgeoisie, ruined by the crash, rule. Weimar was on the way to being overthrown.
The SPD was now faced with a choice. Should it combine with the 'extremists' to overthrow Bruning or "tolerate' his government, by ensuring that a vote of no confidence would be defeated? SPD Muller ensured that Bruning should he defended as the ast against fascism. mist leaders collude in the destruction of democratic rights. In 1932 Bruning was followed by the openly anti-parliamentarian von Papen, on the basis of a sharp move to the right among bourgeoisie. The right wing bourgeois parties were declining, their support going to the Nazis and the right-wing SLaLC nationalist Stalhelm ("steel helmets')
militia.
Against workers movement.
Nazis 13.7 million votes, million, KPD 5.3 Party 4.6 million. Even at this last desperate stage, the victory of the Nazis Was similar workers parties had formed a united front to defeat fascism, Hitler could have been stopped. But a united front just Was precisely wanted.
After Hitler's victory, destruction of the petty powerful labour movement, the social democracy and Stalinism contended social democratic Reichstag leader bulwark Thus did the refor- ev of Nazism general organiser the whole hand to the SPD in them stood only the The July 1932 most radical showed the polarisation:
SPD 8 million, Centre versa.
inevitable. If the union list neither side capitalist world's most mis-leaders; and nothing more fatal than the failure to challenge them in their own bastions through the united front.
KPD-Nazi collaboration see f Krebs (J. Valtin) "Out of the Night"
also Albert Krebs (no relation) The Infan Paltin was a communis and Albert Krebs the gauleiter of Hamburg. It is important to remember that the Nazis, in orderto buila a plebian base, presented themselves as an especially the money dustrialists and to shore up their base, MIne unemploved, by denunciations of Jewish capital".
government from 1928-30, the Nazis and power Prussia. LACE IT the Communists appeared as the two when the KP was de During the perios During the the 'main enemy there were many defections from the KPD to the Nazis and viceThis was the product of the criminal ultra-leftism of the Stalinists After the RGO was banned in early 1933 Comintern reports speak of many Communist workers vonne or me No grade unio list in preference to the SPD free trad The 'anti-capitalist' policy of the Nazi caused them many problems with their backer many internal strains. As is well known. Hitler resolver these conflicts in 1934 by the Night of the Long Knives' when Strusser and the other radical hrownshirt leaders were murdered.
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