- Yg. 1932, No. 23 -

Dear friend, you are still a member of the SPD, despite some reservations, true to the slogan of your leaders, a few weeks ago you elected Marshal "Forward", Herr von Hindenburg, because he was the last, the only one to protect you against fascism has been - and now of course you are very disappointed. If the situation wasn't so dire, I'd say: serves you right. First, it seems to be in Hindenburg's manner that he disappoints his voters; In 1926 the right-wing parties set up and elected him because they hoped he would succumb to their influence, but lo and behold, Hindenburg became a good, constitutional republican and guardian of the "system"; 1932 Hindenburg is set up and elected by the system parties because he is supposed to be a protection against fascism - but lo and behold, Hindenburg overthrows the "system" and opens the door to the government for the fascists. Perhaps you should have guessed that. And secondly, even if you did not want to be suspicious of Hindenburg's personality, you should have known that a single person cannot be a “bulwark” against fascism at all.

But that is how you and your party friends are involved in politics. You wonder whether one can "entrust" the fate of the working class to this or that personality; you see the National Socialists as a bunch of stupid or perverted fellows; you have believed that they could never come to power (or, once in power, would immediately embarrass themselves immortally) because they allegedly lacked expertise and understanding. You are beginning to look at politics through the eyes of the bourgeois petty bourgeoisie. So much is left of your former Marxism! Today you could learn Marxism from the Marxist eater Hugenberg, who foresaw political and economic developments more correctly and calculated better. That is why he is nearing his goal today while your party has been shipwrecked.

You have considered the crisis to be a temporary phenomenon caused by the carelessness or stupidity of the business leaders, and fascism to be a balloon blown up by efficient propagandists, which will soon burst. But whoever realizes that the crises are unavoidable in capitalism, and that they are becoming ever more acute in dying capitalism, and who has recognized that fascism must necessarily arise from the crisis on the one hand and the working class's incapacitation on the other hand, knows that that in every political decision he has to focus only on the single point of view: how to strengthen the fighting power of the working class? Have after her not asked. Your tolerance policy That's why (and only therefore) wrong, because it has weakened the workforce more and more every day. If you accept wage cuts and the robbery of all political and economic rights for years without resistance, then you will become weak yourself and your opponent strong and then you cannot suddenly say: stop! But then one fine day you will be kicked out the door, just like it was done to you. That is very “ungrateful” from the gentlemen you have served so far, very ungrateful especially from those who are only still in office thanks to your help, but politics asks little about petty-bourgeois moral concepts; the accusation of having pursued wrong policies does not affect them, but you.

Where is the resistance now? "Iron Front"? What courageous words were heard from your leaders during the election campaign! “Never!” - “Resolute resistance” - “Fight to the knife” etc. Now the fascists have at least three-quarters of the power - but where is the resistance?

There is a lot of ranting about the “bigwigs” in your party; you like to do this too, probably to show how revolutionary you are. But I don't give a damn about the ranting about the "bigwigs". If even a small part of the members had realized that the party's policy is wrong and led to bankruptcy and had seen, why if it is wrong and what means there are to strengthen the working class, then the “bigwigs” would no longer have the influence they still have today.

Do not always apologize by saying that the Communist Party has nothing attractive for you, that its policies are wrong and weaken the working class. That is partly correct, sometimes exaggerated; In no case is it an excuse for your behavior. If you have understood the mistakes of your party to the very bottom and are willing to draw the consequences from the knowledge, then you also find ways to put your knowledge into action.

Your ***

Dear friend, like all communists, you can now point out with some pride how correct the KPD's slogan: “Whoever votes for Hindenburg, votes for Hitler” has been; How right it has been when the KPD has repeatedly emphasized that in today's situation the working class must pursue an entirely independent policy, a policy whose main principle is: strengthening the working class. Now that the policy of tolerance has been shipwrecked, you say, everyone must admit that the KPD acted correctly.

Certainly. Nevertheless, the influence of the KPD is not growing, but sinking. The results of the parliamentary elections in Oldenburg, as well as the other recent elections, prove that the KPD can not even book the losses of the SPD. You will say that election numbers are not a measure of the strength of a party or even a class - but does the extra-parliamentary reality show a different picture? You will not want to claim that.

We are therefore faced with the fact that in today's situation both the SPD and the KPD are losing influence, and this means that the working class is weakening. How come?

When answering this question, of course one SPD and KPD can not lump together. That the SPD is decreasing is very natural; the can can not be otherwise, because such a severe economic crisis must weaken every reformist workers party; At most, it is surprising that the decay does not go even faster. This is something completely different with the KPD. You are driven by the crisis the masses; their influence must rise, provided that - their policy is correct. One could say something like this: the SPD can tactically still operate so skillfully, it will lose; the KPD must use a very clumsy tactic if it wants to lose. And that's the way it is.

To what extent the tactics of the KPD is wrong has been said a dozen times and is well known to you (as many in the party). Or do you want to deny that (to mention just the most important) the Communists have lost all influence in the mass organizations (trade unions, cultural organizations), at least eighty percent by their own fault? What helps the call to work in the mass organizations, if there are no more bases in them? What helps (to name another example) the call to "face the plant" when the party has neglected for years the work and their hope for the revolutionary unemployed? Of course, as these examples show, some of the tactics have been changed lately, but what use are all these half-phrases unless the whole tactical line of the party is thoroughly checked? But that is only possible if the party discusses tactical issues. And immediately.

Now there are people in the Party (I do not quite know if you too are one of them) who admit that, but then say: The Party is in a serious crisis; this crisis must be overcome. But that takes time. For the moment the party is just not able to act; Of course, one has to work to get it back, but that does not happen so quickly, it requires a lot of persistent, quiet work within the party.

Anyone who says so basically capitulated before fascism. Because if the party is not now!If, in the next few weeks, she is able to act, if she still does not succeed (which is her task and her goal and what she has the best will to achieve), to organize resistance to fascism in the working class - then the fate of German workers for years decided. A terrible responsibility now lies with the Communist Party. Now it is still in her hands to change her tactics and thus lay the groundwork for the successful fight against fascism that threatens her and the entire working-class movement - but not for long. Do you think that she will take advantage of the time limit that has been granted to her?

1932, 23 · Your HD