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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