Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-04-26
GERMAN PARTIES

lF#1I NJ rE-N9f l1Elf1NI Z nFfHl.LFet
yrrom New York Evening SIn.)
/ writer of q letter to The Eyen-
;nr sun acknowledges his bewlider-
rnent at the intricacies OF
nolitics and asks for the publication
lnf 4 list of the existing parties. vain
their makeup and aims:
There are today no less than seven
national parties in Germany: me
1Gnrman National People's' Party, Inc
lCentrtsts DR. Christian Peoples PaIty,a
1.-THE Democrats, the Majority sociai,
lists, the Independent socfalists Ana
the Communists or Spartacans. VI.
these the first and seeend may be
olaaaed as conservatives; the Cen
trists. Democrats, and the 1ndepend-
ont Socialists and Communists as
h German National Peoples
Party represents the powerful land
owners and the old Pan-German,
military caste of junkerdom. with q
sprinklpg of wealthy
and former officeholders. II Is ied py
DR.. Ernest Won . ana ~
Count Ernest Won ReventloW. ana M
c,inaa toward the restoration OF the
monarchy.
The German Peoples Party y the
remnant of the old National Liberal
PARTY. which was .Bismarck's main
Lstay in the days following the Fran
~co-Prussian war. For years pr. Ern-
est HasBe, head of the Pan-German,
League, was it's leader, n It,. - dis.
~tinctiy hostile to the present liberal
trend Of affairs. The larger group OF
the National LIBERALS, however. have
split off to form the present demo-
cratic Party. The new organization
is composed in general OF b bust
ness men and the middle classes, and
has given its support to the Ebert
government. 4
Far stronger than any of these is
the Majority Socialist Party, conPos-
led chiefly of industrial and agT1cul-
tural workers, the small well-to-do
peasants and the intellectuals. OF
| whom President Ebert is the ac-
knowledged leader. 1t favors a mod
crate policy of specialization. the sep
aration. of church and state, and the
liberal protection of labor,
The Centrists are. the Roman Cath,
ole Party, having their greatest
strength in the Rhine provinces and
south Germany, n advocating the
maintenance of schools under church
supervision, protection of private
property and abolition Of private
earliest days of the Empire, sending
Ito the Reichstag at each election a
consistent and solid group of from
eighty to ninety men,,
The Independent Socialist Party IS
made up chiefly of intellectuals, ia
|voring a. 10 radical program than
that outlined by President Ebert.
Hugo Hasse is their acknowledged
leader More radical still. but in
touch with the Independent Social
lists. are the Communists. of whom.
Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxe,n-
burg were the leaders. They REFUSE
to participate in the. present govern
ment<and so are unrepresented in the
assembly.
The present administration rests
upon a coalition of the three strong
est groups, the Majority Socialists,
tho Democrats and the Centrists,
from which all the present cabinet
has been selected. The recent abor-
tive revolution and its radical reac-
ton weakened somewhat their hold
upon the government, but their. alli-
ance still continues. New elections
are to be held in June, and not un.il
then will it be known definitely what
will be the final effect upon the .ari-
ous political groups Of the recent
disturbing elements. s5s