The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-06-13
Communism in Germany and the Recent Elections

c1al Democracy, but 1t is q blow from
which it will never recover. For Ger
man Social-De parliamentary
success and failures are everything,
for parliament is it's natural element
which determines its activity. Ger
man Social-Democracy will now be
compelled to take a right turn: it
will tend still more to rely on the
non-labor and petty-bourgeois ele-
ments; it will become more dependent
on the bourgeois parties The mil
lions of workers who voted for the
German Social-Democracy from this
time now onward will be nothing else
but recruits for the Communist Party.
Either today or tomorrow they will
gradually join the ranks of the Com.
munists
German simultaneously is a de-
clining power, German Communism is
a mighty rising power The star of
German Communism will soon shine
with unexampled brilliance; the de
cisive battle is approaching.
russia ara GCTmduys
During the elections to the Constitu
ent Assembly which took place after
the conquest of power by the Soviets
in November, 1917. we Bolsheviks OBJ
tanned 100000 votes Tin 81 constitu-
encies) out of 36,25O,OOO votes. The
German Communists in this election,
May, 1924, obtained 100000 votes out
Of $4,000, 900 million. If we take merely
the numerical relation, the German
Communist Party already is not far
removed from the position the Rus
sian Bolsheviks were in 1917. Against
their 100000 votes, the German Com
munists have the 100000 cast for
the Social-Democrats but the. Bolshe-
viks in November, 1917, had 21,OOO,OOO
votes of the SRs and little over half
million votes Of the Mensheviks
against their 100000 votes.
The fact is, however, that compare
tive figures at elections completely
fail to settle the question. The Rus
sian Bolsheviks in October and No
vember, 1917, had the majority in the
decisive place and at the decisive mo-
ment (the proletariat and garrisons in
both capitals, the important armies
which had not yet been demobilized,
and the most important peasant dis
tricts).
Comrade Lenin explained this cir
cumstance to the international prole-
tariat with classical clearness in his
famous article 1.-THE Elections to the
Constituent Assembly and the Die
tatorship of the Proletariat." The Ger
man Communists, unlike the Russian
Bolsheviks, cannot in May, 1924, lead
the German proletariat Immediately
to the final battle. But after the Oc-
tober 1929 setback of the German
Communist Party and after all its
partial defeats, the elections in May,
1924, undoubtedly show that the time
is near when the German Communists
will have the decisive place at the
proper moment. Then the wavering
will not be repeated and the German
Communist Party will carry out its
great historic mission.
The Controversies in the c. P. G.
The results of the election throw
some light on the controversy within
the German Communist Party which
reused such concentrated attention
among all the sections of the Comm
tern.
The first conclusion that one natur-
ally draws is that the recently con-
cluded period of work of the German
Communist Party was not wholly bad
In the application of the tactics of the
united front in Germany, great oppor-
tunist errors were committed, but the
tactics in themselves were correct.
The German Communist Party broke
thru to the masses. 1t became a pow
erful mass proletarian party in spite
Of all misfortunes and the opportunist
mistakes of its leaders. This would
have been impossible if the tactics Of
the united front had been wrong in
principle.
The second outstanding fact is the
comparatively great success Of the So
cial-Democrats in Saxony and Thur
ingia and the small successes Of the
Communists in those places. This is a
new and important confirmation of the
fact that the Saxon policy" of Com
rade Brandlers' group was opportun-
istic and wrong and that the left ma
jority of the German Communist Party
with the Comintern, were absolutely
right when they condemned and repu-
dated this policy. In Saxony and Thur
ingia, where the Communists directed
their aim towards an agreement with
the Social-Democracy. the masses Of
the workers saw the Social Democrats
in their left" robes. This. as it were
placed a halo around the head Of So
cial-Democracy. BY its vague tactics
tending towards opportunism, the
Brandler group failed to win over the
Social-Democrati workers and to
considerable extent lost its influence
among the revolutionary sections OF
the proletariat.