The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-03
Social Democracy and the Vatican

The news from Germany following the indecisive
election returns indicates clearly the hopeless
bankruptcy of the sOcialdemocracy. The socialist
press echoes the liberal press and announces its
Willingness to support candidate of the catholic
center party to defeat the nationalists and mon
archists -
The Communist Party candidate, Comrade Thael-
mann, will be in the finals and if the socaldem-
ocracy makes the proposed coalition, great numbers
of Qthose who voted for their candidate, Braun,
will support the Communist Party
The situation in Germany, the manner in which
the socialdemocrats run around seeking way out
like rats whose burrows have been closed, is
great lesson to the workers who still have faith in
parliaments and capitalist democracy.
There is no freedom for the masses in Germany
and there has been a progressive decline in the
number of their privileges ever since the overthrow
of the monarchy that was to have been the first
step towards liberation. Germany is still in the
Kerensky period and the social-democrats seek to
preserve merely the outward forms of democratic
procedure. The bogeyman of the monarchy has
been used by the socaldemocracy to brighten the
masses into making concession after concession to
the industrial lords and their puppet government.
1t is the logical outcome of a counterrevolution-
airy policy that now places the social-democracy in
the position of looking to the party of the vatican
as an ally.
That the vatican and its followers in Germany will
exact important concessions in return for entry into
a coalition with the socialdemocrats goes without
saying. Bavaria is a catholic state and the vatican
has long dreamed of a new catholic empire, to re-
place Austria, with Bavaria as its center Bavaria
is largely agricultural and the peasantry is the bull
wark of reaction of every character. Large num-
bers of the special terrorist police, the "green"
police recruited from the rural districts of this
povince. "Repubcanism" that depends for its
existence on such elements simply commits suicide
Any president elected by the proposed coalition
would be dictator of the most ruthless type an
emperor in all but name. 2.
Catholicism is survival Of feudalism its out
look is that of the middle ages. The German social
democracy, it seems, has not yet reached the full
depth of betrayal. 1t is willing to aid and accept
the aid Of the most reactionary force in Europe
to maintain its bureaucrats in Office.
It is evident that the German working class has
a bitter struggle ahead Of il, struggle to which
all its previous ones have been mere childs play
Only one party in Germany tells the masses the
truth-that freedom lies thru struggle and not
thru continual compromise which drives the work.
ers ever backward. The Communist Party fights
bravely every kind Of reaction, but its main task
is to break entirely the hold Of the socialdemocrats
upon the Masses tHfgiI
Tradition of social.democratic leadership is
strong in Germany, but, its constant treacheries,
the proposed coalition with the vatican most of ALL
make it easier to point out to the working class
its real role-that Of an agent of reaction and
counterreyolutioh?N c.