The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-26
ON THE PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION IN GERMANY

believe that Hindenbmg's policy prepares the
way for the open fascist dictatorship.
Never before have the significance and cor
rectness of our strategic orientaton toward the
winning over of the majority OF the working
class, toward winning the workers away from
Social-Democracy as the main support of the
bourgeoisie been so clearly demonstrated as in
the present situation. The results of the cleo
tons show that the five million votes cast for
the Communist Party numerically lag behind the
objective possibilities offered by the present stu
alton. The election results are unsatisfactory
for the Communist Party. With BolShevik self
criticism we must state that up to now we have
been only partially successful in smashing the
infamous manoeuvres of the Social Democratic
Party, the deceptive talk OF the lesser evil"
Of state capitalism" the policy of the iron
'front.'" in convincing the millions of social de-
mocratic and unionized workers OF the correct
ness of our policy and in winning them from
the influence Of Social Fascism. Social Demo-
crazy well understood how to utilize the counter
revolutionary mass movement of Hitler fasciSrn,
which is stimulated and financed by the bourge-
oisie to chain great masses of workers to the
Hndenburg front of the bourgeoisie The policy
Of the oourgeoiSie in the presidential elections
is typical example OF the interchangeable mani
fold ways in which the bourgeoisie can utilize
social democracy and the nationaI-socialist mass
movement.
In comparing the election results in the various
districts, we find they have an unequal charac-
ter Whereas there has been certain gain in
the agricultural districts and in Southern Ger
many increase in votes in Bavaria Baden,
Thuringia, ana in parts of the WestphaIian
Rhineland) there has been a standstil, and
even slump in some other districts The re-
suits in Berlin "a loss of $4,000 votes compared
with the Reichstag elections in Hamburg Ca
loss OF 1000 votes compared with the Reichs-
tag elections, and even $4,000 compared with
the municipal elections), in Upper Silesia "a
loss of $1,000, and in Hal1e-Merseburg "a loss of
10000, are cinnpletely unsatisfactory
We must examine this situation with all the
fearless self-critcisnl, which Bolshevism re-
quires, in order to find out the reasons for it,
and to do everything possible to overcome the
shortcomings which have appeared as quickly
and energetically as possible. The very fact
that our votes increased in a number of dis
trictss shows that neither the inadequate re-
suits as whole, nor the losses in certain dis
trictS can under any circumstances be explained
by the false assertion: I'm presidential cleo
tons we always get less votes than in parlia-
mentary elections
The real reasons why we Jagged behind the
favorable objective possibilities can rather be
found, as the decisions of the February Plenun
have already shown, in the following:
Our struggle for the united front of the pro-
letariat can be successful only in proportion
as we are able to organize and to lead the day.
to-day struggles of the working class against
the capitalist offensive. We were unable to
place ourselves at the head Of all the various
forms OF mass resistance against the boss Of
fensive and the emergency decree dictatorship
We did not lead the struggle against social de-
mocracy and for the winning over of the So
cial democratic and unionized masses of work.
ers with sufficient sharpness and with sufficient
ruthleSsnesS (Which is by no means synonymous
with Strong" words) In carrying out our
strategically main task-the winning over Of
the working class and the united front policy
from below we find great weaknesses. We
must indissoluably link up the fight for the rev.
dictionary way out with the day-to-day prob
lens, and in the course Of the struggle for the
burning partial and daily demands of the fac
tory workers and unemployed, we must expose
the role of the social democratic party and the
reformiSt trade union bureaucracy as socially
the chief support of the bourgeoisie. We must
understand much more clearly than before how
to develop the initiative and the readiness to
struggle Of the masses, and to transform them
into concrete action on the part of the proletar-
lat. The fight against the social democratic
party, both before and during this election
campaign was conducted in an unsatisfactory
manner
ITO be ConcIudedO