The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-02-29
By HERMANN REmMELE lBerlin)

ZIP to four weeks before the Presidential Elec-
v ton in Germany Cthe elections is to take
place on 18th Of March, the people" did not
know whom the German bourgeoisle would re-
present as the LEADER of the nation. Up to
that time there was only one certain candidate:
the candidate OF the German working class, the
representative of the Communist Party, COM
radc Thaelmann. Complete confusion still relgns
in the camp Of the German bourgeOlsle- For
weeks the bourgeois press has been pronounclng
Its oracles whether F1eld~Marshal H1ndenburg
would or would not agree to stand as candi~
date again, until he has now In e solemn de-
caration, pronounced his readiness to make this
sacrifice whether the Kyffhauser Bund (the
head organization OF the advertisements and
military associations), and the stahIhelm das-
csit defense orgsnization) will support their hon
orary President Hindenburg or not whether the
Hamburger front under the leadership of Hugen-
berg and Hitler will put forward their own can
didate and for weeks the German public has
witnessed the spectacle OF the hostile" brothers
in the camp Of the borgeoisie being unable to
come to an agreement.
Nothing shows more clearly the development
of bourgeois society in Germany from democracy
to fascsm than the approaching Presidential
election. Six years ago Fritz Ebert left Ger
many, the "freest democracy in the world" as
it was described by the whole OF the II Inter
national At that time the various bourgeois
wings came forward with clearly demarcated
fronts At the first ballot at that time the
monarchist-nationslist front put forward as their
candidate the German nationalist Jarres, the
democratic Centre put forward Marx and the
Republican Left put forward the social democrat
Otto Braun. At the second ballot the monar-
chist wing gave their support to Hindenburg,
didate-in spite OF the fact that he polled four
times more votes than the candidate of the
Centre-and voted for Marx. At the second ballot
Hindenburg was elected President of the Repub-
lie as representative Of the monarct1ist nation
alist wing as against the bourgeois Centre and
against the workers candidate Thaelmann.
The same Hindenburg who six years ago was
the representative Of the extreme monarchlst
nationalist wing gathered around Hugenberg
Hitler and Seldte, Is today the chosen candidate
of his erstwhile opponents" Of the Centre and
of the social democracy. What has changed in
the meantime is the political life and conscious
ness of bourgeois society itself: the coming to-
gether of the hostile" fronts in the bourgeois
camp in united bloc for the fight against the
common eneny-Bolshevisn.
Bruening's appeal to the various parties to
proclaim Hindenburg Reich's President without
fresh elecCO0S was al OIlC6 dCCepUSO ny JIG d.
cial democrats, whilst on the other hand the
actual Hindenbug wing refused to agree to this
procedure unless at the same time the Centre
Reich's government was replaced by a govern
rnent of the pronounced Right. national gov
ernment AS a result of this demand the COM
mon national united front from Hitler to Wells
collapsed. Thus against the will of the monar-
chist wing Hitler's candidatr1re became neces-
sary But only as a sham candidate. For the
arrangers Of Hiters candidature have already
made it plain that their candidate will only be
put forward at the first ballot, whilst in return
for further concessions to their original demands
they are ready, at the second ballot, to set up
the united front from Hitler to Wells
The cooperation of the extreme fascist wing
around Hitler and Hugenberg with the Bruen-
-Severing wing is SO palpable obvious to the
In Germany no political questions are decided
by the Bruening- Groener government or by the
PruSsian THANKSGIVING government without
the nationalist wing of Hugenberg and Hitler
being consulted" or having a decisive say in
the matter. In this connection the Reichwehr
group of Groener and Schleicher play the role
of co-adjutors of the extreme nationalist ten
dency It is from this political constellation that
there arises the demand by the Hugenberg-
Hitler wing that Groener shall be given the Of
flee of Reich's Chancellor and that several Min
istries shall be given to representatives of the
extreme nationalist wing
Meanwhile all the big towns and industrial