The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-02-15
The Weimar Constitution>>dnd
FdScism in Germany

under which the defense OF the
constitution can mean nothing else
than the defense of the right of
the capitalists to exploit the work
ers. Because the revolutionary
workers refuse this defense, they
are indicted by the social demo-
Gratis as enemies of "order." The
enemies of (capita1ist) order have
always been the worst evil in the
eyes of the social democrats. The
social democrats supported the
Catholic Centrist Marx against the
Communist Thaelmann. They sup
ported the Monarchist Hindenburg
against the Communist Thael-
mann; and they will support the
fascist Hitler against the Com
munist Thaelmann. Social demo-
crat Grabbert expressed this in
words that cannot be misunder-
stood or misinterpreted. In a cam
paign speech in Harburg, he de-
clared:
ON this campaign not the Ma
ZlS DuJ kuC Jul
most dangerous opponents. 1t is
possible that the Nazis become
the legal instrument of state
power. When. in such case, the
Communists should try to play
tricks, t?-M. b. then it may
come to pass that we (tfe social
democrats-M b. will fight in
the front of law and order, to-
gether with the Nazis end with
the police, against the Commun-
lists" No mistake about the
meaning Of that, is there?
The period from 1918 TO 1888 was
the period of further development
of the forces that opposed each
other in the German revolution of
1919; the capitalist class and the
revolutionary working class The
tendencies of this development
were determined by the conditions
which the treachery of social de-
mocracy created in 1888.
In 1919 a virtually victorious work
ing class faced defeated capital
ist class Then the victors we're
persuaded not to crush the defeat
ed enemy but to come TO an agree
ment with it. The essence of the
agreement engineered by the social
democrats was that the workers
give back capitalism to the capt.
alists, and that the capitalists give
to the workers in turn, constitu-
the constitution. the capitalists
took power The workers got
worthless paper, the capitalists got
the substance The capitalist used
their substance to reorganize their
power. In the degree in which
this reorganization proceeded, they
liquidated the paper concessions
they had given to the workers.
They liquidsted the constitution.
In the process of this liquidation,
greater and greater masses learned
to recognize the real character Of
the Weimar bargain. They became
reyolutionistS. Thus the force that
the Weimar constitution was sup
posed to have liquidated the re-
evolutionary proletariat, was re-
created, better educated, and or
ganized, and, therefore, higher IN
quality, and more powerful i'll its
force. This development is his
toric illustration of Karl Marks
Characterization of the proletarian
revU,utk,n:
"ProletaffAn revolutions are
ever self-critieai. they again
and again stop short In their
progress; retrace their steps in
order to make fresh start; are
pitilessly scornful of the half
measures, the weaknesses, the
futility Of their preliminary es-
says. 1t seems as If they had
cverthrown their adyersaries only.
In order that these might draw
renewed strength from contact
with the earth and return to the
battle like giants refreshed. Again
and again, they shrink back, APP
palled before the vague immen-
sity OF their own aim. But, at
long last, a situation is reached
when the retreat Is impossible
Even the treachery of social de-
mocracy could, in the long run,
only lead to proletarian self
criticism of the revolution of 1918,
to a retracing OF its steps and to
a new start. The time for this
new start in Germany is RAPIDLY
Mnginas -gssres