The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-02-09

(The following is the second
installment Of an analysis of the
driving forces behind the present
events In Germany. It is taken
from No. 20 of the "CoDlmu-
mist International" Yesterdays
installment concluded with the
statement that the biggest cleo
toral victories of to- Communist
Party of Germany were obtained
in the districts where the strike
movement was the strongest").
IN this respect, the results of the
elections in Berlin are particu-
larly instructive. Here the brilliant
victory of the Communist Party of
Germany conceded with the height
of the struggle of the Berlin trans
port workers, in which the leading
role was in the hands of the Com
muniSt Party of Germany and the
revolutionary Trade Union move
ment, from beginning to end, while
the social democrats exposed them
selves from start to finish as a
hireling band of strike-breakers for
capitalism.
THE tremendous political i'm
/ portance of the strike OF the
Berlin transport workers, which
broke out on the very eve OF the
Reichstag elections, was also re-
allied by the whole Of the bour-
geoisie. The organ of the Centre,
Deutschland" had good reason to
write that "the strike of the Berlin
transport workers was not only a
political struggle, but also a
political signal. The "Berliner
Borzenzeitung" had good reason to
write that "the activity of the Com
munist Party is far in excess Of
the normal activity of election
propaganda" In this strike, as in
many of the big strikes which have
recently taken place belgium,
Geneva, new manifestations and
forms of proletarian activity, in the
conditions of the end of the par
tial sterilization of capitalism,
have found vivid expression. There
had not been any strike in Berlin
transport for nine years-Since
1928. The reformist union was
very strong here. But in spite of
all the efforts of the reformists, in
spite of their recognition of the
binding nature of the arbitration
court decision, in spite of all their
strike breaking work, they could
not persuade the working masses to
refrain from striking.
The greatest activity in this strike
was shown by the busmen, who
have responded hitherto least Of
all to revolutionary propaganda.
The National Socialists who, at
first, wanted to follow the reform
lists in admitting the binding ma
ture of the decisions of the arbitra-
ton court, were compelled, under
the pressure of their own masses, to
join the strike. This participation
in the strike was an attempt TO de-
ceive the Berlin proletariat with
social demagogy, so that, by this
means, they could ensure a split in
the working masses for themselves
right before the elections to the
Reichstag. This is one OF the chief
causes why Strasser gave his cate
goric refusal to reply to the pro-
posal of Hammerstein to abandon
the strike, and enter the govern
ment. Before the elections there
could be no question of abandoning
the strike.
NAZI DECEIT FAILS
The National Socialists mad need
Of this, especially because they
clearly felt the disappointment of
the workers and unemployed who
had been deceived by them, and
who had been diverted by social
demagogy into the ranks of fas-
cism, a discomfort which has been
expressed in the growth of the
anti-fascist united front in recent
months. 1t was further attempt
to ensure the conversion of the
factory cells of the National So
cialists into mass fascist trade union
organizations. The attempt was not
successful. The defeat of the Ma
tional Socialists in Berlin was not
so great as that of the social-dem-
ocrats or rs the defeat of the
'NaziS" Their selves in other indus
trial centre of Germany. But it
remains fact that in all the
proletarian divisions of Berlin, the
losses of the National Socialists
were very palpable.
A NEW feature in German strike
n struggle, which characterizes the
higher level of this struggle, is the
role of the Strike Committee, which
was elected from below by delegate
conferences, and which, from be-
ginning 10 end, kept the leadersh p
IN its own bands. BY its leadership,
the Communist Party succeeded in
creating a most popular strike
committee in which were repre-
scented non-Party, ocial-Demo-
cratic and Nationals Socialist work
ers. 1t was no chance that the
social-police "Vorwaerts" concen-