The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-02-09
Background of the Struggle
Against FdSciSm in Germany

trated all its blows particularly
against the strike committee, "un-
der the terror of which" according
to this paper, the refornlist work.
ers were compelled to join In the
strike.
A further new feature In this
strike, finally, was its result. In
spite of the fact that, under the
pressure of police terror and the
strike breaking Of socal-democracy,
the workers accepted a reduction
of Q pfennigs an hour from their
wages, even in spite of the mass
dismissalS which comemnced In the
factories, moral and political sue
cess was entirely in favor OF the
strikers. and the Communist Party
which headed the strike.
OFSAN ELECTION
In such circumstances of sharp
intenSification of the class struggle,
the German workers proceeded TO
the new elections to the Reichstag
the fifth big electoral campaign
this year. The keynote of the cleo
lions was the extra Parliamentary
mass struggle of the proletariat,
and the maturing of revolution
AIRY crisis in Germany.
The first fundamental lesson of
this electoral campaign is that
neither the fascist dictatorship of
the Won Papen government, nor the
mass movement of German fas-
cism, nor the main social bulWark
of the urgeoisie-Socia -Demoe-
racy-which was utilized by mon
opolist capital for the strengthen
ing of its dictatorship, none Of
these was able to retard the ac-
celebrating speed of the Hadicaliza-
ton of the masses, to prevent the
processes of crisis in the mass
movement of German fascism; or
those of the growing crisis of social
democracy, which had already been
SO clearly expressed in the elections
to the Reichstag, three months
previously. The changes in the re-
lationship of the forces of reyolu-
ton and counter-revolution are
continuing to move irresistibly in
a direction beneficial to the work
ing class and its Communist van
guard. In the conditions of the
most brutal police terror the COM
munist Party not only increased its
vote by 100000 and raised the pro-
portion of Communist votes from
14.5 per cent. to II per cent, but
which is most importantly OBJ
tanned its biggest victories in the
decisive industrial centres-espe-
cially in Berlin, and the industrial
district of the Rhine and West
phalia. The elections showed that
in Germany the Communist Party
has been able to create a serious
barrier to the chauvinistic wave,
and closely approach the solution
Of the strategic task of winning
over the majority of the working
class.
THE geoiS-fascist and social
democratic press attempt to
weaken the impression made by
the election results by stating that
these results were expected" by
everyone and that electoral activ-
tty on the whole was lower than
in the previous elections. But
though there was a fall in the
proportion of voters who took part
in the elections there was almost
everywhere an increase In the num-
Der Of Communist votes, and 1t is
precisely this fact which indicates
the significance of the successes of
the Communist Party, the only
Party which emerged from these
elections with really substantial
gains. 1t may be said, in passing,
that election participation turned
out to be much greater than was
expected, and was not far behind
the record election activity Of the
previous election. AS for Berlin,
the participation of the electorate
even increased. The number of
votes cast was 10000 higher than
at the Reichstag elections on July
31St this year, but the Communists
won 100000 more votes, 1. e., 10000
more than the total increase in the
number of votes, and 10000 more
than the combined losses Of the
ocial-democrats and national-scs
cialiStS.
SIX MILLION RED VOTES
The second lesson of the election
campaign is to be found in the
defeat of national socialism. The
elections showed that the program
OF social and national liberation.
put forward by the Communist
Party two years ago, is becoming
more and more a revolutionary
weapon for the concrete exposure
OF the national and social denaa-
gogy OF national socialism. The
masses are understanding more
and more that chauvinism will not
destroy the Versailles system. Sin
million votes for Communisn-slIch
is the reply Of the working class la
Germany to the increasing agprea.
slveness OF German Imperialism. 10
the military adventures of General
Won Schleicter, to the appeals of
Conlrade Thalmann from the prole-
tartan tribune in Paris for a strur-
gle AGAINST nationalism, for inter
nationalism. The enemy Is In our
mouse. These words of Karl