The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-05
HighEghts in the Life
Of Ernst ThGeLmdIln
During Revolutionary Period of l9I8-I9, He
Led Campaign to Arm Working Class

This h the second and eOne1ud-
ing iastsllment q the article on
Ernst ThaelmAnn, leader Of the
German Communist Party, the first
part of which appeared in SatGr-
days Daily Worker. The pubhca-
ton Of this brief biography assumes
special significance at present In
connection with the worldwide
campaign being modified for Com
rade Thaelmann'S release from the
dungeons Of the Nab Germany.
AT its foundation, Ernst Tinael-
mann became a member Of the
USDP. Independent Socialist Party
Of Germany, although from the nrst
moment on he was disguised with
the leaders policy Of compromise, He
set himself the task-and also tul-
filled ito bring the masses Of the
workers in the Independent Socialist
Party organization in Hamburg over
to the Communist Party. Here he
passed the first great test Of his Boil
shevik energy and political courage
After the Party Congress in Halle in
1920, more than 30 per cent Of the
membership Of the Independent So
cialist Party in the Hamburg Was
serkante district went over with
Thaelmann to the Communist Party
During the actual revolutionary
period Of 1898, he was at the head
Of the elements that were pressing
forward and took leading part in
all the activities which aimed at
providing the revolutionary working
class with arms.
In the years that followed he was
always chairman Of the Communist
Party organization in Hamburg; al
the same time, he was a member OF
the District Committee Of Wasser-
kante, and was visibly in the fore
ground Of all the economic and po-
litical struggles Of the workers OF
Hamburg. In 1919, the workers Of
Hamburg elected Ernst Thaelmanu
to the Lower House, Of which he re-
manned q member from then on.
At the head Of the organization OF
the CPG. in Hamburg, Ernst Thael-
mann, during all the phases Of fur
ther development, has been the I'M
firing champion of a real revolution
airy mass policy. In the course OF the
everyday struggle he schooled him
self in the works of Marx, Eagels
and Lenin. With increasing clarity
he carried on the struggle against
all those who we're hindering the
Party in carrying on a real Bolshevik
mass policy. He waged q struggle
against the opportunist policy of the
then Central Committee Of the C.P.G
and against the district chairman Of
the Hamburg Wasserkante Party or
ganization. In the summer Of 1928
when the energy Of the masses was
breaking through into action, he va;
fully aware, as leader Of the Ham
burg Transport Organization, OF tht
great task which was assigned to the
Hamburg proletariat in the stra.
tegical plan Of the German prole.
tartan revolution. The heroic strug.
gle of the workers of Hamburg ir
october 1923, shows the inner force
| and strength Of their organization
but they had to give up the fight be-
cause the wrong strategy Of the en-
tire leadership made q victory i'm.
possible. The Party, which was forced
underground, turbulently demanded
the replacement Of the opportunist
Party leadership, and from that mo-
ment EDWARDS Ernst Thaelmann has
stood at the head Of the Communist
Party. With ever-increasing clarity
he has exerted all his efforts toward:
carrying out the guiding Bolshevist
principles in the policy of Communist
mass work in Germany. In his strug-
giles against the anti-Leninist trends
he more and more had the support OF
the overwhelming majority Of the
Party membership. Under his leader
ship the Party progressed from year
to year. He prominently cooperated
in the leadership of the Communist
international, and since the Fifth
World Congress there has not beer
an international session Of the Com
intern at which Ernst Thaeln1ann die
not deal with the questions of the
class struggle in Germany and the