"The working class, its role and
its mission today.
The tasks and concrete experiences of the Communist Party in the working class
and the trade union."
Brussels, 16-18 May 2008
www.icsbrussels.org , ics@icsbrussels.org
The 2nd May 1933 and the Lessons for the Communist Party and the Trade Unions
Communist Party of Germany (KPD)
Seventy- five years ago the German Working and Trade unionist-movement suffered from the most ardous defeat in their history. At the 2th May 1933 the fascist gangs of SA and SS attacked , destroyed and plundered the Club houses of the trade unions. Colleagues, who used to live and work in those houses were beaten, humilated in a cynical and unhuman way and put into prisons and concentration camps without any trial. For many of them this was the beginning of a horryfing march into torture and death. More than 500 million Reichsmark were robbed by the nazis. The union club houses were changed into something which was called "Reichskanzlers Gaststaetten" (Reichskanzlers restaurants).
In some cities of Germany this already happened at the 1st April 1933, for example in Hannover and Kassel. In Hannover the colleagues were beaten and forced to raise their right arm. Afterwards the fascists burnt the flags of the union. The colleagues have been thrown on lorries and driven away. For us the german working class movement this is still a nightmare.
But this was the result of reformism ,opportunism within the unions the politics of Co-management with the bourgeoisie. The right-wing leaders of the ADGB (Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund-union parent organisation) refused and ignored suggestions, made by the KPD, to work and to fight together against social robbery, emergency decrees and fascism. In 1932 they preferred to support the presidential election of Hindenburg, despite the warning by Comrade Ernst Thaelmann : "Election of Hindenburg means election of Hitler- election of Hitler means election of war !"
In spite of this especially the German Communists went on fighting against the fascists. This has been proved by many acts of resistance. Already in May 1933 strikes broke out against fascist elections in the plants and the try to shorten the wages for more than 20% by the nazis.
In spite of the fact that the nazis smashed many underground-working-union-groups, founded by the KPD and left socialists, the KPD managed to inform the antifascist workers about the results of the "Brussel Conference 1935" and the "Bern Conference " January/February 1939. On the "Brussel Conference" the KPD declared the unity of the German Working Class as the central task. The party proclaimed to rebuild the free trade unions, which have been smashed by the fascists. The homogeneous free unions should put together all antifascist unionists to fight active against fascism, for the creation of a democratic state and economy to rebuild and went on with the best unionist traditions. During the "Bern Conference" the KPD developed its program of a new democratic republic.From all over the world, from Moscow, New York up to Buchenwald the call of the antifascists and the humilated could have been heard : "Down with fascism! The eradication of nazism with its roots is our parole. To build up a new world of peace and freedom is our aim! (Swear of Buchenwald, 19th April 1945)
With the defeat of German Fascism the dream of many colleagues about a strong unity of unions became true with the foundation of the FDGB (Freier Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund –union parent organisation of the GDR) in Berlin of the 15th of June 1945. For 40 years the FDGB showed the meaning and gave an example for antifascist, socialist trade union politics and international solidarity. In the GDR the unions acted as Karl Marx called it "the handle of the liberation of the working class!"
From 1949-1990 during the class struggles for tariff treaties in West Germany the GDR and the FDGB sat behind the table-unseen!
But the lessons of the 2th May 1933 also make clear, that reformism and co-management with the bourgeoisie can be muderous for the workers- and unionist movement. We always should remember the words by Karl Marx, that history always can happen twice : first, as a drama, second , as a farce.
Again the bourgeoisie threatens to weaken the trade unions and the new and old nazis, especially the NPD in Germany or Vlaams Belang in Belgium, recommend themselves to the ruling classes with their hate on the unions. Again they want to smash the historic and antifascist achievement of the unity of unionists. As communists and unionists it is our task to fight for these principles, but against reformism, opportunism, and co-management-politics.
During every struggle on tarriffs and wages we as communists have to discuss with our colleagues about the class character of the capitalist system. We have to show and to prove the colleagues that the destruction of jobs, the social downfall, but also the increase of racist and fascist ideology, the war all over the world are the heads of the imperialist hydra, and that only the working class will be able to cut those heads off and to kill the capitalist and imperialist beast!
The result will be, that we strengthen the class character of our colleagues. In this fight the trade unions again become more and more colleges of socialism and the workers will realize that the ruling system only can be changed by a revolutionary process.
Karl Marx once said : " The trade-unions are colleges of socialism. Inside the unions the workers will be educated to become socialists, because they are confronted with the fight against capitalism every day!"
So let`s fight
as shop-stewards
as workers council
in social and antifascist alliances
for the building up of communist workers groups in factories and institutions
against the revisionist point of view of buying out-factories (example : Nokia)
for a better, a communist world!
Thank you comrades!