Page:The Lessons of the German Events (1924).djvu/30

 exists, but we cannot bank upon two possibilities. The Party must be so directed as to make it possible during this period to do what has to be done, so that the possibility of a fight should not arise while we have a party which is not capable of action and which has a leadership that must itself be led. The subjective forces of the movement will then grow of themselves. For this it is necessary to have a strong hand at the head of the Party, capable of taking advantage of the existing situation, and to lead it into a victorious fight. For this a brief discussion of the differences is necessary, and of the situation as it is and as it should be. Then the strength of the Party must be directed outwards. As long as we dissipate our forces in struggles within the Party, we shall have no strength to fight and to exert influence outside.

The comrades who have developed themselves in the course of the struggle should work together in co-operation, and the leadership should not be left to a single individual. There are many comrades amongst our leaders who have been in the Party for many years, but have only just, in the course of the struggle, found themselves fighting by each other's side.

The Russian comrades say that it is the tradition of the old Bolsheviks that keeps them together, but we cannot speak of an old tradition within the Communist Party in Germany. We can, however, speak of an old tradition of the opposition in the Social-Democratic Party who have been working together for many years. That the bond between these comrades is closer than the bond between them and the comrades who have just come over to us is, of course, only natural.

We have come to the point of view that Brandler, in leading the Party, often acted too independently, so that many things occurred which the comrades did not desire. We have expressed the opinion that it is desirable, if Brandler is to lead the Party, that there should be strong collective action in the leadership of the Party. As to the situation within the Party and as to the Left, I repeat what I said yesterday. The opposition must come into the Central Committee, since Thälmann represents an opposition which arises from a proletarian feeling, from a good proletarian tradition, which Thälmann himself possesses. But the opposition represented by Ruth Fischer and Maslov is not an opposition which has grown out of real situations, but which was born out of theories. That is the criticism which I have to direct against this opposition; they do not represent reality, they believe that the world is created out of their own heads.

I think it is essential that this dispute should now come to an end, that it is our duty to return from Moscow with a strong hand and a strong leadership for the forthcoming struggles. This is essential above all in the period of illegality. If in such a period we have not the absolute confidence in one another, nothing can be done.