Page:The Lessons of the German Events (1924).djvu/74

 the Reich generally, and by the news which was received of the outcome of the Chemnitz Conference.

Nevertheless, it was possible to call off the fight in Hamburg with exemplary discipline. The lessons to be derived from it are valuable for the Party and for the International. Particularly noteworthy was the villianous conduct of the Hambourg Social Democratic Leaders who supported the military action against the rebels. Their conduct is but the reverse side of the medal, the face of which is the conduct of Zeigner and his "Lefts" in Saxony.

The Saxon experiment has severely discredited the "left" Social Democrats; it has demonstrated that they are in reality the lackeys of the counter-revolution. The Hamburg uprising has considerably strengthened the consciousness of power of the German proletariat, and was at the same time a severe blow for the Social Democrats.

The Communist Party must realise clearly the errors which were committed during the Saxon experiment and in connection with the fight in Hamburg. Without this it will be impossible for the Party to conduct correct tactics in the future.

The leading strata of the German Social Democrats are at the present moment nothing else than a fraction of German Fascism under a socialist mask. They have handed the power of the state over to the representatives of the capitalist dictatorship in order to save Capitalism from the proletarian revolution. Sollmann, the Minister for Internal Affairs, declared a state of siege; Radbruch, the Minister for Justice, has converted "democratic" justice into extraordinary justice against the revolutionary proletariat. Ebert, the President of the Reich, also formally handed over government power to SecktSeeckt [sic]. The Social Democratic fraction in the Reichstag screened these actions and voted for the Special Powers Act which set aside the constitution and handed over power to the White generals.

The whole international social democracy is gradually becoming the official armour bearer of the Capitalist dictatorship. Men like Turati and Modigliani in Italy, Sakasov in Bulgaria, Pilsudski in Poland, and the Social Democratic leaders of the stamp of Severing in Germany, are direct participators in the government power of the capitalist dictatorship.

For five years the German Social Democrats of all shades had been gradually passing over to the camp of the counter-revolution. The process is now nearing its completion. The legitimate heir of the "revolutionary" Government of Scheidemann and Hasse is the fascist General Seeckt.

It is true there are differences even in the camp of the capitalist dictatorship, and these may be of great enough importance to be