THE BEGINNING OF THE END: THE POLITICAL THEORY OF THE

GERMAN COMMUNIST PARTY TO THE THIRD PERIOD

By Lea Haro

Thesis submitted for degree of PhD

Centre for Socialist Theory and Movements

Faculty of Law, Business, and Social Science

January 2007 

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1337/1/2007harophd.pdf

Table of Contents

Abstract I

Acknowledgments iv

Methodology

i. Why Bother with Marxist Theory? I

ii. Outline 5

iii. Sources 9

1. Introduction

-

The Origins of German Communism: A 14

Historical Narrative of the German Social Democratic Party

a. The Gotha Unity 15

b. From the Erjlurt Programme to Bureaucracy 23

c. From War Credits to Republic 30

II. The Theoretical Foundations of German Communism

-

The 39

Theories of Rosa Luxemburg

a. Luxemburg as a Theorist 41

b. Rosa Luxemburg's Contribution to the Debates within the 47

SPD

i. Revisionism 48

ii. Mass Strike and the Russian Revolution of 1905 58

c. Polemics with Lenin 66

i. National Question 69

ii. Imperialism 75

iii. Political Organisation 80

Summary 84

Ill. Crisis of Theory in the Comintern 87

a. Creating Uniformity in the Comintern 91

i. Role of Correct Theory 93

ii. Centralism and Strict Discipline 99

iii. Consequences of the Policy of Uniformity for the 108

KPD

b. Comintern's Policy of "Bolshevisation" 116

i. Power Struggle in the CPSU 120

ii. Comintern After Lenin 123

iii. Consequences of Bolshevisation for KPD 130

iv. Legacy of Luxemburgism 140

c. Consequences of a New Doctrine 143

i. Socialism in One Country 145

ii. Sixth Congress of the Comintern and the 150

Emergence of the Third Period

Summary 159

IV. The Third Period and the Development of the Theory of Social 162

Fascism in Germany

a. "Benign" Use of Social Fascism 166

i. Zinoviev and Social Fascism 167 

ii. Bucharin and Social Fascism 174

b. The Practical Foundations of a Pseudo Theory 180

i. Wittorf Affair 181

ii. Blutmai

- Bloody May Day 1929 184

iii. The KPD's Reaction to the May Day 188

Demonstrations

c. Pseudo Theory Takes Hold 193

d. Consequences for German Communism 203

Summary 210

V. Conclusion 212

Bibliography 221

Appendix

Chronological Table 236

Abbreviations and Acronyms 248 

Abstract

In Marxist movements theory played a significant role. Even after the

Stalinisation of the various Comintem parties, theory was propagated as crucial

to their development. The KPD was born out of the rich theoretical traditions of

the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). As disillusioned Lassalleans,

Wilhelm Liebknecht and August Bebel chose Marxism as their theoretical guide

to a Socialist outcome. As the political and economic climate in Germany

changed the party grew and made parliamentary gains the nature of the SPD

changed, much to the frustration of Rosa Luxemburg and the Left of the SPD.

The final straw was, of course, the SPD's voting for war credits in 1914. In

breaking away from the German Social Democratic Party Rosa Luxemburg had

a clear idea of the type of party she hoped Spartakusbund would become. She

sought a party that resembled the pre-1906 SPD

- one that was democratic and

non-bureaucratic. Therefore, one must ask -

how was it possible that in the

short life span of the Weimar Republic for Luxemburg's party to arrive at its

Social Fascist end?

First, from its foundation in 1919 the fledgling German Communist

Party (KPD) struggled to find its way. A few weeks after its founding congress,

government forces murdered Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. In the

months to follow, other key leaders and theoreticians also died

- either by

natural causes (in the case of Franz Mehring) or at the hands of government

forces. Finding itself in a weakened position the fledgling party turned to the

Bolsheviks for practical and theoretical guidance. However the Bolsheviks

were desperate to spread the revolution to Europe, in particular to Gennany, in

i 

order to save their revolution. With this in mind Lenin and the Bolsheviks

attempted to force Russian methods onto the German party with little or no

regard as to whether those methods suited the German needs. Rather than force

the revolution forward, Lenin's Policy of Uniformity merely served to further

weaken the leadership's position within the party. The party leadership rather

than maintain its independence from the Bolsheviks and fight matters, in which

they fundamentally disagreed simply resigned, thereby allowing the party to

become subordinate to the Russian party. While it was never Lenin's intention,

his desire to force the revolution forward helped lay the foundations for the

more repressive policy of Bolshevisation.

Second, Lenin's death and the failed German Revolution of 1923

marked a tremendous turning point. In the Soviet party the power struggle that

ensued served to discredit the old Bolsheviks, especially Trotsky and any who

posed a threat to Soviet hegemony. The Comintern's Policy of Bolshevisation

was used to contain and control the revolutionary aspiration of its member

parties. In Germany the failed revolution of 1923 and the "period of relative

stabilisation" that followed paved the way for the Maslow-Fischer group to take

control of the party. The Maslow-Fischer group officially adopted

Bolshevisation and used it to purge the party of the Right and Centre wings.

Armed with the Policy of Bolshevisation the Maslow-Fischer group launched

attacks against Rosa Luxemburg, her supporters, and their Social Democratic

past. The campaigns against Luxemburg were fairly successful. Although she

remained an enduring symbol in the KPD, her memory as a revolutionary

theoretician was successfully manipulated.

ii 

The Comintern Policy of Bolshevization not only served to purge the

KPD of its Soviet opposition it also laid the foundations for the propagation of

Social Fascism first as campaign against Social Democracy and then as a

theory. In many ways Social Fascism was an exaggerated form of

Bolshevisation. It began as a form of name calling - equating Social

Democracy with Fascism. Later with the fall of Zinoviev and Bukharin Social

Fascism was developed into a fully fledged theory.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how and why the political

theory of German Marxism changed as it passed through its various phases,

essentially how it progressed from a theory of revolution to becoming

synonymous with the dogma and repression of Social Fascism. This thesis will

argue that the theoreticians and leaders of the German Communist movement

were overwhelmed and unable to develop theory that reflected their unique

circumstances. It was their own internal weakness and inability to lead that

allowed the movement to be over taken by the Bolsheviks. Lenin's policy of

Uniformity served to weaken the KPD leadership within the party. Each

Comintern policy that followed left the party weaker and further subordinated to

the Soviet party. While not a single Comintern policy can be blamed for the

KPD's Social Fascist outcome, each played a role in weakening the German

movement.