And the Kaiser abdicates: The German Revolution November 1918-August 1919Bouton, S. Miles (Stephen Miles)
History
And the Kaiser abdicates: The German Revolution November 1918-August 1919
Bouton, S. Miles (Stephen Miles)
Germany -- History -- Revolution, 1918; Germany -- Politics and government
_Die rote Fahne_ of Sunday morning published on the first page a leading
Article which undoubtedly was written by Liebknecht himself. It began:
"Proudly the red flag floats over the imperial capital. Berlin
has tardily followed the glorious example of the Kiel sailors,
the Hamburg shipyard laborers and the soldiers and workingmen of
various other states."
The article glorified the revolution and declared that it must sweep
away "the remains and ruins of feudalism." There must be not merely a
republic, but a socialistic republic, and its flag must not be "the
black, red and gold flag of the _bourgeois_ Republic of 1848, but the
red flag of the international socialistic proletariat, the red flag of
the Commune of 1871 and of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1912.
**** The revolutionary, triumphant proletariat must erect a new order
out of the ruins of the World War. **** The first tasks in this
direction are speedy peace, genuine proletarian domination, reshaping of
economic life from the pseudo-socialism of the war to the real socialism
of peace."
The article closed with an appeal to workingmen and soldiers to retain
their weapons and go forward "under the victorious emblem of the red
flag."
On the third page of the same issue appeared another article, also
probably from Liebknecht's pen. It was an appeal to the "workmen and
soldiers in Berlin" to fortify the power already won by them. "The red
flag floats over Berlin,"[38] wrote Liebknecht again. But this was only
a beginning. "The work is not finished with the abdication of a couple
of Hohenzollerns. Still less is it accomplished by the entrance into the
government of a couple more government Socialists. These have supported
the _bourgeoisie_ for four years and they cannot do otherwise now."
[38] No one can long study objectively the manifestations of
partisan Social-Democracy without feeling that there is
something pathological about the fetichistic worship of the
red flag by the radical elements among the Socialists.
"Mistrust is the first democratic virtue," declared Liebknecht. The
government must be completely reorganized. He then set forth the demands
that must be presented. They are of interest as the first formulation of
the program of those who afterward became the supporters of Bolshevist
ideals in Germany. Except for certain points designed only to meet then
existing conditions this program is still in essentials that of the
German Communists, as the Spartacans now term themselves. It follows:
1. Disarming of the whole police force, of all officers and
also of such soldiers as do not stand on the base of the new
order; arming of the people;[39] all soldiers and
proletarians who are armed to retain their weapons.
[39] _Bewaffnung des Volkes_; "people" used as a synonym for
the proletarian section of it. The _Bourgeoisie_ are not
_das Volk_ (the people) to the extreme Socialist.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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