But the Socialists, followed on this point by the National Assembly, held that these reforms were only preparatory in character. True economic democracy can not content itself with the mere recognition of workers’ organizations and collective bargaining. Economic democracy cannot be established and therefore economic and social transformation cannot be effected, unless the working class can exercise on production the influence that is its due. There must be provided an organization that accords the workers the right to participate actively in the determination of the ends and of the duties of the vocation and the enterprise; which makes of the workers co-operators with the capitalist. There must be in every district, in the states and in the Reich an economic representation created, in which workers and employés will be represented by the side of their employers, and in which, on a footing of equality, they will be called upon to co-operate in the regulation of all economic questions. Such is the thesis; and all efforts and struggles which we shall observe, centred about the problem of according to the working class the right of codecision (Mitbestimmungsrecht); and about the problem of organizing this right. But so far nothing has been done beyond the statement of some indefinite principles and the roughing out of the first measures of their realization. * * * * * These problems were not new. Already before the war the law of 1891 provided for “Committees of Workers” in the factories, who could be consulted on the provisions of factory regulations; but as the formation of these committees depended entirely on the good-will of the employers, the workers looked with little sympathy on this institution. In fact, such committees existed in several thousand factories, but their activity was limited to the administration of the income from fines and the institution of welfare work. During the war the rôle of the workers increased considerably in importance. The laws for compulsory patriotic service which took away from them the liberty of work owed them compensation. There were established therefore in all enterprises where there were more than fifty employed, “committees of workers,” which were elected by all the workers and had definite functions. There were in addition “joint arbitration committees,” where conflicts between employers and employés were settled. “Committees on decisions” also existed, charged with ruling on other questions raised by the law for patriotic service. These different organisms at once assumed an important place in the economic life. On the advent of the Revolution the unions easily obtained some reforms for which they had fought for a long time, and which constituted their immediate claims.