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Working men, working women and oppressed peoples in all countries, unite!
On the splitting of the Communist Party of Germany
(Red Dawn)
in 2002
RED OCTOBER
Organisation for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Germany
Dear comrades,
We sincerely thank you for asking for the backgrounds of the split
within the Communist Party of Germany (Red Dawn). Because of problems
with translation on our part, for the time being we are only able to
describe the fundamental points of demarcation in form of thesis. In
our central organ, Red October, we regularly set out our position concerning
the CPG (Red Dawn) on the basis of individual questions. Please find
attached the issues published until now –unfortunately only in
German. Nevertheless, we will try to outline the principal arguments
against the CPG (Red Dawn) in the pages following.
We are interested in having discussions from your part all time.
In the near future, the 3rd meeting of members of the organisation Red October will take place. If you are interested in receiving material (in German) relating to this, we will be happy to send it. Messages of greetings etc are welcome.
With communist greetings,
Secretariat of the Organisation for the Reconstruction of the Communist
Party of Germany, Red October
Only the demarcation from revisionism and opportunism
preserves the Marxism–Leninism
On the splitting of the Communist Party of Germany (Red Dawn)
in 2002
In 2002, the Communist Party of Germany (CPG) (Red Dawn), member
of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organisations,
split in three parts:
- We, the communist organisation for the reconstruction of the Communist
Party of Germany (Red October)
- The group of Diethard Möller, the so-called organisation for
reconstruction of the Communist Workers´ Party of Germany
- And the rest of the CPG (Red Dawn)
The developments escalated rapidly and surprisingly for the brother parties, but as well for the grass roots level of the CPG (Red Dawn) because the central committee has kept the conflicts in secret for years and even denied them. Only after the 10th party congress in 2001 it was admitted openly that two lines had developed within the Central Committee (CC) of the CPG (Red Dawn), a fact that could not be hidden anymore after the escalation at the 10th party congress anyway.
Thereupon, many members left the CPG (Red Dawn). At common conferences in 2002, the construction of the Communist Party of Germany was discussed. Within the framework of this conferences it soon became clear for us, the ones who later founded the organisation Red October, that the line around Diethard Möller was a revisionist line also and that the reconstruction of a Communist Party is not possible with this group because neither the revisionism was recognized under the presidency of Diethard Möller, nor was it considered necessary to analyse the degeneration of the CPG (Red Dawn).
Thus, we founded the communist organisation Red October in December 2002.
On the demarcation from the CPG (Red Dawn)
First of all, we noticed the discrepancy of the CC of the CPG (Red Dawn)
with the principles of Marxism-Leninism in single questions. Little
by little, the revisionism turned out in more and more questions, so
we could understand the revisionist line of the CPG (Red Dawn).
This line becomes clear on the following points:
1. Revision of the Marxism-Leninism and of the communist history
One example for the revision of the Marxism-Leninism through the CPG
(Red Dawn) is that they deny the necessity to propagate the revolutionary
violence.
In connection with this, Lenin said: "the necessity of systematically
imbuing the masses with this and precisely this view of violent revolution
lies at the root of the entire theory of Marx and Engels.” (Lenin,
selected works in three volumes, vol. 2, p. 252)
Concerning this, it is our duty to propagate the necessary of revolutionary violence as a condition for the socialist revolution and as a principle of the scientific socialism. Neither the Bourgeoisie will do that, nor will this process of consciousness arise on its own within the working class.
On the contrary to that, the CPG (Red Dawn) is of the opinion that
“violence isn’t an end in itself but it appears to be necessary
to people, who consistently stand up for their interests, at a certain
escalation of the fight. (They) are pushed to that because the bourgeois
state power raises the question of violence for their part." (Graue
Reihe, theory organ of the CPG (Red Dawn), issue 28/29. p.48)
To confirm their "theory" they drag the communist history
of the CPG/ML through the mud and claim that after the rejection of
the revisionist line of Khrushchev on the XX party congress, it came
“to a harmful way of making absolute the question of violence”
by “a kind of pendular movement" (Graue Reihe, p. 48). Already
the application of the concept "pendular movement" for the
explanation of the history is unscientifically-schematically in itself.
But it was tried to establish without any proofs the making absolute
of the question of violence during the time of the CPG/ML and, parting
from that, to draw the conclusion of the negation of propaganda of the
necessary of revolutionary violence in today’s time.
So, the CPG (Red Dawn) is of the opinion that: "The Communist Party must politically lead and comment in the right moment and in the right way on the question of violence. But it is harmful when the party poses the question of violence at a wrong moment and in an abstract way before the masses and by doing that harps on upon an issue on which ideological hegemony of the bourgeoisie (`monopoly on force of the state´) is especially strong.” (Graue Reihe, p.48).
But we are of the opinion that we must not shrink from the questions in which the bourgeois ideology is especially strong. Rather the way round, we must defend and spread the communist ideology especially in this questions vehemently. The question of realizing socialism is connected directly with the application of revolutionary violence. There isn’t a right or a wrong moment, just as it is never the wrong moment for propagating communism. Because, "the Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions." (Manifesto of the Communist Party, Peking 1975, p 77)
The CPG (Red Dawn) is also ready to falsify quotations for the argumentation of their "theory" for example in the "Graue Reihe" a quotation from Enver Hoxha (p.54).
The CPG (Red Dawn) revises the Marxism-Leninism in the question of the necessity of the Bolshevisation of the Communist Party of Germany, the role of the dictatorship of the proletariat and the leading role of the Communist Party. But we can’t give a detailed description of that here because of lack of place.
2. No fight against revisionism and opportunism
The CPG (Red Dawn) doesn’t carry out a fight against revisionism
and opportunism, both within and outside of the party. Rather they try
to ingratiate themselves with the trade union circles under the leadership
of the Trotskyites; principles are hurt because apparently one can reach
more "masses" this way (but with less content). So, firstly
the CPG (Red Dawn) has postponed the 8th Trade Unions´ Meeting
for six months and now they have cancelled it completely. Their argumentation
for this was: "At the moment, there’re different conferences
organised by trade unions and other forces taking place in Germany which
are dealing with the perspectives and plans for actions of resistance
against the attacks of the capital and the government against the material
living conditions and rights of the working people. Such activities
take place worldwide and at this time especially in Europe. (...) It
would have been still possible to organize the meeting in a smaller
framework, but because of the facts mentioned above, it was not possible
to establish a relation between the current and concrete movement and
the 8th International Trade Unions´ Meeting at present."
But the meetings which take place at present, at least in Germany, are
meetings which are organized under the leadership of Trotskyites. In
the preparatory committee of the 8th International Trade Unions´
Meeting was also the Trotskyite ...., who is member of a well-known
Trotskyite party. But it seems, that no difference is seen between the
meeting of trade unionist organised by the European organisations which
signed the declaration of Quito, and the other meetings, so that apparently
the necessity to hold this meeting is not seen anymore.
The CPG (Red Dawn) presents its alliance politics as success. At the
large demonstration in November 2003 with 100.000 demonstrators, the
CPG (Red Dawn) of course defined its influence as "decisive".
But fact is that the CPG did not deliver a speech, that in the last
moment, the Trotskyites censored speakers of the Maoist party MLPD that
everything was on plan for the Trotskyites and the influence of the
CPG (Red Dawn) –let alone a "decisive influence”- is
out of the question.
3. Moderation instead of propaganda
The way one bows to others in the alliance work and throws overboard
the communist principles, the same way one behaves also outwards. The
CPG (Red Dawn) is rarely seen as CPG (Red Dawn). It is preferred more
to hide behind so-called "unity-front-organisations" like
the International Youth or Clear Text, which are at least anti-capitalist
for their pretension, but actually more democratic.
If the CPG (Red Dawn) appears openly, it often happens that certain
publications are not sold with the argumentation that the member making
the book table is not behind it in terms of content.
In the newspaper Red Dawn, actions were reported as moderators from
outside and not from, or as a part of the movement.
4. Internationalism only in words, not in acts
Of course the CPG (Red Dawn) asserts to be engaged for the proletarian
internationalism. But what are they actually doing? How is it possible,
that they never talked about the arguments within the CPG (Red Dawn)
and finally about the splitting of the party with the brother organisations?
The international contacts of the CPG (Red Dawn) are characterized by
the principle of use of tactics, not by Marxist-Leninist comradeship
and solidarity. An example: Since many years there’re strong criticisms
within the CPG (Red Dawn) against the TDKP, which, according to our
opinion as well, dissolved itself in favour of EMEP which means that
it does not exist anymore. It was often claimed by our comrades to have
an open conversation on bilateral level – as the Leninist principles
of organisation require it - and if this won’t lead to a result,
to comment on international level, too.
Instead of that, the CC of the CPG (Red Dawn) has read out a part of
the report on the 10th party congress where they state that the TDKP
is not a Communist Party. This part of the statement wasn’t even
given to the delegates of the party congress in written form. However,
this part was accepted by the majority of the party congress. Nevertheless,
the central committee forbid talking with the TDKP, to talk with Turkish
and Kurdish immigrants about the discussion about and the role of the
Communist Party.
If you come to the conclusion that a Communist Party isn’t a Communist
Party anymore, that this party is revisionist or doesn’t exist
anymore, so it’s the duty of a communist, of a proletarian internationalist,
to discuss this with the comrades and to say it openly.
5. On party construction
The views of the CPG (Red Dawn) about the construction of the party
are insufficient and wrong in many points. In the "theoretical
organ" about the Communist Party, decisive points are missing.
Conspiracy has never been mentioned, and as argumentation for that it
was said at the 10th party congress that they do not want to hand the
state a reason for prohibition on a plate. Instead of that they tolerate
and practise the legal reconstruction of a party and by that endanger
members and contacts.
The part of the central committee was not filled out also; during our
time in the CPG (Red Dawn) there has never been a real direction. It
was accepted that instructors did not transmit criticisms and the local
situation. As the secretary general was asked about it, the affected
comrades were told that the “sloppiness” is already known.
But this did not mean that the person was relieved from its function,
only the members were requested to transmit criticisms and comments
directly in written form to the CC.
6. Democracy within the party
The statutes and the party congress decisions were repeatedly violated.
Against the rules concerning the statutes, criticisms were not published
within the party or extremely delayed.
Before the 10th party congress some comrades got the materials only
in the car on the way there, so it couldn’t even be discussed
with the local cell.
Criticisms were torn polemically and the central committee called upon
the members not to read the criticisms. Some inquires for the central
control-commission weren’t even handled.
Criticisms and self-criticism relating to this never took place.
7. On the woman question
In general, the CPG (Red Dawn) expressed itself very rarely referring
to the woman question. We don’t know anything about practical
work in this territory. The only a bit more detailed paper on the "situation
of the woman" is the "Women` political declaration of the
CPG" (from 1992) and two papers which were only published internal
as discussion paper in the “Notifications” 4/01 on the topics
"women in the party". These papers were written by members
of the central committee and published by the CC with the explanation:
"In this number of “notifications” are several papers,
which were already written some time ago, on the topic of women. Nevertheless,
we think that they are still up-to-date and we request you to discuss
them solid." (Notifications 4/01 p.16)
In these papers it was told "that the conditions of life in the patriarchy are established corresponding to the reality of men` life... that the institutions of the social relations will be orientate mainly on the necessities of one, the masculine gender." (ibid, p.17). But in reality, the social relations are orientated on the requirements of the capital because there’s the main contradiction within the capitalist social order.
In bourgeois-revisionist manner the CPG (Red Dawn) demands "access to all jobs for women!" ("Women’s political declaration of the CPG" p.31). Our demands have ever been special protection regulations for women. We can’t be interested in women having to work at night, too, in women working in mines and we can’t be interested in women being obliged of becoming soldiers for the imperialism. We’re not interested in a formal-juridical equalization under capitalist conditions. This has nothing to do with communist women policy.
Also they see something positive at the demands of the bourgeoisie for women-shares. The CPG (Red Dawn) states: "the quota system could have good aspects as well if carried out consistently. For example the quoting of places to train; this could force the employer to take as many women as men for training. The chances for women would be much better than today." ("Women’s political declaration of the CPG", p. 17)
That can’t be the communists` demand. Or should we demand that not the male but the female employee should become unemployed or stay untrained?
Quotation leads to an intensified competition between male and female workers and tightens the split of the working class into men and women. Quota is a typical demand of the bourgeoisie who wants to divert from the reason for unemployment and prefers to blame one gender.
Consequently, CPG (Red Dawn) does not distinguish between the bourgeois
and proletarian women’s movement. It writes: “The women’s
movement is a spontaneous and necessary reaction of women to oppression.”
(Women’s political declaration of CPG, p.11) Which kind of women’s
movement, the bourgeois or proletarian one? “But it is not possible
to talk about a women’s` movement which is united, as CPG (Red
Dawn) recognizes as well, “because that what is understood and
feared when hearing of a women’s` movement is an accumulation
of indeed very different groups that set themselves different tasks
to work, that means most often partly aspects of women’s issue.”
(ibid)
The different aspects are not the reason for the split. The reason is
that there exists the struggle for the women’s liberation which
belongs to the proletarian women’s movement. On the other hand,
there is the bourgeois women’s movement which aims to moderate
women’s exploitation within the capitalist society and wants to
offset the capitalist crisis.
We must struggle to strengthen the proletarian women’s movement and removes from all bourgeois illusions that were especially promoted by the trade unions. But the CPG (Red Dawn) is of the opinion that: “There are two things that weaken the effectiveness of the women’s movement: On the one hand there are the different groups split up…For the foundation of a strong women’s movement this split up must be defeated…” (ibid, p.12)
The papers being published internally are the climax of everything.
It says: “At the moment our organization effectively is a party
of men.” (Notifications 4/01, p.18)
But the character of a communist organization can not be determined
by the class background or gender of the members but by its nature.
“Before – and nowadays as well- there were often three
central statements concerning the question of women: (…) I am
going to waste neither time nor paper to defeat these absolutely ridiculous
statements. The person who did not understand how unrealistic and anti-women
these statements are should study the classical authors and there he/she
will not find the nonsense often used by us.” (ibidem, p. 18)
We’ll now discuss how “absurd” these statements are
really. But before I’d like to hold clear that it is absolutely
unbelievable that a member of the CC claims that many male and female
comrades of CPG (Red Dawn) are anti-women without doing anything himself/herself
against it, whereas every member of the party is normally obliged to
do so.
Moreover it is outrageous that he/she is not even willing to defeat
the statements.
But actually, that would be difficult, at least with the classical authors
of Marxism-Leninism.
So, the following statement belongs to the “absolutely ridiculous” statements: 1. a communist can not be anti-women. We are firmly convinced that a person who is anti-women can not be a communist.
Another statement which is “absolutely absurd” is the following one: 3. “the situation of classes is the main contradiction whereas the question of women is only a minor one. The persons who came up with that must really have feared the women’s demands. Why else did he have to oppose himself that much against them?” The persons who came up with that are nobody else but Marx and Engels.
The attitude of CPG towards the question of women goes on with the question of organizing house and family work in socialism, where it is planned privately, not nationalized (compare: Women’s political declaration, p. 10, 27). Another point is the independent appointment of the cell of the member of the CC, what is named in the above-mentioned paper, to the party’s “women’s political conscience” (Notifications 4/01, p. 20) what means to deny the role of a party congress as the highest organ and therefore it is claimed that it makes no sense to file an application for the topic “women”. “We refused because there were yet enough applications but unfortunately never anything happened.” (Notifications 4/01, p.18)
The CPG (Red Dawn) has never distanced itself neither from the “Women’s political declaration” nor from the papers internally published with the topic “women in the party”. That is a bourgeois revisionist line concerning the question of women.
8. Concerning the youth
After the Trotskyites had destroyed the CPG (Red Dawn) almost completely,
the remained forces worked for the foundation of CPG (Red Dawn). At
first the CPG had a communist youth organisation at that time who orientated
herself by the youth organisation of CPG/ML. But soon the leadership
of CPG criticized that “model” of a communist youth organisation
very strong. There were a lot of internal criticisms by the CC concerning
the CPG/ML youth organisations` history. One claimed that the communist
youth organisation was sectarian but that has not been proved scientifically.
That was how the “International Youth (IY)” had been created
which claimed to be international, anti-fascist and revolutionary. The
revolutionary point, however, remained very spongy and vague.
Local youth groups founded themselves again and again but disappeared
in the same way. The “core” of these groups was always unable
to guarantee leading the other forces. There were anarchist and autonomous
trends within the IY.
Since 1997, the youth again was discussed more within the party. The discussion came up by relatively many young persons within the party and contacts outside the party. In general people were dissatisfied with the spongy character of the youth organisation. Soon there was a majority among the youth supporting the idea of the foundation of a communist youth association. The CC, who officially led the discussion, showed no orientation.
But in practice, two lines developed within the youth organisation. The first one orientated himself by the foundation of a communist youth association, the second one demanded further ideological opening up; to cut out the word “revolutionary” from the IY`s programme.
The CC’s line was not public for a long time. We discovered it in the practice. For example superficial mass leaflets (the so-called “BLIND”) were printed coloured whilst the IY-magazine’s, that at least were partly deeper, was stopped without a decision.
Contacts with young people that almost exclusively were established with the CPG (Red Dawn) were sent directly to the IY. Most of the young people withdrew after a first look, because their aim was to do not autonomous but organized communist politics.
If articles concerning the youth were send to the “Red Dawn”, it was often the case that they were referred to the IY-magazine.
So to speak, a communist youth politic (directly) of the CPG (Red Dawn) has never existed.
The CC started to water dawn the IY directly, too. The “new”
revisionist theory claiming that the “unity front” is no
tactics but strategy formed the background (comparison Graue Reihe,
Heft 26/27). So the aim of CPG (Red Dawn) is working on the foundation
of unity front organisations which should last long-term and get a mass
character.
(Do not misunderstand us: We also are of the opinion that the foundation
of mass organisations within the framework of tactics of the unity front
must be aimed at. But the communists` first duty is the foundation of
the Communist Party. Mass organisations, if they should be progressive,
without a communist leadership, can not last. The CPG (Red Dawn) was
in its first phase of its construction as a Communist Party. The possibility
of influencing the masses is out of the question. As if that wasn’t
enough, the mass organisations of the CPG (Red Dawn) were a farce, because
about 90% of the IY were CPG (Red Dawn) members who were told to hide
their communist views.)
The CC took the offensive and criticized the communist youth work with
such primitive and superficial ideas as it could not be possible to
march into the school or vocational school with red flags.
The youth is reactionary, so the argument goes to name every single
communist claim as sectarian.
“We communists are at first a very small minority within the society
in general and especially within the youth. (…) There is no reason
that we basically limit us due to our weakness to organize only these
people who orientate themselves more or less conscious by communism,
so forego the beginning of an organisation of the unity front for the
time being,“ (Notifications 2/02, p. 34).
It was named as a “weakness of the party that one part of the
young party members does not recognize the necessity to found a youth
organization as a unity front.” (ibid, p.35)
At the 10th party congress the CC presented a “resolution concerning
CPG’s work within the IY” where it said: “The revolutionary
character of IY should not be determined programmatically” (Notifications
1/01, p.35)
“The CPG aims to change the fact that the IY consists mostly of
communists. Changing this fact requires that the communists consciously
do without using their numerical superiority to form the IY in a communist
way.” (ibid, p.37)
So it was clear that the CPG (Red Dawn) leadership neither wanted to
develop communist nor revolutionary youth work. CPG (Red Dawn) saw the
fact that the IY consisted mostly of communist youth as a weak point
and wanted to change this. According to them, the communists should
hide their ideology.
At the 10th party congress we totally refused to pass this resolution through. We were successful. But later, we recognized that we fall for it by tactics of the revisionist leadership of the CPG (Red Dawn) which relented very fast and said that it perhaps could be too early for this resolution.
Because after the party congress the new-chosen CC passed a decision
that exceeded the former resolution. It said: “The foundation
of a youth organisation that goes back to the principle of a unity front
is necessary. That should be the IY. The IY should not be a communist
organization and it should also not be an organisation with a declared
revolutionary programmatic. Although it is the CPG` s duty to apply
for an objective revolutionary adjustment of the IY`s day-to-day politics.”
(Notifications 5/01, p.2)
How can you be revolutionary in a country like Germany where the revolution
is not on the agenda if you stick only to day-to-day-politics? How can
you be objectively revolutionary if you organize members who are not
revolutionary?
And why should you hide you revolutionary ideology? That’s the way of entrism.
“"The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims.
They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible
overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes
tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to
loose but their chains. They have a world to win. Working Men of All
Countries, Unite."
(Manifesto of the Communist Party, Peking 1975, p 77)
The way of hiding your ideology is the way of opportunism.
The CPG (Red Dawn) went through that and there is not only a trend but
it is the whole line the of CPG (Red Dawn).