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From International Socialism (1st series), No.38/39, August/September 1969, pp.70-72.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
Austro-Marxism – Name given to tendency that dominated Austrian Social Democracy Resisted revisionism of Bernstein, etc. in theory, but in practice behaved no differently. Opposed violent revolution; believed force should only be used by socialists defensively.
Bebel, August – Founder (with Wilhelm Liebknecht) and leading member of German Social Democracy before the first world war.
Bolshevik-Leninists – Supporters of the left opposition.
Bogdanov, A.A. (1873-1938) – The most wholehearted of Lenin’s supporters at the time of the split with the Mensheviks in 1903. In 1909 became leader of the Vperyod group in the Bolshevik Party, together with Lunarcharsky and Gorky, which later broke with Lenin’s faction. Denounced Lenin as an opportunist over the latter’s attitude to participation in the Duma.
Bordiga, A. – Leader of the opposition to the centrist policies of the Italian Socialist Party during and immediately after the first world war, and the major influence in the Italian Communist Party from its foundation in 1921 to 1924. Later expelled from party.
Brandler, Heinrich (1881-1967) – A building worker from Chemnitz, Brandler was a disciple of Rosa Luxemburg from 1916 on and a veteran Spartakist. He was a founder member of the German Communist Party, of which, together with August Thalheimer he was the leader until the abortive Hamburg uprising of 1923. At the crucial period in 1923 he was one of the ministers in the Communist Social-Democratic government of Saxony. Later he was made the scapegoat for the failure of the 1923 uprisings, and was removed from leadership of the Party at the Frankfurt Conference of 1924. He then led a right wing faction in the party until 1929 when he was expelled. He and Thalheimer then led an independent group, the CPO. This was strongly critical of the policy of the German Communists, but refused to analyse the origins of this policy and to criticise the role of Stalinism inside Russia.
Braun, Otto – Social Democrat Prime Minister of Prussia, removed from office by Papen on July 20th, 1932.
Breitscheid, Rudolf (1874-1944) – Minister of Interior in German Republic 1918-1919, then a leading social democrat deputy. Died at hands of Nazis.
Brüning (1885- ) – Member of Catholic Centre Party. Was Chancellor at head of a minority government ruling through emergency decrees and only half-tolerated by parliament, from March 1930 until May 1932. He was dismissed from office by Hindenberg – whose re-election as president he had masterminded – upon the advice of the head of the army, Schleicher. Left Germany in May 1933.
Bukharin (1888-1938) – The youngest of the Bolshevik ‘old guard’. Worked as a member of the Bolshevik Party in Moscow until escaped abroad after third arrest in 1911. During the first world war, after being arrested in Sweden for anti-militarist activities, participated with Trotsky in editing the Russian paper Novy Mir in the US. Returned to Russia after the February revolution. From July 1917 on was member of the Bolshevik Central Committee and later editor of Pravda. During the period of the revolution and Civil War was a ‘Left Communist’. As such opposed the peace of Brest Litovsk and issued a factional newspaper Communist. However, from 1923 on increasingly adopted right wing policies. In Russia he argued for a slow building of ‘socialism in one country’ through a policy of accommodation to the peasants; internationally this policy tended to mean surrendering the independence of Communist Parties to bourgeois nationalists and left social democrat and trade union leaders. Between 1923 and 1927 Bukharin worked hand in glove with Stalin against the left opposition. In 1928 Stalin broke this alliance. By the end of 1929 Bukharin had been removed from all positions of any importance in the party and the Comintern. After capitulating completely to Stalin was made editor of Izvestia in 1933, only to be framed and executed in the last of the Moscow trials in 1938.
Dawes Plan – One of series of measures that brought crisis in 1923 to an end; reduced the burden of reparations to be paid to a level the German economy could bear in the period 1924-28; accompanied by international supervision of the German economy and by a large-scale flow of American credit to Germany.
Ebert, Friedrich – Right wing leader of the Social Democrats during the war. Despite the fact that he abhorred revolution and favoured a constitutional monarchy he became head of the first government of the German republic in November 1918 and later first president. Was one of those responsible for the agreement between the Social Democrats and the army High Command that led to the crushing of the Spartakists and the murder of Luxemburg and Liekbknecht.
Ercoli (Pseudonym of Togliatti) – Originally a member of the group of Italian socialists in Turin led by Gramsci, joined the Italian Communist Party at its foundation in 1921. Became leader of the party after Bordiga’s removal from the leadership and Gramsci’s imprisonment. Rapidly became a pliant tool of Stalin. Played a crucial role in allowing the reconsolidation of a discredited capitalism in Italy after 1945.
Fischer, Ruth – Founder of Austrian Communist Party, later leader with Maslow of ‘leftist’ faction in KPD and of Party 1924-5. Expelled from Party in 1926. Has written book on KPD in early twenties, Stalin and German Communism, which is interesting, but often factually unreliable.
Frick (1877-1945) – Leading Nazi, became Minister of the Interior in 1933.
Groener, Wilhelm (1867-1939) – Leading general who was instrumental in abdication of Kaiser in 1919. Minister of defense in Mueller and Bruning governments (1928-32). Forced to resign when the Reichswehr objected to his attempts to outlaw SA and SS.
Grzesinsky, Albert C. – Social Democratic police chief in Prussia under Braun and Severing.
Hilferding (1877-1944) – Leading German Social Democrat theorist and economist. Finance Minister in Müller government of 1928-30. Author of importt books on imperialism and finance-capital. Arrested by Vichy regime and handed over to Nazis as he attempted to escape from France in 1940.
Hirsch Werner – A Stalinist theoretician.
Hindenburg (1847-1934) Head of German army in World War I. Elected President of Germany by right wing bloc in succession to Ebert in 1925. Re-elected by bloc containing both Social Democrats and big business interests in 1932. At first resented Hitler as an upstart, but under influence of big landowners, industrialists and army, made him Chancellor in 1933.
Hohenzollern – The imperial family that ruled Germany until 1918.
Hoover Moratorium – Moratorium of war debts and reparations for one year declared in July 1931 upon initiative of US president.
Die Internationale – Official CP theoretical journal.
Iron Front – Front for defense of republic established by various organizations under social democratic influence, such as SPD, Free Trade Unions, Reichsbanner, Social Democratic sports clubs, etc.
Kautsky, Karl – Chief theoretician of the Second International and of the German SPD prior to the first world war. In the inter-war period became the chief apologist for Social Democratic policies though still employing Marxist language.
Kuusinen, O.V. – Finnish Communist leader who fled to Russia after failure of 1919 Finnish revolution. Directed German affairs for Comintern from 1924 on.
Lassalle, Ferdinand (1825-64) – One of the founders of the German working-class movement. Marx denounced his characterisation of all other classes in German society as ‘one reactionary mass’ as leading him to support the absolutist Prussian regime against its halfhearted bourgeois opponents. His followers and Marx’s later merged to form the German Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Leipart, Theodore – One of the leaders of the Free (i.e., social democratic) Trade Unions. One of those who attempted to co-operate with the Hitler government for instance in celebration of ‘Day of National Labour’ on May 1st, 1933. This did not prevent him being arrested on May 2nd.
Lozovsky, Salomon Abramovitch – An ex-Menshevik who was secretary of the Red International of Labour Unions from its foundation in 1921; was later Deputy Commissar for Foreign Affairs and head of the Soviet Information Office. Was shot in 1952 at the age of 74.
Manuilsky, D. – An early Bolshevik, split from the party as part of the Vperyod group of Bogdanov in 1909, rejoined it with Trotsky and the Mezhrayontsy in the summer of 1917. Later became a loyal Stalinist and general secretary of the Comintern during the ‘third period’. After the second world war was on the Central Committee of the CPSU and Ukrainian delegate to the UN.
March Days – In March of 1921 the newly formed Communist Party (formed by a merger of the Spartacists and the left wing of the independent socialists, the USPD) attempted to spread a violent miners’ strike that broke out in central Germany into a national uprising. The mass of the working-class, however, remained passive. In many places a minority of workers, often unemployed, ended up attempting to use physical force to drive the majority out of the factory. The action served to weaken, not to strengthen, the influence of the Party among the mass of workers.
Maslow, Arkadi – Together with Ruth Fischer leader of the left group which was given the leadership of the KPD after the removal of Brandler in 1924 by Zinoviev. But they in turn were replaced when Stalin broke with Zinoviev in 1926. After supporting the unified Trotskyist-Zinovievist opposition they were expelled from the KPD.
Münzenburg, Willi (1889-1940) – Secretary of International Socialist Youth League 1914-1921 and then of Young Communist International. A leading figure in the KPD and behind-the-scenes organizer of numerous ‘front’ movements. Broke with the Party in 1937, after the Moscow trials. Was found hanged in France after escaping from an internment camp in 1940; his death has been variously ascribed to the Gestapo and the NKVD.
National Communism – Name given to attempt by KPD to get support of extreme nationalist elements by using slogans such as ‘People’s revolution’, ‘National Liberation’ and ‘Down with the treaty of Versailles’, similar to Nazi slogans. First utilized by Radek in 1923. Taken up in effort to outbid Nazis in ‘Third Period’.
Neumann, Heinz – Leading German Communist, a confident and drinking companion of Stalin. Organized Canton Commune of 1927. In 1931 began to privately oppose the official CP line in Germany, was removed from positions as Thälmann’s secretary and on the Politbureau. After being sent to Spain and then Switzerland, was recalled to Moscow. Was arrested in 1937 and has not been heard of since. His wife was imprisoned in a concentration camp and handed by the GPU to the Gestapo after the Stalin-Hitler Pact but she survived to write her memoirs.
Noske, Gustav (1868-1946) – A right-wing Social Democratic leader who supported the 1914-18 war, he became minister of war in the second Ebert government of 1919. Responsible for putting down the Kiel mutiny and the Spartacist uprising, killing an estimated 15,000 in nine months. Forced to resign after the Kapp putsch of 1920. Lived on in Germany under the Nazis, being arrested twice after 1944.
Paragraph 48 – Paragraph in Weimar Constitution that permitted emergency rule by Presidential decree without parliamentary approval.
von Papen – German politician and diplomat. Hindenburg, influenced by the political head of the Reichswehr, Schleicher, made him chancellor in place of Brüning at end of May 1932. He lifted ban on SS and SA. At the end of 1932 was forced out of office by Schleicher, who took his place. Then, together with leader of Nationalist Party, von Hugenburg, and General von Blomberg, prevailed upon Hindenberg to make Hitler Chancellor.
Pilsudski, Joseph (1867-1935) – Polish dictator. Was originally founder of Polish Socialist Party in 1893. (This was built in opposition to Rosa Luxemburg’s internationalist Social Democratic Party.) Organized Polish troops to fight with Austrian side in first world war. Minister of War in first Polish government of 1916. Imprisoned by Germans 1917-18. Virtual dictator of Poland 1918-23, and then again after coup in 1926. By 1930 was suppressing both Communist and Socialist parties.
Purcell – One of the trade union leaders particularly associated with the Anglo-Russian Trade Union Unity Committee of 1925-6. This was a joint committee of the general councils of the TUC and Soviet unions. It played an important role in the ‘second period’ policy of Zinoviev and Stalin. While it existed the British CP was discouraged from criticising the ‘left’ members of it. In the General Strike most of these played a role indistinguishable from that of the right wing. Purcell, for instance, was chairman of the Strike Organization Committee that spent much of its time worrying about how to prevent leftists influencing local strike committees. (For an analysis of this period see Brian Pearce, Early History of the Communist Party of Great Britain, London 1966).
Radek – Active on extreme left in both Germany and Poland prior to Russian revolution when he became one of inner circle of Bolshevik leaders. Nearly murdered at same time as Luxemburg and Liebknecht in Berlin in 1919. Later blamed for failure of revolution in Germany in 1923. A leader of left opposition until he capitulated to Stalin in 1929 after the latter broke with Bukharin. Wrote propaganda for Stalin until Moscow trials, where he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Not heard of since.
Red Referendum – An attempt by Nazis and nationalists, supported after initial hesitation by the KPD, to remove Social Democratic Prussian government in 1931.
Reichswehr – Army of Weimar Republic. Under the Treaty of Versailles it was supposed to be limited to 100,000 men, but was in fact supplemented by secret contingents, the Black Reichswehr. Exclusion of Communists ensured its political reliability for the right.
Reichsbanner – Parmilitary organization ot Social Democrats. Its three hundred thousand and more members were pledged to defend the republic against any coup. They were unarmed, but expected to receive weapons from the Prussian police should they be needed.
Remmele, Hermann – Member of Central Committee of KPD, fled to Moscow in 1933. But his refusal to accept the theory of the ‘orderly retreat’ led to his removal from the leadership. Was killed by GPU in 1937.
Rosenfeld, Kurt – One of left Social Democrat MPs associated with opposition in SPD that split to form SAP.
Rote Fahne – Daily Paper of German Communist Party (KPD).
RTUO – Red Trade Union Organization, i.e., Communist-led trade union organizations.
SAP (Socialist Workers Party) – Centrist Party formed by leftists who broke with the SPD in 1931, but would not join KPD. In some ways similar to ILP in Britain in thirties.
Scheidemann, Philip (1865-1937) – Leading right wing Social Democrat who supported first world war. In 1918 revolution proclaimed republic in order to prevent Spartacists doing so first. In exile after 1933.
Schleicher, Kurt von – General in charge of making political contacts for Reichswehr. Became power behind throne, selecting at first Ministers of Defense and then Chancellors. Attempted to utilize Nazis to build up his own position. In December 1932 became Chancellor, only to be replaced by Hitler two months later. Murdered at same time as Roehm in 1934.
Severing, C.W. (1875-1952) – A Social Democrat MP from 1907 on, Prussian Minister of the Interior 1919-26 and 1930-32. Arrested briefly when von Papen overthrew Prussian government in 1932, he lived unmolested in Hitler’s Germany until being rearrested after anti-Hitler ‘Generals Plot’ of 1944. After war again became a Social Democrat MP.
Seydewitz – Leader of leftist opposition in SPD that split to form SAP in 1931.
Stahlhelm – Para-military organization of right wing veterans. Merged with SA after election of 1933.
Tarnow, Fritz (1880-1954) – A Social Democrat active in the trade unions and a member of the Reichstag. Left SPD for left socialist SAP in 1931. In exile during period of Nazi rule, was active in unions until his death.
Thälmann, Ernst (1866-1944) – Leader of the German Communist Party after its Stalinisation. Arrested by the Nazis in 1933 and murdered in a concentration camp at the end of the war.
Thalheimer, August – Leader of German Communist Party with Brandler, 1921-24, with a similar subsequent history.
Urbahns – Associated with Maslow and Fischer both in the leadership of the KPD 1924-6 and in opposition afterwards. In exile in Sweden from 1933 to his death in 1947.
Vorwärts – German Social Democratic daily.
Wang Chin Wei – During 1926-7 the policy of Stalin and Bukharin in China was to give uncritical support to the leaders of the national bourgeois revolution. At first this meant support for Chiang Kai Shek, who was made an honorary member of the Comintern executive. Communists worked to build up the Kuomintang without criticising its leaders, even though Chiang had made strikes illegal and was disbanding trade unions and peasant leagues. Workers who had captured Shanghai from the war-lords and imperialists in March 1927 were taught to receive Chiang as a revolutionary leader. However, once his armies had entered that city, they proceeded to murder communists and trade unionists. Despite this, Stalin and Bukharin tried to continue with the same policy. Now, however, it was another group of Kuomintang leaders around Wang Chin Wei in Wuhan that Stalin characterized as the ‘revolutionary centre’. Almost as Stalin spoke, the Wuhan leaders came to terms with Chiang Kai Shek and started murdering workers militants,
Warski (1868-?) – Before the world war a leading Polish Social Democrat, associated with Luxemburg. Attended founding congress and later on central committee of RSDLP. Founder member of Polish CP. One of leadership group removed from office 1924-6 for protesting at anti-Trotsky campaign. Upon return to leadership took ‘second period’ so seriously as to support dictator Pilsudski taking power (which Moscow opposed). Very quickly recognized mistake and organized anti-Pilsudski resistance. Removed from leadership at beginning of third period, but remained in Party (in exile) and docilely supported Stalin. When Polish CP was liquidated by Stalin in 1938, Warski was one of those killed in the purges as ‘a traitor, a spy and a Pilsudski agent.’
Wels (1879-1939) – Right wing Social Democrat. As military commander of Berlin crushed the Spartacist uprising of December 1918 under orders fron Noske. Led opposition to Hitler in Reichstag in 1933, but called for ‘lawful non-violent opposition’. Exiled in Paris from 1933.
Young Plan – Named after an American banker, this was accepted by the German government in 1929. It fixed annual reparation payments at a lower rate than those paid under the Dawes Plan, but said they were to continue for a further 59 years. There was violent opposition to this from the extreme nationalists, the Stahlhelm and by many large industrialists. By supporting this opposition, the Nazis began to obtain substantial sums of money from big business.
Zinoviev, G.Y. – Old Bolshevik, Lenin’s closest collaborator during first world war, in hiding with Lenin in summer of 1917, but together with Kamenev opposed October insurrection. He was first president of Comintern and responsible for major policy mistakes in Germany, Bulgaria, etc. Between 1923 and 1925 was nominal leader of bloc with Kamenev and Stalin, and was most virulent opponent of ‘Trotskyism’. Stalin broke with him in 1925 and deprived him of his post in the Comintern and his control of the Leningrad apparatus. Formed joint opposition with Trotsky, 1926-7. Was expelled from Party in 1927 with Trotsky, but immediately recanted. Expelled again and deported to Siberia in 1932, but again recanted and readmitted to Party. Imprisoned after Kirov assassination in 1935 he was ‘star victim’ in the Moscow trials a year later. Was executed after yet again recanting to Stalin, this time admitting to being a ‘traitor’ and a ‘fascist’.
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