i think thats purely specualative . A far right whose trajectory was based on unity and co -operation most definitely looked a much more atractive proposition to many than a left which was divided and at its each others throats . A united left with a common purpose and direction as regards fascism would have been a much more formidable beast in my opinion .
I don't disagree that a united left would have been formidable, but there's not a whole lot of evidence to show that the SPD and KPD could have come together as a united front in the first place, and not because of the KPD's early refusal to engage in electoral politics either (which was when the greatest amount of friction took place between the two parties, at least up until Zörgiebel, but because of the SPD executive's myriad of problems over the life of Weimar with engaging in politics without losing their bottle and ceding political ground to the centre and the right. Too many of the hierarchy still had their heads in the late 19th century, and fell back into the old submissive ways that pertained under Bismarck. While it can't be denied that the SPD made political advances under Weimar, it also can't be denied that they let in loads of easy saves, and too often left an open goal for their political opponents.
That's a fine piece of rhetoric, but what do you believe that it would actually have to have been translated to (in terms of political action) in the concrete situation of Weimar Germany (taking into account the political situation in toto)?
You see, in the end, it's about human relations. It is as much about "the KPD relating to the hierarchy of the SDP [sic]" as it is about political and ideological relations, it can't be anything else, unless you assume that political relations exist in some kind of vacuum from everyday life.
[/QUOTE]We have all agreed that;
1. Any statement about what would happen in the Weimar Republic is A] pure speculation, no one can know for absolute sure. B] a moot point. Because what did happen, happened. 2. If the left had been united in opposing fascism at the very least it could have provided a better opposition to the rise of fascism. And taking fascism as an option away from the ruling class could have led to,,,,, ?
The point I'm trying to make, and I assume casual as well, is nothing to do with the Weimar Republic, is to do with today. It's about learning the lessons about the mistakes the SDP and the KPD made, in order not to repeat them.
There is probably as many things dividing the left today, as there were dividing the left in the Weimar Republic, but we should learn the lesson of history, and not repeat those mistakes, this one issue we need to unite in order to defend what we have got.
Now I'm sure you will come up with a very good argument why that is not possible. Why another option is your preferred. That's fine. It's okay to agree to disagree.
I'm in no rush, I've never seen the point in producing magazines that are meant to be 'new' but in reality are so similar to what has gone before that they are effectively sterile. Infact I'm working too hard to think about writing or commissioning articles at the minute, which is a shame.
