9 February 1933 (published); issued during the 4–8 February 1933 pre-conference Issuing body: L'Opposition communiste de gauche internationale (bolshevik-Leninists)
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Comrades,
More than ever, at this moment, the eyes of the world proletariat are turned toward Germany.
With growing anxiety and tension, it follows the struggle you are waging against the stranglers of your freedoms, of your life. It is well aware that the success of the forces of reaction in imposing their vile dictatorship upon you will have enormous consequences for the fate of the toiling masses the world over.
After passing through various stages, fascist reaction has succeeded in installing itself in power. You all know the conditions under which this was able to happen. It required the treachery of Social Democracy and the disastrous policy of Stalinism; it required that the enormous mass of the German proletariat be kept, for years on end, in division and inaction.
Comrades,
It is in order to crush us, to find a way out, that the German bourgeoisie, the great potentates of banking and industry, the squireens and the local cliques, have brought the brownshirts to power. To do away with the gains wrested by you and by your fathers in a heroic struggle of three-quarters of a century; to destroy your political and trade-union organisations; to reduce you to complete slavery: such is the task of the fascist dictatorship. The fascist dictatorship is hell for the proletariat.
No, comrades, the world proletariat cannot believe that its brothers in Germany will let themselves be reduced to the condition of slaves. The fascist enemy, who is determined to reach his goal through blood and death, will meet on his path the resolute and invincible resistance of millions of German workers. The German proletariat will know how to face the bitter struggle, the bloody struggle, the civil war, in order to defend itself and defeat its mortal enemies.
We, the Bolshevik-Leninists, having for years drawn the attention of the German proletariat and of the whole world to the danger of fascism in Germany, having shown the way to defeat it and triumph over it, having denounced the betrayal of the Social-Democratic leaders and castigated the criminal tactics of the Stalinist faction which holds in its hands the leadership of the Communist International and of the KPD [Communist Party of Germany], at this moment of the greatest and most tragic danger, address ourselves to you, the members of the KPD, to you Social-Democratic workers, to all the proletarians of Germany, and we say to you:
There is still time!
Victory over fascism is still possible. Whoever tells you that all is lost, that the struggle is henceforth in vain, is betraying you. You can still win. But to carry off the victory, to avoid defeat, the whole working class must unite in the struggle against reaction.
This is possible on one condition alone: that all the organisations of the German proletariat — the Communist Party, the Social-Democratic Party, the trade-union organisations, the factory councils, etc. — undertake the common struggle against fascism.
Achieve the united front, organisation to organisation; set up your organs of defence in every factory, in every hiring hall, in every neighbourhood, everywhere. This is the way: through partial struggles, to pass from general action to the general strike of combat against fascism, which, through the popular organisations of combat, through the soviets, will lead to the crushing of reaction and the conquest of power.
Members of the KPD!
Demand that the leadership of your party propose, from the base to the summit, the United Front to the Social-Democratic Party, to the Confederation of Trade Unions, and to all the organisations of the German proletariat, for the common struggle against fascism.
Socialist workers!
Impose upon your leaders the realisation of the united front, the only weapon by which you and your class brothers can defend your lives.
To act immediately means not leaving to the enemy the choice of the moment of attack; it means entering the battle under conditions that allow us to win.
The German revolution is passing through a historic moment in which the fate of proletarian Germany, the fate of the USSR, are at stake.
History will consign to shame those who, at this critical moment, desert the field of battle.
Demand the common action of the proletarian front.
Form your organisations of combat.
Fight to the death for the salvation of the German proletariat.
You hold in your hands the fate of the world proletariat and of the Russian revolution.
Arise, millions of proletarians of Germany!
Crush fascism!
Long live the common action of the proletarian front!
Long live the victory of the proletariat!
The International Communist Left Opposition (Bolshevik-Leninists).
La Vérité, no. 141, 9 February 1933.