Re: Re: Re: [Marxism] Antideutsche, once again

["Johannes Schneider" <Johannes.Schneider@xxxxxxx>]

Henning,

I agree with a lot of what you are writing. Just a few remarks.

>
> In general, I would describe the situation in contemporary Germany
> like this:  If you are for social justice and against neo-liberalism,
> the united neo-liberal front will say that you are a backward
> "populist" who in vain is trying to escape the iron laws of
> "globalization," and they will not miss any occasion to compare you
> to neo-nazis because these are also against globalization.  If you
> are for socialism, they will say that you stick to an outdated
> totalitarian ideology which has been falsified by history.  In both
> cases, they will say that you are absolutely unrealistic and have no
> chance to make any real contribution to solve problems.  But if you
> reject black-red-gold, if you disturb the debates on "patriotism" and
> German "Leitkultur" (guideline culture), they will regard this as a
> serious threat.

I am not sure. At the moment any "un-patriotic element" is very marginalised. 
This is could be only temporary, but perhaps this new "enlightened" patriotism 
will stay.

Take for the example the episode with the teachers union: They published a 
pamphlet arguing against the national anthem and demanding a new anthem. 
(Idiotic in my eyes, no matter how 'progressive' a national symbol is, in the 
case of Germany it will still be the symbol of German imperialism). After 
furious attaks on the union's chair he was forced to apologize for his remarks. 
Does this mean he is feared or he his position is so marginalized?
I rather feel that people like Lafontaine, who try to invoke German patriotism 
against neo-liberalism are feared more by the ruling class at the moment.

> The reason is simple: Everybody knows that during
> the last decades the Federal Republic of Germany functioned as a
> democratic State without "patriotic values," which now are required
> for a neo-liberal imperialist project.  Around 1970, the German
> president Gustav Heinemann (a moderate social democrat) said, "I love
> my wife, not my State."  Nobody complained about this sober
> statement.

Something to add. Untill 1989 'traditional' nationalism was not possible due to 
the existence of two German states. What we are seeing today is a kind of 
'enlightened' nationalism, that uses an explicit anti-Nazi and philo-semitic 
rhetoric.

> I said that the KB minority faction played a major role in the
> "anti-German" trend of 1990, which must not be mixed up with the
> Bahamas ideology after 1994.  There is not "the anti-German current,"
> there have been different currents.  The "Germany never again"
> campaign of 1990 was against the rebirth of an imperialist Germany,
> the contemporary Bahamas ideology is against islamic immigrants.
>

Sorry, as an opponent I was a bit of sloppy and lunped aup all sub-currents 
under one main current. A bit like saying all Trots are the same...

> Let me add one important historic detail.  In 1990, I witnessed the
> discussions preparing the "Nie wieder Deutschland" demonstration in
> Frankfurt.  The organizers were KB minority members and some other
> radical leftists.  The mainstream leftists (left socialists,
> communists, Trotskyists, Maoists and other class struggle commanders
> without army) criticized them saying that the slogan "Germany never
> again" was "sectarian", "against the masses" and so on.  But
> nevertheless, then they all took part in the demonstration.
>

First a disclaimer, I was present at this demonstartion as well (and not in the 
last lines.)
But nevertheless it was first of all an expression of frustration and did not 
provide any orientation. What did that slogan stand for? Build up the wall 
again? Reconstruct the GDR?


>
> >Leading anti-Germans are former KB-members.
>
> To clear this question, you should say whom you mean.

You mentioned some names, eg JÃrgen ElsÃsser, who at least was anti-German. 
One might add Trampert and Ebermann (who were in the Z-faction of KB).

> As far as I
> know (please correct me if I am wrong), Matthias KÃntzel is the only
> former KB member who still belongs to the Bahamas gang.

Justus WertmÃller is still the main guru of Bahamas.

>
> If you report this from the Arbeiterbund centre Munich, of course I
> believe you.  I know some Arbeiterbund activists in Frankfurt - their
> cabaret performances, focused on attacking the right-wing CDU of
> Hesse around Roland Koch, are not bad, but I do not see links to
> anti-Germans.  Well, the FDJ - perhaps, I do not know them enough.
> Arbeiterbund members mainly work in trade unions.
>

Seems Munich is different. Here the Arbeiterbund split. The union cadres (aka 
known as KAZ-Fraktion) left and joined German CP (DKP). They are good comrades 
who provide the core of the left here. What is left in Arbeiterbund was the 
Zug-Fraktion. (Dont want th p-word for the Schmitz-Bender clique). The FDJ (at 
least in the West) is there front.

> I suspect the following: Veteran Arbeiterbund members of course know
> that their organization needs fresh blood for survival.  They also
> know that with their nostalgic Stalinist core ideology,
> ThÃlmann-style rhetorics etc. they will not attract young people
> (young Stalinists rather join the German Communist Party DKP, in
> which serious tensions between a pragmatic and an orthodox wing have
> emerged).  So it is no wonder that the youth organization FDJ chooses
> another strategy.  In other words: In the 1970s there were principal
> ideological differences between DKP (pro-Soviet, Brezhnevist) and
> Arbeiterbund ("anti-revisionist", Stalinist-Maoist).  These
> differences have blurred: The orthodox DKP current has adopted some
> elements of "anti-revisionism", whereas Arbeiterbund has repudiated
> former doctrines on "social imperialism" etc.  So the "anti-German"
> component is decisive for the Arbeiterbund's organizational profile.
>
> >The FDJ shares the anti-German dogma of equating anti-zionism and
> >anti-semitism. See:
> >http://www.fdj.de/pdf/nahost.pdf
>

>
> Now I see that for you the question of anti-zionism is the decisive
> element which makes you regard as different groups as KB,
> Arbeiterbund and Bahamas as components of one common current because
> they all criticize anti-zionism (but they do/did it in different
> manners), and this is why you dislike them.

You distorted my position. It is not about criticism of anti-Zionism (as eg the 
KB did in the end of the eighties) but about the uncritical support for 
policies of the State of Israel, which is a common feature of all anti-German 
currents.

>  This seems to be the
> crucial point of our differences.  As a Marxist, you say that class
> orientation is decisive, right?  But now the criterion by which you
> sort your friends and enemies seems to be the question of
> anti-zionism.

Eg. your organisation, the DKP, is not anti-Zionist, but I do not regard them 
as my enemies. Wheras I hate anyone who actively supported the imperialist 
attack on Iraq.

>  The Arbeiterbund is a proletarian organization, but
> suddenly this does not seem to matter.

I think with the departure of the KAZ-Fraktion they lost most of their 
proletarian comrades.

>  In my view, the Arbeiterbund
> is a funny bunch, their nostalgic ideology cannot be taken seriously,

OK, lets call them like that way to avoid the p-word.

> but they are committed to class struggle
> and must not be mixed up
> with people like the Bahamas staff.
>

Sorry, but those are their friends they organize joint congresses at Munich 
university. So you expect me to love those cheer-leaders for imperialist war?

Johannes
--


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