Crumbling Reich: A Weimar Republic Game (Gameplay Thread)

[Devout Centrist]

Statement on the Violence in Dresden

In no uncertain terms, I condemn the anti-worker, anti-labor attacks in Dresden. Let's not mince words: the von Papen Government is seeking to break the spirit of the German working man by any means necessary. They know they cannot win a fair and free election, so they are resorting to brutal repression of our brothers and sisters in a feeble attempt to suppress the will of the people. These acts of aggression will not deter us! The German working class will mobilize against the bloodthirsty militarists and capitalists who threaten our people with total annihilation.

I will be visiting Dresden in the coming days to march alongside our brothers and sisters. In the meantime, we will tend to the wounded and stand together against the vicious von Papen regime.

[Devout Centrist]

As for Herr Thalmaan... even if the Government weren't arresting your peers, you are the last person President Hindenburg would ask to form a Government. He is terrified of Communists in general, and it long believed that you take orders from Josef Stalin himself. President Hindenburg will only appoint a Chancellor who's priority to make Germany the power it once was, and that candidate is not you.

I'm not the one trying to kill people in broad daylight, Herr Hitler.

[Devout Centrist]

Official KPD Campaign Schedule

August 12th-August 19th: Thälmann kicks off the campaign with rallies and marches in Hamburg, Bremen, and Kiel. Volunteers meet with local Union leaders and attempt to gain support from disillusioned Social Democrats and Liberals. Thälmann talks with striking dockyard workers and impoverished seniors in Bremen.

August 19th-August 26th: Thälmann turns his attention to the Ruhr, travelling by road and stopping in a number of small towns and mining villages on the way. Campaign stops are made in Essen, Dortmund, and Cologne. Thälmann mixes with coal miners and steel mill workers as he declares his undying support for the trade union movement.

August 26th-September 2nd: Thälmann starts a whistlestop tour across the industrial heartland of Deutschland. Erfurt, Leipzig, and Dresden are chief campaign stops. Supporters march with Thälmann in Dresden after the dastardly attack on German workers by the von Papen Government and his degenerate lapdog Hugenberg. Volunteers knock on thousands of doors and try to persuade ex-Social Democrats to support the KPD.

September 2nd-September 10th: Thälmann makes a number of flights across Germany, visiting Munich, Königsberg, and Frankfurt. Speaking at rallies held in airport hangers, Thälmann will emphasize tactical voting and support a variety of Anti-Papen, Anti-Nazi parties.

September 10th-September 12th: Thälmann flies back to Berlin to organize last minute election preparations. At Party headquarters, officials build a ‘war room’ to coordinate volunteers and resources across the final days of the campaign. Right wing militia movements are tracked and documented; volunteers rally voters to the polls and unarmed RFB agents oversee peaceful demonstrations in major German cities.

[Devout Centrist]

Socialism or Barbarism: Thälmann Makes His Closing Argument

Comrades, brothers and sisters, I am addressing you tonight from the Deutsches Theater in Berlin.

With just hours to go until election day, I wanted to give you my final thoughts on this campaign and my closing argument. This election has been characterized by chaos and violence on an unprecedented scale. Nevertheless, I am proud of the way that we have conducted this campaign. Our volunteers have been hard at work spreading our message across Deutschland. The brave men and women of the RFB have been busy protecting our brothers and sisters from state endorsed repression at the hands of the von Papen Government. We have toured this great nation, rallying the people behind the undying cause of socialism and liberation.

Our Party is founded upon the ideal of socialism. We believe that the working class deserves to be unshackled from the chains of oppression. Ours is a message of hope; for too long, the German people have suffered at the hands of the capitalists and militarists. Unlike our opponents, we offer the people of Deutschland a real choice. We recognize that Germany requires new leadership in order to exit this capitalist depression.

We refuse to embrace the oppression of the capitalist system. For far too long, the major parties have allowed the workers of this nation to be robbed of their labor. They take full advantage of our brothers and sisters in the name of the profit motive. Their mismanagement led to the worst economic crisis in our history. It has left millions of our friends and families in soul crushing poverty. Men like von Papen, Lettow Vorbeck, and Brüning insist that we must rely on rich men to drive our economy forward. The German people can no longer afford to place their faith in the rapacious nature of capitalism and the fraudsters that continue to tout its so-called value.

We reject the brutal rule of militarists and monarchists. The perverse forces of the Kaiser are still at work within Germany. They tell us that the only way to fix this nation is to embrace the leadership of Kaiser Wilhelm and place our undying trust in his ‘wisdom’. We are not fools, brothers and sisters! We know that the Kaiser rushed the German nation headlong into the Great War. In exchange, our nation lost millions of its best and brightest on the battlefield at Verdun, the Somme, and Ypres. We shackled ourselves to the failing Hapsburg monarchy and dragged their corpse with us as the war continued. And what did we gain for this adventure? Nothing! We lost ancestral German lands to the victors! We paid millions of Reichsmarks in reparations to the imperialists in France and Britain. The cowardly Kaiser fled to Holland when the full extent of his crimes were made public. Only fools would want to invite his failed leadership back into Germany.

We reject the failed leadership of the Social Democrats and their failure to protect our brothers and sisters from the capitalist war machine. Their Party betrayed the working class in 1914, in 1919, and in 1930. They handed the Kaiser unlimited power and allowed his cabal to run rampant over our brothers and sisters. They allowed the proto-fascists in the Freikorps to execute our countrymen in the streets. They supported the brutal austerity of the Brüning Government, only withdrawing their support after his austerity measures had plundered every single last working man in Germany. The German worker can do better than the false promises of Otto Wels.

This election comes down to a clear choice between socialism and barbarism. For nearly two decades, we have been robbed and deceived by an unholy alliance of capital, wealth, and power. Let’s be clear: the KPD rejects the rule of wealthy men, military men, and the Kaiser’s men. We pledge to give the German people new leadership and a fresh start in combating the capitalist depression that grips our nation. We pledge to empower the worker, the farmer, and the family against all powers of wealth and privilege. Our policies will lift the working class out of starvation and into the bright light of socialism. We will end the national humiliation that was foisted upon us by the Kaiser and his lackeys. We will replace the old capitalist system with a system of compassion and brotherhood based on the eternal ideals of socialism.

Brothers and sisters, join us in voting for new leadership and hope on September 12th. This may be our last chance to stop the capitalists and the monarchists. Let’s make our vote count!

[Devout Centrist]

Statement on the Berlin Treaty

This so-called ‘deal’ is a day late and 20 billion Reichsmarks short. We have let the Western imperialists rob the working men of our nation for over a decade and this is the best our leaders can negotiate? Where’s the apology? Where’s the money they forced our workers to pay them? This is nothing short of a total and utter betrayal of the German People.

A KPD Government will fight hard to reclaim every single last Reichsmark sent to the imperialists in the West. This is yet another example of the failed leadership of the militarists and monarchists in our Government. Chancellor von Papen should be ashamed.

[Devout Centrist]

The Day After: Thälmann Claims Victory in Historic Vote

Courtesy of Wikimedia

Thank you! Thank you!

Brothers and sisters, yesterday's vote was a historic moment for Germany. Millions of you and your countrymen took to the polls in a decisive show of solidarity against militarist and capitalist repression. The KPD owes a debt of gratitude to you. Thousands of your brothers and sisters volunteered during the campaign, knocking on doors and calling on friends and family members to vote for real change.

This election was a referendum on the politics of the past. Last night, the purveyors of hunger and austerity were defeated by a diverse working class coalition representing all walks of life across our great country. The people of Germany rejected the capitalist forces that profited off their misery and repression. Thanks to your efforts, the case for German Socialism has never been stronger! Our Party depends on the support of hardworking men and women across Deutschland. I am eternally grateful for your support. The KPD will always fight for the rights of working people! Our cause will not be won until every German man and woman can live a life free from hunger, poverty and oppression.

This election has sent a message to the guardians of the capitalist system that their days are numbered. The working people of this country will no longer tolerate the inhuman brutality of a faceless exploitation. Brothers and sisters, let us go forth and continue to stand in solidarity. Let's continue to make the case for German Socialism! Thank you! Solidarity forever!

[Devout Centrist]

Breaking News: Thälmann Gives Urgent Press Conference

Good Afternoon everyone. Today, I have just received a very disturbing report from an high ranking anonymous source that Chancellor Franz von Papen plans to form a government with 'tacit' support from Herr Hitler and the men of the Nazi Party. While it is not clear what concessions were made, it’s evident that this decision represents nothing less than a betrayal of the German people and an unmistakable threat to the survival of the German nation.

This is a very serious situation. The German people cannot put their faith in any government aligned with the anti-Republican, anti-worker policies of the Nazi Party. Herr Hitler is using von Papen as a mere pawn for his insidious plan to take control of Germany and extract every last Reichsmark from the working people of our country. He would return us to the horrors of the Great War and send millions of our brothers to their deaths in Poland, Russia, and France. This madman cannot be allowed anywhere near the levers of power and the KPD will not stand for his participation in any government.

To that end, we are calling for an immediate and peaceful general strike. I am also personally reaching out to the leaders of other parties to create a popular Anti-Fascist front, for the survival of the Republic and the survival of Deutschland itself. We will oppose Herr Hitler and his militarist brethren through peaceful, direct action.

I call on the German people to take to the streets and call on their representatives in the Reichstag to oppose any government that includes Nazi support, tacit or otherwise. The KPD will support any coalition of moderate, liberal, and socialist parties to stop the reactionary-fascist alliance proposed by Chancellor von Papen.

We are demanding that Chancellor von Papen openly and fully disavow the Nazi Party and Herr Hitler himself. We also call on the Chancellor to create a government that respects the rights of the German people and the German worker. If no such government is possible, then the KPD will support new elections to blunt the influence of Herr Hitler and his fascist allies in the Reichstag.

[Devout Centrist]

Can you confirm that you plan to vote against any von Papen Government, Herr Hitler? It would be quite cowardly on your part to abstain on a vote of no confidence.

In any case, we will not accept such an abstention. Any government that receives a majority, by virtue of Nazi support or abstention, will not be tolerated by the KPD. We renew our call for a peaceful general strike.

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thälmann on the Vice Chancellor's Remarks

I would encourage the Vice Chancellor to read my correspondence to him with his reading glasses on! The workers of Deutschland are engaged in an unprecedented and noble general strike to prevent the rise of Nazi influence within the Reichstag. It's clear that Chancellor von Papen intends to rely on Nazi support, whether by abstention or a firm yes, to form a government. This is unacceptable and the KPD will not stand for it. We will not compromise when it comes to the influence of the Nazi Party in the Reichstag. Our demands are clear and we urge all parties to join our anti-fascist coalition to deny Hitler and von Papen the votes that they so desire.

As for Herr Mahraun, I would encourage him to join our coalition. von Papen's equivocation on your position in the government does not bode well for your future. It is up to you decide which side you are on. Will you join the Nazi's and the DNVP in destroying the Republic? Or will you join the Anti-Fascist coalition to defeat Herr Hitler and Herr Hugenberg?

[Devout Centrist]

Thälmann Gives Remarks to the Press from the Picket Line in Berlin

If Hitler and his goons in the SA want to break the spirit of the working man, they will have to go through the KPD! The RFB has plans in place to protect striking workers from Nazi backed or state sponsored violence. We will not allow peaceful strikers to be beaten by the police or shot by the Army. If the Nazi's and the SA decide to rise up against the Republic, the fighters of the RFB will do everything in their power to hurl Herr Hitler and his thugs into the dustbin of history!

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thälmann Regarding the General Strike

With the von Papen Government unable or unwilling to address the German worker's concerns about his ties to Herr Hitler, the KPD is calling for new elections to be held as soon as possible. We can no longer wait for a negotiated settlement to the question of Fascists and anti-worker ministers in the cabinet. We believe that these disputes will be fully resolved in the electoral arena

[Devout Centrist]

There can only be one German working class, one German people, one German Nation. By installing an imperialist pretender as Staatskommissar of Bavaria, Chancellor von Papen and President Hindenburg are committing treason of the highest order against the German Nation and the German people. Their attempts to stoke the flames of monarchism and Bavarian independence will not go unpunished! We call on the anti-monarchist parties of the Reichstag to join our general strike against this blatant act of tyranny and oppression. We have no intention of backing down until this illegal and unconstitutional action is rescinded. We cannot allow any form of monarchy to undermine the will of the German working class.

[Devout Centrist]

Thalmann Speaks about Anti-Worker Violence

We are saddened, but not surprised, by the recent attacks on striking workers by the thugs in Der Stahlhelm. Herr Hugenberg and the DNVP ought to be ashamed. Their anti-worker, anti-labor policies have destroyed the German economy and they are now threatening to kill working Germans in the name of 'going back to work'. The RFB reaffirms its commitment to protecting German workers, no matter their political or religious beliefs. We will meet force with force. We will stand firm against reactionary and state sponsored violence.

I call on President Hindenburg to ban Der Stahlhelm and other anti-worker militias as soon as possible. If the President fails to take action, we will put the matter before the Reichstag itself.

[Devout Centrist]

Due to unfavorable circumstances, the leadership of the KPD will be taking a brief recess from their planned schedule in Berlin this week. Ernst Thalmann will continue his national speaking tour, heading to Erfurt, Hamburg, and Kiel this week.

[Devout Centrist]

Breaking: Thälmann Returns to Berlin!

Courtesy of Ernst Thälmann - Führer seiner Klasse

Brothers and Sisters, I am happy to stand with you at this most sacred hour.

I returned to this great city to stand with the workers of Berlin against Adolf Hitler and his band of armed thugs. I have received word that the SA, under command of the reactionary Ernst Rohm, are marching towards Berlin as we speak. Let me be clear: the KPD will do everything in its power to prevent a Fascist takeover of the Government. The German working class stands united against Nazism, against Fascism, and against capital.

I have deployed our brave comrades in the Rotfront to the streets of Berlin and in streets across Germany. They will stand with their brothers in the Reichsbanner against the Nazi menace. We will do everything in our power to destroy Hitler and his would be fascist revolutionaries.

I encourage every working man and woman across Germany to take to the streets. Every German worker must rise up against fascist oppression! It is your birthright as a German to life, liberty, and security. Do not let these thugs conquer your homeland! Stand in solidarity with your brothers and sisters across German.

At this crucial hour, we renew our vow to the holy and eternal cause of German socialism. The KPD will never abandon you to the evil machinations of the militarists, the fascists, and the capitalists. We stand together against all enemies of the working class. Brothers and sisters, join me in defeating the Nazi Party once and for all!

Solidarity Forever!

[Devout Centrist]

Telegram from Ernst Thalmann

As soon as the Reichstag reconvenes, we are calling for a permanent and complete ban on the Nazi Party, the SA, and the SS.

[Devout Centrist]

Thälmann: Working Class Triumphant over Fascist Oppression

Brothers and Sisters, today is truly a wonderful day!

A new day is dawning in Deutschland. We can proudly proclaim the death of Fascism and Hitlerism in our nation. The people of Germany stood united against fascist tyranny. Our brothers in the factories joined hand in hand with their comrades in the seminaries. The German people and the German working class took a bold stand and proudly proclaimed their solidarity against all forms of oppression.

I must extend a measure of praise to the men and women of the RFB, the Reichsbanner, and others who stood with us on that day. Many of our brothers and sisters perished in Hitler's failed putsch, but their sacrifice was not in vain! The scourge of Hitler and his thugs will never again threaten the German people and the German worker.

Such a show of working class solidarity is unprecedented in the history of our nation, but I know it will not be the last. We have shown the leaders of this nation that the cause of German socialism is indeed worth fighting for. The sacrifice of our comrades in the field requires more than words or memorials. We must double our efforts for the cause they died fighting for!

We will not rest until every worker is free from capitalist oppression, every senior is cared for by the state, every veteran is valued, every woman is liberated, and every person lives a life free from want! Each day we draw closer to our victory over the forces of destitution and deprivation. I know that we will see final victory in our lifetime.

The good men and women of the RFB shall return to defending the German worker, wherever they may be. Let me be clear: we want no more street brawls or battles. Our only goal is the defense of the working man against all forms of oppression. The RFB shall continue to fulfill its sacred duty.

With the Hiterite menace finally purged from Germany, we are calling for fresh elections as soon as possible. It's time to eliminate the last vestiges of the Nazi movement from our nation forever.

[Devout Centrist]

Thälmann Condemns 'Fuhrer' Hugenberg

Less than a month ago, Herr Hugenberg and his men aided us in putting down the Hitlerite Putsch. Yet, he has now proclaimed himself as a new 'Fuhrer' in the model of Adolf Hitler himself. This is nothing less than a total betrayal of the Republic and an attempt to resurrect Hitler's Nazi ideology. We are calling for the DNVP to be subject to the same legal and constitutional restrictions as the Nazi Party. We cannot allow Nazi and Fascist tyranny to return to Germany. The Chancellor must disavow DNVP support if Herr Hugenberg does not renounce the title of Fuhrer.

[Devout Centrist]

The KPD is proud to propose the following:

National Economic Recovery and Worker Protection Act

1. Beginning on March 1st, all state owned companies and industrial concerns shall enact a 15% wage increase for all skilled and unskilled workers

2. Effective immediately, President Hindenburg shall establish a Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery

3. The Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery shall:

a. Purchase or acquire failed or failing banks, factories, mines, or other business concerns as deemed appropriate
b. Delegate acquired enterprises to state-owned companies or create state-owned companies for industrial sectors without public ownership
c. Reactivate failed businesses and rehire staff from the general population
d. Create a Bureau of Jobs that will hire unemployed laborers at state-owned enterprises
e. Give grants and loans to farms, general stores, small mercantile concerns, and other industrial concerns as deemed appropriate
f. Allow merchants and farmers to apply for grants and loans at their local Reichspost Office.
g. Partner with private firms to hire people out of work
h. Firms owned by the Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery will be officially closed shop concerns

4. The Reich's department for Economic Recovery shall partner with labor unions to increase membership, increase base pay, and enforce worker protection laws in both private and state-owned firms

5. The national workweek shall be lowered to no more than 40 hours

6. A national minimum wage shall be established on March 1st, 1933 and will be set at 2 Reichsmarks per hour

7. The Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery shall receive a budget of 10,500,000,000 Reichsmarks for FY 1933

8. The Reichsdepartment for Economic Recovery will set the following goals:

a. Full time and guaranteed employment for every adult German capable of work
b. Achieving 115% of industrial production recorded in FY 1929

9. The Reichsbank President will be encouraged to lower the prime borrowing rate to 0%

10. Effective immediately, President Hindenburg shall establish a public ReichsArbeiterBank

11. The RAB shall:

a. Make loans to farmers and local merchants at a rate not exceeding 1.5% per annum
b. Allow private citizens to create an account at their local Reichspost Office
c. Insure up to 100,000 Reichsmarks in individual depository accounts
d. Nationalize private equity firms in danger of bankruptcy

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thalmann on the NERWPA

Comrades, gentlemen of the Reichstag, I am proud to propose the National Economic Recovery and Worker Protection Act.

This Act represents an affirmative step towards German Socialism. It would lift the German worker out of the destitution and deprivation imposed on them by the capitalist Great Depression and it would reinvigorate working class solidarity across Germany. While this is just the first step on the road to German Socialism, it will not be last.

This bill has the KPD's full support. We hope the next election will be fought on the merits of a bright Socialist German future versus the clear failure of the capitalist system.

[Devout Centrist]

The KPD renews its call for fresh Reichstag elections.

[Devout Centrist]

Statement from Ernst Thalmann on the Return of Eupen Malmedy

The KPD would be more than happy to welcome the people of Eupen Malmedy back into the Reich and we would be the first to greet our working class brothers with open arms.

However, such a deal should be announced by Chancellor Von Papen. Once again we have an unelected 'Fuhrer' attempting to sidestep the Reichstag with backroom deals and false promises. This matter should be negotiated by the Chancellor and the Reichstag, not a member of the capitalist class and a self proclaimed Fuhrer.

A KPD Government would negotiate referendums in all former German lands lost during the capitalist Great War. The German working class must have the same right to self determination as their international brethren. We cannot allow the capitalists and imperialists to divide us.

[Devout Centrist]

If it weren’t for the general strike, Fuhrer Hugenberg, the German people would be bowing down to another Fuhrer as we speak. Your party was fully prepared to form a unholy alliance with the traitorous Nazi’s. You would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for the valiant efforts of the German people and the German worker.

[Devout Centrist]

I strongly disagree with the Vice Chancellor. The KPD stood hand in hand with our brothers and sisters in Berlin, from the very beginning. We organized an Anti-Nazi strike and we stood with the workers of Berlin and Germany against Nazi tyranny. We welcome the support of our brothers in the Reichsbanner and they were key to maintaining a united front. But we must not forget the men of the Rotfront who stood steadfast against the Nazi threat since 1920.

I stood with the people of Berlin in their darkest hour. I promise to bring that same leadership to the German people if I become Chancellor.

[Devout Centrist]

In Service of the German Worker: Thälmann Launches the February Campaign in Breslau

Courtesy of Wikimedia

Comrades, Brothers and Sisters, I want to thank you for such a warm greeting today in the great German city of Breslau!

This is the first time I’ve had the privilege of visiting your city since the combined forces of the German people vanquished Hitler and the Nazi Party. I am humbled to stand before you as a representative of the working man and a faithful ally of the German people against reactionary violence.

A year ago, the workers of Breslau faced an unprecedented onslaught of reactionary violence by the thugs in Der Stahlhelm. While others stood by and bided their time, the KPD jumped into action and mobilized to defend the working people of Breslau against the anti-worker thugs. We successfully fought them back and we renewed our commitment to the defense of working Germans across the Fatherland.

Brothers and sisters, the KPD is the only Party for the working people of this nation! We were the ones who organized the Anti-Nazi general strike! We were the ones who forced the Government to confront the Nazi threat! I stood with the working people of Berlin against the shapeless Brownshirt horde and we emerged victorious!

Don’t let the false promises of other Parties and politicians lead you astray. The DNVP will claim that they stand for the ‘restoration of the Fatherland’; nothing could be further from the truth. A victory for the tinpot Fuhrer would mean a return to the national humiliation of 1918 and the failed leadership of the Kaiser. The fact that Hugenberg and Von Papen want a failed monarch to lead this nation speaks volumes of their failure to protect and preserve the German people. We cannot give them the power to embark on another vainglorious and imperialist project while our own people starve and suffer at home.

We condemn the failed leadership of the Social Democrats, who are attempting to present a ‘fresh face’ to the working class after ten years of failure. Their policies were capitalist in all but name, and their leadership led Germany on a course to national humiliation and economic ruin. Now they adopt new policies that the KPD has supported since 1919 in a pathetic attempt to appeal to the working man.

Ask yourselves this: If Wels and his men truly supported universal healthcare, childcare, and full employment, why didn’t they fight for it in 1919 or 1922 or 1925? I’ll tell you why, because Herr Wels has no intention of ever fulfilling these promises. We’ve seen how the Social Democrats betray the working people of Deutschland when they’re in power. Don’t fall victim to their false promises.

Brothers and sisters, I stand before you as a champion of German socialism. We believe in an economic revival that begins and ends with the working people of this country! The KPD believes in working class solidarity. Through our efforts, the working people of this country will finally be united against the failures of the capitalist system. We will rebuild our economy and our nation after fourteen years of failure from the men in power.

We embrace self determination for the German worker, for we know that working class solidarity is German solidarity! When all working Germans are united under the same banner, under the same flag, and under the same cause, we cannot be defeated!

With your support, we will lead a grand campaign against the forces of national dishonor and destitution. We pledge new leadership and new ideas to confront the failure of capitalism and monarchism. Your efforts will be the beginning of a peaceful political revolution that will shake the foundations of the old order and unite the German people once more!

Brothers and sisters, go forth and join the fight for the holy cause of German Socialism!