Crumbling Reich: A Weimar Republic Game (Gameplay Thread)

[KaiserDave]

Note to party leaders: PM me or post the vote you are instructing your Reichstag members to vote

Major Reichstag Vote: Autobahn Act

Result: Ja!





Dereich




Communist Party of Germany - 77 seats

Vote: Ja!

Socialist Workers' Party of Germany - 1 seat

Vote: ?

Social Democratic Party of Germany - 142 seats

Vote: Ja!

German Centre Party - 68 seats

Vote: Nein!

German State Party - 20 seats

Vote: Ja!

German People's Party - 30 seats

Vote: Nein!

German-Hanoverian Party - 5 seats

Vote: Ja!

Bavarian People's Party - 19 seats

Vote: ?

National Rural League - 9 seats

Vote: Nein!

People's Justice Party - 4 seats

Vote: Nein!

German National People's Party - 93 seats

Vote: Ja!

National Socialist German Workers Party - 107 seats

Vote: Ja!

[GoTfan]

Wels speaks on the Autobahn Act

"The SPD introduced the Autobahn Act in order to provide work relief for our nation's unemployed and to improve our national infrastructure. This will provide thousands of good-paying jobs for people who need them, and the infrastructure created with it makes it easier to transport goods through the nation, thus enabling a revival of internal commerce.

It is of no discussion within our party. We introduced the bill, and we will support it."

[NewYorkExpress]

The NDSAP votes Ja on the Autobahn Act.

[Devout Centrist]

The KPD votes Ja!

[Kingpoleon]

The members of the German State Party will be allowed to vote their conscience, but Minister Mahraun officially votes in favor of the Autobahn Act.

[KaiserDave]

The Reich



Wikimedia Commons

The Political Struggle Escalates


The phrase of the immortal Carl von Clausewitz has never been more true, "War is the continuation of politics by other means." And politics is the continuation of war. As criminal activity and political violence has subsided in recent days, the political intrigue has developed to an extreme scale. The von Papen Ministry has celebrated its victory on police reform, with conservative circles declaring the Prussian catholic as a "genius of political strategy" and "at last the man with the courage to save the Reich." On the whole conservatives are overjoyed with the success of the proposal. Social Democrats and Communists watch in horror as the conservative establishment consolidates power, while the Nazis, to the confusion of many have not many any definitive statements on recent events.

However, new events have taken the attention of the press and public. While Foreign Minister and Jungdo leader has traveled to Paris and London brokering a rumored deal on war reparations, poisonous rumors that he signed over Danzig in perpetuity have threatened his standing, and the influence he holds over the Reich President. These rumors might have died on their own, as did the baseless rumor that he had an affair with the French Prime Minister's private secretary, but it was Reich Minister of the Interior and DNVP leader Alfred Hugenburg who fed the flames. His newspapers declared on their front-pages that it was treason. DNVP rallies were held angrily denouncing the acts. The Cabinet became divided between the liberal-moderate supporters of Mahraun and the reactionary opponents, all the while von Papen has tried to bridge the gap. The Jungdo and Mahraun's staunchest supporters, notably Oskar von Hindenburg rallied to his defense. But reactionaries and nationalists flocked to Hugenberg boosting his following. Adolf Hitler denounced Mahraun as a traitor, promising a no confidence vote. Otto Wels promised to bring down the government if Mahraun was ousted and their was a great amount of noise and fury as Brownshirts attacked Jungdo and Red Front Fighters in the streets. For the Chancellor, he has passed the Autobahn Act for the vast construction of roads and infrastructure with the critical support of the Social Democrats, but this new feud threatens to destroy the stability he had just won. Many believe new elections may be imminent, but it is hard to say.

On the political left, Ernst Thälmann has been out of the papers recently, but as the right feuds, many may flock to the left as a source of radical inspiration. The Red Front has provided a great amount of civilian aide, and while the main conservative figures squabble in the halls of power, the poor and destitute of Berlin, Dresden, and Hamburg have found someone they can trust. Ex-Nazi Otto Strasser has publicly pondered a return to German political life. With a suspiciously large financial backing from unknown sources, he threatens to make the Black Front a formidable force that could potentially threaten the NSDAP's unity.

Time will tell how the political struggle unfolds....
 

[GoTfan]

Wels adresses supporters. Speech entitled: "On the Associates of Herr Hitler"

"Herr Hitler presents himself as the saviour of the German people, yet he makes a curious selection in associates to do so. It is these associates of which I speak of today.

Hermann Goering. Once a gifted pilot, one must grant that. Since 1923 however, he has been admitted twice to hospital for morphine addiction, and, I believe, only shares Herr Hitler's beliefs as long as they can restore his standing with the German populace. Can we trust a man like that with important ministerial positions? I do not believe we can.

Ernst Rohm. Apart from his morbid obesity, I believe we all know of his preference for the company of men.  Man of Rohm's statture, both physical and moral, cannot be allowed anywhere near the halls of power.

Joseph Goebbels. No man has proven so adept at appealing tothe base instincts of man. But he is naught more than a clubfooted demagogue. Tell me, Herr Goebbels, are you a part of the master race Herr Hitler wrote about in Mein Kampf?

Heinrich Himmler. This is a man who wanted desperately to serve in the army, and the desire to serve is an admirable one, yet instead of enlisting in the Reichswehr, he decided to create his own private army, so he could play at being general without attempting to climb the ranks on his own merit. I invite you to draw your own conclusions there.

Reinhard Heydrich. This is a man who was a promising Kriegsmarine cadet, but could not comtrol his base desires, engaged to two different women at the same time. He is little more than a rejected philanderer.

These are the men who would call themselves saviours. These are the men who say they are the only ones who can save Germany. Do you believe them?"

[KaiserDave]

Wikimedia Commons

Office of the Reichpräsident

By the powers invested in me by the German constitution of 1919, and at the express request of the Reich Chancellor I hereby dissolve the Reichstag and the Reichsrat effectively immediately.

To that end I schedule Federal elections to the Reichstag on the 12th of September.

Cordially Signed,

Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg

President of the German Reich

[Elcaspar]

Kurt Schumacher speaks out against police reform plan

"This police reform is truly nothing less than an attempt at centralizing power in the hands of reactionaries who oppose the very Republic that has given them power. They will serve as nothing more than Papen's personal thugs given that they would be controlled by the Interior Ministry. And not to mention that he wants them to maintain order and stability at all costs, which is what truly strikes at the heart of the Republic. And on top of that Papen intends to use the Reichswehr as a blunt tool against anyone who he considers "enemies of the Fatherland", which can mean whatever he wants it to. It's a precarious time for the Republic indeed. "

"Which is why i intend to vote against this police reform, and i encourage all my colleagues in the Reichstag to do the same. Wir als stehlen! Für die Republik!"

[GoTfan]

The Social Democratic Party launches its 1933 campaign: Wir Stelhen Als Eins! Fur Diea Republik!

The SPD officially launches its campaign for 1933, releasing a national manifesto developed around a plan for national recovery:

Economic Reforms:

-Creation of a Public Investment Corporation to oversee infrastructure projects
-Nationalisation of companies and banks that are beyond saving by conventional means
-A Banking Act, to prevent a run on banks that will further destroy the economy.
-Expanded government insurance for small businesses
-Reduced taxes for working and middle classes; raised taxes on upper class and corporations
-Liberalisation of trade laws to facilitate overseas commerce

Work Relief

-Modernisation and expansion of railways, dockyards and airports
-A Comprehensive Electrification Act, to provide power to farms and rural areas

Farm Relief

-A Farm Insurance Act, to ensure than farms are covered in the event of unforseen events
-Defence of small farms over large-scale industrial farms
-A Farm Support Act, to ensure farm stability and an increase in prices.

Social and Political Reforms:

-A Universal Vote Act, to ensure all Germans can vote
-A Religious Freedom Act, to make law the idea that people are free to worship who they like
-A Republic Act, to affirm that the democratic republic is our government, and any misguided idea to change it is prevented
-A National Food Act, to ensure that all people can eat, and that the government will purchase solely from small farmers

[Dereich]

Wikimedia Commons

On the Coming Elections

My fellow Germans, the time has come again for elections. You can rest assured as the process begins that Government will do everything in its power to ensure that the elections proceed safely and will take action against lawbreakers who threaten to cause harm to the law abiding voter.

Over the previous months, your Ministry has done what it could to make things right in our beloved Fatherland. Unlike in previous days, this government showed that it would take every action possible to restore safety to the streets. There would be no more "Year of Chaos" under our watch. And we have taken action to see that the streets will stay safe by creating the Reichspolizei, unlike others who would shrug their shoulders and accept violence as a fact of life. And, of course, we have answered the cry of the unemployed worker without needlessly harming the German industrialist. This government has in just the last few weeks created tens of thousands of jobs, with tens of thousands more openings yet to be filled. The Reichspolizei will be a testament to German order! The Autobahn will be a testament to German industry and work ethic! The Fatherland stands much improved and enhanced at home and abroad under the strong and stable leadership of President Hindenburg and this Ministry.

So why, you may ask, is an election necessary? Because, fellow Germans, there is more to be done and the Reichstag is a squabbling mess! This government has scarcely had time to govern; in just a few short months it has had to waste valuable time facing down motion after motion against itself and its ministers. So much more could be done, were the Ministry be given a mandate to govern! Further initiatives to restore German pride, proposals to aid German farmers and utilize partnership with landowners to create jobs and restore German prosperity, a restoration of the Reich's rightful place in the world! Return this government to office, beloved Germans, and you will have it all!

[Devout Centrist]

Der KPD:
Zusammen Stehen Wir!

Courtesy of Ernst Thälmann - Leader of his class (1955)

Good afternoon Comrades!

I have just received word from a representative of Reichschancellor von Papen confirming that the Reichstag has been officially dissolved and that new elections will be held on September 12th. This is a great victory for the German working class, and indeed for all Germans. Today, I stand before you to, once again, make the case for socialism. Socialism without tyranny! Socialism without appeasement! Socialism of and for the German working class!

Much has changed in the past few months, but the cause of German socialism is timeless. Our cause is one worth fighting for! The forces of capitalism, militarism, and imperialism are hellbent on the complete subjugation of the German people. It is the duty of the KPD and the RFB to protect the workers of this land against the existential threat posed by the capitalist class and their reactionary stooges.

To that end, I am proud to announce our platform for the September campaign. If enacted, these proposals would transform Deutschland into a truly socialist republic. Through this platform, we can finally bring an end to the violence in the streets and the material destitution that cripples the working men and women of our country. Our plan would bring hope to the millions of hardworking Germans who have been cast into the streets by a corrupt, capitalist system. We intend to give honest work to the unemployed, dignity to the working class, and freedom to the oppressed!

We pledge a guarantee of full employment! Every working man and woman would be guaranteed honest, meaningful work that is best suited to their current skills. This proposal would provide enough income to support one of our nation’s many fledgling families, stabilizing the turmoil that has gripped many German households. Such a law would end starvation and put an end to the brutal exploitation of the working man by the rapacious capitalist class!

We pledge to nationalize the defense, automotive, and energy sectors! Millions of our factories lay idle because the capitalist class bears fewer costs with their closure. The KPD will put a stop to this insanity! We will nationalize the commanding heights of the German economy and reopen the idle factories and mines across our country. This will sustain full employment and boost our national economy through increased productivity. We will reject the management of production under the capitalist system and substitute it with our own.

We pledge to provide for German farmers! A KPD government will act immediately to boost productivity on small farms through investment in machinery and labor. We will seek to increase agricultural exports to the international proletariat and support German production through price supports. No farmer should lose their livelihood because of capitalist speculation!

We pledge to end any and all foreign reparation payments! The KPD will not pay a single Reichsmark to the imperialist powers behind the Great War. We will halt any future reparation payments and pledge to abolish the practice entirely.

We pledge our full support to the trade union movement! A KPD government will support the working men of this nation and vigorously defend their inalienable right to collective bargaining. We will promote unionization among all workers in Deutschland and seek to support the existing trade unions through all available means.

We pledge to roll back Herr von Papen’s regressive laws on policing! The recent ‘reforms’ passed by the Reichstag are just cover for the reactionary capitalist class to strengthen its grip on the lives of everyday German workers. We will repeal this regressive piece of legislation as soon as possible!

We pledge ourselves to peace and international cooperation! The horrors of the Great War are scarcely two decades behind us. And yet, some servants of the capitalist class, namely Herr Hitler, argue that we should seek to commit ourselves to such a horrific adventure once again! The KPD opposes militarism, in all its forms. We seek international cooperation and friendship among the workers of the world.

Comrades, today I pledge to do everything in my power to protect and defend the German nation. We are all brothers and sisters, united in a common purpose against the inhuman nature of the capitalist class and their bloodthirsty, imperialist allies. Together, we shall stand together and finally build a truly Socialist Germany. Brothers and sisters, heed my call! Join me on September 12th. Vote for the KPD!

[NewYorkExpress]

NDSAP Platform for the upcoming elections

Domestic Policy- Building on the Autobahn, put Germans back to work with public work projects.

Eliminate the Communists.

Expand the powers of the Chancellor compared to those of the powers of Reich President.

Expand the Reichswehr to 500,000 men.

Introduce an Air Force (call it the Luftwaffe)

Expand the Kreigsmarine (Triple the number of battleships, triple the number of submarines, and introduce the aircraft carrier)

Foreign Policy

Form an Alliance with fellow Fascist power Italy.

Achieve Anchluss with Austria.

Add the Sutedenland to Germany.

Reacquire Danzig.

Reacquire Alsace and Lorraine.

Reacquire colonies somewhere in the world (it doesn't really matter where).

Other

Pass racial doctrine as stated in Mein Kampf.

[NewYorkExpress]

Adolf Hitler response to Otto Wels

Every one of my associates is loyal, both to me and the idea that Germany can be more than it is right now. That is far more than I can say about any one of your associates. When I become the Chancellor, I will not forget this grievous insult done to me and my party, and I will make you pay for it in blood. But not before then.

[RGM2609]

The German Rebirth League - For Law and Order

The DNVP will not run on its own during this election cycle, but rather together with many right wing parties and personalities on The German Rebirth League list. Its leader will be Alfred Hugenberg and it shall be led by the DNVP. Its gatherings will be protected by Der Stalhelm and local police from any violence. The League will present itself as an union of patriots ready to tackle the country's most urgent problems standing against violent mobs.

Its leader and main public face Alfred Hugenberg will tour Northern Germany and East Prussia, following the same pathway from Hindenburg's presidential campaign and holding rallies in every major city. He will also give a few speeches in Bavaria. However, the League will hold rallies with proeminent party leaders in the entire country.

[NewYorkExpress]

Hitler targets Otto Strasser

Adolf Hitler sends the SA on an assignment. Take out Otto Strasser, by any means necessary, while avoiding the murder of any other civilians.

The goal is for Strasser to be "disappeared" by the next election.

[PSOL]

German Right in Peril

Seeing the German right collapse in on itself through factionalism and vanity runs is both hilarious and pretty evident from the start. Such a circus is actually baked into the ideology and habits of such bourgeois tricks to survive capitalism.

It’s evident that the Left is the only real choice for sane leadership to steer Germany out of this recession. The KPD is the only party that is able to lead Germany out of this crisis. The SPD has shown time and time again that they’re willing to save the same institutions that led Germany down this perilous path. I fully expect Ernst Thalmann to rally the working class vote and lead us down a path of Socialism.

[RGM2609]

Alfred Hugenberg attacks Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP in first campaign speech (Northern Germany)

Good day to you, my fellow Germans! Today we start one of the most crucial electoral campaigns in the history of this accursed Republic, and we, the German Rebirth League, propose the most competent and patriotic list in the history of the same accursed Republic! In the coming months we will go to each city and village and convince you that this team is the best option for Deutschland.

Today, I wish to discuss the so called saviors of the Fatherland, the soldiers in the crusade against mentally healthy leaders, the NSDAP. Led by a politician who pretends to know how to make Germany great but in reality has no clue, but instead has almost all mental disorders in the book. A proto-Bolshevik with a party whose name contains the word Socialism, he claims to be a patriot who can implement basically the agenda of the DNVP, but has neither its sanity or its effectiveness. He has no remarkable accomplishments, except maybe the epic failure of a coup in Bavaria, during which he had hidden after a bodyguard. His fellow party leaders are quite a bunch themselves, including a morphine addict, homosexuals, unfaithful and immoral men, demagogues and interestingly, no so-called Aryans. And the party itself is quite an eclectic bunch, with anything from communists to conservatives, only kept together by Hitler using the power of manipulation. And cracks are already beginning to show up. The communists formed their own party and more and more of the conservative reactionaries are joining the League, as they see that such a disorganized and immoral party can not restore the German Empire.

If you want law and order, if you want true economic recovery, if you want for Germany to be ruled by its rightful Kaiser again in peace and morality, if you want for our Fatherland to never bow again to foreign powers but to take its land back, the only true choice is the German Rebirth League! Our leaders are sane and have sound judgement unlike that immoral, weird bunch, and we have been effective in achieving our goals in government. There is no question that Germany is better than it was when we took office, and thanks mainly to the DNVP, we have achieved in 4 months more than anyone would have dreamed of. Violence is dropping, law and order is back. Economic recovery is in, austerity is out. And if you vote for the League on 12th September, we will achieve in 4 years so much, that Germany will be almost unrecognizable. Thank you.

[RGM2609]

Interior Ministry offers police protection to all party leaders except Ernst Thaalmann

The Interior Ministry is offering the services of the new federal police as soon as possible to all party leaders involved in the campaign. In a statement, Minister Hugenberg said that his Deutschland is one in which political fights are carried through words and not through fists, and wants to ensure that everyone is safe from attacks. The exception from this rule is Ernst Thalmann, about which the Minister said that he does not want to waste badly needed taxpayer money to protect a domestic terrorist and Russian puppet.

[KaiserDave]

Federal Election of September 1932


Custom

Campaign Season


With intrigue and crisis in the political scene of the nation, with the once spinning wheels of government brought to a sudden halt by infighting, Chancellor von Papen and President Hindenburg have asked the German people to decide. Yes that means federal elections. Germany has a great many political parties, and while government by coalition is inevitable, these elections may very well decide how strong that coalition is, and who President Hindenburg will ask to form a new government afterwards. Will von Papen stay in the saddle? Will he be thrown out? Will the Communists and National Socialists seize a negative majority? Will the Weimar Coalition hold? The German people have the answers. Here are the major parties contesting the election, though there are many others unlisted due to small size or running in a joint list with larger parties, they are denoted by if they are supporting the current government.


Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) Nein!
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) Nein!
Deutsche Zentrumspartei (DZP) Ja!
Bayerische Volkspartei (BVP) Ja!
Deutsche Staatspartei (DStP) Ja!
Vaterländische Union (VU) Ja!
Deutschnationale Volkspartei (DNVP) Ja!
Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) Nein!


The Social Democrats are currently the largest party in the Reichstag, but the Nazis are poised to take that mantle. The Communists are also expected to make gains. But what of the DNVP, and the catholic Zentrum? And new parties like the German State Party led by the imperious Arthur Mahraun? The seat count of every party will ultimately prove crucial.

Federal Elections: 12 September

Federal elections result will probably be posted Thursday or Friday evening, until then, campaign campaign campaign! Intrigue intrigue intrigue! Remember to try and appeal to a broad base if you want to win more seats, coalition building is everything. Results will be determined by a dice roll, quality of posts, historical precedent, and in game political alliances and maneuvers. Best of luck!

[Devout Centrist]

Official KPD Platform

Courtesy of Invaluable.com

Part 1: Our History and Our Future

The story of the German people is one of class struggle. Since the days of Arminius, our people have engaged in a titanic struggle against the forces of imperialism and capitalism. These forces have ruthlessly conspired against the German people. Today, we are locked in the same struggle against the horrors of a vicious capitalist system and their allies on the reactionary right. To successfully resist their inhuman brutality, the German people must unite under the banner of socialism and shake the foundations that provide legitimacy to their banditry. Like Arminius and our forefathers pushed the Romans out of Deutschland, we must do the same capitalists and the militarists.

In doing so, we shall build a nation dedicated to the peace and prosperity of the working man. Such a state of affairs will end the material destitution that grips our nation. Poverty, homeless, starvation: the evils of the capitalist system shall be eradicated. With the forces of capitalism and militarism driven into the dustbin of history, the German people will realize a Socialist Workers Republic. One where the working class drives the economic and political life of the nation.

To that end, the KPD supports the following policies:

--A Full Employment Guarantee
--Nationalization of the Commanding Heights of the Economy
--A Reichsbank Policy of Lower Interest Rates
--Grants and Low Interest Loans to German Farmers
--Rail, Road, and Canal Construction
--Easing Burdens on Exports
--Trade Union Mobilization
--A National Minimum Wage

Part 2: Peace at Home and Peace Abroad

In 1914, an unholy alliance of capitalists and imperialists came together to send the German People into the Great War. Millions of our brothers were killed in the muddy trenches of the Western Front and on the steppes of Russia. Wives were widowed by the hundreds of thousands and innumerable children were left fatherless. The KPD pledges to do everything in its power to avoid international conflict, while asserting the right of the German people to self determination.

We Pledge to:
--Form International Pacts for Peace
--Support International Cooperation in the League of Nations
--Support Referendums in Lands Lost during the Great War
--Work with our Brothers and Sisters in Foreign Lands for Economic Improvement

Our nation has been gripped by chaos and bloodshed since the onset of the capitalist Great Depression. The root cause of this violence is clear: economic destitution has left the men of Germany without honest work. Beyond economic revival, the KPD pledges to end street violence through working class solidarity.

We Pledge to:
--Expand Suffrage to All Men and Women over the Age of 18
--Empower Local and Regional Governments against Right Wing Violence
--End Federal Cooperation with the Freikorps
--Embrace Community Policing
--Establish Neighborhood Watches in Key Cities

[NewYorkExpress]

Hitler response to Hugenberg, Berlin

Alfred Hugenberg has no right to criticize me for my loyalty to the fatherland, just because I don't want to bring back the Kaiser. Remember, I won the Iron Cross twice in defense of the fatherland, which is far more than he can say. His party isn't the only one promising to restore Germany's glory. Elect me Chancellor, and Germany will be great again, I guarantee it.

[KaiserDave]

Eger Beer Hall

Otto Strasser stood in the side entry hall to the stage reading over his prepared remarks. The vast community of Czech Germans was a hotbed for political activity, especially Pan-Germanic nationalism. While Otto Strasser preferred to discuss the vast restructuring of the economy he imagined, he nevertheless could get the applause of the crowd speaking for the need of a Germanic state in the heart Europe from Memel to Straßburg. The crowd had many members of the German National Socialist Workers' Party, an offshoot of the NSDAP in Czechoslovakia. Strasser's brand of Nazism was popular with some, but detested entirely by the elite German business class who preferred Hitlerism, which was far more friendly to business interests.

Strasser was about to head onto the stage, where his supporters had put up the hammer and sword flack of the Black Front. Before he walked down the hall though he remembered the helpful warning he had been given by a local Germanic police lieutenant, according to the officer it was a well meaning message from Minister Hugenberg himself. That Hitler had put on a price on Strasser's head, the price for attempting a return to German politics. Otto still wanted to return to German politics, the great funds he had received from his secret benefactor had made such a return easy. But it remained incredibly dangerous. Just last week a brick had been tossed into his flat window bearing a threatening message to stop writing his weekly radical column. His own brother had distanced himself from him. Well...he couldn't stay here forever.

Otto Strasser walked down the rest of the hall and onto the stage where the crowd applauded. Otto noticed a group of men in the back and a few in the front tables whose caps covered their faces. Ah yes, the secretive protection he was being lent from his benefactors. Otto saluted the crowd and launched into his prepared remarks. He had spoken for several minutes when he got to the controversial bits.

"....we must throw off the the shackles of the bourgeois class and build a true Volksgemeinschaft free of capitalist corruption and international Jewry. The so called "National Socialist German Workers' Party" has betrayed these aims for capitalist blood money, I stand before you as the only true representative of national socialism-"

He was interrupted by one in the crowd, a man stood, pointed his finger accusingly and shouted as he reached into his jacket.

"Damn Bolshevik! Heil Hitler!" Of the men around him, some ducked, others went to knock him down by the legs. The assailant revealed his handgun and fired two shots, ripping into the black flag behind Strasser. The capped men ran at the gunman drawing daggers as the crowd dispersed. Otto Strasser ran and then crawled behind the stage, checking himself for wounds. He found one, fortunately the wound was only a graze. Perhaps the gunman shouldn't have drunk all that beer, it may have affected his aim. And Otto thought he was safe in Czechoslovakia....

[GoTfan]

Otto Wels in Potsdam

"This is the hour of crisis for our young republic.

We face down demagogues of all all stripes this election. The Stalinism of the KPD, the ancient monarchism of the Chancellor, and the incredible danger represented by the Nazis.

Herr Hitler himself has threatened my life. If one needed any further confirmation that the Nazis are nothing more than a gang of thugs, one of whom recently attemptedthe assassination of their own party member, Otto Strasser. These arenot men of honour, these are men of thuggery, who seek to trample dissent.

But this must be said regardless: each of our opponents seeks the destruction of the Republic in their own way. The Social Democratic Party, at this historic time, omce again pledges itself to freedom and democracy, in the name of the constitutional republic. We are the only party pledged to the preservation of this republic.

This will be our greatest. You have a decision between reactionary, anti-democratic forces of all stripes, who seek to stifle dissent, ban opposition, and in the case of the Chancellor, take credit for our ideas.

We stand for our republic. We stand for democracy. We stand for the Constitution.

Wir stelehn als eins! Für die Republik!"

[RGM2609]

Speech of Interior Minister Alfred Hugenberg after the shooting in Czechoslovakia.

My fellow Germans,

Yesterday we have witnessed a horrific attack by the SA on a party leader. Otto Strasser is no friend of mine, and I am no fan of his, as everyone knows my stance on Bolshevism. However, this government shall have no tolerance on violence, and we are colaborating right now with the Czech police to get to the bottom of this attack. However, our Ministry has taken all appropriate measures to prevent violence in our homeland, and you can continue to feel safe walking down a street during an electoral campaign, like you have not in years, because the police is acting fast to protect you.

Thank you