EAST GERMANY
Millions demand an end to
E VERYWHERE, the dem-
Hands have been the same. The demonstrators are demanding democratic freedoms and full and unfettered sovereignty in the framework of the social and economic order that exists in the country. themselves for a democratic, social and self-managed GDR. Without any reservations or reticence whatever,
### Stalinism
FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, hundreds of thousands of citizens of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) have come Into the streets. In East Berlin, Leipzig,
Dresden, Plauen, Scherin, Halle, Madgeburg, Stralsund and Zwickau, the the working class, have participated in this impressive mass upsurge. This mobilization has been nonviolent. It is openly working for democratic and self-managed socialism. In the immediate future, it is necessary to concentrate on overcoming this deficiency. The revolutionary Marxists must forge an organization of their own that will operate in a collaborative and loyal way within such groupings.
middl facing in te COR The peaceful uprising in the GDR is a response to the crisis, to the total political impasse, to the desperate we support this orientation that the masses themselves have chosen. They are demanding the end of the monopoly of power by the SED [Communist Party]; the end of all the police repression that underpins the dictatorship. They are demanding the right to demonstrate, freedom of right to demonstrate, reedom or right to strike.
Masses act without lack of perspectives (especially for young people) inflicted by an inept, start of a real political revolution.
INTERNATIONAL VIEWPOINT geriatric and ossified bureaucracy. geriatric and ossified bureaucracy. The lack of freedom exasperates everyone. A working class, an intelligentsia and a youth among the best educated in the world, with the oldest and firmest socialist tradition, ship and a mass movement of such scope hin aude mode mayament of auch crone and dynamism are incompatible.
Today, a reform faction of the bureaucracy is emerging. It is trying to channel the growing mass movement. So far, it has had hardly any real impact. Could another faction halt the movement by violent repression, as happened in China? In view of the relationship of social forces in the GDR and its geographical position, this would, in any case, be far more difficult than in Beijing.
It is, therefore, the mass movement's own dynamic that for the moment is determining the course of events. It remains full of promise. Today, the main weakness of the East German movement lies in the lack of self-organization of the masses and of an organized vanguard finds itself subiected to unremitting tutefinds itself subjected to unremitting tutelage in every area of their lives.
Attraction of higher living standards
For a section of the population, revolt first took the form of flight to West Germany. The attraction of a higher standard of living has obviously been a factor. But the main motivation of these refugees has rather been a quest for greater liberty. The great majority of the young people, the workers and the intellectuals have not, however, chosen this road. To the accompaniment of "The Internationale," hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, ten times more numerous than the refugees, have been shouting: "We are not leaving.
We are staying here. This is our country. We have built it with our labor. We are the country."
They want to win democracy and freedom in the
GDR itself and not somewhere else.
All revolutionaries, workers' organizations, all workers in Germany, Europe and the world, must express their full solidarity with the demonstrators in East Germany.
To counter any threat of repression and interference, by the Kremlin, West Germany or the European Community, it is necessary to defend the sovereignty of the masses of the GDR, and 3 their right to decide their November 13, 1989 • #173 International Viewpoint bureaucratic authorization
They are demanding cultural and political pluralism, a multi-party system, fair access for all associations and parties to the media. They have moreover begun themselves to create such associations and parties, without waiting for authorization from the bureaucracy.
The masses in struggle are demanding free elections with universal suffrage for the parliament, the regional councils and the municipalities; the elimination of all restrictions on the freedom of people to go abroad; and an end to the bureaucracy's material privileges. They are fighting for just objectives, with a dignity and political sense, with a unity that has commanded the respect of all, just as the demonstrators in Tiananmen square in Beijing did.
Facing this explosion of popular will, the bureaucracy is at bay, and rocked also by a wave of opposition within the SED. It has begun to retreat. Honecker has been sacrificed. The demonstrations are no longer being repressed. The media are a bit more open.
However, everyone realizes that with or without
Krenz, this is only a start of a
•30.
transition. It cannot last long. Bureaucratic dictator-
In other words, they are declaring great majority of the population, and thus
In other words, they are declaring great majority of the population, and thus nonetheless beginning to look like the association and of the press, as well as the
EAST GERMANY fate freely.
With near unanimity, all working-class organizations, as well as the Greens, in West Germany have taken such an attitude, and opposed any questioning of the East German frontiers. In the present conditions, such an attitude would involve in practice the absorption of the GDR by imperialist West Germany and the Europe of the trusts.
This is the first time since 1920 that the German working class has appeared on
Political platform of
New Forum verman working class has appeared on the European political scene in this way, with its united power, with class independence and an anticapitalist potential, even if it lacks clear views about where these positions lead. This stance by the workers' movement and all the West German far left, in accordance with that of the masses in the GDR themselves, is in full conformity with the class interests of the proletariat. The workers of the GDR today have a chance to change the situation radically in their favor, much more radically than those in West Germany. What is on the agenda in the immediate future is the overthrow of the East German bureaucracy.
For a democratic socialist
East Germany
A democratic socialist East Germany could become a lever for a socialist Germany and a socialist Europe. A democratic socialist East Germany would become a powerful pole of attraction for the working class, for the youth, for the environmentalist and peace movements in Poland and Hungary, throughout East and West Europe, and even in the USSR itself, if the East German workers won freedom, democracy and political sovereignty; if they established self-management in their enterprises; if they generalized the functioning of organs of direct democracy; if they set up workers' and people's inspec tion that assured real protection of the environment; if they immediately introduced a 35-hour workweek.
Then, an immense hope would arise throughout the world. Then, there would be an attractive socialist model that offered an alternative to the joint failure of Stalinist despotism and of the social democrats trying to manage the capitalist crisis. Then, all this commotion about the "end of communism" and the "end of socialism" would evaporate overnight.
This is still only a hope. It is still only one possibility among many others. But this Monday, October 30, 300,000 persons came out again into the streets in Leipzig. In Schwerin, a city of 100,000 inhabitants, 80,000 people demonstrated in the evening.
On Saturday, November 5, a million people are expected to demonstrate in Berlin. The chance for a victory in East Germany has to be seized and a decisive 4 imperialism. * defeat dealt to the bureaucracy and to
WE PUBLISH below the political platform of New Forum one of the main opposition groups in East Germany DOCUMENT
N OUR country, communication between the state and society has now clearly broken down. This is proved by the fact that, while some retreat into private life, others leave the country en masse. ElseThe is to Th where, migrations on this scale are caused by need, hunger and violence. This is not the case in the DDR (East Germany). The breakdown in communications paralyses the creative forces of our society and prevents the solution of both national and local problems. We do nothing at a time when we could be doing things of great importance for our life, our country and for humanity.
Different parts of society
Isolated
In the state and the economy, the balance of interests between social groups and layers is not adequately maintained. The different parts of society have ceased to talk to each other. In private circles, people put their point of view quite easily and propose what should be done.
But there are very different desires and aspirations and there is hardly any possibility to compare and verify their viability. On the one hand, we want an improvement in services and an increase in our consumption of goods, on the other, we recognize the social and ecological consequences that this implies and demand the establishment of limits to economic growth.
We want more space for economic initiative, but we reject a decline towards a marginal society. We want to retain the social gains make space for the renovation of society, in the framework of a development that is less hostile to nature.
We want rational social relations, but not a society under tutelage. We want to create free men and women, forming an aware community. We want to free ourselves from violence and not to live in a state composed of toadies and hierarchies. The idlers and incompetents must get out, but we do not want to punish the weak and destitute in our society. We want real social justice of which nobody can take advantage at the expense of others. We want to develop exports and be a part of the world market, but not by becoming debtors and subjects of the most industrialized countries, nor by becoming the creditors and exploiters of the economically weakest countries.
### Democratic dialogue necessary
To take account of all these contradictions, to listen to and discuss different opinions and arguments, and to distinguish general from particular interests it is necessary to develop a democratic dialogue on the tasks of a State of Laws, on the economy and on culture. We must discuss and reflect together in all these questions in an open manner throughout the country. This is the indispensable condition for finding a solution to the present crisis. Today, social development is marked by the fact that a large number of people are participating in the process of social reform and by the fact that the multiple activities of groups and individuals lead to common initiatives.
As a consequence, we are working out a common political platform for the whole of the DDR, that will allow citizens - whatever their profession or association or party affiliation to take part in this debate on the major problems of our country. To develop such an initiative, we have chosen the name New Forum.
New Forum's activities rest on social bases. We base ourselves on article 29 of the DDR's constitution which gives us the possibility to defend our political interests. We demand our legalization on the basis of the law of November 6, 1975 on the foundation and activity of associations." All the demands raised by New Forum have their roots in the aspirations for justice, democracy, liberty and the desire to defend and preserve nature.
This aspiration and these desires inspirers our social action. We call on all the citizens of the DDR who wish to change society to become members of New Forum. The time is ripe. *
International Viewpoint #173 • November 13, 1989