RADICAL PERSPECTIVES ONTHE RISE Of FASCISM

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2 RADICAL PERSPECTIVES ONTHE RISE Of FASCISM

3 RADICAL PERSPECTIVES ONTHE RISE Of FASCISM INGERMANY, editedby Michael N. Dobkowski & Isidor Wallimann Monthly Review Press New York

4 Copyright 1989 by Michael N. Dobkowski and Isidor Wallimann All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Radical perspectives on the rise of Fascism in Germany, 1919 to 1945 / edited by Michael N. Dobkowski and Isidor Wallimann. p. cm. Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN ISBN (pbk.) 1. Germany-Politics and government-191~ Germany- -Politics and government National socialism. 1. Dobkowski, Michael N. II. Wallimann, Isidor, DD240. R dcl CIP Monthly Review Press 122 West 27th Street New York, N.Y Manufactured in the United States of America

5 To the Voices of Resistance

6 Contents Acknowlegments Acronyms lntroduction Michael N. Dobkowski and Isidor Wallimann Part I Reclaiming the Past: History and Theory State and Classes in Weimar Germany David Abraham 21 What Produces Fascism: Preindustrial Traditions or a Crisis of the Capitalist State? Geoff Eley 69 Bonapartism, Fascism, and the Collapse of the Weimar Republic Derek S. Linton 100 Theories of Fascism: Nicos Poulantzas As Historian ]ane Caplan 128 Economy and Politics in the Destruction of the Weimar Republic Kurt Gossweiler 150 Regional Elitesand the Rise of National Socialism, B rian Peterson 172 The NSDAP: An Alternative Elite for Capitalism in Crisis John D. Nagle 194 7

7 8 Contents Part II Confronting the Past: Lessons from History The Destruction of the Workers' Mass Movements in Nazi Germany Gunter W. Remmling 215 Terror and Demagoguery in the Consolidation of the Fascist Dictatorship in Germany, Kurt Pätzold 231 Defense of Democracy or Advance to Socialism? Arguments Within German Social Democracy in the Mid-1920s Ben Fowkes 24 7 Part III Forgetting the Past: Redoing History From Denazification to the "Historiker-Debatte": Reckoning with the Past in the Federal Republic of Germany Reinhard Kühnl 267 After Nazism: Antifascism and Democracy in Dachau, 1945 Tony Barta 289 Bibliographical Essay 319 N otes on the C ontributors 325 Index 327

8 Acknowledgments The two of us come to the study of German fascism from different disciplines and from different sides of the Atlantic Ocean. That we could produce this joint effort is a tribute to the respect we have for each other, both personally and professionally, and to our commitment to multidisciplinary work and interchange. We wish to thank colleagues in our respective institutions and other friends and students who have provided an intellectual environment that was conducive to productive work. We are particularly grateful to the contributors for the prompt submission of their essays and the quality of their work. To those who offered editorial advice and assistance we give special thanks. We would also like to express our appreciation to Martha Baker for her excellent translation of Reinhard Kühnl's essay. We benefited from several anonymous reviewers whose comments helped make this a better book and from the encouragement received from colleagues in the field, particularly Renate Bridenthal. We are, of course, responsible for any errors that remain. We would like to offer special thanks to Gary Thompson of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Library staff for his assistance. A special acknowledgment goes to Susan Lowes, editor of Monthly Review Press, who gave us much support and to Karen Judd, the editor who nursed this project along in its final stages. Credit for typing goes to Ann Hovey, Debbi Smith, and Pati Mattice. As always, thanks to Karen Gabe Dobkowski for all her assistance and encouragement and to Jessica, Jonathan, and Tarnar for the pleasures of childhood diversions. 9

9 10 Radical Perspectives Acronyms ADGB AFA AVAVG BBB BVP CNBLP CDU CSU DDP DHP DNVP DVP IKL KPD KPD(O) MSPD NSBO NSDAP PSI RDI RLB SA SAP SED SPD ss USPD VVN Zentrum German Trade Union Federation Anti-Fascist Action Committee Employment Facilitation and Unemployment Insurance Law Bavarian Peasant Association Bavarian People's party Christian National Peasants and Rural People's party Christian Democratic Union Christian Social Union German Democratic party German Hanoverian party German National People's party German People's party Patriotic National Movement German Communist party Germany Communist party-opposition Majority Social Democratic Party National Socialist Organization oflndustrial Cells National Socialist German Workers party Italian Socialist party League of German Industry National Rural League Sturmabteilung Socialist Workers' party Socialist Unity party Social Democratic party of Germany Schutzstaffel Independent Social Democratic party Association of Persons Persecuted During the Nazi Regime Catholic Center party