"Progressives should not make the same mistake that Ernst Thälmann made in 1932. The leader of the German Communist Party, Thälmann saw mainstream liberals as his enemies, and so the center and left never joined forces against the Nazis. Thälmann famously said that ‘some Nazi trees must not be allowed to overshadow a forest’ of social democrats, whom he sneeringly called ‘social fascists.’

After Adolf Hitler gained power in 1933, Thälmann was arrested. He was shot on Hitler’s orders in Buchenwald concentration camp in 1944."

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    6
    ·
    2 months ago

    Progressives should not make the same mistake that Ernst Thälmann made in 1932

    The mistake Ernst Thälmann made was not throwing his support behind checks notes Paul von Hindenburg, the man who ordered the police massacre of the Spartacus League?

    After Adolf Hitler gained power in 1933, Thälmann was arrested.

    Who elevated Adolf Hitler to the Chancellorship in 1933?

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        2 months ago

        They’d have thrown their support behind the centrist, Wilhelm Marx, who lost by about 3%

        The Catholic Centre Party was in open - often violent - conflict with the largely atheist-leaning German Communists. The German Catholics were terrified of a repeat of the Spanish Civil War, where Spaniards were revolting against a religious dictatorship and burning down churches.

        Von Hindenburg, with the help of the governing coalition formed by the Nazis and DNVP

        Wilhelm was aligned with the DNVP as far back as 1923. He was the one who pushed through the Enabling Act of 1923, which the Nazis would ruthlessly exploit a decade later, with their help. And he continued to govern in coalition with the DNVP through 1928, when he was dismissed from the Chancellory by…

        Von Hindenburg, with the help of the governing coalition formed by the Nazis and DNVP

        So, to answer your question

        What point are you trying to make?

        My point is that blaming Ernest Thälmann for his minority party position in the German government through 1933 when it would make much more sense to finger Alfred Hugenberg and his DNVP, which abandoned Wilhelm in '28 and aligned with

        Von Hindenburg, with the help of the governing coalition formed by the Nazis

      • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        2 months ago

        What point are you trying to make?

        Muddying the waters. That’s the point these shills are trying to make.