Confronting Hitler: German Social Democrats in Defense of the Weimar Republic, 1929-1933

335 Pages·2008·3.826 MB·English

by  William Smaldone

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CONFRONTING
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HISTORY • EUROPEAN STUDIES
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“Using an engaging biographical approach, William Smaldone examines the L
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rise of Nazism from the perspective of its most important opponents. Adding
HITLER
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considerably to the knowledge of the downfall of the Weimar Republic,
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Confronting Hitler reconsiders the quandary of committed democrats fighting
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for civility and social justice in the face of ruthless and violent enemies.”
—Dieter Buse, Laurentian University
The stories of the individual men and women who led German Social
Democracy’s failed efforts to fend off the Nazi onslaught have largely been lost
in the wake of the cataclysmic war, the Holocaust, and the division of Europe
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that followed Hitler’s 1933 victory. Confronting Hitler recovers their stories and
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places them at center stage. In a series of biographical essays focusing on the
experiences of ten leading Social Democratic activists, William Smaldone
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examines their defeat in 1933 from the perspective of individuals enmeshed in
political struggle. F
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This study reveals the aspects of these activists’ lives that were most important
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in shaping their political outlook during the republic’s final crisis, illustrates the
key factors that guided their actions in the effort to keep the republic alive, and N
raises the important issue of the degree to which the defeat of German Social
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Democracy in 1933 is comparable to the experiences of other democratic
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socialist movements in the twentieth century. N
WILLIAM SMALDONEis professor of history at Willamette University in Salem, G
Oregon, and author of Rudolf Hilferding: The Tragedy of a German Social Democrat.

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German Social Democrats in Defense of
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the Weimar Republic, 1929–1933
For orders and information please contact the publisher
Lexington Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-7391-2843-5
A division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
ISBN-10: 0-7391-2843-4 WILLIAM SMALDONE
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Lanham, Maryland 20706
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www.lexingtonbooks.com
CONFRONTING HITLER

CONFRONTING HITLER
German Social Democrats in Defense of
the Weimar Republic, 1929–1933
WILLIAM SMALDONE
LEXINGTON BOOKS
A division of
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham • Boulder • New York • Toronto • Plymouth,UK
LEXINGTON BOOKS
A division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers,Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group,Inc.
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Copyright © 2009 by Lexington Books
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or by any
means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smaldone,William.
Confronting Hitler:German Social Democrats in defense of the Weimar Republic,
1929–1933 / William Smaldone.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13:978-0-7391-2843-5 (cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN-10:0-7391-2843-4 (cloth:alk.paper)
ISBN-13:978-0-7391-3211-1 (e-book)
ISBN-10:0-7391-3211-3 (e-book)
1. Germany—Politics and government—1918–1933.2. Sozialdemokratische Partei
Deutschlands. I.Title.
DD240.S63 2009
943.085—dc22
2008032327
Printed in the United States of America
(cid:2)™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American
National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library
Materials,ANSI/NISO Z39.48–1992.
To Jennifer, Sarah, and Emily

Contents
List of Abbreviations ix
Preface xi
CHAPTER 1
Weimar and the Social Democratic Challenge 1
CHAPTER 2
Siegfried Aufhäuser (1884–1969):“Freedom will always triumph.” 23
CHAPTER 3
Rudolf Breitscheid (1874–1944):“Readiness is everything!” 47
CHAPTER 4
Rudolf Hilferding (1877–1941): Against the Right and the Left 71
CHAPTER 5
Marie Juchacz (1879–1956): Mobilizing Women 101
CHAPTER 6
Carlo Mierendorff (1897–1943):
“Democracy and Socialism were our polestars.” 119
vii
viii CONTENTS
CHAPTER 7
Antonie Pfülf (1977–1933):“A socialist in deed.” 143
CHAPTER 8
Toni Sender (1888–1964): German Rebel 163
CHAPTER 9
Carl Severing (1875–1952):“I will yield only to violence.” 179
CHAPTER 10
Friedrich Stampfer (1874–1957): Reaching out to the Communists 207
CHAPTER 11
Otto Wels (1873-1939): Defending Socialism’s Honor 225
CHAPTER 12
Conclusion: Reconsidering the German Catastrophe of 1933 253
Chronology 277
Works Cited 285
Index 299
About the Author 317
Abbreviations
ADGB Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (General Federa-
tion of German Trade Unions)
AdsD Archiv der sozialen Demokratie (Bonn)
AfA-Bund Allgemeiner freier Angestellten-Bund (General Federation of
Free Employees)
ANC African National Congress
Butab Bund der technischen Angestellte und Beamten (Federation
of Technical Employees and Officials)
Butib Bund der technisch-industriellen Beamten (Federation of
Technical and Industrial Employees)
BVP Bayerische Volkspartei (Bavarian People’s Party)
COSATU Confederation of South African Trade Unions
DDP Deutsche Demokratische Partei (German Democratic Party)
DHV Deutschnationaler Handlungsgehfeverband (National Ger-
man Clerks’Association)
DMV Deutscher Metallarbeiter-Verband (German Metal Workers’
Association)
DNVP Deutschnationale Volkspartei (German National People’s Party)
DV Demokratische Vereinigung (Democratic Union)
ix