The Nazis, Capitalism and the Working Class

300 Pages·2012·12.539 MB·English

by  Donny Gluckstein

The Nazis, Capitalism,
and the Working Class

The Nazis, Capitalism,
and the Working Class
Donny Gluckstein
(T;
Haymarket Books
Chicago, IL
Copyright © 1999 Donny Gluckstein
First published in 1999 by Bookmarks Publications Ltd
This edition published in 2012 by
Haymarket Books
PO Box 180165
Chicago, IL 60618
773-583-7884
[email protected]
www.haymarketbooks.org
ISBN: 978- 1-60846-1 37-0
Distributed to the trade in the US through Consortium Book Sales and
Distribution (www.cbsd.com) and internationally through Ingram Publisher
Services International (www.ingramcontent.com).
This book was published with the generous support of Lannan Foundation and
Wallace Action Fund.
Special discounts are available for bulk purchases by organizations and
institutions. Please call 773-583-7884 or email [email protected] for
more information.
Cover design by Josh On. Cover images of Nazi stormtroopers gathered at Luit—
pold Arena to listen to a speech by Adolf Hitler on “Brown Shirt Day” at the
1937 convention of the Nazi Party in Nuremberg, Germany. © Associated Press
photo.
Printed in the United States.
Entered into digital printing July 2020.
Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data is available.
1098765432
Contents
Glossary
1x
Introduction
1
Chapter 1
Backwad or modem?
The course of German history
3
Chapter 2
The origins of Nazism: revolution
and counterarevolution, 1918 to 1923
14
Chapter 3
The crisis of Weimar:
Hitler becomes chancellor
37
Chapter 4
The Nazi machine
68
Chapter 5
The failure of the German left
97
Chapter 6
193364: a Brown revolution?
127
Chapter 7
The Third Reich: 3 fusion of state and capital
140
Chapter 8
War and the Holocaust
163
Chapter 9
Resistance and opposition
192
Notes
224
Bibliography
260
Index
277
Acknowledgements
Several people have assisted with research and advice in preparing
this book.S pecial thanks are due to Chris Bambery, John Charlton,
Tony Cliff, Neil Davidson, Henry Maitles, Dave Renton and Ian
Slattery.

Glossary and list of
abbreviations
ADGB———Allgemeiner Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund. General
Confederation of German Trade Unions, also known as Free Trade
Unions. Linked to SPD.
AfA—Bund—Allgemeiner freier Angestelltenbund. General
Confederation of salaried employees. White collar union affiliated
to ADGB.
Antifas—Antivfascist committees in 1945.
BetriebsratewFactory councils.
BVP—Bayerische Volkspartei. Bavarian People’s Party (Catholic).
Communist lnternational—Comintern. The Third International.
After Stalinisation became an instrument of rule from Moscow.
DAF—Deutsche Arbeitsfront. German Labour Front; the Nazi
‘trade union’.
DAP—Deutsche Arbeiterpartei. German Workers’ Party; precursor
of the Nazi Party.
DDP—Deutsche Demokratische Partei. Left of centre middle class
party.
DHV—Deutschenationaler Handlungsgehilfenverband. German
National League of Commercial Employees. Far right wing white
collar association.
DNVP—Deutschenationale Volkspartei. German National People’s
Party, right wing middle class party (Conservatives).
DVPnDeutsche Volkspartei. German People's Party, centre right
middle class party.
Einsatzgruppen—SS task forces responsible for shooting large
numbers (especially Jews) in Nazi occupied territories.
Freikorps—Free Corps. Armed units used to repression revolution,
19 18v1 9 .
Gau—Nazi geographical unit headed by a Gauleiter or local party
boss.
Gestapo——Geheime Staatspolizei. State secret police.
Gleichschaltung—‘coordination’ or Nazification process.
ix