Revolutionäre Gewerkschafts Opposition

The Revolutionary Trade Union Opposition ( RGO ) was 1928/29, initially an organized Communist flow in the free trade unions. From the end of 1929, the RGO appeared as KPD close union, the 1930/31 individual industry associations founded. Parts of the RGO were active in the resistance against National Socialism.

Formation

Reasons for the emergence of the RGO be seen in the recent literature on the one hand in from 1927/28, modified KPD and Comintern policy, on the other hand, in specific developments of the German communist movement. In this movement there was a part that was increasingly distancing themselves from the social democratic unions dominated by the General German Trade Union Federation ( ADGB ). The foundation based not alone on tactical decisions of the Communist Party, the Comintern and the Red Trade Union International ( RGI), but based also on needs and demands of a radical minority of the German labor movement, not their interests under the traditional free trade union policy more represented saw. This development is also attributed to changes in the SPD policy had an impact on the free trade union policy and to have had a defensive course of trade unions against the employers result. In the KPD the RGO policy was still very controversial. KPD members who opposed the RGO policy principle, resigned from the party or were excluded.

First, the part of the RGO tries from 1927 /28, set their own strike committee and electoral lists (red lists) with its own candidates in elections and councils with support from unorganized. This step was conceived by the free trade unions as a challenge. The social democratic organizations concluded from now on numerous Communists. RGO - trailer decided to try to initiate more frequent wildcat strikes. The Communists reviled the Social Democrats in the sense of the former KPD programmatic as social fascists.

After the exclusion of entire communist -dominated industries and local associations in 1929 the Communists went on to a further rise in opposition working in the free trade unions. They founded increasingly independent groupings of Excluded (eg the so-called pipe fitters union under the leadership of Michael Niederkirchnerstrasse ). In these small groups, which exist primarily in Berlin and in the Ruhr area, often a certain number has been taken completely disorganized, making the disentanglement of the RGO was amplified from the free ADGB unions on. The future tasks of the RGO consisted in attempts to organize dissatisfied workers and strikes to defend against wage cuts or for better working conditions, but especially for revolutionary demands. Implement last and most important goal of the RGO strategy was no longer in mid- 1930 as part of the ADGB unions in principle possible.

Development and orientation

Since 1930 the RGO has been called " red class union " propagated. As of November 1930 created several " red associations " and there were several times initiated conversion campaigns, but - never achieved greater success - except for local exceptions ( especially in Berlin, the Ruhr, Hamburg). The maximum number of members throughout the RGO was given in 1932 with 322,000 people, a number that is estimated in the recent literature as excessive. Are more realistic numbers 235000-270000.

Although parts of the traditional trade union wing left the Communist Party and went to KPO. However, the KPD became a mass party in the final phase of the Weimar Republic. Overall, however, the Communist trade union policy was always less successful than the former party politics. In some areas of the organization RGO time, more than half of the RGO members was unemployed. However, this was also related to the difficult situation on the labor market during the global economic crisis and measures from the ranks of entrepreneurs against communists. The RGO was classified as a " subversive organization" by the authorities. Their activities were monitored by the police. Official recognition as a bargaining partner was denied her.

For propaganda purposes only input and no withdrawals were counted in parts of the RGO at times. Since the Communist influence in the free trade unions in the course of application of offensive RGO - strike policy - both through voluntary resignations and by Exclusions - had been disappearing, but also the RGO not became a mass organization, the Communist Party changed its strategy again: As of mid- 1931 Communists had to make the opposition work in ADGB or in all free trade union associations and at the same time to provide for a strengthening of " red associations ". This policy position was an expression of inner-party situation, were trying to cover up the broken contradictions concerning the RGO. But that's the RGO was pushed from the perspective of some of the KPD and RGO officials too much in the role of a pure sub-organization of the KPD, which their claim to an independent communist trade union movement - could not redeem - also due to conflicting requirements. Between the KPD leadership and parts of the RGO, there were significant conflicts over trade union and political issues. Especially the " red Associations " saw themselves threatened in their existence, as the party more and more distanced went to them.

The three largest " red associations " organized in the areas of metal (Unit Federation of Metal Workers of Berlin ), mining (Unit Association of Miner Germany ) and construction ( unit association for the construction industry ) compared to the ADGB unions only a small part of the workforce. Nevertheless, they reached notable successes in some farms and regions in Germany. Especially in the metal and mining the RGO was relatively successful in Berlin and in the Ruhr.

The end of 1932 caught the RGO in Germany attention because they supported jointly with the National Socialist Factory Cell Organization ( NSBO ) a strike at the Berlin transport company against a reduction of wages. There was a rejected from the free trade unions " wildcat strikes " against wage cuts, which was carried by a majority of the BVG employees. Through a connection to the strike, which was primarily carried out by unorganized and the RGO, tried in the Berlin workers' movement in 1932 also little anchored Nazis, to record propaganda success for the " National Socialism." However, represented in the strike committee were next to RGO and NSBO also members of the SPD, who rejected the wage cuts and thus followed the demands of the workforce.

The RGO in the resistance against National Socialism

After the beginning of the Nazi regime in 1933 tried parts of the RGO to maintain the organization. The RGO was at the beginning of the Nazi regime after the Reichstag fire in the illegality and built in different areas of organizing resistance groups. In particular, in the areas of metal, marine and construction activities were recorded. The unit of the Metal Workers Berlin ( EVMB ) was one of the most important trade union resistance groups that existed in the early phase of Nazism.

Parts of the RGO focused on the propaganda work for the " revolutionary overthrow " of the Nazi regime and the distribution of magazines, to the cashing of membership fees and the collection of information about conditions in the factories and the stamp points. From parts of the RGO - especially from the ranks of the " red Associations " - attempts were still made ​​to initiate strikes. This should serve to destabilize the Nazi state or ward wage cuts. The participation in such campaigns included a big risk. Many members and sympathizers of the RGO illegal structures were arrested by the Gestapo and sentenced to years in prison.

Resolution

The KPD was from mid-1934 gradually - in accordance with the Comintern and the RGI - the RGO policy because the party again wanted more closer to the Social Democrats and advocated politically flow across free trade union resistance groups. However, parts of the RGO clung to the old line. The smaller and smaller groups of RGO parted 1934-1936 their own, or were shattered by Nazi persecutors.

Functionaries of the RGO Reich Committee ( selection)

• Willi Agatz (1904-1957), RGO Reich leader of the end of 1933 to early 1934
• Erich Auer (1902-1978)
• Artur Becker (1905-1938)
• Paul Bertz (1886-1950)
• Roman Chwalek (1898-1974)
• Franz Dahlem (1892-1981), RGO Reich leader from November 1930 to June 1932 and from time to time in illegality 1934/35 from exile
• Fritz Emrich (1894-1947), RGO - Reich Director from July 1930 to October 1930
• Heinrich Evers
• Ottomar Geschke (1882-1957)
• Albert Funk (1894-1933)
• Max Maddalena (1895-1943)
• Paul Merker (1894-1969), RGO - Reich Director from December 1929 to May 1930; was at times the most important member of the national leadership of the illegal RGO 1934/35
• Robert Neddermeyer (1887-1965)
• Michael Niederkirchnerstrasse (1882-1949)
• Paul Peschke
• Emil Pietzuch
• Konrad Skrentny (1894-1955)
• Sobottka Gustav (1886-1953)
• Fritz Schulte (1890-1943), RGO - Reich Director from July 1932 until the end of 1933 and for a time in hiding 1934/35 from exile
• Walter Ulbricht (1893-1973)
• Paul Walter (1891-1978)

Attempts to restore the RGO policy in the 1970s

In the trade union movement, the RGO policy has usually been considered a fault after 1945, which had reinforced the division of labor. Attempts by the KPD - AO and the KPD / ML in the 1970s to revive the RGO policy, remained in the Federal Republic of Germany without much effect. Aspirations for a new RGO was carried to a considerable extent of radical left-wing students. They tried to enforce in the factories a radical left-wing trade union policy in contrast to the German Trade Union Federation. In the GDR the RGO policy has been mostly viewed as an error which led to " sectarianism " under the Communists and thus hinders united front efforts.