The Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD) was formed in December of 1918 from the Spartacist League, which originated as a small factional grouping within the Social Democratic Party (SPD) opposed to the First World War on the grounds that it was an imperialist war in which the working class had no interest. The faction was led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. Both wanting the SPD to embrace its communist roots the party was initially founded on. But from 1914 on the SPD supported the war both politically and finically.
Technically, its first incarnation was as the Internationale, based on a journal of that name which was swiftly suppressed by the authorities. The faction became known as the Spartacus League after a series of letters written by Luxemburg, its preeminent theoretician, which she signed "Spartacus".
When the tide of popularity turned against the war, sections of the SPD turned leftwards and broke away to form the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD). The Spartacus League joined the new party as an autonomous faction. However, a debate was underway as to whether a new Communist party should be formed in Germany that would ally itself with the Bolsheviks in Russia. As well as the Spartacus League, the International Communists of Germany (IKD), who had their theoretical point of origin in the pre-war Left Radical tendency, were to take part in the foundation of the Communist Party.
The Spartacus League, Rosa Luxemburg center
The party was first led by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht, though large portions of the membership opposed their views. Some even formed a splinter organization, the Communist Workers Party. The failed Spartacist Uprising in Berlin was carried out one month after the KPD's formation, in January of 1919, against the specific instructions of Luxemburg and Liebknecht. The right wing Freikorps militias joined with the remnants of the German army and the Social Democrats to suppress the revolt. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were captured, tortured, killed, and dumped into a canal.This left the party in the hands of Karl Levi, who sought to win over social democratic workers. These efforts were rewarded when a substantial section of the Independent Social Democratic Party joined the KPD, making it a mass party for the first time. Other prominent members included Leo Jogiches, Clara Zetkin, Paul Levi, Willi Münzenberg, Franz Mehring and Ernst Meyer, who joined between 1920-1924.
A leader is born
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 at Braunau am Inn, Austria.He was the fourth of six children of Alois Hitler (1837–1903), a customs official, and Klara Pölzl, Alois' niece and third wife. Of these six children, only Adolf and his younger sister Paula reached adulthood. Alois died on January 3, 1903, at 65. Adolf was 16 at the time. Doing poorly in school and desiring the life of a painter he left school.
From 1905 onward, Hitler was able to live the life of a Bohemian on a fatherless child's pension and support from his mother. After he was rejected twice by the Academy of Arts in Vienna (1907–1908) for "lack of talent"—which he resented deeply—he did not try to find a different job or learn a profession. He was told he should become an architect, since he had some flair for painting buildings. On December 21, 1907, his mother Klara died a painful death from breast cancer. He gave his share of the orphans' benefits to his younger sister Paula, but soon after inherited some money from an aunt. He worked as a struggling painter in Vienna, copying scenes from postcards and selling his paintings to merchants and tourists (there is evidence he produced over 2000 paintings and drawings before World War I).
After the second refusal from the Academy of Arts, Hitler gradually ran out of money. By 1909, he sought refuge in a homeless shelter, and by the beginning of 1910 had settled permanently into a house for poor working men. He made spending money by painting tourist postcards of Vienna scenery. He was given a small inheritance from his father in May 1913 and moved to Munich.
Moving to Munich also helped him escape military service in Austria for a time, but the Austrian army later arrested him. After a physical exam (during which his height was measured at 1.73 m, or 5"8') and a contrite plea, he was found unfit for service and allowed to return to Munich. However, when Germany entered World War I in August 1914, he immediately enlisted in the Bavarian army.
Hitler on the far left.
Hitler saw active service in France and Belgium as a messenger for the 16th Bavarian reserve infantry regiment, which exposed him to enemy fire. He also drew some cartoons and instructional drawings for the army newspaper. He was twice cited for bravery in action, receiving the Iron Cross, Second Class, in December 1915 and the Iron Cross, First Class in August 1918. (This was an honor rarely given to corporals. The fact that he was not a German citizen at that time, and therefore could not be promoted beyond corporal, might have been significant.) In October 1916, in northern France, Hitler was wounded in the leg. At the beginning of March 1917 he returned to the front. When Germany surrender Hitler took it extremely hard. He like most other Germans at the time believed the army was undefeated, he quickly clung to the “stabbed in the back” theory of defeat.Changes in ideology
After the war, Hitler remained in the army, which was mainly engaged in suppressing socialist uprisings breaking out across Germany, including Munich, where Hitler returned in 1919. He took part in "national thinking" courses organized by the Education and Propaganda Department (Dept Ib/P) of the Bavarian Reichswehr Group, Headquarters 4 under Captain Mayr. A key purpose of this group was to create a scapegoat for the outbreak of the war and Germany's defeat. The scapegoats were found in "international Jewry," communists and politicians across the party spectrum.
In July 1919, Hitler was appointed a V-Mann (Verbindungsmann is the German term for a police spy) of "Aufklärungskommando" or Intelligence Commando of the Reichswehr, for the purpose of influencing other soldiers towards similar ideas and was assigned to infiltrate a small nationalist party, the German Workers' Party (DAP) in September.
Hitler never made it to one meeting of the party. On September 9 Adolf got off the S-Bahn train in Munich, and while crossing a busy intersection was hit by a car. He was not injured badly but he had cracked two ribs. While Hitler laid on the ground, according to him, the driver of the car yelled back as he drove off, “Get a job and out of my way.”
The army gave him sick leave, for three weeks to heal. During that time Hitler roamed around Munich. Having more time on his hands then he had in years, he began writing down his thoughts in between painting his aparment and a Pomeranian dog his neighbor owned. Hitler spoke of how Germany looked to him, “Every where I looked men and women had their shoulders slumped forward. The bright and eager expressions they had during my younger days were gone. The only one who seemed to be smiling were my enemies.” Many historians argue over whether or not Hitler being hit by the car would have changed his opinion concerning the “enemy” of Germany. He formed a deep loathing of the upper class, and even the middle class, who Hitler accused of not fighting in the war, and reaping the benifits of the lower classes struggles.
Having a week left before having to report to the army, Hitler went through Munich in late July. According to his writings he saw a poster that said in simple words, “Fight the Rich.”
Given a copy of the Communist Manifesto, Hitler went home and poured over the book. Reading it from cover to cover. It fascinated Hitler, according to the army the book was filled with anarchist phrases made to enflame and destroy civilization. But here in simple print was not only the answer to life’s problems but solutions. Overthrow the capitalists, and replace it with the people. Resigning from the army, in a rather uncommunist way, citing his chest still bothered him when he slept. The doctors not being able to disprove such things allowed Hitler to retain a years’ worth of pay after he quit.
Hitler went back to the Munich party meetings, he took part in the discussions, gave his opinions about how the doctrine could be used alongside that of the Comintern. Kuhn at first took to liking Hitler, but as the Austrian corporal, who was not even a member of the party, was asked more and more to lead the meetings a split formed between the two. On October 12, 1919 Hitler became the 1623rd member of the Munich communist party.
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