Wilhelm Pieck 1948

People's Congress of Germany


Written: By Wilhelm Pieck, 1948;
Source: For a Lasting Peace, for a People's Democracy! Vol. 2, no. 9; May 1, 1948;
Transcribed: David Adams, March 2022.


The setting up of a West German state dominated by the American monopolists, and the Marshall Plan, which aims at turning Germany into a colony, are becoming obstacles in the way to the complete democratisation of Germany. The imperialist warmongers and the active Nazis in the three Western zones are given a free hand by the military authorities while the democratic forces are faced with all manner of difficulties.

The democratically-minded elements of the German people want a united Germany and peaceful cooperation with the other nations, they want to eliminate the Nazi and imperialist forces and sign a just, democratic peace. These aims constitute the basis of the programme of the People's Congress of Germany movement.

The broad popular movement for a united Germany and a just peace is the answer not only to the plans of the Western Powers to divide Germany. It is also the answer to the utter inability of the bourgeois parties and the Social-Democrats in the Western zones to head the struggle for the democratisation of the country. These parties not only capitulated on all important political issues to the reactionary line of the Western occupation authorities but, by agreeing to a divided Germany and the Marshall Plan, they rejected all and every cooperation with the democratic forces in the Soviet zone and indulged in a smear campaign against the Soviet Union and the Soviet Military Administration. Such is the situation, for instance, in Berlin with its four zones.

It has not been possible to establish a unified representation of the German people, which would look after their interests with the Allied Powers. In the Soviet zone, however, the Social- Democrats and Communists merged in 1946 and formed the Socialist Unity Party of Germany and entered into close working relations with the two bourgeois parties — the Union of Christian-Democrats and the Liberal-Democratic Party. This made it possible to disarm the war criminals and active Nazis both politically and economically. This cooperation was effected by carrying out a land reform and making the big industrial concerns the property of the people.

But the Western Powers regard such measures as a threat to their reactionary plans and, in trying to disrupt the unity of the democratic camp are bringing over the leaders of the bourgeois parties to their side. In this respect they have had some success with the Christian-Democratic Union, whose chairman Kaizer, on some flimsy pretext or other, renounced cooperation with labour—only to be renounced in turn by his own party. These circumstances prompted the Socialist Unity Party to suggest that a People's Congress be summoned, attended by representatives from all parts of Germany for the purpose of forming a genuinely national representative body. This suggestion which met with the unanimous approval of the two bourgeois parties and mass organisations in the Soviet zone, was warmly welcomed by the German people. But it came up against the bitter resistance of the occupation authorities, the bourgeois parties and Social-Democrats in the Western zones. Soon slanderous rumours were circulated alleging that the People's Congress was the handiwork of the Soviet Military Administration and a manoeuvre of the Socialist Unity Party which was taking advantage of the trust reposed in it by the bourgeois parties for narrow party interests.

Since a delegation had to be chosen quickly to enable it to be present at the London Conference of Foreign Ministers, which discussed the German question, the People's Congress was convened in great haste. It opened in Berlin on December 6, 1947 after ten days' preparatory work. Despite the obstacles put in their way, 512 delegates were present from the Western zone. Some 2,215 delegates attended the congress including 605 representatives from the Socialist Unity Party and 244 from the Communist Party of the Western zones, that is, 38 per cent of the total number. The two bourgeois parties and social- democracy were represented by 563 delegates, that is, by 25 per cent of the total. There were also many non-partisan representatives from the sphere of Science, art and the Church. The Congress unanimously called for the unity and democratisation of Germany, a just peace and a purge of war criminals and active Nazis.

The Congress elected a delegation to represent the interests of the German people at the London Conference of Foreign Ministers. A suggestion by the Soviet Foreign Minister that the delegation be heard was rejected by the Foreign Ministers of the Western Powers. A permanent committee, representing all parties and organisations, was elected to continue the work of the People's Congress.

The Western Powers broke up the London Conference since they were determined to divide Germany by settling up a Western German state. Earlier this year they held a conference in Frankfurt-on-Maine at which representatives of the political parties from the three Western zones were present. This conference approved the creation of a Western Germany with its de facto government and economic council as parliament. This unprecedented decision, which was tantamount to treason and gave the Western Powers a free hand to split Germany, forced the Permanent Committee to convene a second meeting of the People's Congress. The Committee called upon the German people to express their opinion, about the unity of Germany by means of a referendum. The second session was timed with the centenary of the 1848 Revolution for the purpose of ,drawing the necessary lessons of the unsuccessful revolution for the present. Once again a flood of slander was let loose against the Congress. What's more, the British commander, General Robertson, saw fit to heap insults on the Socialist Unity Party.

The second session of the Congress, held in Berlin on March 17-18 was also a great success. Of the 1,982 delegates present, 512 represented Western Germany. There were 360 delegates from the Socialist Unity Party and 144 from the Communist Party of the Western zones, that is, 25 per cent of the total number of delegates. The bourgeois parties and social- democracy sent 515 representatives, that is, 26 per cent of the total number. A considerable number of the delegates came from mass organisations and non-partisan bodies. So that all the talk by the reactionaries alleging that the Congress was a Socialist Unity Party affair is disproved by the above figures.

This time, too, the Congress decisions were adopted unanimously. Between May 23 and June 13 signatures will be collected throughout the country demanding a referendum on the question of Germany’s unity. The need for a referendum will disappear should the supreme government authorities decide on German unity. According to Potsdam, the commanders-in-chief of the four occupation zones and the Control Council are the supreme government authorities. They must either decide on a united democratic republic or allow a referendum to be held on this matter. This is a matter of granting every adult citizen the elementary democratic right to refer his legitimate demand to the occupation authorities. It is hardly to be expected that this, right will be denied and the collection of signatures forbidden. A popular movement insisting on this right and these demands is already underway.

Taking into account its increased functions and tasks the Congress has elected a German People's Council of 400, headed by a presidium. The task of the People's Council is to hold a plebiscite on the question of German unity and to take all measures to achieve this unity and a just peace. The People's Council has formed a number of sub-committees for the peace treaty, the constitution, economy, etc., which will submit their corresponding proposals to the sessions of the People's Council and Congress.

The decisions of the Congress are meeting with an eager response from the German people. This is obvious from the intensified slander campaign against the Congress launched by the Western occupation authorities and the fact that the Schumacher crowd have entered the services of these authorities. But irrespective of the measures taken by the occupation authorities to divide Germany, and no matter how they try to put them into effect, the People's Congress will fight with increasing vigour for the unity of Germany and to foil the plans of the imperialist warmongers.