CURRENT SITUATION: NOTES ON THE GLOBAL CRISIS (38. The elections in Germany)

Today, we discuss the results of the elections in Germany on February 23, 2025.

 

These elections have been marked by the failure of the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the so-called “Traffic Light Coalition”, made up of partners as disparate as the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the FDP (the “liberals”). A coalition eroded from within by internal disagreements, in which the junior partner of the government (FDP) acted as opposition, seeking its own profile to survive politically as a partner of a new CDU-CSU government.

 

The basis of this political crisis, not only of the government but of the other parties and institutions, in a word of the German imperialist state, is the recurring economic crisis of the last 10 years. But in particular, in the case of the government of Chancellor Scholz, still in office until the new government is formed, the stagnation of the economy with a supply barely above “0” has already lasted for 2 consecutive years. Naturally, the cause is the most advanced parasitism or imperialist decomposition, expressed in the fact that Germany is the third economic power in the world, with a growing export of capital in the midst of the internal crisis to exploit the whole world in search of imperialist super-profits, in collusion and conflict with the other imperialists. It is a fact that the deepest cause is not the high energy prices, taxes and too much regulation and bureaucracy for companies. The above will be true for medium-sized companies and below that are also affected by the relocation of the plants of the large monopolistic companies; The reason for the decline of the economy in the country is that German financial capital is invested in China or in the most advanced sectors such as AI in the USA, associated with Yankee financial capital (participation system). The most labor-intensive, least competitive and least productive industries go to the semi-colonies of Eastern Europe, Brazil, Mexico. All of which is done with the impetus of the economic policy of the State and its government in power. Do not forget that it is state monopoly capitalism.

 

As Marx teaches, in the event of an economic crisis, losses are inevitable for the capitalist class as a whole. But how much of this does each capitalist have to bear? This is decided by strength and cunning; at this point, competition becomes a fight between enemy brothers. From this moment on, the antagonism between the interest of each individual capitalist and that of the capitalist class as a whole prevails.The antagonism in the economy is reflected in the political superstructure. Collusion and struggle become more acute. The interests of an imperialist faction and of the groups within it are expressed in the struggle between the government and the opposition, and within the government and the opposition itself, between the various parties that make it up. We are faced with what is known as the phenomenon of “political polarization”; the antagonism between the interests of each faction, of each group, of each party and even of their representatives prevails. We have seen the display of strength and cunning by Olaf Scholz and Habeck and the blatant lies of Linder, each trying to hide their true performance in the predicted end of the “Coalition.”

 

This weak and dissimilar government was not in a position to offer a “stable government” and the next one – as has been announced for some time, before December 6, 2024 – will not be a stable government either, nor will the one that follows it. The government of Chancellor Scholz, who is still in office, like the governments that will follow it, must act in the midst of the sharpening of all contradictions. We list: the contradiction with the sole hegemonic superpower, Yankee imperialism, with the other imperialist powers, especially Russia, and within the imperialist alliance of the EU itself; the sharpening of the main contradiction, imperialist countries-oppressed nations; contradictions that drive the development of the bourgeoisie-proletariat contradiction in the country itself.

 

In relation to the previous paragraph, we refer as an example to the economic sanctions imposed by Yankee imperialism against Russian imperialism, followed by the European Union (EU), which affects Germany and other EU members and produces the rise in prices for energy and transport, which directly affects the homes of the vast majority of the population and raises prices (inflation). Imperialist war against Ukraine, consequence: hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine in Germany and other EU countries; 2011, war of aggression against Syria and increase of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Germany from 2014; the current war of Yankee imperialism and the Zionist State against Palestine, Lebanon, Jemen and other oppressed nations of the MoA: a great wave of solidarity from millions of people in the country and the world, rejection, condemnation and greater discrediting of the governments of the imperialist countries for the political, economic and military support of their governments to the imperialist-Zionist genocidal action.

 

War of Russian imperialism against the Ukrainian nation (main contradiction) and inter-imperialist contradiction; that is, Yankee imperialism and the imperialist forces under NATO command against the Russian atomic power. It is true that the imperialists provide the bullets and we provide the dead, as Chairman Gonzalo said in relation to Afghanistan and other wars of imperialist aggression or representation against the oppressed nations for the spoils, which are the oppressed nations.In the case of Ukraine, the two contradictions overlap, without ceasing to be, the contradiction of the oppressed nation Ukraine against the war of aggression of Russian imperialism, the main contradiction among the two contradictions; the other is secondary. All of the above, plus the acts of Islamist terrorism and some hateful actions by extremists against Muslim migrants, such as the public burning of copies of the Koran, have aggravated the “security problems” in the EU and Germany.

 

In short: the growing discontent of the working class and the majority of the population against the government headed by this imperialist bourgeois state led by the financial oligarchy.

 

On migration (illegal migration) and “internal security problems”: domination through the policy of “divide and rule”

 

Therefore, the various parties, not only the ultras of the AfD, have agitated against migration (illegal migration) and “internal security problems” in the election campaign that culminated in the vote on February 23, 2025, in order to divert attention from the real problems faced by the oppressed in this country.

 

On this issue, with only minor differences, the reactionaries’ plans and propaganda are aimed at contrasting the interests of the German workers and population with those of workers and people of foreign origin, in order to poison the consciousness of the great oppressed masses with distrust and hatred of this part of the population because of their origin, under the cover of the fight against “illegal migration” and “internal security problems”, taking advantage of individual “Islamist” acts of terror, etc. This propaganda against migrants is not only from the AfD extremists and neo-Nazi groups, but from other parties as well.

 

The working class needs unity, not division. Its worst enemy is the savage prejudices and superstitions that its enemies sow in the masses. Hatred and distrust of foreigners is a double-edged sword. One edge is directed against the "foreigners" and the other against the German people. That is why the working class must protest with the greatest energy against these plans and reactionary propaganda, as Lenin taught us. As he himself said, they try to make the foreigner the scapegoat for their own sins, we are referring to oppression and imperialist wars of aggression against oppressed countries.

 

Class solidarity among workers in Germany without any kind of prejudice and solidarity with the struggle of oppressed nations "is not a question of abstract justice or human sympathy, but the first condition of their own social emancipation."

 

Therefore, it is necessary to refer to "the problem of security." A German academic from the Royal College of London was asked a few days ago on the MOMA (ARD) TV programme how these young Islamists become radicalised to the point of committing these acts of terror. He replied that it was through Islamist platforms that incite people to take revenge for acts committed by the infidels in their countries, such as in Gaza, etc. So, what can we deduce? That this security specialist, despite the careful formulation of his answer, so as not to go against imperialism, for some reason he works at RCL, wanted to say that the ultimate cause of this radicalisation and individual acts of terror would be the imperialist wars that are taking place in the Greater Middle East, we add, especially since 1990 to date.

 

This means, as has been said many times, by friends and strangers, if there were no oppression, exploitation, misery and imperialist war against the oppressed countries, there would not be this “radicalisation” to commit acts of Islamist terror. Thus, the ultimate cause of these “Islamists” would not be their backward religious ideology, and there would not be the radicalization of some individuals against “internal security” in these countries, there would not be imperialist genocide against the oppressed peoples. And without the imperialist wars of plunder there would not be an increasing increase in migration from these oppressed countries to the imperialist countries.

 

On the subject of individual acts of terror, we take Marx who said that no English worker would agree to be blown up in London by a bomb from the Irish Fenians, that these acts did not serve to win the sympathy of the English workers for the cause of Irish independence. “The Fenian rising took place early in 1867. Marx had been most active in promoting an agitation among the English workingmen in favour of the imprisoned Fenians, and wrote with passionate indignation of English hypocrisy in refusing to treat them as political prisoners, but he realised the limitations of the movement and disapproved of its terroristic displays (Note to Letter 102. FROM MARX TO ENGELS. London, 30 November 1867).

ELECTION NIGHT NOTES

 

The AfD celebrated its “great success”. It proposes a coalition with the CDU-CSU, because that is how it was voted.

 

Merz said that they had won the election. But with less than 30% of the votes cast, that is, a bad starting point for a “stable coalition government”. He is, according to him, in favour of a pragmatic energy policy, economic growth and NATO.

 

Migration is portrayed as “illegal immigration”, “an internal security problem” and an economic problem. Chauvinists, jingoists…

 

Olaf Scholz acknowledged his defeat and with it his failure as Chancellor. He congratulated Merz, spoke for the democrats and acknowledged his failure against the ultras, and called for continuing to fight against them. Ukraine, as a supporter and against the extension of the war, was grateful that the party stood firm, closed ranks with its government,

 

Commentator, it is a historic fall in its entire history (of the SPD).

 

BSW, the social chauvinists, a party that is not in parliament has no significance, words of Sara Wagenkenett herself. And they have been left out of parliament.

 

TV moderator: Merz “clear winner”, AfD celebrates, “Left” (die Linke) claims great success with less than 9% of total votes cast, SPD worst historical defeat.

But the moderator said that Merz's future as chancellor was not clear, he is below the 30% he aspired to for a “stable coalition” with his preferred partner the FDP.

 

Merz talks of political change, but how is he obliged to partner with the SPD to govern. The prediction of Gabriel, Merkel's former foreign minister, that the next government and therefore the one that follows will not be stable is being fulfilled.

 

The CSU is ruling out the Greens, because the voters have voted for a political change and that cannot be done with the Greens, we are waiting for the results.

 

For the first time an ultra party like AfD is the second force, that is to say a party different from the CDU-CSU and SPD.

 

Merz had hoped for a victory (more than 30%), in the course of the night it will not be enough for a majority with a stable government, we know, he does not have his own majority, the formation of a stable majority is an open problem.

 

Scholz bitter result.

 

Merz insists that he is the clear winner, “we wanted a coalition with one partner but if the voters decide otherwise it will be with two.” In addition, his preferred party, the FDP, did not enter parliament.

 

Moderator, it is not a stunning result, it needs at least two partners. What changed after 10 pm when it became certain that BSW would be out of parliament.

 

Weidel, the voters have voted for a blue (CDU) and black (AfD) government. They must explain to the voters how they are going to deal with the Greens. If they go with the SPD and the Greens they will not be a stable government and in two or three years they will be overtaken by us, that is my prophecy.

 

The CSU is putting the emphasis on anti-AfD politics and on the fact that they do not want to be vassals of Moscow (Sölder.), thereby extending a helping hand to the future, i.e. the path to normalisation of the ultras. They are not attacking them for being “right-wing ultras”, as is the official line.

 

Habeck is ready for talks. He spoke of normalisation of the AfD, we do not know what that means for him, whether it is because of the 20% result or because of the speech.

 

Liedner says, a heavy fall for the FDP.

 

MRZ: The situation is more difficult than we had imagined. I hope to form a coalition by Easter.

 

They speak of a clear mandate from the electors that the results do not authorise.

 

Merz is going to do the same as the failed coalition, which is why there will be new elections, says Weidel.

 

Merz: “This party only exists because there are unsolved problems in Germany and if they are solved they will disappear. What we translate is, “if the Merz government adopts their programme, they cannot radicalise any further.” This is the same discourse as the CDU government of the time in the early 1990s, with the “neo-Nazi” terrorist attacks against foreigners, which it used to cut back on asylum rights. What was done in the past with terrorism is now done by the AfD to cut back on rights, that is, the reactionary state and law through low-intensity warfare.

 

Merz: As for Trump and Putin, for me it is an absolute priority to strengthen Europe and be independent of the US. For the US, Europe is of no concern, we have no illusions about what comes from Washington, intervention in the internal politics of Washington and Moscow.

In a word, they complain about Germany’s (Europe’s) dependence on US imperialism and that it treats them as vassals (as Putin said). We say: three worlds are being outlined (Chairman Mao). Lenin: “The Russian army serves as a pretext and basis for all militarism in Europe…”

 

The Greens are offering to form a coalition government at any price in the name of democracy and Europe. Habeck said that Merz had lost ground in the elections and would have to talk to them.

 Scholz reforms the debt ceiling. It is his stalking horse for the SPD in the coalition talks.

According to commentators, the results do not lead to a stable government. What is the clear victory of the next chancellor, Merz? How will he be able to implement his migration and economic policies, which he copied from us on these two issues? Chrupalla, a member of the AfD extremists, said.

 

 

MARX QUOTE.

“ (...) the most important thing: every industrial and commercial centre in England now has a working population divided into two hostile camps, the English proletarians and the Irish proletarians. The average English worker hates the Irish worker as a competitor who lowers his standard of living. In relation to the Irish worker, he feels himself a member of the dominant nation, thus becoming an instrument of the aristocrats and capitalists in central Ireland, thereby reinforcing the domination of the former over themselves. He has religious, social and national prejudices against the Irish worker. He adopts towards him an attitude very similar to that which the “poor whites” maintained towards the blacks in the former slave states of the USA. For his part, the Irishman returns the same coin with interest. He considers the "English worker as a participant in English domination over Ireland and at the same time as its blind instrument.

This antagonism is artificially maintained and sharpened by the press, the pulpit, the humorous newspapers, in a word, by all the means at the disposal of the ruling classes. It is the secret of the impotence of the English working class in spite of its organization. It is the secret of the maintenance of power by the capitalist class. This class is fully aware of this" (LETTER FROM MARX TO MEYER AND VOGÍ •[London] April 9, 1870).