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Communists; they withdrew from the socialist group, which they were convinced had abandoned the platform of the class struggle.
Here we could see the dangers of a compromise policy in their life-size and entire outlines.In the meantime, an article appeared in Vorwaerts, in the issue of July 28, entitled "Momentary Alliances," which sought to justify the compromise policy. I therefore determined, at the request of comrades in Berlin and vicinity, to write a pamphlet and express myself, as I know, in harmony with an overwhelming majority of the Berlin comrades, on the question of tactics, especially on compromises and alliances; and thus, so far as in my power lies, afford the party an opportunity, before the party convention is held, to realize in their proper connection and in their entire extent the consequences which an abandonment of the time-tried policy of our party would bring about.
When I speak here of our policy, I use the word without regard to anything immaterial and external, but in the sense which since the beginning of the party it has had for us in contrast to all other parties,—in the sense of the class struggle, which has very often changed in form, but in substance has remained the same,-our own proletarian class policy, which separates us from all other parties in the field of political society and excludes us from intercourse with them.
The pamphlet is a vacation task. It was written on the move in the true sense of the word, in house and field, on mountains, in the cars, here and there. This, of course, necessarily marred its unity, but shows also how seriously I took the matter, to sacrifice for it the quiet of my vacation.
August, 1899.
