Germany – What next? Behind the generals’ revolt¶
Core Argument¶
This chapter from Socialist Appeal (August 1944) analyses the so-called "generals' revolt" against Hitler—the July 1944 bomb plot—as a symptom of a deeper, impending proletarian revolution in Germany, not merely a factional squabble within the ruling class. The core argument is that the attempted assassination reveals a fundamental split among German junkers, capitalists, and military leaders, driven by the fear of military defeat and, more critically, the spectre of a mass uprising from below. The author insists that the precise details of the plot are secondary; its significance lies in demonstrating that the Nazi regime is no longer a unified, stable force.
The chapter draws heavily on classical Marxist theory, specifically Lenin's four conditions for social revolution as summarised by Trotsky in 1940: the bourgeoisie's impasse and confusion; sharp discontent among the petty bourgeoisie; revolutionary readiness in the proletariat; and a clear program and firm leadership. The text argues these conditions are now maturing in Germany, citing reports of strikes in Hamburg, Berlin, and Essen, student revolts, and mutinies among soldiers and sailors. A key historical parallel is drawn with the murder of Rasputin in 1916, which was intended by Tsarist nobles to save the monarchy but instead acted as a catalyst for the February 1917 revolution. The generals' conspiracy, the author contends, is a similar, doomed attempt to save the German capitalist system by discarding Hitler.
The polemic is sharp and multi-directional. The chapter excoriates the Allied powers, particularly Churchill and Stalin, for preparing to suppress the coming German revolution. It condemns Stalin’s "Free German" committee in Moscow, dominated by reactionary officers like General von Seydlitz, as a deliberate attempt to channel opposition away from socialism and towards a restoration of Bismarckian militarism. The Stalinist press, specifically William Rust in the Daily Worker, is attacked for its chauvinist incitement against the German people, branding an entire generation as "poisoned and brutalised"—a position the author denounces as indistinguishable from Nazi racialism. The text argues that the British working class holds a key position: fraternisation with German workers and soldiers, as occurred after 1918, must be renewed to prevent the Allied imperialists from occupying Germany and crushing the revolution. The conclusion is a direct call to build the Fourth International as the indispensable Leninist vanguard, the only force capable of leading the German workers to power.