Women Communists gather on the eve of the ‘German October’ to plan their role in the failed uprising.

‘The 4th Women’s National Conference of the C.P. of Germany’ from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 3 No. 68. October 27, 1923.

On October 4 of this year, at a moment when the German working class was preparing for immediate decisive battles, the Women’s National Conference of the C.P. of Germany met in Berlin.

This conference had originally been convened for 27/28 October, but it was decided to hold it two weeks earlier, in order to give the leading party functionaries immediate political and organizatory directions for their special tasks. The mobilization of the broad masses of the women, whose political importance had been sufficiently evidenced by the mass strike movement in August, is a vital question for the conquest and maintenance of political power by the proletariat. This idea which has become the common property of the Communist International during the last five years, completely dominated this conference.

In consequence of the existing situation, the course taken by the conference differed from that originally planned. The proceedings of two days were concentrated within a few hours. The agenda, which had provided for a detailed report of the Women’s National Secretariat, an address on the most immediate tasks, and a special discussion on the mobilization of working women in factories and trade unions, was now limited to one single point: The political situation and the tasks of proletarian women in the revolutionary struggles. There were no lengthy debates or reports on past work. These were replaced by short practical supplements and hints suggested by the experience won during work in the various districts. It was decided to give up the idea of sending delegations of numerous comrades from the 28 party districts. The strictly centralized and militarily disciplined party apparatus corresponded better with the delegation of one representative from each district only, these delegates being the comrades holding responsible positions as leaders among the women. With the exception of the South German districts, which were probably prevented by the military dictatorship, all the districts of the country were represented. The delegate from Cologne (Middle Rhine) arrived too late, as she had been arrested by the French in the course of her journey, and thus delayed. Representatives of the Communist Parties of Russia, France, England, and Switzerland, took part in the Conference as guests.

A representative of the Germany C,P. Central gave a brief outline of the political situation. Mass famine–White Terror –bankruptcy of bourgeois Democracy and Parliamentarism, the Communist Party as leader in the struggle now becoming daily more acute–the participation of communists in the provincial diets of Saxony and Thuringia as the alarm signal to the whole German Party to be ready for the fight.

The Party Central is fully conscious of the exceedingly important part played by women in the revolutionary struggles, and showed this by taking part in the deliberations of the Women’s Conference.

The program of action for the mobilization of the masses of women belonging to the working class and to the proletarianized middle class was the subject of an address by a representative of the Women’s National Secretariat. The main object in view is to connect the women, alike whether working women or housewives, in the closest possible manner with all action taken by the working class. The profound stir and excitement now obtaining among these women must be further stimulated. Their despair must be transformed into a will to fight. Demonstrations made by women against high prices, to the authorities and in the factories, demonstrations by starving unemployed, war victims, and social pensioners, with their wives and children, are signs of the coming tempest, and at the same time a political preparation for meeting the storm. The women must take an active part in strikes. They participate in the factory council meetings, do picket duty, organize mass feeding for the strikers and their children. In the final battles their special duty will be ambulance service, food supplies, and care of the children. And even beyond this, women will not shrink from any revolutionary duty, not even from taking up arms.

From the organizatory standpoint, the situation demands. the utmost activity on the part of every women comrade in the Party. There must be energetic oral and written propaganda, increased action, greater independence, initiative, and responsibility on the part of the individual, within the confines of the general directions issued by the Party.

The discussion showed agreement with the program. It appeared that many districts had already made great progress along the lines above indicated, and have achieved excellent results. All reports declared that the revolutionary feeling among working women and housewives has never been so strong as now, that the influence exercised by the communists upon the indifferent masses may, for instance, be observed in the overfilled mass meetings of the C.P. of Germany. The political awakening and revolutionizing of the great masses of women are also plainly observable in the strikes and demonstrations, at the markets, in the food queues, etc.

All party comrades present fully realized the greatness of the tasks before them, and were filled with confidence and faith in the leadership of the C.P. of Germany, and in their own powers. Certain difficulties which had arisen, during the readjustment of the party, with regard to the introduction of the women comrades into all functions, were pointed out, but there was a general conviction that the women comrades would prove their competence in every sphere of Party work.

The close of the Conference took the form of a great demonstration of international class solidarity. The words of the woman comrade representing Russia sealed the fighting alliance between Soviet Russia, which has carried out its revolution successfully, and a workers’ Germany still standing on the threshold of revolution. “Even should the struggle in Germany prove severe and bloody, our men and women comrades must remember that the German working class is not alone! It will receive the help of Russian corn and the Russian Red Army!” This declaration brought the first wave of enthusiasm into the quiet and business-like seriousness of the conference, and in the exuberance born of the presentiment of coming victory, the session closed with cheers for the Russian and German revolutions, and for the Communist International!

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly.

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