Joint communiqué of the Organization for the Construction of the Communist Workers Party of Germany Arbeit Zukunft (Work Future) and the KPD/ML

The members of the Organization for the Construction of the Communist Workers Party of Germany (below Arbeit Zukunft) and the KPD/ML (Red Star) have merged into a single organization. This is the result of more than three years of continual friendly and good collaboration based on solidarity and criticism. In the unity process the concluding joint talks showed that there were no essential differences in the ideological and political views of the two organizations that would justify the continued existence of two separate organizations before the working class.

In recent years, the working class in Germany has been facing the harshest attacks of the ruling bourgeoisie, of capital and the State since the destruction of the Nazi regime. We mention only the Agenda 2010 and the placing of the whole burden of the current overproduction crisis solely on the backs of the working people. The workers and other working people are on the defensive in this fight and are forced to continually defend themselves against a massive loss of their social rights and gains!

The lack of a strong Communist organization based on the teachings of Marxism-Leninism that irreconcilably confronts the interests of capital is a decisive weakness, which hinders the power of the workers not only in the defensive fight against these attacks. Both Arbeit Zukunft as well as the KPD/ML have been trying for many years to build up such a Communist leadership, but they were conscious of the fact that they could not fulfill the demands of the class struggle here.

Why don’t you finally unite! – That is the demand of the workers, employees, unemployed people, progressive and revolutionary-minded people again and again to us and to the countless other groups that consider themselves communist. With their merger, Arbeit Zukunft and the KPD/ML want to contribute to meeting this demand of the working class. The merger will improve our work and strengthen our forces.

It is clear to us that this only is a small step in fulfilling our duties in the class struggle. Even after our merger we can barely begin the tasks to be dealt with by a real Communist Party. Both Arbeit Zukunft and the KPD/ML know that, outside their and other organizations, there are unorganized people who are sympathetic with socialism or communism, who are confused by the many left groups. We hope that through our merger we can give these people more confidence.

It is also clear to us that we must work together with other organizations who consider themselves Marxist-Leninist. Thus we have the goal, not only of becoming stronger through concrete actions, but in particular of merging.

We do not want an unprincipled merger. The old Communist parties suffered a historic defeat, both in the formerly socialist countries where they were in power, as well as in the capitalist countries. We expect to work in the future for a unity that draws relentless consequences from this failure – especially from the defeat of the previous attempts of building socialism: in ideology and theory, in political program and the relation of a Communist Workers Party to the workers and working people. We see the roots of the defeat of the socialist countries in the continuing existence of capitalist birthmarks, and in the unconscious or conscious redevelopment of capitalist relations and their corresponding class structures. Without criticism of the ideological cover up, the clarification of these relations, without criticism of revisionism and without clarity and self-criticism there will be no new attempts at socialism. For us, the clarification of the past is the basis for the future. We must learn, so that it does not go wrong again!

Without revolutionary theory there can be no revolutionary movement! Lenin's words applied today mean no less than to accomplish this task.

Our now united organization is called “Organization for the Construction of the Communist Workers Party of Germany / Arbeit Zukunft”. We think that a new, third name would only lead to more confusion. The two newspapers will to continue to exist, but with different emphases. The newspaper Arbeit Zukunft should be oriented to reach the largest number of working people, including those who so far are still not close to socialism or communism. Red Star should continue – with increased strength – as the future theoretical organ.