Re

pie

. By
J. R.
CAMPBELL

In the Soviet neve
of Germany

© bali has been no greater
“sore spot” in all the
troubled relations between the

Soviet Union and the Western ’

powers since the Second World
War than Germany.

Some authorities have said
every action of the United States,
Britain and France in Germany
has been dictated by a fear that
peace will break out. And it is
certain that they have striven
consistently to keep. Germany di-
vided, to transform their western
zone into an advance base of the

Atlantic war alliance and to im-

pede the economic recovery of
the Soviet-occupied area.

Just as certain is the fact that .

if the Soviet zone, on the basis
of its own strength, is able to
reach the pre-war level of pro-
duction, the effect on the rest of
Germany will be enormous. What
are the prospects of attaining that
objective?

The government in the Soviet
zone is an anti-fascist, democrat-
ic government, under the leader-
Ship of the working class.

It is a@ government in which
the working class and its party,
the Socialist Unity party, is the
dominant influence in a bloc of
political parties — the best known
of which are the Christian Demo-
cratic Union and the Liberal De-
mocratic party—having for fts
object the achievement of a un-
ited, democratic and peaceful
Germany.

It would be a great mistake,

however, to equate this type of
government with the Weimar Re-
public, which collapsed so con-
temptibly before the assaults of
the Nazis. For in the Eastern

_ zone, the state administration is

to a great extent in the hands of
the workers, and the great trust
barons and Junkers who sup-
ported fascism—and whose power
in the Western zones has not been
touched—have been eliminated in
the Soviet zone.

Nevertheless, great problems ex-
ist in the zone.. There was no

mass resistance movement to
Nazism in Germany, even when
it became manifest that the life
of the Hitler regime was ebbing
away.

Many German workers in the
Soviet zone, as in the west, sim-
ply regarded themselves as
pawns in the hands of the occu-
Pying powers, and awaited their
orders. '

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To convince the German work-
ers and farmers that in spite of
the defeat of the Nazis, they could
rebuild Germany on a democratic
basis, with a good life for all, was
a task of almost heartbreaking
complexity.

Yet in the main this has been
done in the Soviet zone. Every
day more and more people are be-
ing brought into the great work

ANA

T HE daily press is playing up as a vic-
tory the 33 percent vote cast against

the unity slate of candidates in this week’s
elections in the Soviet zone of Germany,
hypocritically ignoring the fact that the
anti-democratic elements represented in
this opposition vote have been encouraged
by the anti-Soviet propaganda and in-
trigue of the Western powers to hope for a

resurgence of fascism.

Similarly, the

daily press, presenting as a contrast the 84
percent vote rolled up in the Western zone
for American- ‘dictated anti- communist
policies, ignores the calculated appeal of
such policies for people reared on the
anti-communist propaganda of the Nazis.

The struggle in Germany is essen-
tially one between the creators of the At-
lantic pact who see the Western zone as
a forward war base, relying on the new
“democratic” parties which have taken |
over Hitler’s anti-communist policies, and —
the people’s parties which are determined”
to destroy:all the roots of Nazism and
create a united, truly democratic Germany _~
as part of a Europe dedicated to peaceful
reconstruction. The story on this page is a
first-hand report of what is being accom-
plished in the Soviet zone and helps to ex-
plain the 66 percent supporting vote cast
by people only four years removed from

Nazi rule.

of reconstruction.
iat é

The economic basis of the zone
is somewhat as follows:

@ Eight percent of the factories
are “People’s Own” (nationaliz-
ed) factories, but they produce
45 percent of the total amount
of goods. :

@ The “People’s Own” agricul-
tural enterprises produce ten
percent (in value) of the agricul-
tural products.

@ On the land the predominant
body are middle farmers, though
there are some big farmers em-
ploying and exploiting labor.

So there is no uniform economy
in the Soviet zone. It is possible,
however, through the Economic
Planning Administration, with the
“People’s Own” factories and the
People’s Bank, to plan the econ-
omy in order to raise the people
out of their present poverty and
attain a standard of life that will
be an example to the rest of
Germany.,

This is the aim of the Two-Year
Plan, which in the first six
months more than achieved the
objectives set for that period.

In the engineerjng industry,
production per worker increased
by 12 percent as compared with
the previous year. In the electric-
al industry, 9.2 percent. In the
chemical industry, 13.9 percent.

AS a consequence, it has been
Possible to improve the. living
Standards of the people. The
amount of textiles consumed in
the zone in 1948 was double that
of the previous year. f

There was a noticeable improve-
ment in the food situation.

Rations were improved and
day canteen meals were institut-
ed for 1% million workers. Work-
ers rendering the greatest out-
put or doing the most respon-
sible work were given Special
facilities for obtaining consum-
ers goods,

Since equal pay for women has
been introduced in the zone, there

HANOI ~ ~H2S, of course, been a consider-
PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MAY 20, 1949 — PAGE *

able improvement in family in-
comes.

There has been a_ substantial
speedup in the repair of damaged
buildings, though the sight of Ber-
lin still makes one wish that there
could be conducted tours through

its ruins of people who are hank-

ering for a third war.
e@ ‘
The time has come to develop.
new housing, and this year in
the zone 1200 new homes wil] be
built for metal workers, 1000 for
miners, 1300 for chemical work- —
ers, and 1500 for workers in the
large engineering factories.

In agriculture there is a very
considerable increase in the —
acreage under cultivation, which
last year reached 94 percent of
1938. :

Thirty thousand new farm
houses have been built, and many
more are under construction.

The right-wing Socialist lead-

ers in the West, foremost in the
begging queues for dollars, have
sought to decry the contruction
‘work in the Soviet zone.
. The Social Unity party is con-
tent to let the German people
judge. In the manifesto issued for
its recent conference the party
asked:

‘Is is good or bad that in the
Eastern zone:

'@ The property of the Junkers

is divided among the land work-
ers and the small peasants.

@ The banks, mines and factor-
ies of the war criminals are turn-
ed into peoples’ property.

@ The gifted children of work~-
ers and farmers have the doors
of the high schools opened to
them.

‘Is it to be praised or deplored

that: '
@ Hundreds of workers aré
leading the factories as directors.
@ The agreement of the trade
unions must be obtained for any
policy. operated in the factories —
or in the economy as a whole.
e People’s control is working
against swindlers and blackmail-
ers.

‘Is it to praised or deplored
that: ;
@ In the Eastern zone the po-
lice are composed of the working
people and that the old reaction- |
ary judges dre replaced by people's —
judges.

@ The working people are exer-
cising the decisive influence i? —
the administration and the econ-

gmy?

Growing numbers of workers —
and technicians in whom the Two- -
Year Plan has kindled new hope
are giving a positive answer t0
these questions. MS

The Listeners

(‘For the first time since thé
war, the government will bé
spending more on preparations ~
for new conflict than on the
men who fought the first two ©
—Canadian Press Forecast of thé
Budget.)

“Is there anybody there?” said
the veteran,

Knocking on the DVA door. SS
But all he heard was the sound

of, the lift

Descending to another floor.

And a moth flew up the ceiling —
Above the veteran’s head, 4
And he rapped on the door a S¢”
ond time—
“Is there anybody there?” he —
said.

But no one opened to the veter@?
For no one at all was there,
There was none to look in
troubled eyes
As. he stood with dejected ait

nis

For no one worked in the vy
Where the dust was drear 25
dense— re
The government had transfert& —
them to, eg
The Department of Natio
Defense. Peek :
—J. B. P. in Saturday Nighb

nal