In many ways, present-day Russia reminds us of France in the period of the great revolution. This similarity finds expression, among other things, in that in our country, as in France, counter-revolution is spreading and, overflowing its own frontiers, is entering into an alliance with counter-revolution in other countries — it is gradually assuming an international character. In France, the old government concluded an alliance with the Austrian Emperor and the King of Prussia, called their troops to its aid, and launched an offensive against the people's revolution. In Russia, the old government is concluding an alliance with the German and Austrian emperors — it wants to call their troops to its aid and to drown the people's revolution in blood.
~ Joseph Stalin,
International Counter-Revolution
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The mood within the seat of German power was one of a weary dread, those few staff who had remained on from the time of the Third Reich could not help but feel a similarity to the moments before the Blackshirts had seized control of the building in desperation. Once again there were forces gathered against its current occupants.
The members of the Zentrale gathered within the Chancellor’s office felt awkward being there in the first place. The leadership committee of the Communist party were used to being summoned to hold court alongside the General Secretary but never had he called them into the seat of state power, not even since he had assumed the duties of President Zeigner whilst he remained in his comatose condition. The recent reports had made it clear that things were not looking good for the President’s chances of recovery but these had been kept secret from a nation which was already fearful enough of the enemies at their door, and now those within.
Only the portrait of Engels, which hung where Bismarck once had, gave the room a familiar feel to the assorted revolutionaries. Willi Munzenburg sat amongst the rest of the Zentrale in the ornate, well-furnished space, waiting for Hitler to return from his briefing with the Citizens Defence Council down the corridor. He had apparently demanded they liaise with him here as events in East Prussia were too pressing for him to leave. Couriers flowed back and forth from the Bendlerblock to the Reichstag almost continuously.
Occasionally they could hear the secretary and guards holding fort outside of the office directing someone or other down the corridor to where the briefing was taking place. This was until an insistent voice could be heard making their case to be allowed entry before having the door opened for him by a guard.
Hermann Müller seemed a sight even to the worn out members of the Zentrale, the Foreign Minister walked in unsteadily and slumped into a seat in front of the Chancellor’s desk which had once belonged to him. It was as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders, physically crushing him into the seat.
Many countries had already made their reactions to the events in East Prussia known; the Poles themselves had said they were protecting their own borders and German civilians and patriots within the territory, from Bolshevik agitators, the French and Italian regimes had been quick to back them up as had the Hungarians. The Americans and the British had urged caution on both sides and had called for negotiations but with nothing concrete to offer in that regard both calls sounded like platitudes. The only words of sympathy Germany had had so far were from Spain, the Soviet Union having thus far been silent. Müller had been sent to the Soviet embassy to glean their response and it seemed that he had been there for some time.
Munzenberg was wary of the minister’s apparent exhaustion but was keen to know if there was any news.
“It’s about as good as could be expected.” Müller replied wearily, before closing his eyes.
He only jerked them open again upon the door opening once more, followed by the sound of a walking stick clicking on the tiled floor.
“There are important events unfolding Comrade Müller, this had better be important.”
Adolf Hitler didn’t seem to be tired at all whilst he limped purposefully through the room with the aid of the stick he had been using ever since the assassination attempt. He acknowledged his gathered Comrades, before sitting down across from Müller with a look of anticipation.
“It is Chancellor, perhaps we should-” Müller looked apologetically to the Communists waiting around him before Hitler interjected.
“It is better we all talk it over together, please, go on.”
“The Russians are with us but they want certain understandings.”
“I knew it!” Hitler shouted triumphantly, slapping his hand on his desk theatrically, “Now the Poles will see the true error of their actions. They are in a trap of their own making!”
“You really should let me finish Chancellor.” Müller hissed through lips whilst holding up his hands as if to stop a horse galloping towards him.
“The Red Army is mobilising but they don’t want a war over East Prussia, at least not one which can be avoided. If the Poles or anyone else escalates the situation further they will go to war in our defence and they are willing to announce this to the world. However any move by ourselves to escalate the crisis and we will be on our own. If the fascists limit themselves to this attack, they have said it is better to use international pressure and rely on resistance from within East Prussia to dislodge the Poles. They have offered support in this regard as well, should we avoid conflict.”
“Avoid conflict?!” Hitler replied in disbelief. “Avoid escalations?! Our fatherland has been violated. We have been invaded! They want us to do nothing?!”
“They say,” Müller closed his eyes to collect his thoughts, but also to wince, “that our military evacuation made the situation difficult to justify.”
“They’re fools to believe that! We need to preserve our strength to allow us the best opportunity to strike back at the fascist invader.”
“For which we also require the Soviets.” Müller hissed again. “We all read the read Defence Council’s own report, if we were to face an all-out invasion we would need the Soviets to have any chance of withstanding it. We cannot go looking for a fight if we aren’t ready to fight it on our own. We need allies and that means listening to them occasionally.”
Hitler’s face, red already, seemed to go purple. He leaned over his foreign minister and proceeded to begin screaming in his face to the pain of all bearing witness.
“You only reveal how lacking your knowledge is! You must either be incompetent or a traitor! A social fascist traitor! No doubt your desperation to maintain the Polish apparition of your paymasters has unsettled the Russians, well we shan’t make the same mistakes again!”
It was an explosive rage but in the heavy breathing Hitler’s eyes remained focused on Müller, the look of hatred not abating even as his breathing slowed.
“From this moment your services are no longer required, Müller, I only hope I can try to fix this mess you have made.”
Müller rose from his seat as if the weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
“I’ll indulge this insanity no longer. This circus isn’t worth it.” He spat before marching out of his old office far more determined than before.
“There goes a perfect example of what we are up against Comrades. They conspire against Germany from within this very building. No wonder we have been caught out as we have, but no longer!”
Hitler now also rose from his seat, producing a set of keys, leaving his walking stick behind.
“We face the most insidious conspiracy of all time; liberal capitalists and fascist capitalists, their bond being the forge of international finance. Their attempts to enslave the world with the Great Imperialist Slaughter were foiled by the German and Russian revolutions, now their second attempt will see those two nations end them once and for all.”
He paused before a filing cabinet momentarily before selecting out a key from the set.
“In the meantime, we get our house in order. I will be introducing an Enabling Act to the Reichstag tomorrow, which will give us full freedom to do what must be done without these bourgeois constraints. This building will be put to its purpose at least, it will become the centre of operations dedicated to the German people.
Hopefully we can undo the damage of Müller's treachery but even if we are restrained within our borders momentarily, then we will heighten our efforts to extinguish his sort from the worker’s Germany. I have not been naming our enemy fruitlessly, the lists are under preparation, the bank details, the addresses. We know who to target.”
Hitler turned the key in the lock, revealing a large number of pristine files. Freshly typed, perhaps by the secretary outside. Or perhaps by his own hand. The same hands which had written out his book with such vitriol, as the words of that text were finally being put into action.
“I have been conferring with the People’s Guard, they are with us in our principles. Perhaps not to a man but enough to follow my instructions. We are opening the armouries to every civil war veteran who fought with us, every person with credited revolutionary experience ever since 1918. They are to be armed and they will find those who must be eliminated in their own communities. Then they will help organise the German people to withstand any foreign aggression.”
The members of the Zentrale raised their fists in response to the General Secretary as he looked around them before laying the files down on his desk.
“We will unleash a storm on our enemies! One composed of the German worker!”
Hitler produced his own pistol and held it in front of the Zentrale, considering it for a moment before calmly placing it down on top of the files. He eyed his comrades with a knowing smile.
“We have taken Germany, now we remake it in a better way.”
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The painting is
New Planet by Konstantin Yuon