Nothing to Lose but Your Chains! / a German Revolution TL

[Libertad]

A very fun timeline wherein I've learned a lot of interesting details to the German Civil War. Greatly looking forward to the next update.

That being said, something I've often wondered - and apologies if this isn't the place to ask it. In a lot of socialist TLs where the originally intended democratic tenet of communism prevails, how does a democracy stay squarely socialist? What keeps conservative/reactionary or overly liberal parties from forming and influencing policy too much? If there was some kind of state agency for vetting politicians for socialist credentials, this agency would end up being too powerful, sort of like what happened with Iran's islamic republic. Are they allowed to run anyway, but with certain legal restrictions?

It's the simple fact that the constituencies that has always composed the ideological or political Right like big business, landowners and powerful religious organizations doesn't exist or largely neutered in such a post-capitalist society.

Not to mention the methods of disenfranchising and disarming people like former landowners, etc. by default until they meet certain qualifications.

Destroy the social base that comprise and supports the Right, you prevent the Right from retaking power and you keep them marginalize.

Also democratize media ownership to put media in the hands of working class organizations, you prevent capitalist corporations from taking over the airwaves.

It's also one thing to have people that are dispositional conservative as opposed to their peers on certain social and economic questions, it's another thing to have ideological or political conservatism in firm place to compete with socialist parties in such a democracy.

A functional dictatorship of the proletariat (even if it's not called that officially) is also supposed to institutionally destroy something like liberalism or conservatism from reemerging, not to mention making favorable rules and conditions that allow the parties of the Left to flourish like ensuring universal working-class suffrage and majoritarian democracy.

 

[Teutonic_Thrash]

Constitution of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany

Declaration of Rights of the Working Class

1. The Free Socialist Republic of Germany is declared to be a republic of the councils of Workers and Soldiers. All the central and local power belongs to these councils.
2. The means of production and natural resources are to be taken into public ownership in order to eliminate exploitation and begin the democratic planning of production.
3. Universal obligation to work is established, based on the principle "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs".
4. The right to be fairly compensated for one's labour is guaranteed and protected by law.
5. Equality between men and women is guaranteed and protected by law.
6. The freedoms of speech, thought, assembly, and association are guaranteed and protected by law. The power of capital to suppress or diminish these freedoms has been abolished and the Free Socialist Republic provides all workers the intellectual and material support to express their views.
7. The right to strike and the right to join or establish unions is guaranteed.
8. Freedom of religion is guaranteed. No religion shall receive special favour from the Free Socialist Republic nor shall any religion be oppressed.
9. Racial and national minorities are accorded the same rights as other citizens of the Free Socialist Republic, and the practice of their languages is protected. Special representation for national minorities is to be determined by law.
10. As the ultimate goal of the Free Socialist Republic is the unification of the global proletariat and the elimination of international class exploitation, all foreign workers in the Free Socialist Republic are accorded the same rights as citizens, just as foreign revolutionaries are granted the right to asylum.
11. The Free Socialist Republic stands in solidarity with the colonially exploited populations of Asia, Africa, and elsewhere, and moreover repudiates the subjection practiced by the preceding imperialist state.
12. The proletariat are to be universally armed. Those with principled objections to violence are able to contribute to the defence of the international struggle through other means.

General Principles of the Constitution

13. The Free Socialist Republic is established as a dictatorship of the proletariat until such a time when all forms of class exploitation and division have been eliminated.
14. The Free Socialist Republic seeks to liberate mankind from capitalism and imperialism, and in pursuit of this goal repudiates the practice of secret treaties and instead will make all efforts towards a general democratic peace.
15. Certain national minorities will receive government representation through the principle of national personal autonomy, as determined by law.
16. Certain individuals and organisations, namely the members of the royal families of the preceding imperialist state and the parties which willingly aided the military junta, are to be deprived of the rights which the rest of the citizenry enjoy.

The Organisation of Council Power

The All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils
17. The All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils is the supreme legislative and executive power of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
18. The All-German Congress is elected as follows:
a. by the Upper District Councils (Oberbezirksräte) and soldiers' councils which represent active military personnel.
b. the Upper District Councils are elected by the District Councils (Bezirksräte).
c. the District Councils are elected by the Lower District Councils (untere Bezirksräte).
d. the Lower District Councils are elected by the voters living with the Lower Districts' jurisdiction.
19. The All-German Congress comprises one delegate per 75,000 voters.
20. The All-German Congress is elected every two years.
21. The All-German Congress must convene at least twice per year.
22. The All-German Congress elects the Executive Committee.
23. The All-German Congress elects the Council of People's Deputies, including its Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson.
24. Extraordinary sessions of the All-German Congress can be convened upon the initiative of the Executive Committee, or upon the request of councils which represent at least a third of the Republic's population.
25. When the All-German Congress is in recess, the Executive Committee is the supreme legislative and executive power of the Free Socialist Republic.
26. The councils of the Upper Districts, Districts, and Lower Districts also elect Executive Committees to hold power while they are in recess.
27. All delegates of the councils, up to and including the All-German Congress, are subject to the immediate recall of those who elected them.

The Executive Committee of the All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils
28. The Executive Committee of the All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils directs the activity of the proletarian government, and coordinates and regulates the operation of the Republic's constitution and the resolutions of the All-German Congresses.
29. The Executive Committee comprises one member per 25 delegates of the All-German Congress; the Executive Committee must not exceed 100 members.
30. The Executive Committee considers and enacts all measures and proposals introduced by the Council of People's Deputies, and also issues its own decrees or regulations.
31. The Executive Committee has the right to revoke or suspend all resolutions and orders of the Council of People's Deputies.
32. Upon convening the All-German Congress, the Executive Committee reports on its activity and responds to general questions.
33. The members of the Executive Committee work in the various ministries of the Council of People's Deputies or execute special orders of the Executive Committee.
34. The Executive Committee nominates from its number candidates for the position of Chairperson of the Executive Committee. The Chairperson is chosen by direct popular vote from all citizens and other residents with voting rights.

The Council of People's Deputies
35. The Council of People's Deputies is entrusted with the general management of the affairs of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
36. For the accomplishment of this task the Council of People's Deputies issues decrees, regulations, orders, and in general takes all steps necessary for the proper and prompt conduct of governmental affairs.
37. The Council of People's Deputies immediately notifies the Executive Committee of all its orders and resolutions.
38. There are seventeen People's Deputies: a) Trade, b) Foreign Affairs, c) Industry, d) Defence, e) Transport, f) Communications, g) Education, h) Justice, i) Food and Agriculture, j) Finance, k) Internal Affairs, l) Labour, m) Minority Affairs, n) Health, o) Welfare, p) Culture, q) Navy.
39. Each People's Deputy has a committee of which they are the chairperson, and the members of which are appointed by the Council of People's Deputies.
40. Each People's Deputy has the individual right to decide on all questions under their jurisdiction and they are to report on these decisions to the committee. If the members of the committee disagree with the People's Deputy they may, without stopping the execution of the decision, report to the Council of People's Deputies or the Executive Committee.
41. The People's Deputies and their ministerial committees are entirely responsible to the Executive Committee and the All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils.

The Jurisdiction of the Councils
42. The All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils and the Executive Committee have jurisdiction over the following questions of state:
a. Ratification and amendment of the Constitution of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
b. Direction of the domestic and foreign policy of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
c. Establishing and changing boundaries, or ceding territory belonging to the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
d. The general administrative division of the territory of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
e. Establishing and changing weights, measures, and currency denominations in the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
f. Foreign relations, declaration of war, and ratification of treaties.
g. Establishing a general plan for the national economy and for its various branches in the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
h. Approval of the budget of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
i. Levying taxes and establishing the duties of citizens to the state.
j. Organisation of the armed forces.
k. State legislation, judicial organisation and procedure, civil and criminal legislation.
l. Granting and cancelling German citizenship and establishing rights for foreigners.
m. The right to declare individual and general amnesty.
43. The All-German Congress and its Executive Committee have jurisdiction over all issues which, according to their decision, require their attention.
44. The following issues are solely under the jurisdiction of the All-German Congress:
a. Ratification and amendment of the Constitution of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
b. Declaration of war, and ratification of treaties.
45. The councils of the Upper Districts, Districts, and Lower Districts have the following responsibilities:
a. Execute all orders of the respective higher organs of proletarian power.
b. Take all steps for raising the cultural and economic standard of the given territory.
c. Decide all questions of local importance within their respective territories.
d. Coordinate all council activity in their respective territories.

Representation of National Minorities
46. In the Free Socialist Republic of Germany all nations are free to use their language, and nurture and develop their national culture. To this end, certain national minorities (to be determined by law) can form a National Council to develop its culture even if they do not live in a contiguous area.
47. All citizens registered as an eligible national minority can elect delegates to an appropriate National Council regardless of where they live in the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
48. The National Councils exist alongside the council system; national minority citizens are not excluded from electing or standing for election in the territorial councils.
49. The National Councils are elected every two years alongside the territorial councils; National Councils must not exceed 100 delegates.
50. Each National Council elects a Chairperson to represent the National Council and to liaise with the Council of People's Deputies on issues which affect national minorities.
51. National Councils cannot be abolished except through mutual agreement between the National Council in question and the Executive Committee of the All-German Congress of Workers' and Soldiers' Councils.

The Right to Vote
52. All citizens of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany and residing foreign workers over the age of 20 years old enjoy the right to vote and be elected to the organs of state power.
53. The following persons do not enjoy the right to vote nor to be elected:
a. Members of the royal families of the preceding imperialist state.
b. Members of aristocratic families who refuse to forsake their honorifics, titles, and claims.
c. Employees and agents of the preceding imperialist state's secret police.
d. Persons who have been convicted of treason against the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
e. Persons who have legally been declared demented or mentally deficient, and persons under guardianship.

 

[Hohensaufen]

Impressive stuff. It's no mean feat to write a constitution!

 

[Monitor]

e. Persons who have legally been declared demented or mentally deficient, and persons under guardianship.

Well, that’s one hell of a dangerous sentence…

I declare following this ideology I don’t want to be a sign of being mentally deficient…

Autism falls under that phrase as well… And many autists can work in society.

That’s outright Nazi stuff…

 

[Name123]

Well, that’s one hell of a dangerous sentence…

I declare following this ideology I don’t want to be a sign of being mentally deficient…

Autism falls under that phrase as well… And many autists can work in society.

That’s outright Nazi stuff…

Not giving all rights to mentally ill is hardly unusual. Can it be abused ? Sure, but declaring it "outright Nazi stuff" is nonsensical and inflammatory.

EDIT: Also I do not think that autism was not discovered yet (ITTL).

 

[Monitor]

Not giving all rights to mentally ill is hardly unusual. Can it be abused ? Sure, but declaring it "outright Nazi stuff" is nonsensical and inflammatory.

EDIT: Also I do not think that autism was not discovered yet (ITTL).

I mean, it’s a core part of that ideology…

And yeah, autism might not have been discovered yet, but it’s merely the first one thats easy to say that came to mind…

But what’s mentally deficient anyways?

Compared to what?

Because it could be easily argued: anyone who doesn’t manage this simple test isn’t allowed to vote, because they are obviously mentally deficient.

That’s, by the way, a common voter suppression tactic (especially in combination with citizenship tests - usually using tests with multiple, opposite solutions, and well, the tester deciding which one is correct…)

So it’s a) iffy from a Nazi standpoint and b) voter suppression built in…

 

[Name123]

I mean, it’s a core part of that ideology…

Seriously ? Do you have any idea what Nazism is ? What about the part with anti-Semitism and ultranationalism. Those are way more defining a more "core" features of that ideology. Yes, Nazis were against mentally, but there is much more to that ideology. Not to mention that they outright killed them, which is simply not comparable with just not letting them vote. Criticism is fine, but calling it "Nazi stuff" is simply inflammatory.

 

[Libertad]

Well, that’s one hell of a dangerous sentence…

I declare following this ideology I don’t want to be a sign of being mentally deficient…

Autism falls under that phrase as well… And many autists can work in society.

That’s outright Nazi stuff…

You've got to be kidding me.

It's a built-in feature to a dictatorship of the proletariat to at least outright disenfranchise and disarm the bourgeoisie and the aristocrats until they pass certain requirements where they can be finally enfranchised. Sure. That can be criticized from a liberal point of view.

But "mentally deficient" and "autism" share an overlap but it doesn't necessarily mean that the neurodivergent is going to be disenfranchised until they are to be institutionalized. After all, you have to be declared legally "mentally deficient" and who's going to declare that but competent medical authorities?

This provision may cause issues initially as the study of mental health in the early 20th century is still on its infancy and there will be issues, no doubt, but to judge this provision and say that this is "Nazi" or that this may lead to the repression of dissidents by putting them in mental institutions like in the USSR IOTL is just something else.

Just because this is about Germany doesn't mean that you can just abuse the word and use it inappropriately. It's one thing to disagree to the provision and show your concern, but to use the word "Nazi" is going too far.

 

[Monitor]

It's a built-in feature to a dictatorship of the proletariat to at least outright disenfranchise and disarm the bourgeoisie and the aristocrats until they pass certain requirements where they can be finally enfranchised. Sure. That can be criticized from a liberal point of view.

Not my issue at all that the aristocrats are disenfranchised

But "mentally deficient" and "autism" share an overlap but it doesn't necessarily mean that the neurodivergent is going to be disenfranchised until they are to be institutionalized. After all, you have to be declared legally "mentally deficient" and who's going to declare that but competent medical authorities?

This provision may cause issues initially as the study of mental health in the early 20th century is still on its infancy and there will be issues, no doubt, but to judge this provision and say that this is "Nazi" or that this may lead to the repression of dissidents by putting them in mental institutions like in the USSR IOTL is just something else.

Just because this is about Germany doesn't mean that you can just abuse the word and use it inappropriately. It's one thing to disagree to the provision and show your concern, but to use the word "Nazi" is going too far.

Ok, so let’s go point by point.

Mentally deficient. So let’s discuss what the word deficient actually means: deficient: not having enough of something.

So you don’t have enough of mental ability.

Ok. So, how much is enough?

Purely theoretical, everyone who isn’t Einstein level is mentally deficient… - it’s a simple catch all for everyone, because you can find for everyone a reason to be mentally deficient.

He is gay? Mentally deficient. He likes to eat fish? Mentally deficient. He doesn’t speak Chinese? Mentally deficient. He is straight? Mentally deficient.

He is missing something, mentally, whatever that may be. That’s what a good portion of my actual complaint here is. It’s a very good way to disenfranchise everyone you don’t want. And to do so taylored for every election. This is Gerrymandering in the dream world. This is voter suppression at its finest - now, suppressing the vote of the old elite, can be argued if it’s a good idea (not making them able to have the passive vote (aka being able to be voted in) is not necessarily a bad idea (though time limits or ways out of this situation, at least for the decendants are an important thing).

But that’s not what this particular phrase does. It disenfranchises everyone, any time.

Oh, and simply because your are „mentally deficient“ doesn’t mean you are required to be in an institution. Note that I have not complained about that bit (though it’s not great as well, but, to be fair, that one is somewhat equal to current German laws. Against which there is a slow push, to change that, but it’s at least understandable (the justification is that those that need constant help can easily be influenced, and thus give the institutions helping them extra votes, which of course, is an issue)).

This means that declaring someone mentally deficient is a cheap way of voter suppression for the state.

Oh, and my Nazi comparision? It’s encouraging stuff like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4 , because it outright says: those that fulfill the nebulous criteria of being mentally deficient are worth less as humans…

Encouraging stuff like Aktion T4 or making stuff like this easier is not a good thing.

 

[Name123]

This means that declaring someone mentally deficient is a cheap way of voter suppression for the state.

Oh, and my Nazi comparision? It’s encouraging stuff like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aktion_T4 , because it outright says: those that fulfill the nebulous criteria of being mentally deficient are worth less as humans…

Encouraging stuff like Aktion T4 or making stuff like this easier is not a good thing.

Disfranchisement and outright murder are two different things, so your Nazi comparison is needlessly inflammatory. You could have just said it could be abused to suppress dissent. Instead, you decided to call it "Nazi stuff" that was uncalled-for.
Personally, I interpreted mentally deficient as synonymous with mentally ill. I think you are going for the worst possible interpretation of things. I think we should wait for the TL's author to clear things up.

EDIT: Like USSR has also abused the concept of mental illness to suppress dissent, but they did not murder those people. You could have just compared it to that, but no, instead you go for Nazis. One of the most abused and potentially inflammatory designations. Do not be surprised to see backlash.

 

[Teutonic_Thrash]

The disenfranchisement of the mentally ill still occurs now, never mind when it was more common in 1919, so jumping immediately to unfounded Nazi comparisons seems like severely overstating the case.

Edit:
Just to add a bit more context, a 2001 article in Electoral Studies* surveyed 60 countries and found that only 4 have no disenfranchisement of the mentally ill; 12, including the Netherlands, have disenfranchisement in their constitutions.

*André Blais, 'Deciding who has the right to vote: a comparative analysis of election laws', Electoral Studies, Vol. 20, No. 1 (2001) pp. 41-62.

 

[Cato_Sicarius]

e. Persons who have legally been declared demented or mentally deficient, and persons under guardianship.

While this passage will have some serious teething problems in implementation, and wave and ebb in strictness as new research redefines what is mental illness, as well as societal attitude towards such changes. And of course, includes a risk of abuse.

It isn't strictly unethical or unagreeable with. After all, for every person that risks being unfairly disenfranchised in an era when research was still in its infancy and abuse to silence particularly troublesome persons for a regime or family rampant in the whole world.

It the future it will allow avoiding those mentally dedeficient citizens being targeted by manipulators. In fact, it could also lead to the disenfranchisement of senior dementia patients.

Which is actually rather important in a soviet-councilist democracy, because if senior care facilities take off like in our timeline, that could end up being a very important demographic in certain Lower Districts. As would mentally ill asylums first, then if science and ethics advance sufficiently, villages or neighbourhoods.

A better cause of concern may be the apparent heavy centralisation of power in the Congress and Executive Committee. But maybe, that's because of how vague the Districts roles are defined. In particular, these three prerogatives:

a. Ratification and amendment of the Constitution of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.

c. Establishing and changing boundaries, or ceding territory belonging to the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.
d. The general administrative division of the territory of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany.

I could also cite this one:

k. State legislation, judicial organisation and procedure, civil and criminal legislation.

But soviet-councilist democracy was never as concerned as liberal democracy for the separation of judicial power from legislative and executive.

Anyway, back to the other three. Does point a), mean that the Congress or even worse, Executive Committee, can amend the Constitution with a simple majority vote?
And don't point c) and d), risk turning soviet-council democracy from a bottom-up to a top-down system, by giving the Congress and Executive Committee the ability to change the lower Councils shape, size and even outright cede parts of their territory to foreign not necessarily Councilist states, without said Council approval? Since Councils are both the equivalent to voting Districts, but also take on the role of local administration, and so Administrative divisions.
I feel both infring on the first article:

1. The Free Socialist Republic of Germany is declared to be a republic of the councils of Workers and Soldiers. All the central and local power belongs to these councils.

Or could be used to infring on.
If the people are sovereign through their participation in the Councils, and all power belongs to them. Wouldn't Councils argue, that their size, shape, and cession of territory to other entities, is their own prerogative?

Also, Article 42 point d) is a far more potent tool for gerrymandering than the mental deficiency article. For how it's worded, again it appears to mean the Congress or Executive Committee can by simply majority, redraw the lower Councils divisions. Which would mean, a majority could redraw before each 2 year term is up, the Councils borders, to ensure an easier reelection the next term.

Of course, Article 27:

. All delegates of the councils, up to and including the All-German Congress, are subject to the immediate recall of those who elected them.

Does turn what could be a lethal power in liberal democracy, into mostly an issue if the current Districts are not able recall the majority before the motion to redraw them, or cede territory, passes, if they disagree with it. Still, it does basically force the Districts to be constantly on the watch and on a timer, to beat with recall the motion voting.

For a last curiosity:

52. All citizens of the Free Socialist Republic of Germany and residing foreign workers over the age of 20 years old enjoy the right to vote and be elected to the organs of state power.

Why 20 years old? It is a compromise between 18, and the Imperial German 25 years old?

 

[Teutonic_Thrash]

While this passage will have some serious teething problems in implementation, and wave and ebb in strictness as new research redefines what is mental illness, as well as societal attitude towards such changes. And of course, includes a risk of abuse

The disenfranchisement of the mentally ill is a problem, but as I said, it's a problem that affects every other country.

A better cause of concern may be the apparent heavy centralisation of power in the Congress and Executive Committee. But maybe, that's because of how vague the Districts roles are defined. In particular, these three prerogatives:

It is very centralised, but I don't think it infringes on the first article. The All-German Congress is also a council and by article 17 is "the supreme legislative and executive power"; the next few articles describe how the Congress is elected by the lower councils. The reason I've not described the size of the lower councils is because I don't have a head for numbers, and so I need to do some serious working out for that.

But soviet-councilist democracy was never as concerned as liberal democracy for the separation of judicial power from legislative and executive

You are right, which is why there is no section on the judiciary or its role.

Does point a), mean that the Congress or even worse, Executive Committee, can amend the Constitution with a simple majority vote?

Only the All-German Congress can change the constitution, and by a majority vote. The constitution of a socialist state was not meant to be an enshrined, holy object that was hard to change like in liberal democracies.

Why 20 years old? It is a compromise between 18, and the Imperial German 25 years old?

20 is the age that was given in the Weimar constitution, which still briefly existed in this timeline. It will probably be changed to 18 in the coming years.

 

[Cato_Sicarius]

The reason I've not described the size of the lower councils is because I don't have a head for numbers, and so I need to do some serious working out for that.

Understandable. You've already done the work of an entire Constitutional Assembly, and I imagine lower Councils will be rather fluid subdivisions, or atleast fragmented and weird shaped.

German voting districts and states already were, but since the councils are both more numerous and also explicitly take on a role of economic management and democratic local decision making, there's even more variables to consider. Including also the non territorial nationalities and soldiers' councils, which again, have their own peculiar difficulties like choosing which nationalities get the councils, or how the soldiers' councils are structured and elected.

20 is the age that was given in the Weimar constitution, which still briefly existed in this timeline. It will probably be changed to 18 in the coming years.

Ah so that was what I was missing. Weimar came and went so fast, I forgot to check the voting age.

 

[Reisen Storm]

Just read this story and all I have to say that it is great, and I hope you continue writing this story. Communist Europe needs to be a thing more often.

 

[Krasno]

love it! any news on future updates?

 

[Leonidas]

Hey all, sorry for the slight necro but I nominated this timeline for a Turtledove in the Early 20th Century category if anyone would like to second it

I nominate:
Best Early 20th Century Timeline: Nothing to Lose but Your Chains! / a German Revolution TL; @Teutonic_Thrash

 

[WotanArgead]

The Council of People's Deputies

Strange wording - parliamentarians are usually called deputies. And here they are ministers.

 

[Teutonic_Thrash]

Strange wording - parliamentarians are usually called deputies. And here they are ministers.

Rat der Volksbeauftragten was the name used by the provisional SPD-USPD cabinet that gained its authority/legitimacy from the councils, so I think it would be appropriate for the socialist government to continue using that nomenclature.