He will remain in the memory amongst the few incurable outsiders who are inseparable from the idea that revolutionary politics also involve strong independent individuals, and that, with a man like Paul Levi, one will fare much better than with the polite office-managers of radicalism.
~ Carl von Ossietsky
Palace of the Reich President, Berlin; February 1933
The finery and opulence that might be expected from the residence of the German head of state was lacking in the interior of the complex.
There had always been a state service element to the buildings that housed the President ever since the creation of the Republic but its current resident had had any remaining finery limited to what was absolutely required by his constitutional duties.
A visiting head of state likely would have had some sort of special treatment when visiting but that certainly wasn’t the case entering through the deliveries entrance that led to the complex canteen.
It had been some time since Adolf Hitler had to be brought into a building so surreptitiously. Even in the early days of the civil war where he had needed to flee the capital he remained the first among equals in being escorted from one safehouse to the next until they had arrived in Hamburg.
The danger was no longer the Reichswehr but reporters and this way he was safe from them. Only workers preparing lunch could be found in there and to go further would reveal floor after floor of offices cramped with paperwork, as if the building might be held up by files. In fairness the place probably could have been doing with renovation work but the President would have none of it.
Adolf was certain he would have had a similar no-nonsense attitude to the revolutionary work being conducted here. That self-belief focused him now the same way it had done in a Bavarian jail cell twelve years before. Dressed in black and nodding solemnly to the sombre workers going about their jobs in spite of the national mourning, he didn’t allow himself to lose sight of his goal. Today he would become the second most powerful man in the republic.
To do that he would have to be appointed by the first.
Adolf had a great deal of respect for Erich Zeigner, more than he had for most Social Democrats. The man was a fighter and had faced the wrath of the Freikorps and his own party leadership back in the day, primarily because he had been willing to work with Communists when he was Minister-President of Saxony. That legacy was enough to make him an ideal candidate for a United Front President but Zeigner was also a captivating speaker with a fire burning inside of him that Adolf sometimes felt matched his own. Sometimes he had feared Zeigner overshadowed him and felt glad he had stuck with the Social Democrats throughout the years. He could have been a fearsome opponent if he had decided to join the Communist party but this way he could be an ally at arm’s length.
The fire seemed lacking in the President today. Even as Adolf was beckoned to go into his office Zeigner seemed to have his mind on other things. The room could hardly be described as small but the large amount of paperwork covered up the ornate furnishings that had previously been on display. In this way it was cosy and indistinguishable, both in terms of the files and the grief.
“I almost turned down your request for a meeting. Comrade Levi’s body is barely cold and you’re already out to get his job. It feels unbecoming.”
Adolf dwelled on that for a moment. This sorrow could be tapped into but only if he displayed his own.
“When we received the terrible news of what had happened to Comrade Levi, I was left with the same feeling of emptiness which always occurs when a martyr is taken from the cause. In the sad hour of this occasion it is very hard for me to think of a man whose deeds speak louder and more impressive than anything I could say. That would be unbecoming.”
Paul Levi was dead and the nation was still in mourning. Complications from a long-term lung infection was the reason given to the public for the Chancellor’s sudden passing. The President and the leader of the largest party in the Reichstag had to maintain this front outside but not to each other.
“We still haven’t established whether it was an accident or…” Zeigner wasn’t able to finish. He seemed overcome even whilst making a show of trying to work. Now he had dropped his pen.
“Foul play?” Adolf blurted out.
“All possibilities are being examined but there is a theory he may have jumped of his own accord.”
Adolf thought back to the dark place Levi had been in before he had approached him over their joint anxieties of a looming right-wing dictatorship. The United Front had seemed to give him a new lease on life but, despite their successes, two years of trying to get bills passed with no majority in the Reichstag, with compromises that forced one group of workers or the other to be left in the lurch. That was undoubtedly a lot for even the most seasoned politician, perhaps Levi simply couldn’t take it any more?
It was feasible.
“We need to do our best by Comrade Levi now he is no longer with us.” Adolf said matter-of-factly. “The circumstances have left the nation shaken, we need a renewed sense of direction.”
“As you say, time must be taken to process this tragedy. " Zeigner replied sternly.
“There must be time for mourning as well as contemplation. You will get your opportunity to state your case but as with Comrade Levi, the broader United Front will come into it.”
“It is a job that I want Erich and I believe it is best to have it declared as quickly as possible. I understand the need to keep the press unaware for the moment but we will soon have to get control of the story around this.”
“At a time when your party is moving closer to Moscow I cannot see that as us taking control. They threw the man out of your party on Lenin’s orders and you don’t think replacing him with a Communist isn’t going to be part of the story?!”
“We may need Moscow.”
The fire in Zeigner was back but now it was directed at him. The absorption of the Austrian Communists into the German party had left Hilter agreeing to the German party taking on an observer role in the Comintern. With Germany’s diplomatic relationship with the Soviet Union blossoming it had seemed like a good time to break bread with Stalin. But the Chancellorship mattered more.
“Perhaps it was never made clear to you why Levi was willing to join with me.” Adolf went on. “It was because we were both able to see the impending threat that fascism posed to Germany. We must always be vigilant but we now have the Italians on our southern border, with the Crown Prince arranging his return home at an opportune moment. He will capitalise on Levi’s death, believe me.”
“Regardless of your clairvoyance you are not the only person who might fit the role. The strength of revolutions do not come down to one man after all.”
“That is true and it is why I have come to the conclusion that it is time for our parties to tie our fates. A united German workers party. One which will enshrine Levi’s sacrifice in perpetuity.”
“No more political ties with Moscow?”
“None. If you make me Chancellor we will no longer need them. And then, together, we will build the future he has given us.”
The deliberations went on for some time but it was becoming clear that Zeigner was coming around to the idea. It was a sacrifice but one made in the name of even greater state power. In his heart, Adolf was grateful that Paul Levi’s own sacrifice had enabled this.
Just like Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg before him, he had given his life for the cause.
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The portrait of Erich Zeigner is by Walter Tiemann