OTTO RUHLE
(Otto Rühle)
The Second World War placed German Communists in a dilemma. The capitalistic democracies had been an enemy of communism, but the worst enemy was Fascism and there was nothing worse than German Fascism who victimized the German communists. Therefore, the democracies were not to be regarded as the enemy of German or world communism.
With Hitler’s early victories in Europe, the victory of the Spanish fascists in their civil war, and Mussolini in Africa, many people thought that fascism would dominate the world. Ruhle was one.
Although this was very critical of the Russian Communist regime, Ruhle stated that because of the counter-revolutionary forces, Russia was forced into much of the undesirable characteristics.
Otto Rühle was a German Marxist active in opposition to both the First and Second World Wars as well as a student of Alfred Adler.