The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (German Division), Section of the Communist International () was a communist party in Czechoslovakia. The party emerged from a split in the German labour movement in the Czechoslovak Republic and functioned parallel to the Czech Marxist left movement for most of 1921. The party represented a more radical position compared to the Czech Marxist left, and fully supported adherence to the Communist International. It eventually merged into the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
Split in DSAP
The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (German Division) originated in a split in the German Social Democratic Workers Party in the Czechoslovak Republic (DSAP) 1920-1921. The radicalization among the German socialists in Czechoslovakia could be traced to the influence from refugees from Hungary following the defeat of the Hungarian Soviet Republic. The leftwing elements in the DSAP, centered in Liberec (German: Reichenberg) and led by Karl Kreibich, took part in the December 1920 general strike. The DSAP party leadership issued a statement on January 8, 1921 condemning the Liberec party branch for violation of party discipline. The DSAP left responded by declaring their support for the formation of a Communist Party. DSAP expelled its Liberec branch on January 17, 1921, which in turn held a conference on January 30, 1921 and issued an appeal for an extraordinary party conference to be held March 12, 1921. The expelled Liberec DSAP branch was joined by other German left-wing social democrats in working towards founding a new party.
Founding party conference
The founding party conference (Parteitag) of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (German Division) was held in Liberec-Nové Pavlovice (Neu Paulsdorf in German) on March 12-15, 1921. The Liberec party conference unanimously adopted, without any debate, a resolution declaring the founding of the party. The party conference approved the 21 theses of the Communist International and issued a request, without any preconditions, for affiliation to the International. 160 delegates participated in the party conference.
The Union of Communist Groups of Stanislav Kostka Neumann attended the conference, and Neumann held a speech to the delegates.
Building the party
About a quarter of the DSAP membership, over 40,000 people, joined the new party. Kreibich, along with his colleague Alois Neurath, built the party with inspiration from the Communist Party of Germany (KPD). On March 15, 1921 the newly constituted Central Committee of the party elected Kreibich as its chairman, Joska as treasurer and Kreutz as deputy treasurer. The Executive Committee constituted the same day included Kreibich, Alois Neurath, Joska, Kreutz and Sitte.
As per the statutes adopted in the founding party conference, the new party was divided into 18 district organizations (Kreisorganisationen): Aussig, Bodenbach, Böhmisch Leipa, Brünn, Freiwaldau, Grulich, Karlsbad, Komotau, Krummau, Mies, Mährisch-Ostrau, Mährisch-Schönberg, Olmütz, Prag, Reichenberg, Töplitz, Trautenau and Warnsdorf. The district organizations were further divided into local branches. The party central struggled with the number of requests from local cadres to set up local branches.
Party press
The party had a printing house of its own, with four rapid presses, a rotary press and five typesetting machines. Prior to the founding of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (German Division), the organ of Liberec left was the daily newspaper Vorwärts ('Forward'). Ahead of the founding party conference the German communists had founded Internationale ('International') as a second daily organ, carrying the subtitle 'communist organ for the North-West Bohemian workers', and a weekly newspaper, Südböhmische Arbeiterzeitung ('South Bohemian Workers' Newspaper', appearing January 5, 1921). On April 2, 1921 another weekly newspaper was launched, Ostböhmische Arbeiterzeitung ('East Bohemian Workers' Newspaper'). On May 1, 1921 a third daily party organ emerged, Kampf ("Struggle"), with the subtitle 'communist organ for Silesia and North Moravia'. The party launched the publication Weckruf ('Wake-up call') for mass distribution among urban and rural workers. Another party publication was Der kommunistische Gewerkschafter ('The Communist Trade Unionist'), later renamed Der rote Gewerkschafter ('The Red Trade Unionist').