This official commission speaking turn records Lederer’s response to proposals by Rathenau and Wissell’s criticism of the Socialization Commission’s majority report. The surviving excerpt moves from a pointed observation about political agreement toward a dispute over the meaning and feasibility of full socialization.
M. H., ich muß zunächst meiner Überraschung darüber Ausdruck geben, daß Herr Wissell sich absolut auf den Boden der Vorschläge des Herrn Dr. Rathenau, die uns gestern und heute beschäftigt haben, gestellt hat, und ich wundere mich um so mehr — das bitte ich nur als eine Nebenbemerkung zu betrachten —, als ja doch auch Herr Dr. Vogelstein auf diesem Boden steht, und das ist immerhin ein interessantes Zusammentreffen.
English translation: Gentlemen, I must first express my surprise that Mr. Wissell has placed himself entirely on the ground of Dr. Rathenau’s proposals, which have occupied us yesterday and today, and I am all the more surprised—please regard this only as an aside—since Dr. Vogelstein also stands on this ground, and that is certainly an interesting convergence.
Lederer uses the convergence to question the proposals themselves, rather than merely their supporters:
Ich stelle das deshalb in den Vordergrund, weil ich meine, daß die Vorschläge des Herrn Dr. Rathenau, die uns gestern beschäftigt haben, nicht diejenigen sind, welche wir von Herrn Dr. Rathenau noch vorgestern erwartet hätten, worauf ich später noch einmal zurückkomme.
English translation: I bring this to the forefront because I believe that Dr. Rathenau’s proposals, which occupied us yesterday, are not those we would have expected from Dr. Rathenau as recently as the day before yesterday, a point to which I shall return later.
He then distinguishes two objections he attributes to Wissell: the majority proposal does not constitute full socialization, yet full socialization is presently impossible. This juxtaposition establishes his intended scrutiny of the criticism’s terms. The text breaks off mid-sentence before Lederer develops that scrutiny or returns to Rathenau. Its significance therefore lies in the opening dispute over what socialization means and what can be implemented, not in a recoverable alternative programme.
This work was divided into 1 sections when it entered the library's research corpus—an apparatus for search and citation, not necessarily the author's own table of contents. Each title opens its summary.
Put a question to this work; the Librarian answers from its 1 sections and cites the passage.
Ask the Librarian