The end of Germany’s coalition government between the Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Liberal Democrats (FDP) heralds a further intensification of the class struggle and the pro-war policy. All parties are reacting to Donald Trump’s election victory by preparing fierce trade wars at the expense of workers and by increasing military spending to levels not seen since the Nazi era. The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party, SGP) is standing in the early federal election to counter this all-party coalition of war and cuts and to arm workers with a socialist perspective.

The coalition government was rightly the most hated government in the history of the post-war Germany. Eighty years after the Nazi war of extermination, it once again sent German tanks against Russia, returned to methods of genocide in Gaza, expanded the police state and caused a social catastrophe with its billions in gifts to the super-rich.

Trump’s election victory will accelerate this development. On the one hand, because all the parties in the Bundestag (parliament) are reacting to Trump’s threats against Germany and Europe with undisguised nationalism and aggressive rearmament plans. On the other hand, because they are impressed by his brutal behaviour and know that they too can only enforce war and social devastation in Germany with dictatorial and fascist methods.

Trump is no accident. Rather, his second presidency represents “the violent realignment of the American political superstructure to correspond with the real social relations that exist in the United States,”as the WSWS stated. The ruling class is relying on the fascist Trump to push forward the policy of ruthless enrichment and world war, which is incompatible with the fundamental interests of the vast majority, despite mass opposition.

The break-up of Germany’s coalition government is guided by the same considerations. Faced with widespread rejection of their policies, the parties are looking for new ways to implement them. The plans are enormous. Mass layoffs and wage cuts in industry are already on the agenda. Volkswagen is only the forerunner with its plans to lay off tens of thousands and cut wages by 20 percent. German industry is to be made competitive on the backs of the workers, that is, to yield the greatest possible profits for shareholders.

This attack on the working class is matched by a militarist foreign policy. One of the issues that has led to the collapse of the coalition was the dispute over how the billions for arms deliveries to Ukraine can be financed. While hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainians have already lost their lives and the country is fighting a losing battle, the SPD and Greens want to fuel the war further in order to subjugate Russia and plunder its economy.

Chancellor Scholz (SPD) left no doubt about this agenda when he dismissed Finance Minister Lindner (FDP). “We have to invest considerably more in our defence and in the Bundeswehr [Armed Forces],” he said, and announced: “We are increasing our support for Ukraine, which is facing a difficult winter. After the election in the USA, this sends a very important signal: We can be relied upon.” Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also declared that Germany would spend more money on the war in Ukraine and on arming the Bundeswehr.

After the break-up of the coalition, the former governing parties voted together with the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for the so-called “anti-Semitism resolution.” This defames all critics of the terrible genocide in Gaza as anti-Semites and supports the mass slaughter, which it glorifies as “self-defence.” What is particularly deceitful about this is that the SPD, Greens, FDP and CDU are forging an alliance with the AfD in order to defile the commemoration of the Holocaust.

This makes it clear that they are also willing to bring the AfD fascists into government. In Saxony, state Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has already met with AfD state leader Jörg Urban after exploratory talks with the Left Party split-off Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) broke down. If all parties are now declaring their willingness to work with Trump, they are also signalling their openness to an alliance with the AfD.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz has long since announced that, as chancellor, he would escalate the war against Russia by delivering Taurus medium-range missiles and would not shy away from firing them at Russian cities. Following his dismissal, Lindner is now also calling for Taurus deliveries to Ukraine. Both parties have also announced further billions in gifts for the rich and severe cuts in health, care, pensions and the citizens’ income welfare payments.

There is no opposition in the Bundestag to this policy of war and austerity. At its last party conference, the Left Party also backed arms deliveries to Ukraine and emphasised Israel’s “right to self-defence.” It even accused the German government of not being aggressive enough against Iran. And as for the Left Party’s social promises, they are not worth the paper they are written on. In every state government in which it has participated, it has supported the most severe cuts.

This also applies to the Left Party politicians who have since switched to the BSW and abandoned any left-wing rhetoric. The BSW criticises the war against Russia in Ukraine and also expresses a few critical words about the genocide in Gaza. However, similar to the AfD, it criticises the government’s policy from a nationalist point of view. The BSW supports rearmament and militarism, it just wants to develop them more independently from the US. “Europe must decide whether we want to take our own place in this new multipolar world or whether we want to perish as vassals of the United States,” said Wagenknecht in the Bundestag on Thursday.

This all-party coalition for war and cuts has deep objective causes. Facing the capitalist crisis, the ruling class is relying on war abroad and class war at home to defend its wealth and prevail against its competitors. That is why all the ghosts of the past are returning. Germany is waging war against nuclear-armed Russia, democratic rights are under attack and the fascists of the AfD are being courted by all parties.

The only way to prevent a catastrophe is therefore the mobilisation of the international working class against capitalism. That is to say, the mobilisation of those who create all society’s wealth and bear the full brunt of war and crisis. This enormous social force is being set in motion. The mass layoffs, austerity measures and wars are placing explosive class struggles on the agenda.

The decisive question is how to arm this movement with a revolutionary leadership and a socialist perspective. Only if the masses independently intervene in the political process, expropriate the big banks and corporations and place them under democratic control, can war and social catastrophe be stopped.

The Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) is contesting the early federal elections on the basis of this socialist programme. We demand:

• No Third World War! Stop the NATO war in Ukraine!
• Stop the genocide in Gaza!
• Never again fascism!
• For a united socialist Europe!

To build a movement that can realise these demands, workers must turn again to Marxism. It is necessary to draw the lessons of history: the rise of fascism, the betrayals of Stalinism and the bankruptcy of social democracy. The SGP is standing in the elections to revive socialist consciousness and to arm workers with a socialist programme. If you are eligible to vote in Germany, sign up now to support our election participation and join the SGP!