Left Party | The Left and the Double Peace

The Left Party (Die Linke) is holding a party conference in Chemnitz this weekend. The federal election went well beyond all expectations, and membership more than doubled to over 110,000 in a short space of time. Now the party is under pressure to meet expectations, especially after the CDU/CSU/SPD government took office , and must reorganize. Two half-days of consultations (from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon) is relatively short. But large halls like the one at the Chemnitz Exhibition Center have to be booked well in advance, and when The Left Party did that, it was still based on the federal election in September: adopt an election platform, celebrate the lead candidates, that's it.

As we all know, that's all history: the traffic light coalition is gone, Friedrich Merz is chancellor , and The Left Party is unexpectedly strong in the race. This is also because, following the departure of Wagenknecht's wing, it has left the grueling dispute behind it. Of course, there are still discussions, but The Left Party has regained its inner peace. When it comes to world peace, things are more difficult – and ultimately, that doesn't leave inner peace untouched either.

Behind the commitment to being a consistent peace party, various views are clustered. The party has attempted to push these into the background so far; the strategy for the 2024 European elections even explicitly recommended not to actively discuss war, peace, and Russian aggression in Ukraine. And even before the federal election, the party preferred to focus on social issues such as rents, wages, and food prices.

With success, as one can see, but beneath the cheers that will surely swell again in Chemnitz, one can hear a rumbling. Numerous motions submitted to the party conference seek to reaffirm the role and mission of The Left as a peace party. The lead motion states that the party "unconditionally supports international law and the protection of those who suffer from the wars of this world." The party intends to push harder with proposals for diplomatic and other non-military solutions and "focus on the positions that unite us."

The left has rediscovered its inner peace. World peace is more difficult to achieve. The two are interrelated.

This reads as if it were formulated by the diplomatic service at the Karl Liebknecht House. However, the inherent trigger points of the issue will be addressed in Chemnitz. This will have to happen, if only because the approval of the state governments of Bremen and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – both with Left Party participation – in the Bundesrat (Federal Council) for the monstrous package of easing the debt brake, massive defense spending, and investments in infrastructure continues to cause resentment within the party. The resolutions regarding defense spending are different, and in the Bundestag, the then Left Party group voted against it. The two relevant state associations of the Left Party also did not recommend approval, or subsequently criticized it more or less explicitly.

Therefore, in a motion to the party conference, the Left Youth Solid and the student association Die Linke.SDS are demanding the resignation of the Left-wing ministers and senators in Schwerin and Bremen, who they say "clearly acted contrary to the interests of the party." The party executive committee is being criticized for not adequately condemning the approval in the Bundesrat. The Berlin Left Youth has even called for the ministers and senators to resign from the party.

This pointed question culminates in a disagreement that must be addressed in Chemnitz and further addressed afterwards. Prominent Left Party politicians are advocating for arms deliveries within the framework of Ukraine's right to self-defense, or at least do not oppose them, while the party's resolutions clearly oppose arms deliveries. There are people like party leader Jan van Aken who believe that peace in Ukraine should not be a dictated peace on Putin's terms, including territorial ones. And there are people like the philosopher Michael Brie, who declares that one should not advocate a return to the pre-war status quo if the war is to end.

The Left, which has doubled in size in recent months, will still be represented at the party conference by representatives of the “older half.”

Some advocate for the expansion of EU armed forces, in contrast to the Trump administration and NATO, while others strictly reject it. Jan Schlemermeyer, a member of the board of the Institute for Solidarity Modernity, recently wrote in a guest article for "nd" that The Left Party should not participate in the arms buildup hype, but should recognize the threat to democracy posed by autocrats like Trump and Putin "and no longer oppose a common EU foreign and defense policy." Critics argue that the EU is becoming increasingly militarized and that The Left Party should not participate in this.

These are questions that must be discussed and answered, especially because the party has changed drastically. Not only voters, but also members have joined in large numbers. Among them are many, especially young people, who previously had little or no explicit political activity. The delegates to this Chemnitz party conference were elected in late summer 2024, meaning that The Left, which has doubled in size in recent months, will still be represented at the party conference by representatives of the "older half." This, too, will change, and with it, perspectives and thematic approaches may shift.

The Left may have regained its inner peace for the time being, but that doesn't mean it's settled down. Calm was once supposedly the first civic duty; for a party in flux, especially a left-wing one, it's not an acceptable state. And external circumstances won't allow for that in the foreseeable future, either.

One doesn't have to go as far as some observers, who already sense another split within the left, do. But the debate is explosive. That's precisely why the party leadership is approaching it with great caution. The bomb disposal team will have plenty to do in Chemnitz and beyond.