The 23rd National Conference of the Sozialistischer Deutscher Studentenbund (S.D.S.), held between Sept. 12th and Sept. 16th at Frankfurt University, was indicative of the general political development and the organisational contradictions predominant in the German Socialist Student movement.
Formerly a youth section of the German Social Democratic Party (S.P.D.), which split in 1960 over the adoption of a new "ultra-reformist" programme, and providing a focus for the increasing alienation of students as a social grouping in advanced capitalist society (plus the catalyst effect of [illegible]) [illegible] a revolutionary character. This has been increa[sed by] the Emergency Laws [illegible].
Although against the background of strong anti-communist feelings (fostered by twelve years of fascism as well as stalinism in East Germany) and relatively high living standards, such developments have been encouraging; but it has also meant that the S.D.S., whilst being anti-stalinist and anti-authoritarian, has also been influenced to a certain extent by anarchistic and [Marcusian] concepts.
[illegible] of a reformist organisation. This question was constantly posed. However, as very few of the 120 delegates seemed to realise that organisation can only be based on political orientation, no practical concrete solution was supplied. In fact, certain decisions tended to exacerbate the situation.
For example, the first two days were spent discussing whether to expel five leaders of the pro-Moscow faction who had refused to participate in the demonstrations sponsored by the S.D.S. at the Sofia Youth Festival. It was argued that although no grouping could be expelled for a theoretical position, measures could be taken against those who refused to accept unity of action.
However, decisions to act are made by all tendencies discussing until a predominant majority view has been obtained, there is no utilisation of the united front concept. Consequently, even though the Central Committee was given the right to suspend branches which accepted these expelled members back into the S.D.S., these political parasites were not effectively excluded and the methods by which they were expelled only epitomised the fact that S.D.S. is a loose organisation and not a party.
Debates on forthcoming activities such as the Army-Worker-Student alliance and the Emergency laws, whilst being on a high theoretical level of abstraction, again merely scratched the surface regarding the principal contradiction within the S.D.S. It may be that the S.D.S. has reached its political height and some new formation will be needed in order to further the movement, for the existing organisational form appears incapable of analysing and learning from its own history.
The conference was also important from an international point of view, as there were delegations from most West European left-wing student and youth organisations. Fraternal greetings were delivered by the J.C.R., Ed Guiton of the V.S.C. and Fred Halstead, presidential candidate of the Socialist Workers Party who also gave a speech on his activities in South Vietnam. Notably the leader of the P.E.R., the Lambertist student organisation was unable to address the conference [illegible].