"George Alec Effinger - Relatives" - читать интересную книгу автора (Effinger George Alec)

be nationalized.
The announcement caused a wrathful and outraged reaction. It was commonly rumored that the Allies
had assembled nearly three-quarters of a million fresh troops in Great Britain in preparation for the spring
offensive. Jermany could not continue much longer. The General Staff informed Kaiser Wilhelm that the
war was certainly lost unless something was done soon about the domestic situation. At first the Kaiser
did not take the obvious hint; instead, food rations were cut once more. Munitions workers in Berlin
began a series of violent strikes. The Jerman battleships in the North Sea refused to follow an order to
attack the British Navy. In a matter of days, the mutiny had spread to all the northern ports, and then to
Berlin. Still the Kaiser chose to ignore the gravity of the situation.
At that time, the Kaiser left the capital for a rest at a Belgian resort. In his absence, a republic was
proclaimed; the old Kaiser was forced to abdicate and flee to Sweden. Under the banner of a shaky
coalition government, the Jerman people settled down. Order was slowly restored, and the business of
the war was taken up with renewed vigor. The Allies, who in truth had been largely responsible for the
instigation of the internal upheavals, were as good as defeated -- the 750,000 troops waiting in England
never existed.
Ernst Weintraub, Jugendleiter of the Frachtdorf Red Front, threw the newspaper into the air. "Do we
celebrate now, boys?" he said.
"Yes, sir, Herr Kamerad Weintraub."
Weintraub, at the age of eighteen, was the leader of the tiny cell of the Jerman Communist party. He
had enjoyed little prestige, though, partially because of the underground nature of their organization, and
also because his command consisted of the more insolent of the neighborhood's delinquents. But now,
according to the Berlin edition of Pravda, recognition was at last only a few gunshots away. The World
War was nearing its end.
"Now, boys, our work shall begin indeed. Soon we will see that day we've been struggling so long to
bring about." Weintraub indicated the headline of the paper: the world revolution has begun!
"Wine, Herr Weintraub?"
"No, not for me. Beer, I think. Good Jerman beer."
"The dunkel?"
"Yes, of course," said Weintraub distractedly. Though his adolescent henchmen seemed more
interested in the festivities than the occasion, he couldn't help thinking about the future's task with pleasant
anticipation. Despite its victory, the Jerman Reich had collapsed; its economy had been strained by the
World War and would finally be ruined by the disillusionment of peace. The Jerman people had no
leadership in this crucial time. They had no sense of national destiny, no direction among the ashes of the
old, false values. All this Weintraub viewed with great satisfaction; as a minor worker for the cause of
international Communism, he could easily see that such a state of economic anarchy was fertile ground
for the cultivation of his party's beliefs.
"Mein Lehrer," said Staefler, a tall, athletic youth, "is it true, now that the revolution is approaching,
that we can break our sworn secrecy?"
Staefler was the most enthusiastic member of the small town's cell, though Weintraub realized that the
boy was unfortunately too slow of mind to accept much authority. The Youth Leader thought for a few
seconds, chewing his lip while Staefler regarded him eagerly. "No," said Weintraub at last, "I think not.
Until we get directives from Berlin along those lines, I feel it best to continue as we have. I know that
makes it hard on you," he said, slapping Staefler's shoulder in a comradely fashion, "but the Party expects
certain sacrifices. We must all put personal conveniences aside for the benefit of our great cause."
"Certainly, mein Lehrer," said Staefler, a little disappointed.
"It will not be much longer. The Bolsheviks are ready. The Russian and the Jerman Revolutions will
merge, joining forces and facing westward together. Then how can the rest of Europe stand against us?"
"Jermany," said Staefler brightly, "and then the world!"
"Go drink," said Weintraub with a proud smile. "These preliminary worries are not for you. The
celebration is your only concern this afternoon." While his young charges laughed drunkenly around him,