ABSTRACT
In April 1917 Karl Radek’s name was on the list of Bolsheviks traveling to Russia through Germany in “the sealed car". Radek was a member of the Russian delegation to Brest-Litovsk, where he was the expert on the Polish question. General Hoffmann’s staff was especially incensed by the aggressive attitude of the Pole, Radek, whom they regarded as their subject. Many political figures of the Weimar Republic were glad to have the opportunity of seeing Radek and discussing German policy with him. Leon Trotsky and Radek hoped that a moderated German Communist Party would help to counterbalance the growing influence of the Bolshevik center by giving support to the non-Bolshevik elements integrated into the Russian party after 1917. Radek chose Heinrich Brandler, a Spartakist veteran and leader of the Chemnitz branch. With Brandler, Radek would be able to get a group of trade-unionists into the key party posts, able to carry out a down-to- earth policy.
