The Iron Front (German: Eiserne Front) was a German paramilitary organization in the Weimar Republic which consisted of social democrats, trade unionists, and democratic socialists. Its main goal was to defend social democracy against what was seen as anti-democratic, totalitarian ideologies on the far-right and far-left. The Iron Front chiefly opposed the Sturmabteilung (SA) wing of the Nazi Party and the Antifaschistische Aktion wing of the Communist Party of Germany. Formally independent, it was intimately associated with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). The Three Arrows, originally designed for the Iron Front, became a well-known social democratic symbol representing resistance against monarchism, Nazism, and communism during the parliamentary elections in November 1932. The Three Arrows were later adopted by the SPD itself.
ultimately the goal in reading history of anti fascist movements is to take bits and pieces of what they did well, what they did wrong, and synthesize a new vision for what a modern anti fascist coalition might look like in 2025.
those criticizing IF are making valid contributions, but we should be cautious not to throw the baby out with the bath water. IF wouldn’t work today under same core ideologies and strategies they used then. but it’s still inspiring to know that some courageous folks did band together (albeit unsuccessfully) to resist forces that became the Nazi war machine. and there are many others to learn from.
we can do better though, we must do better if things really are headed the same direction globally as they were in 1932. I hope not.