May 1, 1920 THE. COMMUNIST Five tion affiliated with the International, the of power. On this problem of unionism, for the conquest of power the Communist STATEMENT OF THE EX.
one vote is divided equally. Meetings of the Central Committee of the Communist Party as the unifying and directive factor SEC. TO THE MAJORITY the sub bureau may be held when there are Party of Germany holds a position of hesi in this mass action.
GROUP OF THE EXECUpresent representatives of five out of the tation, evasion and compromise, justifying The Conference decisively rejected the following countries: England, Germany, its boring from within policy on the plea concept of unity of the party. that conTIVE COUNCIL France, Italy, Holland, the Nnited States. that the trades unions include the bulk of cept which degrades revolutionary initiative b) An Executive Committee was elected the proletarian masses, and the Communist and audacity, and which, at this moment, Comrades: composed of Henriette Roland Holst, Party must not isolate itself from the prevents a Communist Party being organAt the meeting of the Executive Council Rutgers and Wynkoop. The execu masses. a plea familiar to the students of by the prucess of inner transformation. The on Tuesday withdrew from further par: tive is located in Holland. it is to act for the Russian, British and American move Communist struggle in an old party stultifies ticipation in the meeting when the Council the sub bureau and to issue a bulletin in ments as being repeatedly used by the Men itself if it allows unity of the party to made a decision which considered an efGerman, English and French.
shevik and the compromiser.
This compenetrate its consciousness; nor must it be fort to bolster up the control of a certain c) The Sub Bureau and the Executive promise tendency expresses itself in another come a movement to capture the party, group in the Council at the expense of creCommittee are empowered to complete cer form by the Communist Party (Central thereby weakening the struggle to capture ating a situation which might result in the tain phases of the work of the Conference. Committee) participating in the Betriebs the revolutionary masses in the party. The disruption of the party.
Their chief task is to link up the world rate (shop committees) formed by the gov machinery of the old party can never beBefore stating the course of action which movement with the Central Executive of ernment and under direct government con come an adequate means to express our it is my intention to follow, wish to rethe International in Moscow: and to facili trol, after dissolving the militant Betrieb Communist aspirations and tactics; the sim view the circumstances which lead up to tate this task the Conference created two rate formed during the revolution. and ple fact of a split, of a decisive break from this decision.
subsidiary bureaus (a) Central Euro participation in these government organiza the old and the creation of a new party After the recent meeting of the Central pean Bureau, for activity in Germany, Aus tions is justified on the plea that we must in itself contributes enor:ncusly to the de Executive Committee opposition to the detria, Poland, Rumania, Hungary and Bul not isolate ourselves from the masses. The velopment of revolutionary idealogy and cisions of the majority group of the comgaria. b) the American Bureau of the Central Committee, moreover, argues that, practice. The ideology of capture of mittee developed in the Chicago District.
Communist International, to be organized, Germany being in a state of revolution, it the party is usually identified with that of This movement, as expressed by the ChicaAmerica: this bureau to call a Pan Ameri new forms of industrial organizations which in tendency. To persist in the struggle to it is but carrying out the wishes of the provisionally by the Communist Party of is futile to develop a program of initiating unity of the party and each is Menshevik go District Committee. which claims that can Conference of Communist organizations would necessarily require a span of years capture the party and avoid a split means membership in that district, was based on at which the bureau is to be organized on for its fulfillment, thereby hampering in to make an end of the means, to comprom the following indictment of the majority a permanent basis. It has since transpired stead of promoting on industrial unionism, ise our revolutionary purposes; the cap group of the Central Executive Committee: that a representative of the International as on other problems, considers the moment ture of a party, with the retention of the That this majority group packed the recently organized a Latin American Bu in the struggle, and adapts itself to the Centre (and perhaps of the Right) is an Chicago Convention through securing the reau, the machinery of which must be util requirements of the moment: emphasis tagonistic to uncompromising revolutionary election of about twice the number of deleized and transformed into the larger activ varies as conditions vary. The agitation practice. Our most dangerous enemy is gates representing its viewpoint than any ity of the American Bureau of the Com for industrial unionism justifics itself even the Centre; the capture of a party (or membership basis gave authority for and munist International through the interven should actual organization never material its ideology) means to agree and unite through its caucus controlled the convenis to represent the International on the break the faith of the proletariat in the means immediate and rigorous separation the party.
tion of our party. The American Bureau ize, in the sense that it is imperative to with the Centre, while to split the party tion and placed its members in control of American continent, unite the movement of trades unions and in the machinery of the from the Centre. The Conference in its That since the convention, this majorLatin America, the United States and Can trades unions as means for revolutionary thesis on Social patriots and Unity empha ity group, in place of devoting its energies ada and issue proclamations on affairs and action. In the United States, which is not sizes the necessity of rigorous separation of to building up the party has been largely issues immediately concerning the proletari in a state of revolution, more emphasis is the Communists from the social patriots concerned with the work of maintaining at of the Americas.
necessary on the organization aspects of and opportunists, urging Communist groups its control and has decided every question d) The Executive Committee is to publish industrial unionism than in Germany. The still in the old party organizations to split that has come before the Central Execuin one volume the reports on the movement defect in the policy on unionism: and that and unite in the Communist Party the tive Committee from the standpoint of its in various countries. while the sub bureau it is, in tendency at least, compromise, is concept of unity of the party, which some interests and the maintainence of its conafter adequate study of the situation in proven by participation in the government Communists still cherish is as much a trol of the party, rather than from the each country, is to issue a comprehensive betriebs rate. The struggle against the phase of a petty bourgeois ideology of broader standpoint of the building up a declaration on prospects, tactics and action. trades unions and for industrial unionism Moderate Socialism as are Reformism and strong, unified Communist Party in this This declaration on prospects, tactics and (even should new organizations never ma Parliamentarism. This unity of the par country.
action will survey the whole international terialize) is a necessary factor in develop ty concept dominates the Socialist Party That within a month after the conmovement, measure the maturity and rela ing revolutionary consciousness and strug of Italy, preventing the expulsion of the vention certain dividuals of this majority tion of forces, interpret revolutionary ex gle. The Conference of the Communist social patriots and opportunists, and pre group, who largely controlled its actions, perience and prospects of revolution, and International, in its thesis on Unionism vents even disciplining the parliamentarians became more concerned with the question indicate the phases of immediate struggle makes a definite answer to the problem. who openly flout the party revolutionary of obtaining for themselves the opportunity most calculated to promote the revolution. Another fundamental problem con aspirations and practice. This situation in to make a junketing trip to Europe at the In its organization measures the Confer cerns the function of a revolutionary poli Italy has its immediate and peculiar rea party expense than any interest of the ence partially met the needs of the Inter tical party of the Communist Party. Two sons, perhaps; but still it is a serious de party.
national for centralized contact and au tendencies are apparent. a) that repre fect produced largely by the concept of That Comrade Andrew, after his dethority: but the measures are only partial, sented by the British Socialist Party (in unity of the party.
signation as one of the delegates who and the problem still requires serious con herited in spirit from the moderate Social One of the most important and im were to go to Europe if a Congress of the sideration and action. This task of organism from the 2nd International) which mediate problems is the basis of admission Third International was held, began an inization is crucial in the progress of the maintains that the political party must not to the International. The problem may be trigue to secure party funds to enable him Communist International. dictate to the economic movement, the put this way: Communist parties or groups (Continued on page 8)
The Conference and Problems of the unions to initiate mass action and general in almost every country have affiliated with International.
political strikes, the Communist Party per the Communist International; but, the old itself o fthe Centre and the Right of Jean vital phase of the thesis adopted at forming simply the functions of agitation; International now being broken in pieces, Longuet as well as Marcel Cachin symthe Conference is that they provide the (b) that represented (but as yet only in there are Socialist Parties in some of these pathy for the Russian revolution or decidmaterial for an answer to many of the tendency) by the Opposition in the Com countries seeking admission to the Commun ing to joint the Communist International problems now agitating the International. munist Party of Germany, which main ist International the Left Wing Independ are not enough: there must be acceptance Among these problems are. 1) Unionism; tains that the unions (revolutionary) and ents of Germany, the American Socialist of revolutionary principles and practice. 2) the Functions of a revolutionary poli the political party are equal to each other, Party, the Left Wing of the Independent Imagine the American Socialist Party betical party. 3) Shall Communists stay in over emphasizing the industrial organiza Party of England, the Socialist Party of ing admitted to the Communist Internationthe old opportunist organizations to cap tions a conception which in tendency, par Spain, and others who may scek admission, al while it repudiates Communist fundature the party, or shall they split. 4) the ticularly when accompanied by rejection of such as the French Socialist Party (Long mentals mass action, Soviets and prolebasis of admission to the Communist In the revolutionary use of parliamentarism, uet majoritaires. etc. What shall be done tarian dictatorship, and while it is still ternational.
proceeds directly to elimination of the poli with these? The spirit of the discussions dominated by Morris Hilquit, Victor Ber1. The split in the Communist Party of tical party. Now it is a fundamental Bol and theses of the Conference mean to ger, Meyer London, Seymour Stedman, by Germany is fundamentally, the product of shevik (and Communist) conception that double bolt the door of the Communist In all its infinite variety of opportunists and antagonistic conceptions of unionism. The the political party is the spear head of the ternational to these mdesirable Centre and social patriots on this problem the ComCentral Committee of the Party favors revolutionary movement, dominant and de wavering elements. This answer to the munist International will act uncompromisworking in the old trade union. boring cisive in the revolutionary struggle for problem is emphasized by two declarations ingly, ruthlessly; it will meet the problem by from within. and rejects absolutely the power. The function of the Communist issued recently by the Executive Committee rigorous exclusion, by using the dictatoragitation for and construction of industrial Party is action. not simply agitation: it of the International in Moscow, one of the ship of its icvolutionary aspirations and unions. The opposition favors an intense must necessarily assume the initiative in Independent Socialist Party of Germany, practise.
struggle against the trades unions, consid developing general political strikes, in mo the other to the Socia ist Party of France, The Conference met a moment of intense ering the breaking of their power indispens bilizing and directing the mass action of in which these organizations are condemned agitation in the International, serious probable for the proletarian revolution, urging the proletariat for the conquest of political in severe style, and informed that they are lems of immediate policy and practice presthe agitation for and construction of in power. The thesis on social patriots and mistaken if they imagine they can enter sing for consideration and answer. The dustrial unions. the opposition, however, unity adopted at the Conference proposes the Communist International without purg Conference met these problems in a style rejects the non political and non Commun. four fundamentals on the basis of whiching themselves of the social patriots and that places the Conference definitely in the ist concepts of the conceiving Communist groups still in the old opportun the social traitors imagine the Socialist Left Wing of the International a circummass action, Soviets and Proletarian Dic ist organizations should unite and the first Party of France being admitted to the Com stance of supreme importance in the detatorships as the means for the conquest is: mass action as the fondamental means munist International without having purged Ivelopment of our movement.