THE COMMUNIST not gradually and peacefully. the penetration of Capitalism by Socialism.
i) The objective of the class struggle is the conquest of the power of the state. The industrial unions (or the parliaments) are not the means for the conquest of power, but mass action, Soviets and proletarian dictatorship. The parliamentary and doctrinaire industrial union (Syndicalist) conception both evade all actual problems of the revolution.
j) After the conquest of power and under the protection of proletarian dictatorship, industrial unionism comes actually to function in the Communist reconstruction of society in terms of control and managment of industry by the industrially organized producers. The Conference adopted a thesis on Social Patriots and Unity, which prepared and introduced in the name of the Communist Party of America, after adding one amendment strengthening the proposals. The thesis stresses the fact that the social patriots and opportunists are the worst enemy of the proletarian revolution, with whom there can be no Communist unity or co operation; and, moreover, it particularizes and accomplishes five very definite and practical things: a) Provides that the Communist International reject the admission of any party or group (such as the Longuet majoritaires in France or the American Socialist Party) even shoul these affiliate with the Third International.
b) Reje, definitely the proposals of jean Longuet, Morris Hillquit and the independent Socialist Party of Germany for the organization of another International to include the social patriots and and opportunists of the Second International and also the Bolsheviki and the Communists.
c) Emphasizes the incompatibility of a Communist Party tolerating social patriots and opportunists in the party (indirectly condeming the Socialist Party of Italy for not expelling its social patriots and opportunists, particularly in the parliamentary group. Uncompromisingly repudiates Communist Party co operation with social patriot or opportunist organizations, with bourgeois or socialpatriotic parties, with parties affiliated with the Second International, or with the agents of Capitalism in the Labor movement. This implies that the Communist Party about to be organized in England by unity of the British Socialist Party, the Socialist Party, the Socialist Labor Party, Workers Socialist Federation and the South Wales Socialist Society, must reject affiliation with the Labor Party the British Socialist Party favors this affiliation, the gainst. e) Rejects the concept of Communist unity in general unity must be based not upon formal urging that acceptance of general principles, but agreement upon fundamental action.
The tendency of the thesis on Social Patriots and Unity is to preserve Communist groups should unite are and strengthen the revolutionary Soviets, proletarian mass action, integrity of the Communist Interna dictatorship, and no compromise national, to prevent the International (including acceptance of the necesbeing swamped under the onrush of ity for a Communist Party as the undesirable elements from the Second unifying and directing force in the International.
revolutionary struggle. The Conference did not act The Conference devoted a on the problem of Parliamentarism, large part of its labor to the problem being dispersed by the police. There of organization of making the were before the Conference three International actually function on a proposals on this problem. a thesis world basis, of unifying and centralintroduced by Anton Pannekoek, a izing the movement. While the Exseries of amendments introduced by ecutive Committee in Moscow still myself in the name of the Communist remains the supreme executiye authorParty of America, and a resolution ity, the Conference organizéđ suppleintroduced by Sylvia Pankhurst. mentary machinery for purposes of (Workers Socialist Federation of immediate contact, expression and England) the tendency of which was unity.
to reject the Communist use of para) The Conference decided to create liamentarism. The resolution of Sylvia an International sub Bureau comPankhurst would have received her posed of one delegate from each own vote, and perhaps that of the country (where in a country there is delegate representing the Opposition in the Communist Party of Germany.
more than one organization affiliated with the International, the one vote The original thesis and the amendis divided equally. Meetings of the ments would, think, have been adoptsub Bureau may be held when there ed substantially if not actually as are present the representatives of five proposed; they thus formulate the out of the six following countries: problem: England, Germany, France, Italy, a) Parliamentarism is the Holland and the United States.
means for the conquest of political power. the proletariat must create An Executive Committee was its own organs of struggle and of elected composed of Henriette Rolandstate power, the Soviets and proleHolst, Rutgers and Wyntarian dictatorship. The Communist koop. The Executive is located in Holuse of parliamentarism is secondary land; it is to act for the sub Bureau to the mass struggle of the proletariat, and to issue a Bulletin in German, being used for purposes of agitation English and French.
only and to emphasize the political c) The sub Bureau and the Excharacter of the class struggle.
ecutive Committee are emnowered to b) Even in the epoch of Imerialism, complete certain phases of the work when parliaments derenerate in func of the Convence. Their chief task tion and become side shows, the is to link up the world movement with revolutionary use of parliamentarism the Central Executive of the Internand participation in election is import ational in Moscow; and to facilitate ant in mobilizing the proletariat for this task the Conference created two action and the conquest of power.
subsidiary bureaus (a) Central c) The tendency to opportunism European Bureau, for activity in latent in parliamentarism must be Germany, Austria, Poland, Rumania, resisted by (1) emphasizing its agita Hungary and Bulgaria. b) the tional and secondary character, and (2) American Bureau of the Communist rigorous party control of parliament International, to be organized provary representatives and their im isionally by the Communist Party of mediate expulsion should they develop America; this Bureau to call a Panan opportunist or non Communist American Conference of Communist tendency.
organizations at which the Bureau it d) Limiting the number of public to be organized on a permanent basis.
offices for which nomination are It has since transpired that a repremade, the limitation to be determined sentative of the International recently by the conditions in each country (as, organized a Latin American Bureau for example, the Communist Party of in Mexico City, which publishes an America excluding nomination for organ El Soviet, and which has executive offices of the bourgeois issued a call for a Conference. The state. mandate given to the Communist e) In periods of intense class Party of America by the International struggle, although not yet revolution Conference must, accordingly, be ary, a temporary abstention from exercised in conjunction with the parliamentarism may most effectively Latin American Bureau the machpromote our revolutionary purposes; inery of which must be utilized and in that event, a Boycott of the transformed into the larger activity lections becomes necessary.
of the American Bureau of the d) In the period of actual revolution, Communist international through the the complete repudiation of parlia intervention of our party. The Amerimentarism may become necessary. can Bureau is to While represent the the Communist uge of International on the American contparliamentarism in this sense was inents, unite the movement of Latininsisted upon, the Conference did not America, the United States and Camake mandatory the acceptance of nada, and issue parliamentarism; in the thesis on proclamations on affairs immediately Social Patriote and Unity the concerning the con proletariat of the Americas.
ditions proposed as the basis on which (To be continued. others are