THE COMMUNIST The International Communist Conference. T HE executive Committee is to publish in one volume the reports on the movement in various countries publish in one volume the reports on the movement in various counries; while the sub Bureau, after adequate study of the situation in each country, is to issue a comprehensive declaration on prospects, tactics and action. This declaration on prospects, tactics and action will survey the whole international movement, measure the maturity and relation of forces, interpret revolutionary experience and the prospects of revolution, and indicate the phases of immediate struggle most calculated to promote the revolution.
The Conference and Problems of the International vital phase of the theses adopted at the Conference is that they provide the material for an answer to many of the problems now agitating the International. Among these problems are: 1) unionism; 2) the functions of a revolutionary political party; 3)
shall Communists stay in the old opportunist organization to capture the party, or shall they split; 4) the basis of admission to the Communist International. The split in the Communist Party of Germany is, fundamentally, the product of antagonistic conceptions of unionism. The Central Committee of the party favors working in the old trades unions. boring from within, and rejects absolutely the agitation for and construction of industrial unions. The Opposition favors an intense struggle against the trades unions, considering the breaking of their power indispensable for the proletarian revolution, urging the agitation for and construction of industrial unions. The Opposition, however, rejects the non political and non Communist concepts of the conceiving mass action, Soviets and proletarian dictatorship as the means for the conquest of power. On this problem of unionism, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Germany holds a position of hesitation, evasion and compromise, justifying its boring from within policy on the plea that the trades unions include the bulk of the proletarian masses, and a Communist Party must not isolate itself from the masses a plea familiar to the students of the Russian, British and American movements as being repeatedly used, by the Menshevik and the compromiser. This compromise tendency expresses itself in another form by the Communist Party (Central Committtee) participation in the Betriebs rate (shop committees)
formed by the government and under direct government control, after dissolving the militant Betriebs rate formed during the Revolution; and participation in these government organization is justified on the plea that we must not isolate ourselves from the masses. The Central Committee, moreover, argues that GerBy Louis Fraina.
amentals on the basis of which Com(Continued from last issue. munist groups still in the old oppormany being in a state of revolution, it tunist organizations should unite, and is futile to develop a program of the first is; Mass action as the initiating new forms of industrial fundamental means for the conquest organizations which would necessaril: of power. the Communist Party as require a span of years for its ful the unifying and directing factor in filiment, thereby hampering insteaa this mass action.
of promoting the immediate revolut The Conference decisively ionary struggle for power. But rejected the concept of unity of the Communist policy on industrial un party. that concept which degrades ionism, as on other problems, consid revolutionary initiative and audacity, ers the moment in the struggle, and and which, at this moment, prevents adapts itself to the requirements of a Communist Party being organized the moment; emphasis varies as con in France and Spain, and keeps the ditions vary. The agitation for Left Wing Independents of Germany industrial unionism justifies itself still in the party of the betrayers of even should actual organization never the Revolution. In Spain and in materialize, in the sense that it is France the Left Wing is out to imperative to break the faith of the capture the Socialist Party by the proletariat in the trades unions and process of inner transformation. The in the machinery of the trades unions Communist struggle in an old party as means for revolutionary action. In stultifies itself if it allows the unity the United States, which is not in a of the party to penetrate its constate of revolution, more emphasis is sciousness: nor must it become a neccessary on the organization aspects movement to capture the party, of industrial unionism than in Ger thereby weakening the struggle to many. The defect in the policy of the capture the revolutionary masses in Communist Party (Central Commit the party. The machinery of the old tee) is that it has no policy on party can never become an adequate unionism; and that it is, in tendency movement to capture the party, at least, compromising, is proven by aspirations and practice; the simple participation in the government fact of a split, of a decisive break Betriebs rate. The struggle against from the old and the creation of a the trades unions and for industrial new party in itself contributes unionism (even should new organizat enormously to the development of ions never materialize) is a necessary revolutionary ideology and practice.
factor in developing revolutionary The ideology of capture of the party consciousness and struggle.
is usually identified with that of Another fundamental problem unity of the party. and each is concerns the functions of a revolu Menshevik in tendency. To persist in tionary political party. of the Com the struggle to capture the party munist Party. Two tendencies are and avoid a split means to make an apparent: a) that represented by the end the means, to compromise our British Socialist Party (inherited in revolutionary purposes; the capture spirit from the moderate Socialism of of a party, with the retention of the the Second International) which Centre (and perhaps of the Right) is maintains that the political party antagonistic to ucompromising revolumust not dictate to the economic tionary practice. Our most dangerous movement, the unions to initiate mass enemy is the Centre; the capture of action and general political strikes, a party (or its ideology) means to the Communist Party performing agree and unite with the Centre, while simply the function of agitation; b) to split the party means immediate that represented (but as yet only in and rigorous separation from the tendency) by the Opposition in the Centre. The Conference emphaCommunist Party of Germany, which sizes the necessity of rigorous sepmaintains that the unions (revolut aration of the Communists from the ionary) and the political party are social patriots and opportunists, equal to each other, ever emhasizing urging Communist groups still in the the industrial organizations. a con old party organizations to split and ception which in tendency, particularly unite in the Communist Party. The when accompanied by rejection of the concept of unity of the party. which revolutionary use of parliamentarism, some Communists still cherish, is as proceeds directly to elimination of the much a phase of the petty bourgeois political party. Now it is a fund ideology of moderate Socialism as are amental Bolshevik (and Communist) reformism and parliamentarism. This conception that the political party is unity of the party concept dominates the spearhead of the revolutionary the Socialist Party of Italy, preventing movement, dominant and decisive in the expulsion of the social patriots the revolutionary struggle for power. and opportunists, and prevents even The function of the Communist Party disciplining the parliamentarians who is action, not simply agitation; it must openly flout the party revolutionary necessarily assume the initiative in aspiration and practice. This situatdeveloping general political strikes, in ion in Italy has its immediate and mobilizing and directing the mass peculiar reasons, perhaps; but still it action of the proletariat for the is a serious defect produced largely by conquest of political power. The thesis the concept of unity of the party.
on Social Patriots and Unity adopted One of most important and at the Conference proposes four fund immediate problems is the basis of