March 1, 1920 THE COMMUNIST September First Statement of the of the Communist International time lips.
Parliamentary Betrayal Hore The old divisions in the international Destroy Parliament. While Utilizing Thom. Ed. note. This important mani Yes, we are for this in consideration festo was received during the period Say Communists Jabor movement have plainly outlived their of raids and arrests which have The war has caused a regrouping. Now we take up the second basic ques of a whole list of conditions. We know thrown our party publications into a Many of the anarchists or syndicalists, tion: Can the bourgeois parliaments be very well that in France, America and Engstate of confusion, It is to be kept in mind, with re who rejected parliamentarism, conducted fully utilized for the purpose of develop land no such parliamentarians have yet said themselves just as despicably and treason ing the revolutionary class struggle? Los arisen from the masses of the workers.
manifesto antedates the forma.
ably during the five years of the war asically, as we just remarked, this question in those countries we have up to now observed a picture of parliamentary betion of the Communist Party of did the old leaders of the Social Democ lis America. This accounts for obvious inaccuracies as to the present situa racy who always have the name of Marx tion. In fact: person surely can be try trayal. But this is tion as to Communism in the United being effected in a new manner: some are by joining it and by utilizing it. This is as is only a matter of there being revoication of forces is ing to destroy any kind of an organization correctness of the tactics that we regard as correct!
States.
What is said about the unity quesIt for the proletarian revolution, for the So also perfectly understood by our class ene tion was written in answer to Gerviets, for the dictatorship, for mass action, mies when they exploit the official Social lutionary parties there like the Bolsheviki man and English inquiries. The discussion centres on the problem of even up to armed uprisings the others Democratic parties, the trade unions and or the German Sparticides. If there is such a party then everything can become are against this plan. This is the principal the like for their purposes.
parliamentarism as it relates to unity.
quite different. It is particularly necesquestion today. This is the main criterion.
The issue of unity which has existed etween the CP. and CLP in this The new combinations will be formed acsary: 1, that the deciding center of the Broke Up Constituent Assembly country proceeds on a quite different cording to these labels, and are being so basis formed already. Let us take the extreme example: The struggle lies outside Parliament (strikes. Dear Comrades: Russian Communists, the Bolsheviki, voted uprisings and other kinds of mass action. in the election for the Constituent Assem that the activities in Parliament be com: Sovietism and Parliamentarism The present phase of the revolutionary bined with this struggle; 3, that the depumovement has along with other questions. In what relation does the recognition there to break up this constituent within ties also perform illegal work; 4, that they very sharply placed the question of parlia of the Soviet idea stand to parliamentar 24 hours and fully to realize the Soviet to its orders; 5, that they do not heed the mentarism upon the order of the day cussion. In France, America, England and must be drawn between two questions had is deputies in the Czar Ymperial parliamentary forms in their acts (have no Germany. simultaneously with the aggra which logically have nothing to do with Duma. Did the party at that time recog fear of direct clashes with the bourgeois vation of the class struggle, all revolution gach other: The question of parliamentarist movement by uniting among themselves of the state and the question of the exJements are adhering to the Communism as a desired form of the organization hize the Duma, as an ideal, or, at least majority, talk past it, etc. an endurable form of government? It No Fixed Election Tactics or by co ordinating their actions under the ploitation of parliamentarism for the de would be lunacy to assume that. It sent The matter of taking part in the elecslogan of Soviet power. The anarchistic velopment of the revolution. The Comsyndicalist groups and the groups that now rades often confuse these two questions, against the apparatus of the Czarist power tion at a given time, during a given eleca whole and then call themselves simply anarchis something which has an extraordinarily from that side, too, and to contribute to toral campaign, depends upon the destruction of that same Duma.
Il string of concrete circumstances which, in rent. The executive committee of the Com struggle. We wish to discuss each of these was not for nothing that the Czarist gov each country, must be particularly conernment condemned the Bolshevist par sidered at each given time. The Russian munist International welcomes this most questions in its order and draw all the lamentarians to prison for high treason. Bolsheviki were for boycotting the elecheartily.
necessary deductions.
The Bolshevist leaders were also carrying tions for the first Imperial Duma in 1906. Leads Fight for Soviet Here Soviet Power Incompatible with on an illegal work, although they tempo And these same persons were for taking In France the syndicalist group of ComParliamentarism rarily made use of their inviolability in part in the elections of the second Imrade Pericat forms the heart of the Com What is the form of the proletarian welding together the masses for the drive perial Duma, when it had been shown that munist party; in America, and also to some dictatorship?
the bourgeois agrarian power would still We reply: The Soviets. against Czarism.
extent in England, the fight for the So This has been demonstrated by an experirule in Russia for many a year. In the viets is led by such organizations as the ence that has a world wide significance that kind of parliamentary activity was man National Assembly, one section of the But Russia was not the only place where year 1918, before the election for the GerI. Industrial Workers of the Can the Soviet power be combined with carried on.
World. These groups and tendencies have parliamentarism? No, and yet again, no. activities of Liebknecht. The murdered elections, the other section was against it.
Look at Germany and the Sparticides was for taking part in the ys actively opposed the parliamentary It is absolutely incompatible with the ex Comrade was the perfect type of a revo But the party of the Sparticides rentained ods of fighting.
isting parliaments, because the parlia lutionist, and so was there then something a unified Communist party.
On the other hand, the elements of the inentary machine embodies the concen non revolutionary in the fact that he, from Communist party that are derived from trated power of the bourgeoisie. The depu the tribune of the cursed Prussian Land zation of parliamentarism. The party of In principle we cannot renounce utiliSocialist parties are, for the most part, ties, the chambers of deputies, their news tag, called upon the soldiers to rise against the Russian Bolsheviki declared, ained to recognize action in Parliaments, papers, the system of bribery, the secret Landtag?
the On the contrary, o. The Loriot group in France, the connections of the parliamentarians with we see the complete admissibility and use it was already in power, in a special resoHere, too spring of 1918, at its seventh congress, when members of the in America (pos the leaders of the banks, the connection fulness of his exploitation of the situation. lution, that the Russian Communists, in sibly meaning the American Socialist with all the apparatus of the bourgeois If Liebknecht had not been a deputy he case the bourgeois democracy in Russia, party. of the Independent Labor party in state all these are fetters for the working would never have been able to accomplish through a peculiar combination of circumEngland, All these tendencies, which class. They must burst.
such an act; his speeches would have had stances, should once more get the upper ought to be united as soon as possible in the Communist party at all cost, need uni geoisie, consequently also the bourgeois ish Communists in Parliament also con utilization of bourgeois parliamentarism. The governmental machine of the bour no such an echo. The example of the Swed hand, could be compelled to return to the form tactics. Consequently, the question parliaments, are to be broken, disrupted, vinces us of this. In Sweden Comrade Room for maneuvering is also to be almust be decided on a broad scale and as a destroyed, and upon their ruins is to be Hoglund played, and plays, the same role lowed in this respect.
general measure, and the executive com organized a new power, the power of the as Liebknecht did in Germany. Making mittee of the Communist International union of the working class, the workers use of his position as a deputy, he assists consist in the work of mobilizing the The Comrades principle efforts are to turns to all the affiliated parties with the parliaments, e. the Soviets.
present circular letter, which is especially in destroying the bourgeois parliamentary masses; establishing the party, organizing dedicated to this question.
Peaceful Revolution Not Obtainable by system; none else in Sweden has done as their own groups in the unions and capParliamentary Methods much for the cause of the revolution and turing them, organizing Soviets in the Rocognition of Dictatorship Unifying Only the betrayers of the workers can Bulgarian Commụnists Work Satisfactory struggle, agitation for the revolution among the struggle against the war as our friend. course of the struggle, leading the mass Programs deceive the workers with the hope of a The universal unifying program is at peaceful social revolution, along the lines In Bulgaria we see the same thing, the masses all this is of first importance; the present moment the recognition of the of parliamentary reforms. Such persons The Bulgarian Communists have success parliamentary action and participation in struggle for the dictatorship of the prole are the worst enemies of the working class, fully exploited the tribune of Parliament election campaigns only as one of the tariat in the form of the Soviet power. and a most pitiless struggle must be waged for revolutionary purposes. At the recent helps in this work no more.
History has so placed the question that it against them; no compromise with them elections they won seats for 47 deputies.
is right on this issue that the line is is permissible. Therefore, our slogan for Comrades Blagoief. Kirkof, Kolarof, and drawn between the revolutionary prole any bourgeois country you may choose is. other leaders of the Bulgarian Communist Insists Upon Unity of Communists tariat and the opportunists, between the Down with the Parliament! Long live the party understand how to exploit the par then it is a matter of course that it doesn If this is so and it undoubtedly is soCommunists and the social traitors of every power of the Soviets!
brand. The so called Center (Kautsky in liamentary tribune in the service of the pay to split into those factions that are Germany, Longuet in France, the question this way: Very well, you deny ary work demands peculiar daring and a secondary, question. The practice of par Nevertheless, a person may put the proletarian revolution. Such parliament of different opinions only about this, now and some elements of the in England, Hillquit in America. is, in spite of liaments; then why don you organize new, are occupying especially dangerous posi that even the best Comrades have prejupower of the present bourgeois par special revolutionary spirit; the men there liamentary prostitution was so disgusting its protestations, an objectively anti So more democratic parliaments on the basis tions; they are laying mines under the dices on this question. These ought to be cialist tendency, because it cannot, and does of a real universal suffrage? the enemy while in the enemy camp; they overcome in the course of the revolutionnot wish to, lead the struggle for the So Socialist revolution the struggle has be enter Parliament for the purpose of get ary struggle. Therefore, we urgently apviet power of the proletariat.
come so acute that the working class must ting this machine in their hands in order peal to all groups and organizations which On the contrary, those groups and par act quickly and resolutely, without allow to assist the masses behind the walls of are carrying on a real struggle for the ties which formerly rejected any kind of ing its class enemies to enter into its camp, the Parliament in the work of blowing it Soviets, and call upon them to unite firmly, political struggles (for example, some anarchist groups. have, by recognizing the ities are only found in the Soviets of workinto its organization of power. Such qual up.
even despite the lack of agreement on this Soviet power, the dictatorship of the prole ers, soldiers, sailors and peasants, elected geois democratic parliaments as the form Are we for the maintenance of the bour question.
tariat, really abandoned their old stand in the factories and shops, in the country of the administration of the state. All those who are for the Soviets and point as to political action, because they and in the barracks. So the question of the proletarian dictatorship wish to unite have recognized the idea of the seizure of the form of the proletarian power is put power by the working class, the power this way. Now the government is to be No, not in any case. We are for the as soon as possible and form a unified Communist party.
that is necessary for the suppression of overthrown. With Communist greetings, the opposing bourgeoisie. Thus, we rements, chambers of deputies, national as these parliaments for our Communist work President of the Executive Committee of Kings, presidents, parlia But are we for the full utilization of ZINOVIEF, peat, a common program for the struggle semblies; all these institutions are for the Soviet dictatorship has been found. sworn enemies, that must be destroyed.
our. as long as we are not yet strong enough the Communist International to overthrow the Parliament. September 1, 1919.
During Soviets.