COMMUNIST SEVEN What The Communist International Has Been and What It Must Become.
we action.
tional Socialist Bureau. The role of this bureau was that of a post box between the different see tions. Any Independent work or even any doctrinary directions for the separate Parties were not carried on by the International Bureau, This THESIS PRESENTED TO THE SECOND WORLD CONGRESS, OF THE THIRD INTER. depended not so much on the organizational conNATIONAL struction of the Bureau, and not so much on the personal qualities of its leaders, as on the dit Ву ZINOVIEV.
ference in views on questions of principle which We are on the summit of a mountains pass distinguished the different parties forming the The Comm, International will now have to work Cachin and Frossard are making sweeping as. Second International.
sertione in their declarations to the Executive at quite another tempo than it has been doing That is not badly said. It is true, the Interso far. During the fifteen months of its existCommittee of the Communist International. At national Socialist Review, which would not only the same time the central organ of the French ence the Comm. International has grown colos.
keep us informed, but which could also discuss sally on the eve of the First Congress of Socialist Party is still acting in the old spirit. the most important questions, criticiso, make In the numbers of Humanite Just received the Comm. International we had the following proposals. What we need is to exercise a con (whose editor is known to be Marcel Cachin)
picture: on one side the Second International, stant Influence on the parliamentary activity, in much shaken and compromised but still unitwe find, among other things, a leading article the sense of a simultaneously putting forward by the eminent Renaudel, in which this citizen ing, although only formally, the largest old of our revolutionary demands. The thing we asserts that he is willing to make Russia Parties; on the other side, in most countries, need is the organization of an International Sothe first groups of daring men just raising happy by going there if the Soviet Government cialist Information Service. Berner Tagwacht. will guarantee him the right of bringing with the banner of Communism. It is not now. To.
Jan, 7th, 1920. day we have on the one side the Third Interhim any translators and collaborators that ne The reader can see that the group of Robnational into whose ranks almost all the wishes, and the right of moving about freely ert Grimm, which criticised so ably the role or old Parties are hurrying, and with important all over the country. The editor of Human. the International Bureau of the Second Internaite. knowing very well that Mr. Renaudel is organizational support in every country, and tional is now practically assigning to the Execut.
on the other side, in place of the Second in only an agent of the League of Nations, inserts ive Committee of the Commun. International a ternational, simply a heap of ruins, his article on the first page of the paper with role not much different from that of a postThe Communist International has been up out a single word of objection. Humanite. box. It never enters the heads of Robert Grimm to now chiefly and organ of propaganda and June 10th, 1920. In another number of this and his group to think that the Communist Inagitation, Now it is becoming a fighting organ.
paper (June 16th, 1920) we find nothing more nor less, than an article. by Mr. Ignatius ternational must not only publish a paper must ization, which will have to guide directly the Dassinsky Our Polish Comrade. arrange that in the parliaments the same deas the movement in different countries. During the editor of Humanite calls him, inserting the mands shall be put forward simultaneously, but first year of its existence the Comm. Internaarticle with the polite reservation that it is it must know how to organize the struggle of tional was only the standard bearer for the the workers with force of arms against the international proletariat just arising for the right hand and fellow champion of Pilsud.
the bourgeoisie.
decisive battle. The Comm. International is sky, the executioner of the Polish workers, the leader of the Polish They have all moved to the left now all White Guards fighting now becoming the practical organizer of this against Soviet Russia. Humanite desires to those who criticised us during these last years, grandiose world struggle, the greatest in his.
join the Third International, and at the same Here, for instance, is the program declaration of tory.
time counts among its comrades the counter the well known representative of Italian reform.
This lays quite new duties on the Comm. revolutionary bandit, a member of the Second ist Treves. To the question of La Revue Com.
International, So long as it was a question International, Dashinsky! And in the same time muniste what Treves would say about joining only of some Party expressing its sympathy number of the paper we read an article by the Third International, he replied: with us the Comm. International had nothing You ask me whether am for immediately Longuet, devoted to the Task of the Cashin to lose by that. But when the question touches joining the Third InternationalMy answer is: and Frossard Mission to the Soviet Republic Yes!
upon the desire of Parties only yesterday con in each line of which the old time diplomacy stituting the Second International, to join as is evident and in which Treves is willing to join the Third Interonly one thing is organizations of the Third International, worthy of attention, the information given by national unconditionally, but he says: must be doubly careful, Longuet that the extreme left wing of the All theoretical stubborness, all desire to The most important question is, what at French Socialist Party (the Communists) relay the same obligations of program and tactics titude is the Comm. International to adopt in solutely declined the amiable proposal of the on different parties, is senseless and fatally ab.
regard to the Independent Party of Germany, French Longuetists that they should take part surd, and can only delay us in reaching the the French Socialist Party, the Socialist Party in the delegation together with Ca chin and aims of the International.
of America, the Independent Labor Party of Frossard This typical quotation from Treves brings of England, the Socialist Party of Switzerland Whoever is at all able to follow the daily us to the present situation in the Italian party, and several other groups in a word to the press in which the majority of workmen are ur doubt of the German Independents and he whole centre which are now at the crossedly on our side, but where the most eminent French Longuetists, may see quite clearly that of reformists, one regrets to say, feel them ves roads between the Second and Third InternaCrispien and Longuet look upon joining the tionals. The rank and file members of these Third International as a simple formality. They at home as before.
Parties, the workers, are pushing them into The Communist International does not intend are willing to make a few high sounding deof course, to bring all the Parties to one level.
vur anks, and the readers of the centre are clarations of principles. but they imagine that now declaring their more or less final decision they may join the Communist International reThe Comm. International has proved in deeds, to join the Third International, serving to themselves the right of Opportunist not merely in words, that it takes into considerWe think it is necessary first of all ation the different conditions in which Parties to exist and struggle. The Comm. International insist that all the above named Parties should They are in principle for joining the make it perfectly clear to themselves what the Third International, but only out of tactical realizes very well that there is a sphere of Third International is becoming, and what are considerations they wish to wait a bit, they purely local questions where the decision must the liabilities undertaken by each Party on desire, at any rate, to preserve their autonomy belong to the given party. But Treves of course does not mean this. He attempts to preserve joining it. To recognize in principle means to refute for himself and his reformist wing such an The Comm. International insists categorio in practise such is the principlo of all serially on the necessity of breaking with reformous diplomats. These words, if we are not autonomy as would in reality mean a complete freedom of action for the reformist. In ism and reformists not only for Parties in mistaken, were said by Bismarck. The little the notice of the editor of La Revue Communwhich the partisans of our views form the Bismarcks in the ranks of the Independents iste to Treves answer, it says: Comrade Tre majority, for instance, the Parties of Italy, and the Longuetists are acting on the same ves is one of the leading social reformist of Sweden, Yougo Slavia and others. Let these circ. principle.
Italy. But what a difference between him and umstances be taken first of all into considera. am for joining the Third International, our Albert Thomas, Renaudel and others! The tion by the representatives of the above named whose principles recognize. But for tactical old parties desirous of joining the ranks of considerations do not think that we should respected editor of La Revue Communiste has the Communist International. This is our first pronounce ourselves for an immediate joining.
too good an opinion of Treves policy. Between Treves and Renaudel no doubt there is a dif wish, share the point of view of the German In ference, we do not deny that. But in reality We have now become acquainted with the dependents: first to Switzerland, afterwards to Moscow that is to say, first an attempt this difference consists merely in he fact that reply of Freiheit. the cenral organ of the to convene in Switzerland a conference or Treves and his friends defend reformism more German Indenpendent Party, to the well known intermediary Parties and form a sort of twocleverly. Reformists, we repeat, feel themselves program letter of the Executive Committee of at home in the Italian Party. Of the active the Communist International addressed to this and. a half International this is the celebrated members of the Italian delegation who came Party. First of all we are surprised that the plan of the so called reconstructers. La Revue Communist. March 1920, 57. to Russia, Comrade Pozzani declared in an inter.
answer to our document is not signed by any The declaration was made by Raoul Verview with the not unknown Russian professor one. Under the articles in Freiheit there is feuil, one of the well known representatives of Tiander, published in the paper Huvudstats no signature of the Central Committee of the the French Socialist Party, in answer to an bladt for the 6th of June, 1920: In telegrams Independent Party. That means that this is not which, we get from our correspondents in Stockinquiry organized the official answer of the Cenral Committee by the Paris Communist journal La Revue Communiste.
holm, the Italian delegation with Seratti at its of the Party. At the same time the articles head shows itself to be a Bolshevist one. And present, it is said, several prominent lead.
are not signed by any individual writer. We this opinion has spread in Finland. Pozzani ers of the Longuetists are giving up the plan have before us simply a series of anonimous articles. But that is not the only point. The of forming an intermediary International. They protest against the false conclusion. The mem bers of the delegation were astonished and chief thing is that in the whole seven articles see clearly that no reconstruction can be pos indignant on hearing such an opinion. They all the authors have managed to dwell all the time sible, that they will have either to join the belong to the Social Democratic Party, which on minor details and give no answer to the Third International, or remain without the work. does not mean yet that they are Bolsheviks.
chief questions of principle proposed by the ers. The delegates of this party are now in And the same Pozzani declared further in its letter of the Executive Committee of the Comm.
Moscow. But that is no guarantee that the Party interview: The considerable profits derived by International. In these articles are minor re is cured of the disease of opportunism, or even Italy from the great war consist, in the acfutations of facts of secondary importance, it is insured against a relapse.
quisition of Triest and Trent. Besides, Italy has also long winded lamentations of the effect Or take another prominent representative occupied Bologne, with its mountains. Concerning that the Russian Communists, although wellof centrist tendencies, Robert Grimm, formerly Dalmatia and the rest of Albania these quesInformed on Russian matters, are much less Chairman of the Zimmerwald Commission. Six tions are still left open. When we pointed out informed as to German needs There is a months after that he was willing to join the not long ago to some eminent Italian comrades sories of Jesuitic onslaughts in the Hilferding Third International, a similar interview given by Filipo Turatti in spirit and a heap of well intentioned electric When the Central Committee of the Swiss Italy, the comrades answered us good naturedly Dhrases after the manner of the watery So.
Party decided to join the Third International. too good naturedly) that Turatti had said this cialism of Crispien, But in the articles of Grimm and his group again hesitated, and by in a private conversation (this was not an.
the Independents you willnot find a true, openmeans of a referendum helped to bring about nounced in the press. and that his words were hearted, frank answer of revolutionists to the a refusal on he part of the Swiss to join the falsely interpreted. Can one show more good urgent questions asked so decisively. The fact Communist International. At present the Central nature toward reformists?
is that the rank and file members of the German Committee of the Swiss Party has again decided The most experienced diplomat of Italian Independent Party, the workmen and work. to join the Third International, And Robert reformism, the deputy Modigliani, who plays women, are pressing their leaders ever more Grimm seems inclined to work in favor of this a big part in the parliamentary fraction of the and more, demanding an honest friendly depolicy. But see what Robert Grimm thinks of Italian Socialist Party, has lately visited Paris, claration on their unconditional Joining of the the importance and the role of the Communist In a conversation with Longuet, Modigliani per Communist International, whereas the right International, suaded the leader of the French Independents leaders of the Central Committee of the Party In the Berner Tagwacht. inspired by to enter the Third International in the foll.
are delaying this unification and endeavoring Robert Grimm, a series of articles entitled In lowing fashion. He said to him: My friend one more to get off with empty phrases. ternational has appeared. In the fourth of these Longuet, why should we not, after all, enter the The situation in the leading circles of the articles we read: Communist International? What does it oblige French Socialist Party is no better, Marcel The Second International had its Interna us do? In reality to nothing more than sending