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138 THE WORKERS COUNCIL NOVEMBER 15, 1921 NOVEMBER 15, 1921 THE WORKERS COUNCIL 139 Socialism and Reformism in Italy By ALEXANDER TRACHTENBERG as. HE Italian Socialist Party announced its ad ous factor during the impending revolutionary herence to the Third International in March, struggles in Italy.
1919, thru a decision of its National Executive The reformists included an array of parliamentCommittee. This act was ratified later in the year by an overwhelming vote of the delegates at the ary and labor leaders of great repute and influence in the Socialist and labor movements. Turati, Bologna Congress.
Treves, Modigliani, Prampolini, Aragona and The Italian party was the first Socialist party others made no secret of their reformist tendencies, of size and influence to join the nascent revolu and the party always had to keep close watch over tionary International. While the news of its ad their activities.
herence to the Moscow organization was of more than casual interest, it did not come as a surprise to Serrati Turns to the Right informed Socialists.
The Third International advised the Italian By throwing its lot with the Third International, party to drop these reformist leaders and free itself the Italian party rounded out a Socialist and inter of their pernicious influence. The leadership of the nationalist career of which any workers party party was in the hands of people who put unity could be proud.
above everything else. Serrati, member of the Executive Committee of the Third International Took Stand Against War and recognized leader of the party, altho realizing Thruout the critical years of the war the party the hardship which retaining the reformist element remained faithful to International Socialism.
would entail, bitterly opposed the expulsion of Turati and his followers from the party.
It supported the Zimmerwald and Kienthal movements organized by the Socialist minorities of Under the leadership of Serrati, the majority of the party the belligerent countries in opposition to the social elegates at the Livorno Congress last patriotic activities of the Socialist parties of those January refused to ratify the 21 points.
countries.
The Left faction at the convention, which It withdrew from the International Socialist Buclaimed a following of about 50, 000 members, reau and declined to send delegates to the Berne withdrew and organized a Communist Party. Unconditional affiliation with the Third International conference which was sponsored by that Bureau in an attempt to resuscitate the shattered Second was voted by the new organization.
International.
Lose 50, 000 to Gain 14, 000 The Inter Allied Socialist and Labor Conference, The Unitarians, representing the majority of another social patriotic conclave, was denounced the party, allowed the split with a loss of 50, 000 by the Italian Socialists, and when the American members in order to retain a reformist following Socialist and Labor delegation came to convert of about 14, 000.
them to an espousal of the democratic war aims, it was met with derision.
The representative of the Third International at the Livorno Congress, the Bulgarian Communist Denounced the Class Peace Kabatchkov, contributed to the conditions which brought about the split.
The Italian party maintained its revolutionary tradition and, together with the Socialist minorities The opinion still prevails in some Communist of other European countries, spoke to the workers quarters that the Third International erred in perof the world against the imperialist war and de mitting the Left in the Italian party to withdraw nounced the class peace of the Socialist majorities.
at that time.
When the minorities later joined the victorious It is maintained that a way should have been Russian Socialists in forming the Third Internafound to isolate all truly revolutionary elements tional as a protest against the traitorous behavior from the reformists, and retain the powerful Italian party in the Third International.
of the leading parties of the Second International, the Italian party became a member of the new Notwithstanding the desertion of the Communrevolutionary body.
ists, and the refusal to accept the 21 points, the The Second Congress of the Third International Socialist Party adopted at Livorno the so called promulgated the famous 21 points which, among Bentivoglio resolution providing for negotiation with the Third International for continued other things, demanded of the various adhering affiliation.
parties that they cleanse their ranks of reformers and pure and simple parliamentarians.
Demand for Collaboration Grows While the Italian party consisted in the main It was under this resolution that a delegation of revolutionary Socialists, it had, nevertheless, a consisting of the former secretary of the party, the strong reformist element believed to be a danger veteran Lazzari, Dr. Maffi and Riboldi attended the Third Congress of the Communist Interna Italian Socialists themselves began to fear the tional last July to lay the matter of the Italian growing strength of the reformists in the party. party before the International.
Unfortunately, in addition to Clara Zetkin, the No sooner had the heat of the memorable contro Executive Committee of the International also sent versy at Livorno died out when the Socialist Party to the Milan Congress the Polish Communist began to feel the effects of the unholy alliance Waleski. His attitude was not conducive to a with reformism.
friendly understanding.
Instead of being able to control it, it saw reform The cudgels of the fight for a complete break with isin raise its head and threaten to attack the party the Turati elements were taken up by the delegation at its most revered tradition. The reformists beto the Third Congress. Altogether four resolutions gan to demand collaboration with other parties. were presented which dealt with the question of colThe goal of pure and simple parliamentarism is laboration. participation in the government. Turati demanded open collaboration with the Those who can read Socialist history aright can bourgeois government. He wanted the party commitforesee the future of the Italian Socialist Party if ted to the policy of participation in the cabinet without it should choose to go the way the collaborationists reservations.
have charted for it. Alessandri proposed a modification of the Turati When the Third International made it man position. He favored collaboration only under certain datory upon the Italian party to break with the circumstances.
reformists, the party pleaded for the right to retain Serrati was opposed to collaboration.
He them and tried to persuade the International that favored complete control and discipline over party the Italian reformists were different from those in members. Those favoring collaboration must abide other countries, that they were harmless, and that by the decision of the party on the question. Unity the party could exercise complete control over must be maintained, and if membership in the Third them.
International meant a rupture with a portion of the Just Like Reformists Here party membership, he was for unity first of all.
While it is true that compared with the leaderUrge Adherence to Moscow ship of the American Socialist Party, the Italian reformists appear revolutionists, yet their Lazzari sponsored the unconditional affiliation with the Third International, the ratification of the characteristic features are the same.
Parliamentarism, instead of being an aid in the 21 points and the removal from the party of the revolutionary struggle, has become with them an ever present danger of neutralizing the revolutionend in itself. Instead of battle cries born out of the ary and class struggle character of the party by class struggle, they have inscribed on their pink expelling the reformists.
banners votes, offices, legislative measures Lazzari and his co delegates who went to Mosas goals of their strivings.
sow to argue for the Serrati position came back convinced that the policies of the latter were beThose who watch over the destinies of Italian Socialism know the danger which lies in the course coming a menace to the Socialist movement in advocated by the Turati elements. The agitation Third International as Italy. They called upon the party to go with the that of the latter must have reached an acute stage if the a guarantee National Executive Committee of the party decided against the possible disintegration of the party to call an extraordinary convention to deal with both in principle and members.
this issue.
The Serrati position again prevailed. The party has become altogether detached from the Third The Convention took place in Milan, October International and is now drifting. 12. The party administration declared in its manifesto to the members that it considered it inLike Haase in Germany compatible with the class character of Italian So Serrati attitude reminds one of the position the cialism to sponsor participation in bourgeois gov late Hugo Haase took as chairman of the German ernntents and announced that the Socialist Party Social Democratic Party. He was opposed to the had no place for those who favored such a policy. social patriotic policy of the Scheidemann majorZetkin Speaks for The Third ity. He was opposed to voting war credits and making a class peace with the German GovernThe question of dealing with the reformists was ment. But he would not support the Liebknecht bound up with the question of affiliation with the attitude of rebellion against the rule of the majorThird International. Clara Zetkin, who made as ity. Unity of the party was then uppermost in his spectacular an appearance at Milan as she did at mind. Only when the majority betrayed every SoTours, when the French government did not allow cialist principle the party ever stood for, did Haase her to enter the country, pointed out to the Italian agree that a break was necessary and joined in the Socialists in behalf of the Executive Committee of formation of the Independent Socialist Party.
the International, that the party must break with How long will Serrati have to wait to realize that the reformists before it could claim complete ad the reformist policy of the Turati faction is an ever herence to the International.
present danger within the Socialist Party? The Clara Zetkin was among those whose voices time came when Haase had to declare that unity of were raised against the tactics of the Third Inter principle was more important than unity of organnational at Livorno. She could view the Italian ization. When will. Serrati be ready to utter the situation with sympathy. She now saw that the same truth?
was