Many people know that the Communist International is called the international organization that united the communist parties of different countries in 1919-1943. The same organization is called by some the Third International, or the Comintern.
This formation was founded in 1919, on March 4, at the request of the RCP (b) and its leader V. I. Lenin to spread and develop the ideas of international revolutionary socialism, which, in comparison with the reformist socialism of the Second International, was a completely opposite phenomenon. The gap between these two coalitions was due to differences in positions regarding the First World War and the October Revolution.
Congresses of the Comintern
Congresses of the Comintern were not held very often. Consider them in order:
- First (Constituent). Organized in 1919 (in March) in Moscow. It acceptedparticipation of 52 delegates from 35 groups and parties from 21 countries.
- Second Congress. It was held July 19–August 7 in Petrograd. At this event, a number of decisions were made on the tactics and strategy of communist activities, such as models for participation in the national liberation movement of the communist parties, on the rules for the party to join the 3rd International, the Charter of the Comintern, and so on. At that moment, the Department of International Cooperation of the Comintern was created.
- Third congress. Held in Moscow in 1921, from June 22 to July 12. This event was attended by 605 delegates from 103 parties and structures.
- Fourth congress. The event ran from November to December 1922. It was attended by 408 delegates, who were sent by 66 parties and enterprises from 58 countries of the world. By the decision of the congress, the International Enterprise for Assistance to the Fighters of the Revolution was organized.
- The Fifth Meeting of the Communist International was held from June to July 1924. The participants decided to turn the national communist parties into Bolshevik ones: to change their tactics in the light of the defeat of revolutionary uprisings in Europe.
- The Sixth Congress was held from July to September 1928. At this meeting, the participants assessed the political world situation as a transition to a new stage. It was characterized by an economic crisis that spread throughout the planet and an intensification of the class struggle. Members of the congress succeeded in developing the thesis about social fascism. They issued a statement that the political cooperation of the communists with both right and left social democrats was impossible. In addition, during thisconference adopted the Charter and the Program of the Communist International.
- The Seventh Conference was held in 1935, from July 25 to August 20. The basic theme of the meeting was the idea of consolidating forces and fighting the growing fascist threat. During this period, the Workers' United Front was created, which was a body for coordinating the activity of workers of various political interests.
History
In general, communist internationals are very interesting to study. So, it is known that the Trotskyists approved the first four congresses, the supporters of left communism - only the first two. As a result of the campaigns of 1937-1938, most sections of the Comintern were liquidated. The Polish section of the Comintern was eventually officially dissolved.
Of course, the political parties of the 20th century underwent a lot of changes. Repressions against the leaders of the communist international movement, who found themselves in the USSR for one reason or another, appeared even before Germany and the USSR signed a non-aggression pact in 1939.
Marxism-Leninism enjoyed great popularity among the people. And already at the beginning of 1937, members of the directorate of the German Communist Party G. Remmele, H. Eberlein, F. Schulte, G. Neumann, G. Kippenberger, the leaders of the Yugoslav Communist Party M. Fillipovich, M. Gorkich were arrested. V. Chopic commanded the 15th Lincoln International Brigade in Spain, but when he returned, he was also arrested.
As you can see, the communist internationals were created by a large number of people. were also represseda prominent figure in the communist international movement, the Hungarian Bela Kun, many leaders of the Polish Communist Party - J. Pashin, E. Prukhnyak, M. Koshutska, Yu. Lensky and many others. Former General Secretary of the Greek Communist Party A. Kaitas was arrested and shot. One of the leaders of the Communist Party of Iran, A. Sultan-Zade, was awarded the same fate: he was a member of the Executive Committee of the Comintern, a delegate to the II, III, IV and VI congresses.
It should be noted that the political parties of the 20th century were distinguished by a large number of intrigues. Stalin accused the leaders of the Communist Party of Poland of anti-Bolshevism, Trotskyism, and anti-Soviet positions. His speeches were the cause of physical reprisals against Jerzy Czesheiko-Sochacki and other leaders of the Polish communists (1933). Some were repressed in 1937.
Marxism-Leninism, in fact, was a good doctrine. But in 1938, the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Comintern decided to dissolve the Polish Communist Party. Under a wave of repression were the founders of the Communist Party of Hungary and the leaders of the Hungarian Soviet Republic - F. Bayaki, D. Bokanyi, Bela Kun, I. Rabinovich, J. Kelen, L. Gavro, S. Sabados, F. Karikas. Bulgarian communists who moved to the USSR were repressed: H. Rakovsky, R. Avramov, B. Stomonyakov.
Romanian communists also began to be destroyed. In Finland, the founders of the Communist Party G. Rovio and A. Shotman, General First Secretary K. Manner and many of their associates were repressed.
It is known that the communist internationals did not appear from scratch. For their sake, more than a hundred Italian communists living in the Soviet Union suffered1930s. They were all arrested and sent to camps. Mass repressions did not pass by the leaders and activists of the communist parties of Lithuania, Latvia, Western Ukraine, Estonia and Western Belarus (before they joined the USSR).
Building the Comintern
So, we have considered the congresses of the Comintern, and now we will consider the structure of this organization. Its Charter was adopted in August 1920. It read: "In fact, the International of Communists must actually and truly represent the world single communist party, separate branches of which operate in each state."
It is known that the leadership of the Comintern was carried out through the Executive Committee (ECCI). Until 1922 it consisted of representatives delegated by the communist parties. And since 1922 he was elected by the Congress of the Comintern. The Small Bureau of the ECCI appeared in July 1919. In September 1921, it was renamed the Presidium of the ECCI. The secretariat of the ECCI was established in 1919; it de alt with personnel and organizational issues. This organization existed until 1926. And the Organizational Bureau (Orgburo) of the ECCI was established in 1921 and existed until 1926.
It is interesting that from 1919 to 1926 Grigory Zinoviev was the Chairman of the ECCI. In 1926, the post of chairman of the ECCI was abolished. Instead, the Political Secretariat of the ECCI of nine people appeared. In August 1929, the Political Commission of the Political Secretariat of the ECCI was separated from this new formation. She had to deal with the preparation of various issues, which infurther considered by the Political Secretariat. It included D. Manuilsky, O. Kuusinen, a representative of the Communist Party of Germany (agreed with the Central Committee of the KKE) and O. Pyatnitsky (candidate).
In 1935, a new position appeared - the Secretary General of the ECCI. It was taken by G. Dimitrov. The Political Commission and the Political Secretariat were abolished. The Secretariat of the ECCI was organized again.
The International Control Commission was created in 1921. She checked the work of the ECCI apparatus, individual sections (parties) and audited finances.
What organizations did the Comintern consist of?
- Profintern.
- Mezhrabpom.
- Sportintern.
- Communist Youth International (KIM).
- Crestintern.
- Women's International Secretariat.
- Association of rebel theaters (international).
- Rebellious Writers Association (International).
- International of Freethinking Proletarians.
- World Committee of Comrades of the USSR.
- Tenants International.
- The International Organization for Aid to Revolutionaries was called MOPR or Red Aid.
- Anti-Imperialist League.
Disbandment of the Comintern
When did the dissolution of the Communist International take place? The date of the official liquidation of this famous organization falls on May 15, 1943. Stalin announced the dissolution of the Comintern: he wanted to impress the Western allies by convincing them that plans to establish communist and pro-Soviet regimes on the lands of European states collapsed. It is known that the reputation3rd International by the beginning of the 1940s was very bad. In addition, almost all cells were suppressed and destroyed by the Nazis in continental Europe.
From the mid-1920s, Stalin personally and the CPSU(b) sought to dominate the Third International. This nuance played a role in the events of that time. The liquidation of almost all branches of the Comintern (except for the International Youth and the Executive Committee) during the years of Stalinist repressions (mid-1930s) also affected. However, the 3rd International was able to save the Executive Committee: it was only renamed the World Department of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks.
In June 1947, the Paris conference for Marshall's aid was held. And in September 1947, Stalin from the socialist parties created Cominform - the Communist Bureau of Information. It replaced the Comintern. In fact, it was a network formed from the communist parties of Bulgaria, Albania, Hungary, France, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, Romania and Yugoslavia (due to disagreements between Tito and Stalin, it was deleted from the lists in 1948).
Cominform was liquidated in 1956, after the end of the XX Congress of the CPSU. This organization did not have a formal legal successor, but the Department of Internal Affairs and the CMEA, as well as regular meetings of USSR-friendly workers and communist parties, became such.
Archive of the Third International
The archive of the Comintern is kept in the State Archive of Political and Social History in Moscow. Documents are available in 90 languages: the basic working language is German. Reports are availableover 80 batches.
Educational institutions
Third International owned:
- Communist Workers' University of China (KUTK) - until September 17, 1928, it was called the Sun Yat-sen Workers' University of China (UTK).
- Communist University of Workers of the East (KUTV).
- Communist University of National Minorities of the West (KUNMZ).
- International Lenin School (ILS) (1925–1938).
Institutions
Third International ordered:
- Statistical and Information Institute of the ECCI (Bureau Varga) (1921–1928).
- Agrarian International Institute (1925–1940).
Historical facts
The creation of the Communist International was accompanied by various interesting events. So, in 1928, Hans Eisler wrote a magnificent German anthem for him. It was translated into Russian by I. L. Frenkel in 1929. In the refrain of the work, the words were repeatedly heard: “Our slogan is the World Soviet Union!”
Actually, when the Communist International was created, we already know that it was a difficult time. It is known that the command of the Red Army, together with the propaganda and agitation bureau of the Third International, prepared and published the book "Armed Revolt". In 1928 this work was published in German, and in 1931 in French. The work was written in the form of a study guide on the theory of organizing armed uprisings.
The book was created underpseudonym A. Neuberg, its real authors were popular figures of the revolutionary world movement.
Marxism-Leninism
What is Marxism-Leninism? This is a philosophical and socio-political doctrine of the laws of the struggle for the elimination of the capitalist order and the building of communism. It was developed by V. I. Lenin, who developed the teachings of Marx and put it into practice. The emergence of Marxism-Leninism confirmed the significance of Lenin's contribution to Marxism.
B. I. Lenin created such a magnificent doctrine that in the socialist countries it became the official "ideology of the working class." The ideology was not static, it changed, adjusted to the needs of the elite. By the way, it also included the teachings of regional communist leaders, which are important for the socialist powers led by them.
In the Soviet paradigm, Lenin's teaching is the only true scientific system of economic, philosophical, political and social views. Marxist-Leninist teaching is capable of integrating conceptual views in relation to the study and revolutionary change of the earth's space. It reveals the laws of the development of society, human thinking and nature, explains the class struggle and the forms of transition to socialism (including the elimination of capitalism), tells about the creative activity of workers engaged in the construction of both communist and socialist society.
The Communist Party of China is considered the largest party in the world. She follows in her endeavors the teachings of V. I. Lenin. Its charter contains the following words: “Marxism-Leninism has found the laws of the historical evolution of mankind. Its basic principles are always true and have a powerful life force.”
First International
It is known that the Communist Internationals played the most important role in the struggle of working people for a better life. The International Working People's Association was officially named the First International. This is the first international formation of the working class, which was established on September 28, 1864 in London.
This organization was liquidated after the split that occurred in 1872.
2nd International
2nd International (Workers' or Socialist) was an international association of workers' socialist parties, founded in 1889. It inherited the traditions of its predecessor, but since 1893 there were no anarchists in its composition. For uninterrupted communication between party members, in 1900 the Socialist International Bureau was registered, located in Brussels. The International adopted decisions that were not binding on its constituent parties.
Fourth International
The Fourth International is an international communist organization that is alternative to Stalinism. It is based on the theoretical property of Leon Trotsky. The tasks of this formation were the implementation of the world revolution, the victory of the working class and the creation of socialism.
This International was established in 1938 by Trotsky and his associates in France. These people believed that the Comintern was completely controlled by the Stalinists, that it was not in a position to lead the working class of the entire planet to the complete conquest of political power. That is why, in contrast, they created their own "Fourth International", whose members at that time were persecuted by NKVD agents. In addition, they were accused by supporters of the USSR and late Maoism of illegitimacy, the bourgeoisie (France and the USA) pressed on.
This organization first suffered a split in 1940 and a more powerful split in 1953. There was a partial reunification in 1963, but many groups claim to be the political successors to the Fourth International.
The Fifth International
What is the "Fifth International"? This is the term used to describe left-wing radicals who want to create a new workers' international organization based on the ideology of Marxist-Leninist teachings and Trotskyism. Members of this grouping consider themselves as devotees of the First International, the Communist Third, the Trotskyist Fourth and the Second.
Communism
And finally, let's figure out what is the Russian Communist Party? It is based on communism. In Marxism, this is a hypothetical economic and social system based on social equality, public property created from the means of production.
One of the most famous internationalist communist slogans is the saying: "Workers of all countries, unite!". Few people know who said these famous words for the first time. But we will reveal a secret: for the first time this slogan was expressed by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx in the Communist Manifesto.
After the 19th century, the term "communism" was often used to refer to the socio-economic formation that Marxists predicted in their theoretical works. It was based on public property created with the means of production. In general, the classics of Marxism believe that the communist public implements the principle “To each according to his skills, to each according to his needs!”.
We hope that our readers will be able to understand the Communist Internationals with the help of this article.
