Comintern: Revolutionary Internationalism in Lenin's Time
Comintern: Revolutionary Internationalism in Lenin's Time
Comintern: Revolutionary Internationalism in Lenin's Time
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ten” that world victory, a task <strong>in</strong> which work<strong>in</strong>g people <strong>in</strong>side and<br />
outside soviet territory had an equal stake.<br />
This victory required break<strong>in</strong>g from and expos<strong>in</strong>g the “socialchauv<strong>in</strong>ist<br />
current” — social democrats who had supported the imperialist<br />
war and, after the war, helped repress workers <strong>in</strong> order to<br />
rebuild the capitalist state.<br />
The International also criticized those who favoured reunit<strong>in</strong>g<br />
chauv<strong>in</strong>ists and revolutionaries <strong>in</strong> a s<strong>in</strong>gle movement.<br />
However, the congress proposed a bloc with revolutionary forces<br />
that previously stood outside the socialist movement but now had<br />
been won to the banner of soviet power.<br />
The resolutions of the Communist International’s found<strong>in</strong>g congress<br />
were far from comprehensive. Very little was said on colonial<br />
liberation, for example, and only a few brief paragraphs on the oppression<br />
of women.<br />
Its ma<strong>in</strong> achievement lay <strong>in</strong> hoist<strong>in</strong>g the banner of the new movement.<br />
This action was swiftly v<strong>in</strong>dicated. In the three months follow<strong>in</strong>g<br />
the found<strong>in</strong>g congress, mass workers’ parties <strong>in</strong> Italy, Norway,<br />
Sweden, and Bulgaria jo<strong>in</strong>ed the International, while parties <strong>in</strong><br />
Germany, France, and Brita<strong>in</strong> opened negotiations to jo<strong>in</strong>.<br />
On the International’s first anniversary, <strong>in</strong> March 1920, Len<strong>in</strong> was<br />
able to say, “The Communist International has been successful beyond<br />
all expectation.”<br />
Build<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Revolutionary</strong> Parties<br />
In March 1919, the found<strong>in</strong>g congress of the Communist International<br />
called on workers of the world to unite “under the banner of<br />
workers’ councils and the revolutionary struggle for power.”<br />
The appeal succeeded beyond its founders’ expectations. Dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />
the year that followed, organizations represent<strong>in</strong>g millions of<br />
workers on several cont<strong>in</strong>ents declared support for the new International.<br />
Indeed, the International noted <strong>in</strong> August 1920 that the statements<br />
of support it was receiv<strong>in</strong>g had become “rather fashionable.” In<br />
conditions of capitalist collapse and near civil war across most of<br />
Europe, some work<strong>in</strong>g class leaders whose course was far from revolutionary<br />
felt compelled to pay lip service to the new International.<br />
Many figures who had betrayed the work<strong>in</strong>g class dur<strong>in</strong>g the First<br />
World War were knock<strong>in</strong>g at the International’s doors.<br />
But little progress had been made <strong>in</strong> organiz<strong>in</strong>g revolutionary-