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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aroused widespread misgiv<strong>in</strong>gs and opposition <strong>in</strong> the International.<br />
In response, Stal<strong>in</strong> and his allies asserted their control of the International<br />
through a campaign mislead<strong>in</strong>gly called “Bolshevization.”<br />
In 1924, directives of the <strong>Com<strong>in</strong>tern</strong> executive to member parties<br />
were def<strong>in</strong>ed as “imperative,” to be applied “immediately.” Its<br />
emissaries were given wide powers to act on its behalf. Moscow<br />
now hand picked national leaderships, Trotsky stated, on the basis<br />
of “read<strong>in</strong>ess to accept and approve the latest apparatus group<strong>in</strong>g”<br />
<strong>in</strong> the party.<br />
In the 1930s, the Stal<strong>in</strong>ist regime executed the vast majority of<br />
Bolshevik leaders from Len<strong>in</strong>’s time, along with hundreds of prom<strong>in</strong>ent<br />
figures <strong>in</strong> other communist parties who had taken refuge <strong>in</strong><br />
the USSR.<br />
Dur<strong>in</strong>g the decades follow<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Com<strong>in</strong>tern</strong>’s dissolution <strong>in</strong><br />
1943, the immense obstacle presented by world Stal<strong>in</strong>ism to progressive<br />
struggles weakened and f<strong>in</strong>ally shattered.<br />
In our times, we see signs of a new rise of <strong>in</strong>ternationalism <strong>in</strong> the<br />
struggles of workers and the oppressed. S<strong>in</strong>ce the turn of the century,<br />
the worldwide movement aga<strong>in</strong>st the Iraq war, the rise of popular<br />
struggles <strong>in</strong> Lat<strong>in</strong> America, and other movements have shown<br />
broad understand<strong>in</strong>g that the great questions of our epoch will be<br />
decided <strong>in</strong> the world arena.<br />
In this context, the program and strategy hammered out by the<br />
Communist International <strong>in</strong> Len<strong>in</strong>’s time has new relevance.