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The Bolsheviks and the Founding of the Third International1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2017

Olga Hess Gankin
Olga Hess Gankin*
Affiliation:
Stanford University
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Extract

The Theoretical basis for the Third or Communist International was worked out by Lenin in Switzerland during the first two years of the World War. From the very outbreak of the war in August, 1914, which he at once denounced as “imperialist,” Lenin called for the establishment of a new International purged of “social-chauvinists” who, in his opinion, had betrayed the international labor movement. “Against the chauvinists” and “for the union of the international proletariat” became the chief slogans of the Bolsheviks amidst the general war hysteria which had overpowered many outstanding leaders of the Second International.

On November 1, 1914, Lenin wrote in Social-Demokrat, the Bolshevik Central-Organ, published in Switzerland, that whereas the Second International had done useful preparatory work “during the long ‘peaceful’ epoch of the most cruel capitalist slavery” it was the task of the Third International to organize the forces of the proletariat “for a revolutionary onslaught on the capitalist governments, for civil war against the bourgeoisie of all countries, for political power, for the victory of Socialism.”

Type
Research Article
Information
Slavonic Yearbook American Series , Volume 1 , 1941 , pp. 88 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies 1941

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Footnotes

1

This article is based on documents included in the last chapter of The Bolsheviks and the World Revolution, a volume now in preparation by H. H. Fisher and Olga Hess Gankin, and intended for publication in the Hoover Library series.

References

2 Lenin, The Imperialist War, p. 89.

3 Ibid., p. 250.

4 Lenin, The Revolution of 1917, I, 20.

5 Pelrogradskaja obščegorodskaja i vserossiskaja konferencija R.S.D.R.P. (bolshevikov) v aprele 1917 g., pp. 143–147, 166.

6 A. Shlyapnikov, “Fevralskaja revoljucija i evropeiskie socialisty,” Krasny Archiv, XVI, 1926, 32–33.

7 Leninski Sbornik, XXI, pp. 57–59.

8 Ibid., VII, pp. 322–323; translated in Lenin, Toward the Seizure of Power, I, p. 150; Leninski Sbornik, XIII, pp. 275–280.

9 This revision of the party program was in part accomplished in March 1918 at the Seventh Congress of the Bolshevik party which changed the name of the party to Communist and roughly outlined basic changes in the old program. The eighth congress, which met in March 1919 shortly after the adjournment of the First Congress of the Third International, completed the revision by adopting a new program.

10 Izvestija, No. 260, December 24, 1917, p. 4.

11 Pravda, No. 23, February 12 (January 30), 1918, p. 3.

12 Berzin, J., Partija bolshevikov v borbe za Kommunističeski International, p. 105 Google Scholar.

13 A verbatim report of all the speeches delivered at this meeting is given in Revolutionary Radicalism, Part I, I, 423^158.

14 Izvestija, No. 283 (547) December 25, 1918, p. 3.

15 Provda, No. 16, January 24, 1919, pp. 1–2.

6 G., Zinovyev “Voina, revoljucija i roždenie Kominterna,” Kommunističeski International, Nos. 187–188, 1929, p. 123.

17 C. L. R. James, World Revolution 1917–1936, pp. 110–111.

18 S. Rutgers, “Vstreči s Leninym” Istorik Marksist, Nos. 2–3 (1935), p. 90.

19 Angelica Balabanoff, Erinnerungen und Erlebnisse, p. 225.

20 Pervy Kongress Kominterna Mart, 1919 g., IMEL (Moscow, 1933), p. 256.

21 Pervy Kongress … p. 251; these eighteen delegates, although without definite voting powers had the right of having their individual opinion recorded.

22 Pervy Kongress … pp. 48–19.

23 Arthur Ransome, Russia in 1919, p. 217.

24 Eberlein, Hugo (Max Albert) “Osnovanie Kominterna i Spartakovski Sojuz,” Kommunističeski International, Nos. 187-188, 1929, p. 194 Google Scholar.

25 Rheinstein, Boris, “Na puti k pervomu kongrcssu komintema” Kommunističeski International, Nos. 187-188, 1929, pp. 190–191 Google Scholar.

26 Pervy Kongress … pp. 118–119.

27 Ibid., pp. 119–123, 218.

28 Ibid., pp. 131.

29 Ibid., pp. 123–124.

30 All documents and texts of speeches delivered at the Congress were published in Pravda from March 5 to 12, 1919.

31 Pervy Kongress … pp. 168–169; 218–219; soon the Executive Committee recognized that because of the blockade of Soviet Russia it would be desirable to establish auxiliary bureaus of the Executive Committee. Such bureaus were organized in Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Balkans, Holland and in South Russia, Vtoroi Kongress Kominterna, ijulavgust 1920 g., IMEL (1934) p. 609.

32 Arthur Ransome, Russia in 1910, p. 220.

33 Pravda, March 7, 1919, p. 3; additional sources dealing with the First Congress of the Communist International, Moscow, 1919: A BalabanofF, My Life as a Rebel (New York-London, 1938); F. Borkenau, The Communist International, London, 1938; I. Braslavski, Istorija meždunarodnogo rabočego dviženija (1864–1924) (The History of the International Workers' Movement [1864–1924]), Moscow, 1925; A. M. Essen, Tri Internacionala (Three Internationals), Moscow, 1926; Merle Fainsod, International Socialism and the World War (Cambridge, Mass., 1935); Christo Kabaktschieff, Die Entstehung und Entwicklung der Komintern (Hamburg, 1929). Available also in Russian; Kommunističeski Internacional v dokumentach, 1919–1932 (The Communist International in Documents, 1919–1932) IMEL, Partizdat (Moscow, 1933); Lenin i meždunarodnoe rabočee dviženie. Vospominanija I (Lenin and the International Workers' Movement. Recollections I) IMEL, Partizdat (Moscow, 1934); V. I. Lenin, Komnmnističeski Internacional, Stati, Reči, Dokumenty 1914–1923 (The Communist International, Articles, Speeches, Documents, 1914–1923) Moscow, 1934; Joseph Lenz, The Rise and Fall of the Second International (New York, 1932); Lewis L. Lorwin, Labor and Internationalism (New York, 1929); Lozovski, Istorija kommunističeskogo internacionala v kongressach (History of the Communist International as represented in the proceedings of its congresses) Kharkov, 1930; R. Palme-Dutt, The Two Internationals (London, 1920); R. W. Postgatc, The Bolshevik Theory (London, 1920); O. Senekina, “Pervy Kongress Kominterna(19192-6III 1934)” (TheFirst Congress of the Comintern 1919—March 2–6—1934), Borba Klassov, No. 3, March 1934, pp. 12–21; Yu. M. Steklov, Istorija rabočego dviženija (Tri Internatcionala) (The History of the Workers' Movement [Three Internationals]) Moscow, 1921 –? 3 vols.; A. Tivel and M. Kheimo, 10 let Kominterna v rešenijach i cifrach (Ten Years of Comintern in Resolutions and Figures) Moscow-Leningrad, Gosizdat, 1929; E. Yaroslavski, “Lenin in the Struggle for the Communist International,” The Communist International, No. 3 (1939), pp. 219–230.