Who led the Comintern. Chapter VII. The formation of a communist international. The Bolshevik struggle for the creation of the Communist International

Governing body:

Background

The 2nd International, corroded from within by opportunism, openly betrayed proletarian internationalism as soon as the First World War broke out. It broke up mainly into two groups warring with each other, each of which went over to the side of its bourgeoisie and actually abandoned the slogan “Workers of all countries, unite!” The most authoritative and united force in the international labor movement, which remained faithful to proletarian internationalism, was led by. Having revealed the essence of the collapse of the 2nd International, Lenin showed the working class a way out of the situation created as a result of the betrayal of the opportunists. leaders: the labor movement needed a new, revolutionary International. “The Second International died, defeated by opportunism. Down with opportunism and long live... The Third International!” - Lenin wrote in 1914.

Theoretical background for the creation of the 3rd International

The Bolsheviks of Russia prepared the creation of the Communist International primarily through the development of revolutionary theory. V.I. Lenin revealed the imperialist nature of the outbreak of the world war and substantiated the slogan of turning it into a civil war against the bourgeoisie of his own country - as the main strategic slogan of the international labor movement. Lenin's conclusion about the possibility and inevitability of the victory of the revolution initially in a few or even in one single capitalist country, formulated by him for the first time in 1915, was the largest, fundamentally new contribution to Marxist theory. This conclusion, which gave the working class a revolutionary perspective in the new era, was a major step in the development of the theoretical foundations of the new International.

Practical prerequisites for the creation of the 3rd International

The second direction in which the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, worked to prepare a new International was the unity of the left groups of social democratic parties that remained faithful to the cause of the working class. The Bolsheviks used a series of international conferences held in 1915 (socialists of the Entente countries, women's, youth) to promote their views on issues of war, peace and revolution. They took an active part in the Zimmerwald movement of socialist internationalists, creating a left group in its ranks, which was the embryo of a new International. However, in 1917, when, under the influence of the revolutionary movement in Russia, a rapid rise of the revolutionary movement began, the Zimmerwald movement, which united mainly centrists, went not forward, but backward, the Bolsheviks broke with it, refusing to send their delegates to the Stockholm Conference in September 1917.

Creation of the Communist International

The world imperialist war concentrated huge masses of people in the armies of the warring powers, bound them to a common fate in the face of death and most mercilessly confronted these tens of millions, often very far from politics, with the monstrous consequences of the policies of imperialism. Deep spontaneous discontent grew on both sides of the fronts, people began to think about the reasons for the senseless mutual extermination, in which they were unwitting participants. Gradually insight came. The working masses, especially in the warring states, increasingly felt the need to restore the international unity of their ranks. Countless bloody losses, ruin and hard labor exploitation on the part of the bourgeoisie, who profited from the war, were a difficult experience that convinced of the disastrous nature of nationalism and chauvinism for the labor movement. It was chauvinism, which split the 2nd International, that destroyed the international unity of the working class and thereby disarmed it in the face of imperialism, ready for anything. Hatred was born among the masses towards those leaders of Social Democracy who stubbornly adhered to chauvinism. positions of cooperation with “their” bourgeoisie, with “their” governments.

…Already since 1915,” Lenin pointed out, “a process of splitting of old, rotten, socialist parties, a process of movement of the masses of the proletariat from social-chauvinist leaders to the left, to revolutionary ideas and sentiments, to revolutionary leaders, has clearly emerged in all countries

Thus arose a mass movement for the international unity of the proletariat, for the re-establishment of the revolutionary center of the international labor movement.

The emergence of the world's first socialist state after the victory created fundamentally new conditions for the struggle of the working class. The success of the victorious socialist revolution in Russia was explained, first of all, by the fact that only in Russia did a new type of party exist. In the context of the powerful rise of the workers' and national liberation movements, the process of formation of communist parties began in other countries. In 1918, communist parties emerged in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, and Argentina.

Moscow meeting of 1919

In January 1919, a meeting of representatives of the communist parties of Russia, Hungary, Poland, Austria, Latvia, Finland, as well as the Balkan revolution took place in Moscow under the leadership of Lenin. Social-Democrats federations (Bulgarian crowds and Romanian leftists) and Socialist. Labor Party of the USA. The meeting discussed the issue of convening an international Congress of Revolutionary Representatives span. parties and developed a draft platform for the future of the International. The meeting pointed out the heterogeneity of socialism. movements. The opportunist leaders of Social Democracy, relying on a narrow stratum of the so-called. the labor aristocracy and the “labor bureaucracy,” deceived the masses with promises to fight against capitalism without resorting to dictatorship, they suppressed the revolutionary energy of the workers, distracting them with theories of “class peace” in the name of “national unity.” The meeting demanded a merciless fight against open opportunism - social chauvinism and at the same time recommended the tactics of a bloc with left-wing groups, the tactics of splitting off all revolutionary elements from the centrists, who were the actual accomplices of the renegades. The meeting addressed 39 revolutionary parties, groups and movements in the countries of Europe, Asia, America and Australia with an appeal to take part in the work of the founding congress of the new International.

I (Founding) Congress

At the beginning of March 1919, the Founding Congress of the Communist International took place in Moscow, which was attended by 52 delegates from 35 parties and groups from 30 countries. Representatives of the communist parties of Russia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Finland and other countries, as well as a number of communist groups (Czech, Bulgarian, Yugoslav, English, French, Swiss and others) took part in the congress. The social democratic parties of Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, the USA, the Balkan Revolutionary Social Democratic Federation, and the Zimmerwald left wing of France were represented at the congress.

The Congress heard reports that showed that the revolutionary movement was growing everywhere, that the world was in a state of deep revolutionary crisis. The Congress discussed and adopted the platform of the Communist International, which was based on a document developed at the January 1919 meeting in Moscow. The new era, which began with the victory of October, was characterized in the platform as “the era of the decomposition of capitalism, its internal disintegration, the era of communism. revolution of the proletariat." The order of the day was the task of conquering and establishing the dictatorship of the proletariat, the path to which lies through a break with opportunism of all stripes, through international solidarity of the working people on a new basis. In view of this, the Congress recognized the urgent need for the founding of the Communist International.

The First Congress of the Communist International determined its attitude to the Berne Conference, held by opportunist leaders in February 1919 and formally restored. The participants of this conference condemned the October Revolution in Russia and even considered the issue of armed intervention against it. Therefore, the Congress of the Communist International called on the workers of all countries to begin the most decisive struggle against the yellow International and to warn the broad masses of the people against this “International of lies and deception.” The Founding Congress of the Communist International adopted a Manifesto to the proletarians of the whole world, which stated that the communists gathered in Moscow, representatives of the revolutionary proletariat of Europe, America and Asia, feel and recognize themselves as successors and executors of the cause, the program of which was announced by the founders of scientific communism, Marx and Engels in "Manifesto of the Communist Party".

“We call on the workers of all countries,” the congress proclaimed, “to unite under the communist banner, which is already the banner of the first great victories.”

The creation of the Comintern was the response of revolutionary Marxists to the demand of a new era - the era of the general crisis of capitalism, the main features of which were increasingly clearly identified in the revolutionary events of those days. The Communist International, according to Lenin, was to become an international organization designed to accelerate the creation of revolutionary parties in other countries and thereby give into the hands of the entire workers' movement the decisive weapon for victory over capitalism. But at the First Congress of the Communist International, according to Lenin, “... the banner of communism was only hoisted, around which the forces of the revolutionary proletariat were supposed to gather.” The complete organizational development of a new type of international proletarian organization was to be carried out by the Second Congress.

II Congress

The Second Congress of the Communist International was more representative than the first: 217 delegates from 67 organizations (including 27 communist parties) from 37 countries took part in its work. The socialist parties of Italy, France, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany and other centrist organizations and parties were represented at the congress with the right of an advisory vote.

During the period between the First and Second Congresses, the revolutionary upsurge continued to grow. In 1919, Soviet republics emerged in Hungary (March 21), Bavaria (April 13), and Slovakia (June 16). In England, France, the USA, Italy and other countries, a movement developed in defense of Soviet Russia from the intervention of imperialist powers. A massive national liberation movement arose in colonies and semi-colonies (Korea, China, India, Türkiye, Afghanistan and others). The process of formation of communist parties continued: they arose in Denmark (November 1919), Mexico (1919), USA (September 1919), Yugoslavia (April 1919), Indonesia (May 1920), Great Britain (31 July - 1 August 1920), Palestine (1919), Iran (June 1920) and Spain (April 1920).

At the same time, the socialist parties of France, Italy, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany, the Workers' Party of Norway and others broke with the Berne International and declared their desire to join the Communist International. These were mainly centrist parties and there were elements in them that brought with them a right-wing danger into the ranks of the Communist International, threatening its ideological monolithicity, which was a necessary and indispensable condition for the Communist International to fulfill its historical mission. Along with this, in many communist parties a threat arose from the “left,” generated by the youth and inexperience of the communist parties, often inclined to too hastily resolve fundamental issues of the revolutionary struggle, as well as the penetration of anarcho-syndicalist elements into the world communist movement.

This was precisely what dictated the need for 21 conditions for admission to the Communist International, approved on August 6, 1920 by the Second Congress. The main ones among these conditions were: recognition of the dictatorship of the proletariat as the main principle of the revolutionary struggle and the theory of Marxism, a complete break with reformists and centrists and their expulsion from the ranks of the party, a combination of legal and illegal methods of struggle, systematic work in the countryside, in trade unions, in parliament, democratic centralism as the main organizational principle of the party, the party’s obligatory nature of the decisions of the congresses and plenums of the Communist International and its governing bodies. 21 conditions were necessary to ensure the organization of the political foundations of the activities of both the Communist International itself and the Communist Parties that were part of it. The conditions were based on Lenin's doctrine of a new type of party and played a huge role in forging Marxist-Leninist parties and their cadres, in the fight against opportunism and in the further development of the world communist movement.

The Congress adopted the Charter of the Communist International, based on the principle of democratic centralism, and also elected the governing body of the Communist International - and other bodies. Describing the historical significance of the Second Congress, Lenin said:

“First, the communists had to proclaim their principles to the whole world. This was done at the First Congress. This is the first step. The second step was the organizational formation of the Communist International and the development of conditions for admission to it - conditions for separation in practice from the centrists, from direct and indirect agents of the bourgeoisie within the labor movement. This was done at the II Congress.”

The state of affairs in the Comintern is excellent! I, as well as Zinoviev and Bukharin, are confident that right now we should encourage the revolutionary movement in Italy, and also pay attention to establishing the power of the councils in Hungary, and maybe also in the Czech Republic and Romania.
Telegram from Lenin to Stalin, July 1920

The main purpose of the creation of the Comintern (Communist International) was to spread the socialist revolution throughout the world. Let me remind you that Lenin and Trotsky (the ideological inspirers of the 1917 revolution) were convinced that it was impossible to build socialism in one single country. To do this, it is necessary to overthrow the bourgeois elements throughout the world, and only then begin the construction of socialism. For these purposes, the leadership of the RSFSR created the Comintern as the main means of its foreign policy, to help other states “socialize”.

First Congress of the Comintern

The first congress of the Communist International took place in March 1919. In fact, this is the time of the creation of the Comintern. The activities of the first congress decided several important points:

A “rule” was established for the work of this body in order to work with workers from different countries, calling on them to fight capital. Remember the famous slogan “Workers of all countries unite!”? This is exactly where it came from.
The leadership of the Comintern was to be carried out by a special body - the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI).
Zinoviev became the head of the ECCI.

Thus, the main task of creating the Communist International was clearly outlined - creating conditions, including financial ones, for the implementation of the world socialist revolution.

Second Congress of the Comintern

The second congress began at the end of 1919 in Petrograd and continued in 1920 in Moscow. By the beginning of it, the Red Army (Red Army) was fighting successfully and the Bolshevik leaders were confident not only of their own victory in Russia, but also that only a few spurts remained to “ignite the hearth of the world revolution.” It was at the second congress of the Comintern that it was clearly formulated that the Red Army was the basis for creating a revolution throughout the world.

The ideas of uniting the efforts of Soviet Russia and Soviet Germany for the revolutionary movement were also voiced here.

It must be clearly understood that the main task of creating the Communist International lies precisely in the armed struggle against capital throughout the world. In some textbooks you have to read that the Bolsheviks wanted to bring revolution to other peoples with money and persuasion. But this was not the case, and the leadership of the RCP (b) understood this very well. Here, for example, is what one of the ideological inspirers of both the Revolution and the Comintern, Bukharin, said:

To build communism, the proletariat must become the master of the world, conquer it. But one cannot think that this can be achieved with just one movement of the finger. To achieve our task we need bayonets and rifles. The Red Army carries the essence of socialism and workers' power for a common revolution. This is our privilege. This is the right of the Red Army to intervene.
Bukharin, 1922

But the activities of the Comintern did not produce any practical results:

In 1923, the revolutionary situation in Germany worsened. All attempts by the Comintern to put pressure on the Ruhr region, Saxony and Hamburg were unsuccessful. Although colossal amounts of money were spent on this.
In September 1923, an uprising began in Bulgaria, but it was very quickly stopped by the authorities, and the Communist International did not have time to provide the necessary assistance.

Change of course of the Comintern

The change in course of the Comintern is associated with the refusal of the Soviet government from the world revolution. This was connected purely with internal political affairs, and with Stalin’s victory over Trotsky. Let me remind you that it was Stalin who acted as an active opponent of the world revolution, saying that the victory of socialism in one country, especially in such a large one as Russia, is a unique phenomenon. Therefore, we must not look for pie in the sky, but build socialism here and now. Moreover, even an active supporter of the idea of world revolution, it became clear that this idea was utopian and impossible to realize. Therefore, at the end of 1926, the Comintern ceased its active activities.

In the same 1926, Bukharin replaced Zinoviev at the head of the ECCI. And along with the change of leadership, the course also changed. If earlier the Comintern wanted to spark a revolution, now all its efforts went towards creating a positive image of the USSR and socialism as a whole.

Therefore, we can say that the main task of creating the Communist International is to incite a world revolution. After 1926, this task changed - creating a positive image of the Soviet state.

What was the main goal of creating the Communist International (Comintern)

The state of affairs in the Comintern is excellent! I, as well as Zinoviev and Bukharin, are confident that right now we should encourage the revolutionary movement in Italy, and also pay attention to establishing the power of the councils in Hungary, and maybe also in the Czech Republic and Romania.

Telegram from Lenin to Stalin, July 1920

The main purpose of the creation of the Comintern (Communist International) was to spread the socialist revolution throughout the world.

Let me remind you that Lenin and Trotsky (the ideological inspirers of the 1917 revolution) were convinced that it was impossible to build socialism in one single country. To do this, it is necessary to overthrow the bourgeois elements throughout the world, and only then begin the construction of socialism. For these purposes, the leadership of the RSFSR created the Comintern as the main means of its foreign policy, to help other states “socialize”.

First Congress of the Comintern

The first congress of the Communist International took place in March 1919.

In fact, this is the time of the creation of the Comintern. The activities of the first congress decided several important points:

A “rule” was established for the work of this body in order to work with workers from different countries, calling on them to fight capital.
Remember the famous slogan “Workers of all countries unite!”? This is exactly where it came from.
The leadership of the Comintern was to be carried out by a special body - the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI).
Zinoviev became the head of the ECCI.

Thus, the main task of creating the Communist International was clearly outlined - creating conditions, including financial ones, for the implementation of the world socialist revolution.

Second Congress of the Comintern

The second congress began at the end of 1919 in Petrograd and continued in 1920 in Moscow.

By the beginning of it, the Red Army (Red Army) was fighting successfully and the Bolshevik leaders were confident not only of their own victory in Russia, but also that only a few spurts remained to “ignite the hearth of the world revolution.” It was at the second congress of the Comintern that it was clearly formulated that the Red Army was the basis for creating a revolution throughout the world.

The ideas of uniting the efforts of Soviet Russia and Soviet Germany for the revolutionary movement were also voiced here.

It must be clearly understood that the main task of creating the Communist International lies precisely in the armed struggle against capital throughout the world.

In some textbooks you have to read that the Bolsheviks wanted to bring revolution to other peoples with money and persuasion. But this was not the case, and the leadership of the RCP (b) understood this very well. Here, for example, is what one of the ideological inspirers of both the Revolution and the Comintern, Bukharin, said:

To build communism, the proletariat must become the master of the world, conquer it. But one cannot think that this can be achieved with just one movement of the finger. To achieve our task we need bayonets and rifles.

The Red Army carries the essence of socialism and workers' power for a common revolution. This is our privilege. This is the right of the Red Army to intervene.

Bukharin, 1922

But the activities of the Comintern did not produce any practical results:

In 1923, the revolutionary situation in Germany worsened.
All attempts by the Comintern to put pressure on the Ruhr region, Saxony and Hamburg were unsuccessful. Although colossal amounts of money were spent on this.
In September 1923, an uprising began in Bulgaria, but it was very quickly stopped by the authorities, and the Communist International did not have time to provide the necessary assistance.

Change of course of the Comintern

The change in course of the Comintern is associated with the refusal of the Soviet government from the world revolution.

This was connected purely with internal political affairs, and with Stalin’s victory over Trotsky. Let me remind you that it was Stalin who acted as an active opponent of the world revolution, saying that the victory of socialism in one country, especially in such a large one as Russia, is a unique phenomenon. Therefore, we must not look for pie in the sky, but build socialism here and now. Moreover, even active supporters of the idea of world revolution became clear that this idea was utopian and impossible to realize.

Therefore, at the end of 1926, the Comintern ceased its active activities.

In the same 1926, Bukharin replaced Zinoviev at the head of the ECCI. And along with the change of leadership, the course also changed.

If earlier the Comintern wanted to spark a revolution, now all its efforts went towards creating a positive image of the USSR and socialism as a whole.

Therefore, we can say that the main task of creating the Communist International is to incite a world revolution.

After 1926, this task changed - creating a positive image of the Soviet state.

Comintern (Communist International)

The Comintern (III International) is an international organization that unites communist parties from different countries. The Communist International operated from 1919 to 1943. The founder and organizer of the Comintern was the RCP(b) party led by V.I. Lenin. Lenin was a supporter of the teachings of K.

Marx and F. Engels, and all his theories were based on their works. But he made a great contribution to the development and structuring of this teaching and became the founder of the theory of creating a socialist society in a separate capitalist country.

The Comintern carried out extensive activities to develop and promote the ideas of socialism; as a result of its activities, a huge number of documents remained that are valuable historical and scientific assets.

Now the bulk of these documents have been collected into a single archive of the Comintern, which is available for study.

The Comintern was designed to unite workers from different countries of the world. He sought national equality and opposed the oppression of any minorities. The work of the Comintern was aimed at improving working conditions, increasing the income of workers, and subsequently creating a united front capable of resisting fascism.

Its leaders opposed the bourgeoisie and promoted the creation of a socialist society where power belongs to the people.

The Congress was the highest governing body of the Comintern and it elected the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI), which occupied leading positions. At the congress, all further actions were discussed and important decisions were made, which were reflected in program documents and charters. Most of the valuable historical documents from the archives of the Comintern are the result of the activities of the ECCI.

All decisions that were adopted within the framework of the congress were binding on members of the communist parties that were part of the Comintern and other international organizations affiliated to it, such as the Red International of Trade Unions, the Peasants' International, the international organization of workers' aid and the international organization of assistance to the fighters of the revolution.

The Communist Youth International (CYI) was part of the Comintern as a section, but was a separate organization that also held its own congresses.

It was created in 1919 with the aim of uniting youth movements from around the world who sympathized with communist parties.

The work of the KIM was aimed at protecting the economic and political interests of young people, and subsequently at the fight against fascism.

I.V. had a great influence on the activities of the Comintern. Stalin, after the death of V.I. Lenin in 1924 launched a struggle against the ideas of Trotskyism and was able to defend the Leninist course of creating a socialist society. The Comintern was the control center for all the leaders of the communist parties, so Moscow tightly controlled their work.

The activities of the Comintern made it possible to develop a strategy and tactics for the actions of the communist movement throughout the world.

He was a powerful political force capable of influencing important events in international politics. On the eve of World War II, Stalin ordered the dissolution of the Comintern and allowing communist parties in other countries to operate independently.

After the dissolution of the Comintern, the leaders of communist parties in other countries were forced to determine their position in society themselves and look for their own path of development and existence.

The repression and persecution of communist movement activists that followed the dissolution of the Comintern greatly undermined the influence of communist parties in the world. The number of party members was significantly reduced, but they continued their work.

The principles of internationalism are an integral part of the communist movement; they are capable of resisting national hatred and racial hostility.

Interesting

Search Lectures

TOPIC 17. FOREIGN POLICY OF THE USSR IN THE 1920S

People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.

Georgy Vasilyevich Chicherin, 1918-1930.

Factors that influenced Soviet foreign policy in the 1920s.

— Ideological guidelines for the world socialist revolution and the victory of the proletariat on a global scale (until the mid-1920s).

— The rise of J.V. Stalin and the establishment of his attitude towards the possibility of building socialism in one single country (from the second half of the 1920s).

— Creation by Western countries of a “sanitary cordon” on the western borders of the USSR (from small European countries).

— Hostile attitude towards the world’s first socialist state on the part of a number of political circles in the West.

— The need for economic cooperation with capitalist countries during the restoration and further development of the national economy of the USSR.

Goals of Soviet foreign policy.

— Breaking through the international isolation of the country and establishing diplomatic relations with foreign countries.

— Establishment of mutually beneficial economic cooperation with foreign countries.

— Ensuring national security and peaceful conditions for the construction of socialism.

— Promoting the development of the international communist movement (until the mid-1920s, inciting the world socialist revolution).

Characteristic features of Soviet foreign policy.

— The dual nature of foreign policy activity: the desire to establish mutually beneficial cooperation with foreign countries while simultaneously focusing on the world socialist revolution.

— Management of foreign policy activities on the part of the Communist Party.

— Priority of ideological (class) attitudes over political expediency.

— Leadership of the international communist movement.

— Participation in international conferences.

Stages of Soviet foreign policy in the 1920s.

— Stage I: 1918-1923, characterized by the predominance of a course towards inciting a world socialist revolution and the creation of a World Soviet Republic.

- Stage II: 1924-1930, characterized by a temporary abandonment of plans for a world socialist revolution and the provision of peaceful conditions for the construction of socialism in a single country.

The most important foreign policy events.

— 1919, creation of the Comintern.

- 1920, signing of the first peace treaties with neighboring states, former parts of the Russian Empire - Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland.

— 1921, signing of the Riga Peace Treaty with Poland.

- 1921, signing of peace treaties with the eastern neighbors of the RSFSR - Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Mongolia.

— 1921, signing of a trade agreement with England, which became the first international agreement between Soviet Russia and a great Western power.

— 1922, participation of the Soviet delegation in the Genoa Conference.

- 1922, signing of the Soviet-German treaty in Rapallo.

- 1923, an attempt through the Comintern to unleash socialist revolutions in Germany and Bulgaria.

— 1923, “Lord Curzon’s ultimatum” and the severance of diplomatic relations with Great Britain.

- 1924-1925, period of international recognition of the USSR (recognition of the USSR by Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan, China, etc.).

— 1924-1927, providing military-technical assistance to revolutionary forces in China.

— 1927-1929, worsening relations with Great Britain.

- 1929, armed conflict with China in Manchuria.

The goals of the creation and activities of the Comintern.

— Management of the activities of communist parties and the labor movement in various countries of the world.

— Preparation for the world socialist revolution.

— Formation of a positive image of the USSR in the public opinion of foreign countries.

The reasons why Soviet Russia decided to normalize relations with capitalist countries.

— Failure of plans for world socialist revolution.

- Transition to NEP.

— Interest in economic cooperation with the West.

— The desire to avoid a new war, military intervention.

Facts indicating the failure of plans for a world socialist revolution.

— The defeat of the socialist revolutions in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia in 1919.

— Defeat in the war with Poland in 1920 and the failure of the plan to “export the revolution to Europe” with the help of the Red Army.

— The failure of the Comintern’s attempt to unleash revolutions in Germany and Bulgaria in 1923.

10. The reasons why Western countries went to normalize relations with Soviet Russia.

— Failure of military intervention against Soviet Russia.

— The end of the Civil War and the strengthening of the power of the Bolsheviks.

— The rise to power in a number of European countries of left-wing political forces—Laborists and Socialists, who advocated the normalization of relations with Soviet Russia.

— Entrepreneurial interest in circular economic cooperation with Soviet Russia.

The Communist International (Comintern, 3rd International) is an international revolutionary proletarian organization that united communist parties of various countries; existed from 1919 to 1943

The creation of the Comintern was preceded by a long struggle of the Bolshevik Party, led by V. I. Lenin, against the reformists and centrists in the 2nd International for the unification of left forces in the international labor movement. In 1914, the Bolsheviks announced a break with the 2nd International and began to gather forces to create the 3rd International.

The initiator of the organizational formation of the Comintern was the RCP (b). In January 1918, a meeting of representatives of left-wing groups in a number of countries in Europe and America took place in Petrograd. The meeting discussed the issue of convening an international conference of socialist parties to organize the 3rd International. A year later, a second international meeting was held in Moscow under the leadership of V.I. Lenin, which addressed left-wing socialist organizations with an appeal to take part in the international socialist congress. On March 2, 1919, the 1st (founding) Congress of the Communist International began its work in Moscow.

In 1919-1920 The Comintern set itself the task of leading a world socialist revolution designed to replace the world capitalist economy with a world system of communism through the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie. In 1921, at the Third Congress of the Comintern, V.I. Lenin criticized supporters of the “offensive theory” who called for revolutionary battles regardless of the objective situation. The main task of the communist parties was to strengthen the positions of the working class, consolidate and expand the real results of the struggle in defense of everyday interests in combination with preparing the working masses for the struggle for the socialist revolution. The solution to this problem required the consistent implementation of Lenin's slogan: to work wherever there are masses - in trade unions, youth and other organizations.

In the initial period of activity of the Comintern and its affiliated organizations, when making decisions, a preliminary analysis of the situation was carried out, a creative discussion was held, and a desire was manifested to find answers to general questions, taking into account national characteristics and traditions. Subsequently, the methods of work of the Comintern underwent serious changes: any dissent was regarded as aiding reaction and fascism. Dogmatism and sectarianism had a negative impact on the international communist and labor movement. They caused especially great harm to the creation of a united front and relations with social democracy, which was regarded as the “moderate wing of fascism”, the “main enemy” of the revolutionary movement, the “third party of the bourgeoisie”, etc. The “cleansing” campaign had a negative impact on the activities of the Comintern » its ranks from the so-called “rightists” and “conciliators”, deployed by I.V. Stalin after the removal of N.I. Bukharin from the leadership of the Comintern.

In the 1st half of the 30s. There was a significant shift in the balance of class forces on the world stage. It manifested itself in the onset of reaction, fascism, and the growth of the military threat. The task of creating an anti-fascist, general democratic union, primarily of communists and social democrats, came to the fore. Its solution required the development of a platform capable of uniting all anti-fascist forces. Instead, the Stalinist leadership of the Comintern set a course for a socialist revolution, supposedly capable of getting ahead of the onset of fascism. Understanding of the need for a turn in the policies of the Comintern and the Communist Parties came late. The VII Congress of the Comintern, held in the summer of 1935, developed a policy of a united workers' and broad popular front, which created opportunities for joint action by communists and social democrats, all revolutionary and anti-fascist forces to resist fascism, preserve peace, and fight for social progress. The new strategy was not implemented for a number of reasons, among which was the negative impact of Stalinism on the activities of the Comintern and the Communist Parties. Terror of the late 30s. against party cadres in the Soviet Union spread to the leading cadres of the communist parties of Austria, Germany, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Yugoslavia and other countries. The tragic events in the history of the Comintern were in no way connected with the policy of unity of revolutionary and democratic forces.

Significant (albeit temporary) damage to the anti-fascist policy of the communists was caused by the conclusion of the Soviet-German pact in 1939. During the Second World War, the communist parties of all countries stood firmly in anti-fascist positions, in the positions of proletarian internationalism and the struggle for the national independence of their countries. At the same time, the conditions for the activities of the Communist Parties in a new, more complex environment required new organizational forms of unification. Based on this, on May 15, 1943, the Presidium of the ECCI decided to dissolve the Comintern.