Another Third International - For What?
Araquistain, Luis
Another Third International — For What? Is New World Labor Congress a Political Instrument? By Luis Araquistain FOR us Spanish delegates who attended the Labor Conference bold in London from...
...The British union* are deeply concerned by thi* unexpected transformation from what they had hopes would be a consultative assembly of very limited wat aims, into, an international organisation full of political ambitions, the service of a grant power...
...there is no other alternative...
...If they were citizens of nations lying between Russia and Germany this attitude would he understandable-, f« they would support Russian imperialism as the letter of two evils...
...Araeailtain haa been a Weder of the dwerstfc SecklaaU of Spain far maay dacad...
...Not even the Russians themselves sny...
...Nobody believe* that myth any longer, with the exception of backward peoples of tat colonial and semi- colonial countries...
...VV7UC and Labor Unity New york (LPA) —Sir Walter Citrine, president of th* International Federation of Trade Unions, of which the AFL ia an affiliate, wat charged with encouraging disunity in the U. 8. trade union movement by George Meany, AFL secretary-treasurer...
...It had * well-defined revolutionary tradition, but in the last for years it assumed a counter-revolutionary disguise, aid thg world laughed at it...
...In most countrtea its politic...
...After the French Revolution, at the end of the eighteenth century, Napoleon invaded end subjugated nearly all of Continental Europe and reached the Pyramids of Egypt Then, inspired by the memory of Caesar and Alexander, the Republican became an emperor...
...The British unions wanted then, and I suppose they still want, to keep intact the old International Federation of Trad* Unions, bettor known as the Amsterdam International, whoa* president, Sir Waltor Citrin*, is th* Secretary-General of th* British Trad* Union Con-?ress...
...The Communist Third International was, pure and simple, an instrument of the Soviet state to protect and consolidate the Ruasian Revolution, menaced by the capitalist world...
...while the Soviet unions and the C. P. slandered unmercifully the members of that International for their reformist, "pttit bourgtoit" tendencies...
...What a start for world unity...
...And when those countries which were on-justly and arbitrarily partitioned begin to gather the* forces and try to right in some manner the wrongs «t . which they were victims, this Third Labor International will fulfill its new role by exacting from them, by every means at its disposal, resignation in the name of world labor unity and the sscred Soviet peace...
...The smel countriM of Kastern Europe smiled and at the sanM time trembled at this protector who ia "liberating" them...
...Can it be that they regard Russis at the Socialist giant who will liberate all the oppress** peoples of the earth...
...By Luis Araquistain FOR us Spanish delegates who attended the Labor Conference bold in London from February 6 to 17, the first sign of the kind, of company in which we found ourselves was the attitude of the Latin-American delegates toward us...
...What, then, was the purpose of this bombastic conference that began under such auspices ? Two alms could be discerned: that of the British unions, organisers of the conference, to intensify the war effort of the United Nations...
...Loss Ar.qui.tain wa* th* Ambassador *f Loyaliat Spain to L—d**, •*4 labored mightily to »*C****** th* T*ry government ha* **d by Baldwin that the "nen-iaterveatton" policy initiated by th* Brttieh Tori«, w*, a dhmttrMM mistake...
...longer try to mske us ht-lieve it...
...No wonder that present day Ruamsk h** ? very deep admiration for that industrially, minded Tsar...
...Adhering blindly to that International, as ton* of th* Latin-American unions.ex* doing, will not kt of any help to the Socialist revolution nor to their owl national revolution, as they seem to think...
...It was always th* policy of the IFTU not to admit more than one group of unions from each country, In order to prevent internal divisions in the labor movement The new International, on the contrary, admit* all dissenters, especially if they are right-wing, lik* the Catholic unions...
...To accomplish these ends Russia needs a new Interni.li..nul...
...After the English Revolution of the middle of the seventeenth century Cromwell extended his political, economic and military power over Ireland and Scotland, over Europe and America...
...The war and th* Kua.ian military victor ka* afforded a golden opportunity to replace th* IFTU with * new International, te accomplish by an «nveieplag maneuver the annihilation of a fortre** which up until then had resisted all frontal attache...
...For th* British union* th* conference waa to be a simple deliberative body, assembled for military ends rather than political, and whose mission would com* to an end with the war, or at the most would outlive it until the condition* of th* peace would be arranged...
...As for the first aim, we must not forget that the idea of the conference began to matarialisa at the vary beginning of 1944 or toward th* end of 1943, when the military situation was not as clear or favorable for the United Nations as it is now...
...Prevlaawly, AraqanUain had ***** Saab*saador to Germany, from 1932 to 1944...
...on the 'initial ? she rather fears them, because of their instability and above all their "contagiousness...
...We muat remember that for year* th* Soviet anion* petitioned for admittance to th* IFTU, Mit were always turned down Ml the principle that 1hey were net demo aratic organization* but toela of · totalitarian atato, like the Faeeiet union* of Italy...
...and that of organizing a strongly united international working elasa with the object of imposing a hard peace on Germany—thia Insuring that the sentimentalism and pacifist internationalism of part of the proletariat should not put obstacle* in th* way of th* victors...
...the prelude to World War III...
...It was necessary U substitute for it a new International of labor...
...Fascist*, Jt ia the old tactic of insulting by ascribing to others the name that is really one's own, and which one would like to conceal...
...for us, w* laughed when they called us Trotsky i tee, and now that they call us Fascists we laugh a little louder...
...The Soviet delegation, although agreeing with this purpose in general, went mach further in Ha political a ima, the military aspect being relegated t* a rather distant aecond place...
...He waa the editor of the ategasine Levdetem, and earlier of Remain, and of the Socialist organ...
...In ail international gatherings we had been accustomed te moot Latin-American delegates with open arms, even though they often spoke to us of to modrs pairto with an affection which we did not always share...
...Th* majority of the Other countries represented were not strong enough, and many of them did not care to resist this whirlpool which drew them to it* renter...
...Fifteen-of the 86 countries represented were British dominion* and colonies, including Siena Leone, Northern Rhodesia, Gambia, Cyprus, 'Jamaica, Gold Coast and British Guiana, th* AFL leader pointed out While the** seven countri«s appeared at London "as countries having bona fid* trad* union movements, a careful search of the records of the IFTU and the International Labor Organisation fails to reveal any mention of trade union movements, in these countries prior to the London conference," Meany declared...
...Russia wants a tranquil, well-organised world in which she will be able to carry out a new program, a new raieon d'etat...
...On this occasion we were avoided and almost ignored...
...Such » course will only serve the new Russian imperialna...
...He fat also the author of many play* and books...
...The concept of Fascism has undergone a curious evolution in the last few years...
...The Industrial Revolution, begun k* Peter the Gnat, revived and developed by the Bolsh...
...Trades and Laimi- Council, Meany related the background of the recently formed World Trade Union Conference in London, and declared that "Sir Walter Citrine by his acjDon* h*s encoursged th* forces of disunity here...
...f The WTUC arrangements would give th* Russian unions 27,000,000 votes to England's 6,000,000 plus th* votes of Soviet-dominated groups from other countries, Meany seid...
...Poor Machiavelli, in hia little Florence, which waa always subjugated by some foreign power, would have great admiration for his best disciples, these new Russian statesmen who practice the raito» d'etat with an efficiency that history has never known before...
...Its success definitely assured, the Communist International has outlived its usefulness...
...Originally Fascism, absolutism, despotism and that which in our time is known as totalitarianism, were considered Identical...
...Tho** who are not so close to Russia are sitting on th* tone*, waiting to see what the new balance *i power among the victor nation* in Europe will be lik* Thi* new International of labor is necessary to Rut-sis to extend and consolidate her conquest* in Europe If the 60,000,000 organised workers who are reprw aented in th* London Conference succeed in getting I seht at the peace table, as they have asked, ther* *. no doubt that their tremendous weight will fall on thst •ide of the seal* where Russia throws her imperia demands...
...tomorrow · may threaten the political stability of La tin-A merle*, if the union* and labor parties let Russia get a footkoM by acting aa their Trojan horse, (Translated by Peul Hutu) During the Spenieh civil war...
...He can be conaiderad the creator of the modern British Empire, his religious puritaniim being the mask for his imperial designs...
...They are not incurable, however* and in the end usually become enlightened...
...But American countries have little to fear from Rutai» militarily...
...After th* Ruaaian Revolution (which has now triumphed over the anti-Jacobin or anti- bolshevik counter-revolution, ied this time by Germany) it would be strange if the Soviet power should not also go through the Bonapartist phase, if th* internal revolution faila to extend itself in external conquest In fact, th* idea of imperial expansion over Europe, th* aim of perhaps restoring the Eastern Roman Et*, pire, ha* been cherished bp the Rumian* for at )||| two centurie...
...it aided Praac* and hia friend., Mu.solini aad Hitler, and th* Sp*ni*h civil w.r...
...A tactic that deceives only the simple, of which there are many everywhere at all times...
...It can be Mid that S.viet Rnaaia came te lif* in It*S as ? react*** »gabaat the defeat angered at the ana*** «f th* Japan-* which *zposed the mili- ' tary iaatptnoa* of Txariam...
...base was too narrow and weak...
...but it i* also an empire that threaten...
...Today, Russia, thanks to its revolution, is a great military power...
...In Russia the policy of the State haa changed...
...In accordance with this definition every dictatorship ig essentially synonymous with Fascism, whatever its political tinge—black, brown, red, yellow or blue...
...Who hat forgotten th* violent diatribes that I .enin and hla follower* wrote against the British and American unions, characterising them as agents of imperialism ? But they are the same Communist unions which, without having completely abandoned their resentment toward th* Socialist, liberal and democratic union* of the IFTU, now offer their hand with tho grenteat •ffection to the "yellow" unions...
...A victorious revolution engenders a conquering impulse, which is exemplified in its most classiest form by the nsme of Boiiapartum...
...Every new revolution carries within itself the basic elements of a new Uoaapartiam...
...Ctmridmd...
...In his opinion delegates of the Spanish unions that do not adopt the discipline of Moscow are Fascists...
...The policy of th* Third International wat to protect the Ruaaian Revolution, while the new Third Labor International intend* to sanction end consolidate the conquest* which Russin hopes to secure from tak war...
...In ancient or modern form the essence is the same: bloody dictatorship of one man backed by a social group or a minority party...
...Many European nation* are compelled t* follow this course...
...vik* to a surprising degree, had as it* main ?<«1, lik* the Russian Revolution of our times, the erection of * powerful industrial state that would adequately servi its foreign policies...
...Frequently under the Monarchy, and now under Falangist*,, that so-called mother wa* for us, aa formerly for them, an unaffee-tioaate and cruel step-mother...
...The creation of that International was the object of the Soviet delegates, that is to say the Soviet railoii d'etat in Ik* London Conference...
...Today that imperialism is a dnnger to th* integrity aad independence of ? large part of Europ...
...To ? Spaniard, the most disappointing thing in tat conference was th* group of Latin-American delegatei who acted exactly like a "tail" of th* Soviet delegation...
...That ineptnea* was ten-h,med ia the first World War and aa a conaequeac* Holskevlaaa wiped out completely the eld regime in I»17...
...This was very striking, considering the Ideological as well as the linguistic and cultural affinities we supposed were rooted in our common heritage...
...Addressing the ! New York City Centrs...
...to expand...
...It seems to be an historical law that all successful revolutions must overflow their frontiers, perhaps as a strategic diversion of a nationalistic character...
...Russia no longer has need for revolutionary movements...
...The Comintern is no longer useful...
...Behind its revolutionary mask, Bolshevism ia at bottom a streamlined form of Tsar ism, with the historic mission of carrying ont th* old imperial design* of Russia in the West History repeats itself, or rather continues being th* aame in essence, although the slogans and circumstances may vary in time, apace and technique...
...But it seems now that those who repudiate Fascism of all colors, red included, are immediately termed...
...Such disdain aroused our curiosity until one of the Mexican delegates let the cat out of the bag...
...Th* old International severely condemned the so-called "yellow unions," seeing in them the servent* of the church and reactionary capitalism...
Vol. 28 • April 1945 • No. 15
