ists, met on September 5, 1915. Bourderon, of the Socialist Party, and Merrheim, secretary of the Metal Workers' union, represented the French working class. Wide approval of Bourderon's and Merrheim's attitude was expressed. The Committee for the Resumption of International Relations was founded, and undertook propaganda for peace and for the reconstitution of the International. There were disputes in all the federations; the party shook itself out of its torpor. The Permanent Administrative Committee of the party (C. A. P.) became disturbed, and on November 6 passed a resolution repudiating the action of the Zimmerwald Conference. "The National Congress of the party met on December 25, 1915 (the National Councils of the French Socialist Party are gatherings of the officials of the various departmental federations; the Congresses are gatherings of representatives elected by the party members); the Left and Extreme Left both made their protests heard, but once more the Left capitulated, and voted with the majority whose resolution passed by 1,736 votes against the 76 Zimmerwaldians, with 102 abstentions. "For the first time the Left came out firmly at the National Council on April 9, 1916, but the majority resolution was passed by 1,996 votes to 960. "The Kienthal Conference met April 24, 1916. Three French Socialist deputies, Brizon, Raffin-Dugens, and Blanc, were pres ent. On June 24th the three voted against the military credits for the first time, and their act created a stir in the country. "The minority had founded a weekly, "Le Populaire," on May 1, 1916, and it became the organ of the Internationalists. "A New National Council met August 7, 1916. The majority had 1,837 votes, the minority 1,081. To intensify the minority propaganda, the Committee for the Defense on International Socialism was founded. "It was impossible to express the minority point of view openly in the press, for the censor suppressed" subversive " articles, so, in November, the minority published secretly a pamphlet expressing its thesis (partial responsibility of all nations in the war; opposition to the hate campaigns and to participation in bourgeois ministries: immediate resumption of international relations with Socialists even of enemy countries; immediate peace on basis of no annexation as the only means of saving France from destruction; international tribunal to settle questions of indemnities and of Alsace-Lorraine). This was signed by thirty-one deputies and by eight members of the C. P. A. "At the National Congress in December, 1916, the vote stood 1,537 to 1,407. The forces of the minority were steadily increasing. In reality the minority was already the majority, but the party leaders voted as majority votes the votes of the federations of the invaded provinces, which could not be consulted. At the meeting of the National Council on March 3d, the vote was 1,556 to 1,337. "Then the Russian Revolution broke out in mid-March, giving the internationalist elements an irresistible impulse. A telegram from Camille Huysmans announcing the convocation of the International Conference at Stockholm May 15th was answered on April 27th by the majority of the C. A. P. by a refusal to participate. The National Conference of the Minoritaires met at Paris May 6th to protest, and three weeks later, May 29th, the National Council voted unanimously to join the Conference at Stockholm. The internationalists had won their victory. "Following this victory the Right Wing Majoritaires shifted position and disavowed the decision. The government refused passports, and the old struggle was resumed. At the National Council in October, 1917, the two factions preserved their respective force, the Zimmerwaldians obtaining 118 votes for a separate motion. Another National Council in February showed no change. "Le Populaire" became a daily evening paper in April, 1918, under the direction of Jean Longuet; and the July, 1918, National Council at last gave a clear majority to the internationalists, as follows: Longuet resolution (Moderate Left).. Renaudel resolution (Conservative Right) 1,544 1,172 152 "Two months later, the National Congress confirmed this result. Marcel Cachin supplanted Renaudel as editor of the official party daily "L'Humanité." The internationalists gained the majority of the C. A. P. and took the leadership of the paty. "The party and its journals made rapid progress under the new leadership as the following figures show: "L'Humanite," which had fallen to less than 50,000 copies per day, reached 300,000 during the June, 1919, strikes, and maintains an average of 200,000. "Le Populaire" reached 100,000 during the strikes, and maintains a circulation of 60,000. "Le Journal du Peuple," which unites Socialist and Syndicalist elements of the extreme left, prints 50,000 copies daily." (Boris Souvarine.) Addendum "At the Congress held in April, 1919, the Socialist Party voted to remain in the Second International with the proviso "that those Socialists who are Socialists only in name" be expelled from it. The motion of Loriot to join the Third (Moscow) International immediately was defeated with 894 votes against 270. The Congress also adopted an electoral program of immediate demands which included among others the demands for the convocation of a constituent assembly, the granting of universal suffrage, the initiative and proportional representation, a single legislative chamber, decentralization of administration, representation of workers in the management of industrial affairs, nationalization of essential industries and advanced labor legislation. It also went on record against the ratification of the Versailles Peace and the proposed League of Nations by a vote of 1,420 to 114. "Paul Faure, editor of "Le Populaire," drew up a declaration which outlined the party policy on several important matters. This declaration, which was adopted by the Congress in the form of a resolution, declared against the punitive peace against Germany and greeted the German republic, declaring "that it (the party) is entirely with the true German Socialists who courageously endeavor to give the real labor and Socialist complexion to their revolution," and continues, "it bows before their heroes and will not cease to honor the memory of Karl Liebknecht, Rosa Luxemburg and Kurt Eisner, who have crowned with the martyr's laurels three lives wholly devoted to the struggle against empire and to the liberation of the universal proletariat." After extending fraternal greeting to the Russian Soviet government, the resolution explained the party's position on the policy of the Russian Soviets. "The Socialist Party," it explains, "recalls in the same way that its thinkers from Karl Marx to Jaurès have always recognized the necessity of the dictatorship of the proletariat on the morrow of the triumphant revolution. This latter had naturally the need of force not only to establish itself and accomplish its work, but to shatter the inevitable attempts of the counter-revolution." The declaration later declares for unmitigated opposition to bourgeois control, the systematic and symbolical refusal of the military and civil credits and the whole of the budget and the absolute autonomy of the Socialist Party as the political party of the working class, excluding naturally all possibility of alliance or electoral coalition in the case of a first or only ballot. It concluded with the following significant words: "It is with the pre-occupation of re-establishing the real unity of doctrine and action of the proletariat that the party declares to those who do not recognize these ideals, and particularly to the members of Parliament who may continue to vote for the credits of bourgeois governments, that they will thus be putting themselves outside their party." "Two Communist groups were formed as a result of this Congress. Both are so far committees to organize "Parties in agreement with the Third International," and are led in the main by Syndicalists. Loriot and his adherents of the extreme left propose to remain in the Socialist Party, believing that they will soon control the policies of the party. At a recent meeting of the National Council, it was decided that only such candidates should be placed on the party ticket in the forthcoming general parliamentary elections as are opposed to the ratification of the Versailles Treaty and are in favor of the recognition of the Russian Soviet government. "The parliamentary elections of November, 1919, resulted in a victory, but a disappointment for the French Socialists. While their total vote mounted to 1,750,000, a gain of about 40 per cent. over that in 1914, their representation in Parliament, because of a complicated system of disproportionate representation and gerry mandering, was lowered from 105 to 55. If their representation in the Chamber had been proportionate to their total vote, they would have elected 160 deputies. The Haute Vienne, where the internationalist revival began, was the only department in which the Socialists elected their entire ticket, bettering even their record of 1914. In addition, a number of anti-war and Extreme Left Socialists were elected from other departments. "In the municipal elections held two weeks later the Socialists. made greater gains still, electing mayors in the great industrial cities Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing in the devastated district, in Strassburg, and in several jumped in two weeks from 28 to 35 per cent. of the total. 66 "The French Syndicalists in the main favored the war, recognized it as a war of national defense and entered a civil truce with the government. The Syndicalist daily, "La Bataille Syndicaliste," was frequently so chauvinist that it was severely criticized by the Socialist organs. "The Internationalist and anti-war minority in the Labor Confederation as in the Socialist Party was growing in influence under the leadership of Merrheim of the metal-workers. At the first Congress of the Confederation in July, 1918, the internationalist faction was so strong that the majority leaders were obliged to accept a compromise resolution embodying the demands which the minority made on the leadership of the Confederation throughout the war, especially dealing with the question of the participation of the Confederation in the International. The next Congress, held in September, 1919, showed the same tendency to return to the traditional revolutionary policy of French Syndicalism. The Confederation numbered 600,000 members before It claims now 1,500,000 members. the war. "The Confederation has on many occasions joined the Socialist Party in important proclamations and manifestoes, demanding the restoration of civil liberties, hailing the German Revolution, opposing intervention in Russia, etc. The Confederation also decided to participate on July 21st in the twenty-four-hour demonstration general strike against the invasion of Russia and for the democratization of the political and economic institutions of France. On the eve of the strike, the Executive Committee of the Confederation declared the strike off, presumably because the government promised to withdraw troops from Russia and decrease the cost of living." |