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1st Congress of the Comintern

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member of the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP) who had been previously sent to Europe as the party's representative to an altogether different international conclave. Although Reinstein was granted status as a voting delegate at the congress, at no time did the SLP authorize him to act as its
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Owing to communications difficulties ensuing from the Allied blockade, few organizations outside of Soviet Russia heard of the convention call in sufficient time to send delegates. About two dozen special messengers were said to have been sent out with the news, but only three or four managed to
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As a result, the vast majority of those who sat as delegates to this founding congress of the Communist International had no formal status with the parties which they claimed to represent and the delegates initially decided that the session would be a preparatory conference rather than a formal
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Transport difficulties forced a further postponement of the gathering, with the start date moved back two weeks to March 2, 1919. Despite this additional delay only two parties managed to credential delegates and to successfully get them to Moscow on time for the opening of the meeting. Two
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The delegates were, in general, younger than had been typical at previous international socialist gatherings. Of the 43 delegates for whom an age is known, 5 were in their 20s and 24 were in their 30s, with only the American Boris Reinstein over the age of 50.
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Over the six days of the congress a total of 51 delegates were registered, representing 35 organizations in 22 countries. All political tendencies in the Zimmerwald Left movement were represented at the gathering with the exception of the left wing of the
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On January 21, 1919, a meeting of about a dozen communists living in Moscow determined to hold a formal gathering in that city, to begin February 15 – little more than 3 weeks hence. The formal convention call was composed by People's Commissar of War
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With regard to the English-speaking world, no representative of the various parties and tendencies of Great Britain which were invited were in attendance at the founding congress. The only British representative present was
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The nationalities outside of Europe were surprisingly well represented at the founding congress, including a group of five voting delegates from the "United Group of the Eastern Peoples of Russia," a voting delegate from
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The largest and most influential delegation, not surprisingly, was that of Soviet Russia. In addition to the five delegates assigned as representatives of the various "Eastern peoples" of the former
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Lenin sought to invite only those organizations which stood for a break with the more conservative elements in their group and who stood for immediate socialist revolution and the establishment of a
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in a small hall in the Courts of Justice. The long, narrow hall was barely large enough for 100 people, with the delegates seated upon flimsy chairs at small tables spaced throughout the room.
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There were no delegates in attendance in either a voting or consultative status from the English-speaking countries of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa.
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foundation convention. This initial decision was later overturned by the assembled delegates and the Third, Communist International was declared established.
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decided that the time was ripe for the convocation of a new international association of radical political parties to supplant the discredited
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reach their destinations in time with the news. The call was published in the press, however, in Soviet Russia on January 24, 1919, and in
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and a Soviet-style form of government. Lenin hoped for a gathering to be held beginning February 1, 1919, either openly in
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representative at the congress and his independent action was subsequently repudiated by the organization. Dutch engineer
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Founding the Communist International: Proceedings and Documents of the First Congress, March 1919.
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Toward the United Front: Proceedings of the Fourth Congress of the Communist International, 1922.
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Theses, Resolutions and Manifestos of the First Four Congresses of the Third International.
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Invited organizations from the English-speaking world included "the left forces in the
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there, Berlin was quickly rejected as inhospitable for a foundation congress.
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in Britain, "revolutionary forces in Irish workers organizations," and the
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In addition to these, from the United States were invited the American
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of Austria – were arrested and briefly jailed in transit.
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From the United States there was only Boris Reinstein, a
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Introduction by Bertil Hessel. London: Ink Links, 1980.
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and listed invited political organizations by name.
331:as well as holding similar status on behalf of the 33:1st World Congress of the Communist International 704: 36:Первый конгресс Коммунистического интернационала 298:List of delegates of the 1st Comintern congress 155:delegates held in Moscow which established the 692:Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1964. 699:Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 1972. 167:Late in December 1918, the leadership of the 695:Branko Lazitch and Milorad M. Drachkovitch, 654: 652: 650: 648: 621: 619: 617: 615: 231:Industrial Workers of the World in Australia 104:Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic 690:The Forming of the Communist International. 588: 586: 584: 582: 568: 566: 526: 524: 522: 489: 487: 244:(especially the current represented by the 141:1st Congress of the Communist International 473: 471: 469: 467: 223:Industrial Workers of the World in Britain 194:government of Germany and the eruption of 645: 632: 625:"List of Congress Delegates" in Riddell, 612: 681:Alix Holt and Barbara Holland (trans.), 609:Lieden, Netherlands: Brill, 2012; pg. 4. 579: 563: 519: 505: 503: 484: 417:The Founding Convention was held at the 510:Pervyi kongress Kominterna mart 1919 g. 464: 451: 346:, as well as non-voting delegates from 291: 14: 705: 329:Socialist Propaganda League of America 305:International Union of Socialist Youth 254:Workers International Industrial Union 27:1919 international gathering in Moscow 660:Founding the Communist International, 640:Founding the Communist International, 627:Founding the Communist International, 594:Founding the Communist International, 574:Founding the Communist International, 558:Founding the Communist International, 545:Founding the Communist International, 532:Founding the Communist International, 514:Founding the Communist International, 500: 495:Founding the Communist International, 479:Founding the Communist International, 459:Founding the Communist International, 412: 440:3rd World Congress of the Comintern 435:2nd World Congress of the Comintern 252:in America, and the SLP-affiliated 24: 697:Lenin and the Comintern: Volume 1. 668: 186:or, if necessary, secretly in the 162: 143:was an international gathering of 25: 18:Founding Congress of the Comintern 749: 678:New York: Pathfinder Press, 1987. 96: 599: 250:Industrial Workers of the World 180:dictatorship of the proletariat 550: 537: 219:British Socialist Labour Party 13: 1: 333:Dutch Social Democratic Group 445: 123:51 delegates from 35 parties 7: 428: 246:Socialist Propaganda League 10: 754: 295: 268:by the end of the month. 127: 119: 109: 91: 81: 71: 56: 41: 32: 272:prospective delegates – 242:American Socialist Party 35: 227:shop stewards' movement 211:British Socialist Party 169:Russian Communist Party 157:Communist International 149:revolutionary socialist 60:March 6, 1919 45:March 2, 1919 240:, "left forces of the 238:Socialist Labor Party 674:John Riddell (ed.), 605:John Riddell (ed.), 292:Delegate composition 173:Second International 413:Congress location 395:Georgii Chicherin 320:Buffalo, New York 192:social democratic 137: 136: 16:(Redirected from 745: 738:Events in Moscow 733:1919 conferences 728:1919 in politics 688:James W. Hulse, 663: 656: 643: 636: 630: 623: 610: 603: 597: 590: 577: 570: 561: 554: 548: 541: 535: 528: 517: 507: 498: 491: 482: 475: 462: 455: 403:Valerian Osinsky 391:Nikolai Bukharin 387:Grigori Zinoviev 102: 100: 99: 67: 65: 52: 50: 30: 29: 21: 753: 752: 748: 747: 746: 744: 743: 742: 718:Marxist parties 703: 702: 671: 669:Further reading 666: 658:Riddell (ed.), 657: 646: 637: 633: 624: 613: 604: 600: 591: 580: 572:Riddell (ed.), 571: 564: 556:Riddell (ed.), 555: 551: 543:Riddell (ed.), 542: 538: 530:Riddell (ed.), 529: 520: 508: 501: 493:Riddell (ed.), 492: 485: 477:Riddell (ed.), 476: 465: 457:Riddell (ed.), 456: 452: 448: 431: 415: 313:Joseph Fineberg 300: 294: 282:Karl Steinhardt 165: 163:Convention call 97: 95: 63: 61: 48: 46: 37: 34: 28: 23: 22: 15: 12: 11: 5: 751: 741: 740: 735: 730: 725: 723:1919 in Russia 720: 715: 701: 700: 693: 686: 679: 670: 667: 665: 664: 644: 631: 611: 598: 578: 562: 549: 536: 518: 499: 483: 463: 449: 447: 444: 443: 442: 437: 430: 427: 414: 411: 399:V. V. Vorovsky 379:Russian empire 293: 290: 164: 161: 135: 134: 129: 125: 124: 121: 117: 116: 111: 107: 106: 93: 89: 88: 83: 79: 78: 73: 69: 68: 58: 54: 53: 43: 39: 38: 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 750: 739: 736: 734: 731: 729: 726: 724: 721: 719: 716: 714: 711: 710: 708: 698: 694: 691: 687: 684: 680: 677: 673: 672: 661: 655: 653: 651: 649: 641: 635: 628: 622: 620: 618: 616: 608: 602: 595: 589: 587: 585: 583: 575: 569: 567: 559: 553: 546: 540: 533: 527: 525: 523: 515: 511: 506: 504: 496: 490: 488: 480: 474: 472: 470: 468: 460: 454: 450: 441: 438: 436: 433: 432: 426: 424: 420: 410: 406: 404: 400: 396: 392: 388: 384: 383:Joseph Stalin 380: 375: 373: 369: 365: 361: 357: 353: 349: 345: 339: 336: 334: 330: 326: 325:S. J. Rutgers 321: 316: 314: 308: 306: 299: 289: 285: 283: 279: 275: 274:Fritz Platten 269: 267: 263: 257: 255: 251: 247: 243: 239: 234: 232: 228: 224: 220: 216: 212: 207: 205: 199: 197: 193: 189: 185: 181: 176: 174: 170: 160: 158: 154: 150: 146: 142: 133: 130: 126: 122: 118: 115: 112: 108: 105: 94: 90: 87: 84: 80: 77: 74: 70: 59: 55: 44: 40: 31: 19: 696: 689: 682: 675: 659: 639: 634: 626: 606: 601: 593: 573: 557: 552: 544: 539: 531: 513: 509: 494: 478: 458: 453: 416: 407: 376: 340: 337: 317: 309: 301: 286: 270: 258: 235: 215:John Maclean 208: 204:Leon Trotsky 200: 177: 166: 140: 138: 120:Participants 114:2nd Congress 278:Switzerland 188:Netherlands 153:syndicalist 82:Location(s) 707:Categories 629:pp. 41–43. 560:pp. 13–14. 547:pp. 12–13. 360:Azerbaijan 296:See also: 128:Attendance 110:Next event 64:1919-03-06 49:1919-03-02 713:Comintern 638:Riddell, 592:Riddell, 446:Footnotes 352:Turkestan 196:civil war 145:communist 132:Delegates 516:pg. 320. 429:See also 248:)," the 662:pg. 19. 642:pg. 18. 596:pg. 16. 576:pg. 13. 534:pg. 12. 497:pg. 10. 419:Kremlin 356:Georgia 344:Armenia 266:Hungary 262:Austria 217:), the 92:Country 76:Kremlin 62: ( 47: ( 481:pg. 8. 461:pg. 7. 423:Moscow 401:, and 370:, and 364:Persia 348:Turkey 221:, the 184:Berlin 151:, and 101:  86:Moscow 42:Begins 372:Korea 368:China 72:Venue 280:and 264:and 139:The 57:Ends 421:in 276:of 709:: 647:^ 614:^ 581:^ 565:^ 521:^ 502:^ 486:^ 466:^ 405:. 397:, 393:, 389:, 385:, 366:, 362:, 358:, 354:, 350:, 335:. 256:. 233:. 147:, 66:) 51:) 20:)

Index

Founding Congress of the Comintern
Kremlin
Moscow
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
2nd Congress
Delegates
communist
revolutionary socialist
syndicalist
Communist International
Russian Communist Party
Second International
dictatorship of the proletariat
Berlin
Netherlands
social democratic
civil war
Leon Trotsky
British Socialist Party
John Maclean
British Socialist Labour Party
Industrial Workers of the World in Britain
shop stewards' movement
Industrial Workers of the World in Australia
Socialist Labor Party
American Socialist Party
Socialist Propaganda League
Industrial Workers of the World
Workers International Industrial Union
Austria

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