The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-04-18
WHAT were THE
P RE-WAR union
INTERNATIONAL?
Losovsky Tells Their
Lack of Unity
BY A. LosoVsKY
General Secretary of the Red Inter.
national of Labor Unlons)

In the trade union sphere or the
pre-war period we have the Interna-
tional Secretariat of Trade Unions,
which was created in 1902. It's confer
ences usually were connected with the
international socialist congresses, as
these trade unions usually sent their
delegates to the latter congresses.
This International secretariat was not
an International organization in the
sense which especially we, the Com
munists, understand it.
1t was not an organization for strug-
gle; but an international organization
for the exchange of information. We
could easily call it an international
information bureau" an international
bureau for sending statistics to each
other, an international post-ofice
box, or anything but an International
labor union. It lacked the character
istic of a real labor international; that
is, the domination of interests Of the
class as a whole over the interests Of
separate parts of the international.
The InternationaIs Of Industries
Besides the International Secret.
ariat Of Trade Unions, there were in.
ternational units of trade unions-or
Internationally industries: The
International Textile Union, the Metal
Workers Union, the Wood Workers
Union; the BARRIERS Union; the Cap
Makers Union, the Needle Trades,
etc, over twenty international unions,
which could be more correctly called
a semblance of international unity
than real unity. In fact we cannot
remember one time in the information
al labor movement before the war
where any industrial international
played a leading role in the interna-
tional struggle where the unions
would take concurrent action in diff
ferent countries.
only Fake Internationals
Therefore, if we look at these inter-
nationals from the point Of view Of
those problems which an international
in general should solve, we must open
ly state that no such international in
fact existed. They were organizations
which called themselves "internation-
ais" They had stationery with their
names upon it, but they we're only
indications of the necessity OF milit-
ant internationals, which they them
selves were not. The existence Of
these internationals proved the neces-
sity of creating real international
units. Their weakness characterized
the degrees of the development of the
working class movement Of the world.
Again, if we wish to get clear I'M
derstanding Of those causes which led
up to the disintegration Of the labor
movement of the world with the be-
ginning of the war, let us see what
these labor organizations represented,
and what we're the connections be-
tween them.
The Inner Weakness.
Only after we carefully acquaint
ourselves with these organizations,
will we understand why 1914 was the
year of the complete disintegration.
decentralization and DISCRIMINATION OF
the International labor movement. The
competition between international
capitalist groups before the war, was
reflected in the industrial internation-
al unions. and with the coming Of the
war, came out more boldly. After the
international congress of metal work
ers in 1914, one of the former dele
gates at that congress, Merrheim, at
that time a revolutionary syndicalist,
stated in an article that at that con-
gress the competition between the
British and German metallurgy show
ed itself.
The labor movement Of that period,
although officially connected in inter-
national unity, in fact was filed with
national prejudice, national separat-
ism, and national interests. The Ques-
lions of "fatherland" were superior
to the interests Of the working class,
and the question OF defending the
fatherland" was a principle accepted
by the whole labor movement.
The above is an excerpt from
Losovsky's famous book, "The
Worlds Trade Union Movement"
which is different from and more
valuable than any other book pub
lished upon world unonlsm. II
can be obtained for so cents, post
free from the Trade Union Eduea-
tional League, 1913 W. Washing
ton Blvd, Chicago, NJ.
Give your shopmate this copy
of the DAILY WORKER-but be
sure 20 see him the next day to