Evening star., 1938-07-03


the foundation OF the Third Inter-
national, commonly known as the
Comintern. The Communist In
ternational was created by Lenin who was
firmly convinced that Socialism could not
be attained In any other way save by a
worldwide revolution Of the proletariat
and by \ proletarian dictatorship after a
victorious revolution, for while it is not
difiicult to appropriate the bourgeoisie. it
is infinitely more dificult to erase from the
consciousness Of mankind the ideas i'm
planted there BY = thousand years Of pri-
vate ownership
Lenin expected originally that the hor-
rors of the World War would drive mankind
into revolution. But no revolution came.
for the simple reason that in other coun-
tries there was no such organized revolu-
tionary force available as he had created
in Russia He had to create such 4 force
for the whole world. Hence the Third In
ternational-a world wide revolutionary
organization directed from one center and
pursuing but one aim.
Jealous Of German Dominance.
Lenin's Third Internationa as dstin-
guished from the present Comintern. was
= special object Of Soviet care because of
Lenins conception Of the hopelessness of
Russian, without . world revolution.
Therefore, everything was to be done for
the Third International Money had to be
procured for 1t even II the lowly proletarian
could not buy salt for his table. And
among the various sections of the Third
International the German section held the
frst place. For many years the leading
Communists Of Czechoslovakia complained
bitterly of the domineering tactics OF the
Germans In the Comintern, and were al
most ready to believe the charges OF the
bourgeoisie that Marxism was but . tool
Of the German lust for power
Matters took q different turn, however,
and Lenin lived to see the German revolu-
ton of 1923. But he was at the end of his
days then and had neither strength nor
time to revise his views and find the fatal
naws in his expectation of a world revolu-
ton, and particularly of \ German revolu-
ton. He had neither strength nor time
to consider and say exactly what should be
done further in the Soviet Union and in
! the Third International. His death was
followed by = struggle among the surviving
leaders Of the Russian party. Various
| groups of the contenders finally coalesced
in two fronts, one Of which was led by
| Trotsky and the other by Stain. Trotsky
insisted on q continuation Of the work Of
Lenin-that Is, all for the world revolution
and its lever. the Third International
Stain demanded that all care be given to
home affairs. let the world revolution come
when II may. In the Russian party Stain
won his struggle in 1927, and in the Com
intern he completed his victory two years
later That explains why We now have
substantially two kinds of former Com
| muEists
Tragedy Follows Founders.
The vicisstudes of fortune that have
been the lot of the fathers of the Third
International are a series OF tragedies. The
constituent convention met in Moscow sur
rounded by civil warm Moscow where
famine and an incredible suffering Of the
masses were just beginning There Lenin
himself, living on the paltry military ration
OF food, drew up q picture of q new happy
human society, a society without violence
war or misery. And those on whom he
most relied in Europe were not among those
present Liebknecht did not come. nor did
Rosa Luxembourg, because both Of them
had been murdered shortly before by men
who later established Nazi Germany.
The shadow Of their death lowered like
q dark threat Of fate above the constituent
assembly of the Third International. Ger
many was represented by Comrade Albert
the pseudonym of Radek Lenin simply
had to supply representative of Germany
out OF his own guard. Karl Radek is now
doing forced labor because of his Trotskyism
and because he had worked for an alliance
with Fascist Germany, as the prosecute,
ascertained from the materials supplied by
Yagoda, who is now himself in prison h<
will never leave. il he is not dead
In similar way Rakovsky was supplied
as representative of the Balkan state.
at the first convention. He was one ot
the most daring fellow workers of Lenir
and he alone was trustworthy enough te
| w SoAs" w AAC AnihdAAo W OISdHlZS NUIH-
munist sections there Radek, too. went
to Germany as a substitute for Liebknecht
When the German government sought tt
get hold of him and put out large poster.
with his photograph he stopped at 9
street corner in Berlin amid crowd Of
people and gazing at his own photograph
exclaimed Indignantly: That miserable
wretch ought to be shot!" Even more dan
gerous was the situation of Rakovsky ir
the Balkans, where he on several occasion.
escaped arrest and death only by miracle
Now Rakovsky is dying at forced labo
in the Soviet Union. With all his cunnin
he has been unable to escape.
Date Of the Delegates.
Italy was represented by Miss Balabanov
secretary Of a leading Italian Socialis
named Mussolini. She died before sh,
could have been expelled Hungary wa
represented by Rakosi, one of the com
missars Of the defunct Communist govern
ment. Eleven years ago in Moscow tn
former leaders of that government cas-
lots to decide which one of them shoult
60 to Hungary to reorganize the shattere.
Communist party. The lot fell on Rakosi