page_title: 2nd World Congress of the Comintern
section_title: Opening of the Congress
hierarchical_section_title: 2nd World Congress of the Comintern / Proceedings / Opening of the Congress
caption_attribution_description: English: Isaak Brodsky. Lenin's speech on the 2nd World Congress of the Comintern. 1924. State Historical Museum.Русский: И.И.Бродский. II Конгресс Коминтерна. 1924. Холст, масло. 320х532. Государственный исторический музей
context_page_description: The 2nd World Congress of the Comintern was a gathering of approximately 220 voting and non-voting representatives of Communist and revolutionary socialist political parties from around the world, held in Petrograd and Moscow from July 19 to August 7, 1920. The 2nd Congress is best remembered for formulating and implementing the 21 Conditions for membership in the Communist International.
context_section_description: The Congress was scheduled to open on July 15, but owing to rampant transit difficulties, many delegates had not arrived in Soviet Russia by that date. ECCI decided to postpone the first working sessions by one week.
  Following a meal in the Great Hall of Smolny, the delegates, accompanied by thousands of Petrograd workers, marched to the Uritsky Theater where they heard a keynote address on the international situation and the tasks of the Comintern delivered by Lenin. Afterwards the delegates participated in a mass demonstration before gathering at the former stock exchange to see a costume drama called "Spectacle of the Two Worlds" performed by a cast of 3,000.
  Following the opening festivities in Petrograd, a three-day break followed, after which the Congress reconvened in Moscow in the former Vladimir Throne Room of the Kremlin. Four official languages were used at the convention — English, French, German, and Russian — with secretaries typing convention documents in each. The primary languages spoken on the floor were French and German, with simultaneous translations taking place in various corners of the room.
  The Congress elected a Bureau (governing committee) to make decisions about procedure. All delegates had the right to submit resolution proposals to the Congress and the privilege was not an empty one, as a number of such proposals were submitted.
  Voting delegates were provided with red cards, non-voting "consultative" delegates blue cards, and guests green cards, with votes taken by means of counting cards. Voting strength of each delegation was based upon the relative importance of each national party to the international communist movement rather than the actual size of the membership of these groups. At no point in the Congress was a roll call vote taken; rather, a simple counting of cards raised on the floor determined all outcomes.
caption: Lenin delivers an address at the Uritsky Theater; 1924 painting by Isaak Brodsky
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