International Workers' Aid

The **International Workers' Aid** (**IWA**) (German: *Internationale Arbeiter-Hilfe*, **IAH**; Russian: *Международная рабочая помощь*, **Mezhrabpom**) is an international economic organization. It functions both as an economic union between socialist states, under the leadership of Germany and the Soviet Union, as well as an international aid organization. It is also known for producing films under the studios Mezhrabpomfilm and Arbeiter-Hilfe Studio.

## History

### Early years

The IAH was formed on 12 September 1921 in Berlin, Germany. Its initial purpose was to channel relief aid to Soviet Russia, which was facing an extensive drought and famine in the Volga region in part because of the Russian Civil War. The formation came in response to a call from Vladimir Lenin for international aid, motivated by a desire to counteract the influence of the American Relief Association (ARA). Lenin regarded the ARA as "mercenaries" who were seeking to defeat Bolshevism by alleviating hunger in Soviet Russia, thus embarrassing the Bolshevist government as ineffective and incompetent.

The chief organizer of the early IAH was German communist Willi Münzenberg. Münzenberg had previously made a name for himself as an organizer of the Young Communist International. Various local organizations, such as the Friends of Soviet Russia (FSR), were established as fronts for the IAH across the world. In doing so, the IAH was able to gather a larger range of support than it would have had it directly expressed its close ties to the Soviet government. Clara Zetkin, a German politician and women's rights activist, played a notable role in organizing the FSR.

Aside from Soviet Russia, the IAH also organized aid for Germany, which suffered from its own food security problems in the aftermath of the German Civil War. These problems were exacerbated by the blockade put in place by the Entente Powers during the Great War, which had ceased only with the signing of the Treaty of Aachen in 1920. As many as 800,000 German civilians are estimated to have perished from starvation and disease between 1914 to 1920.

### Restructuring

The food security issues largely ceased in both the Soviet Union and Germany by 1923. The IAH continued to operate, now shifting its focus towards directing aid towards workers in other countries. Aid from the IAH was particularly notable in Italy, which continued to suffer from food issues related to the Great War as well as the effects of the Decennio Rosso. Distribution of clothing, funds, aid, and other materials was conducted through the "industrial assistance program". Most of the funding for the IAH was sourced from Germany and the Soviet Union, but fund drives and donations also played a part.

In 1925 the International Proletarian Defense Pact was formed, unifying the socialist states behind a singular military organization. Although significant economic cooperation had already existed between the socialist states, no official economic union had been formed. This now changed, with the Communist International calling for the creation of an economic union between all socialist states. Rather than form an entirely new organization, the relatively dormant IAH was reorganized to serve this purpose. In the process, the IAH was detached from the Communist International. The leadership structure of the IAH was reorganized into a council of representatives from member states, formalized by a treaty.

The modern responsibilities of the IAH are numerous. One of its primary goals is to facilitate economic development in its member states, a project largely taken up by Germany and the Soviet Union. Germany, being the most developed and economically secure of all member states, has played the largest part in funding industrial development, particularly in the Soviet Union. This has ranged from funding for construction of factories to shipments of modern farming equipment. The IAH has also helped to facilitate cooperative trade agreements, with a notable example being the Soviet Union providing cheap oil to all member states.

Despite the transformation of the IAH, it continues to additionally serve its original purpose of providing aid to the international working class. These efforts are funded and supported almost entirely by the member states of the IAH. The post-1925 foreign aid efforts of the IAH have included food shipments to China, economic aid for Latin American socialists, and material aid for anti-imperialist groups in the colonies of European powers. With the IAH no longer bound to the Communist International its efforts have been often endorsed and supported by the non-communist Munich International, as well as sympathetic labor organizations.

#### Propaganda efforts

Early on the IAH recognized the power of cinematic propaganda, and set about not only distributing Soviet and German films but also producing their own films. The Arbeiter-Hilfe Studio was formed in Berlin in 1922, and the Mezhrabpomfilm studio was formed in Moscow in 1924. Since their creation, both studios have produced hundreds of films. The distribution of these films outside of the socialist bloc has been suppressed on numerous occasions, particularly in France.

After the restructuring of the IAH in 1925, a special office was formed for the production of films. The IAH has led the formation of multiple affiliated organizations, such as the Workers Film and Photo League in the United States.

## Members of the Economic Council

     **Full Member**
     **Observer**