The global labor situation examined at the Moscow Conference

Moscow, 26.

At the February 22 meeting of the Enlarged Executive Committee of the “Comintern,” Mac Manus, chairman of the British Communist Party, outlined his Party’s situation. During the British miners’ lockout, several thousand Party members were arrested, and numerous searches were conducted at Party offices. The Party’s official publication was constantly harassed; despite this, its circulation increased from 3,000 to 60,000 copies. Following the campaign waged against the Socialist Party during the miners’ lockout, Thomas filed a lawsuit against the editors of the British Communist Party’s newspaper, *The Communist*, and the Party was ordered to pay a fine of two thousand pounds. Great Britain’s political stance in favor of peace is motivated by the fact that England, more than any other country, needs peace in Europe. The rifts within the coalition were caused by the coalition government’s failure to find a solution to the economic crisis and its inability to revive commerce and industry. There are currently 200,000 unemployed people in Great Britain. But there is no discontent among them, because they receive a government subsidy that, in some cases, exceeds a worker’s wages. In the upcoming parliamentary elections, it is expected that the Labour Party will double its number of seats, thereby becoming a strong opposition party against any government. At its upcoming Congress on March 10–11, the Communist Party will determine its stance toward the Labour Party.

Terracini gives a report on the state of the Italian Communist Party.

The economic situation in Italy—he says—is characterized by the bourgeoisie’s hope of strengthening its economic structure by crushing the proletariat. Hence its current persecution. The fact that the Party kept its distance from the “People’s Daredevils”—whom it opposes alongside the anarchists and syndicalists—did not prevent it from working and winning over large masses to its cause. The Party supports the united front and has already taken joint action with the other parties; however, it believes that this action should not be political in nature but should take place within the trade union sphere.

The Communist Party is committed to acting in accordance with the slogan of the proletariat’s united front against the capitalist offensive.

Marshall says that capitalism in the United States has developed to such an extent that it has abolished all forms of democracy.

What our propaganda, grounded in the principles of class struggle, has failed to achieve is accomplished by the police baton, which drives home to the workers that the state and the bourgeoisie are one and the same. The old divisions among the workers are fading from their minds. The American capitalist offensive against the labor movement will break down the last barriers between the various factions, and, in the face of the state, the united political front will soon be a fait accompli. At this moment, all the conditions are favorable to our revolutionary movement, thus enabling the Communist Party of America to fulfill its mission. 

During the third session, Karr also spoke on behalf of the American Communist Party, noting that the U.S. government has done everything in its power to destroy the economic organization.

The American Communist Party consists of 23 state-level groups, which are centralized and all closely united within a highly disciplined party. The Party has managed to gain a certain degree of influence among the working masses in many regions, and has now taken firm root in many workers’ organizations.

 The report on the Polish Communist Party was prepared by Antonius.

 He began by saying that Poland, despite the overall growth of its industries, is going through a period of severe crisis. Politically, it is in a mode of aggressive reaction. The French influence is becoming more and more noticeable there every day. The speaker refers to the secret Franco-Polish treaty, which is now coming into effect. The Communist Party is winning over ever-larger segments of the population; several trade unions have fallen into the hands of the Communists, at which point the police intervened, dissolved these unions, and called new elections to restore the social-patriotic elements to their leadership. The government is resorting to extremely harsh reprisals against the communists. Thanks to this system of government persecution, the Communist Party is increasingly becoming a mass party of the working class. Especially in recent times, the persecution has been getting worse by the day. Communist newspapers are banned, and the prisons are packed with communists. A special law against communists is being drafted, and it will be ready very soon. Despite this, the Communist Party of Poland continues to grow.