Alfred Rosmer (born Alfred Griot, 23 August 1877 – 6 May 1964) was an American-born French

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

political activist and historian who was a leading member of the

Comintern The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internatio ...

. Rosmer is best remembered as a political associate of

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

and a memoirist.

Early life

Alfred Griot was born in 1877 in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...

Rosmer from the hero of a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

.Reiner Tosstorf, ''The Red International of Labour Unions (RILU) 1930–1937''. 016Ben Fowkes, trans. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2018; pg. 858. Rosmer was a

syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

leader before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, active in the

Confédération générale du travail The General Confederation of Labour (, , CGT) is a national trade union center, founded in 1895 in the city of Limoges. It is the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions. It is the largest in terms of votes in the Labour C ...

(CGT), the French general federation of unions. Together with

Pierre Monatte Pierre Monatte (15 January 188127 June 1960) was a French trade unionist, a founder of the '' Confédération générale du travail'' (CGT, General Confederation of Labour) at the beginning of the 20th century, and founder of its journal '' La V ...

, he issued a journal called ''La Vie ouvrière'' (Worker's Life), which was terminated as a result of French entry into

.Tosstorff, ''The Red International of Labour Unions,'' pg. 94. The antiwar French syndicalists had been represented at the Zimmerwald Conference in 1915 and then organised as the Committee for the Resumption of International Relations in which Rosmer participated. After the end of the war, a strike wave swept France in which the syndicalists played an active role. ''La Vie ouvrière'' was resurrected by Rosmer and Monatte in March 1919. In May 1919, Rosmer and

Fernand Loriot Fernand Loriot (; 10 October 1870 – 12 October 1932) was a French teacher who was active in forming the teachers' union. He took a pacifist stance during World War I. He was one of the founders of the French Communist Party. Early years Loriot ...

transformed the former Committee for the Resumption of International Relations into a new organization, known as the Committee for Adhesion to the Third International. The group remained isolated and without significant influence, however, largely removed from active communication with Moscow.Carr, ''The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1923,'' vol. 3, pg. 142. A friendship with

dated from that period, when the latter was briefly living in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Communist Party leader

After the war, he became a leading figure in the Communist Party of France (PCF). He was sent to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

in 1920 as a representative of the French left, being assigned there to positions in the

Communist International The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern and also known as the Third International, was a political international which existed from 1919 to 1943 and advocated world communism. Emerging from the collapse of the Second Internationa ...

(Comintern) and the

Red International of Labor Unions The Red International of Labor Unions (, RILU), commonly known as the Profintern (), was an international body established by the Communist International (Comintern) with the aim of coordinating communist activities within trade unions. Formally ...

(RILU). In 1923 and 1924 Rosmer was one of the top leaders of the PCF, until his expulsion in the fall of 1924 along with Boris Souvarine and Monatte for opposing the organised campaign against Trotsky.

Trotskyism

After his expulsion from the PCF, Rosmer helped found the journal ''La Révolutuion prolétarienne'' (The Proletarian Revolution) and participated in political activities in a circle organised around this magazine. He became the only member of the group to establish the first

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

movement in 1929, but he left it in 1931 because of differences over political tactics. Nevertheless, he remained a convinced revolutionary, and his friendship with Trotsky was later repaired. He visited the exiled Trotsky in Mexico in 1939. In Mexico, Rosmer was a member of the Dewey Commission, which cleared Trotsky of all charges made during the Moscow Trials.Dewey Commission Report
/ref>

Later life

Unable to return to France because of the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Rosmer, an American by birth, lived in the United States after his Mexican interlude. He finally obtained permission to return home in 1947. Rosmer published an autobiography detailing his activities in Soviet Russia as well as a two-volume history of the antiwar movement in France during the years of World War I. Rosmer died in 1964 in

Créteil Créteil () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. Créteil is the ''préfecture'' (capital) of the Val-de-Marne Departments of France, dep ...

Works

In French

* ''La Conférence de Zimmerwald'' (The Zimmerwald Conference). Paris: Imp. spéciale de la "Vie ouvrière", 1915. * ''Un coup d'oeil en arrière: Pierre Monatte. Lettre de démission au Comité confédéral (décembre 1914). Alfred Rosmer. Première lettre aux abonnés de la "Vie ouvrière" (novembre 1915). La Circulaire de lancement de la "Vie ouvrière" (avril 1919).'' (A Look Back: Pierre Monatte, Letter of Resignation to the Confederation Committee (Dec. 1914). Alfred Rosmer, First Letter to Subscribes of the "Vie ouvrière." The Circular launching "Vie ouvrière," April 1919.) Paris: Éditions de la Bibliothèque du travail, 1921. * ''Le mouvement ouvrier pendant la guerre.'' (The Labor Movement during the War). In two volumes. Paris: Librairie du travail, 1936. —Reissued as ''Le mouvement ouvrier pendant la Première guerre mondiale.'' * ''Moscou sous Lenine'' (Moscow Under Lenin). In two volumes. Paris : Maspero, 1970.

English translations

* ''Moscow Under Lenin.'' New York: Monthly Review Press, 1972. —Reissued as ''Lenin's Moscow.'' * ''From Syndicalism to Trotskyism: Writings of Alfred and Marguerite Rosmer.'' With Marguerite Rosmer. London: Porcupine Press/Socialist Platform, 2000. *

Footnotes

External links

''Alfred Rosmer Internet Archive,''
Marxists Internet Archive, www.marxists.org/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Rosmer, Alfred 1877 births People from Paterson, New Jersey French Communist Party members French Trotskyists Executive Committee of the Communist International French syndicalists 1964 deaths American emigrants to France