The 2nd World Congress of the Communist International was a gathering of approximately 220 voting and non-voting representatives of

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 ...

and

revolutionary socialist Revolutionary socialism is a political philosophy, doctrine, and tradition within socialism that stresses the idea that a social revolution is necessary to bring about structural changes in society. More specifically, it is the view that revolu ...

political parties from around the world, held in

Petrograd Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

and

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 ...

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 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 ...

2nd World Congress of the Comintern Lenin Zinoviev Bukharin Gorky

Overview

The 2nd World Congress of the Communist International, held in the summer of 1920, has been regarded by scholars as "the first authentic international meeting of the new organization's members and supporters," owing to the

ad hoc ''Ad hoc'' is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase meaning literally for this. In English language, English, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a Generalization, generalized solution ...

nature of the 1919 Founding Convention.Branko Lazitch and Milorad M. Drachkovitch, ''Lenin and the Comintern: Volume 1.'' Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press, 1972; pg. 271. The gathering is also significant for the level of participation of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, who participated in the affairs of the gathering more intensely than at any other, preparing a host of key documents and actively helping to chart the gathering's course. The 2nd World Congress took place at a time of heated world political passion, as British historian E.H. Carr later recalled:

"The second congress marked the crowning moment in the history of the Comintern as an international force, the moment when the
Russian revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
seemed most certainly on the point of transforming itself into a European revolution, with the destinies of the
RSFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
merged in those of some broader European unit."

Whereas in 1919 no mass Socialist party had participated in the activities of the Founding Convention, the 1920 gathering saw the inclusion of credentialed delegates from several large European groups, including the

Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany The Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (, USPD) was a short-lived political party in Germany during the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. The organization was established in 1917 as the result of a split of anti-war members of t ...

(USPD), the

French Section of the Workers' International The French Section of the Workers' International (, SFIO) was a major socialist political party in France which was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the present Socialist Party. The SFIO was founded in 1905 as the French representativ ...

(SFIO), and the Social Democratic Party of Czechoslovakia.Lazitch and Drachkovitch, ''Lenin and the Comintern,'' pg. 272. The Bolsheviks denied permission to attend to the recently formed (January 1920) Ukrainian Communist Party (CPU). It was at the 2nd World Congress that the nature of Communist parties was decided upon, the conditions for their admission to the Communist International set, and the relationship of the national organizations to their international directing center formally established for the first time.

Delegate composition

The official records of the 2nd World Congress indicate that a total of 218 delegates participated in the proceedings, including 54 representatives of

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

Social Democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...

, and other non-Communist political parties and 12 representatives of youth organizations.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 8 At least 30 delegates were representatives of the various nationalities of

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 9. Delegates were housed in Moscow at the Delevoi Dvor, a hotel a short walk from the Congress's sessions held at the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 11. With food in short supply, fare provided to the delegates was poor, with some delegates forced to rely to some extent upon stores brought into the country with them. Upon arriving at their hotel rooms, delegates were provided with an assortment of written reports, draft resolutions, and copies of two recently published books — '' Terrorism and Communism'' by

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 ''" "Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder'' by

V.I. Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 12. Delegates participated a wide range of events, touring the country, attending shop meetings, watching theatrical performances, and participating in a

subbotnik Subbotnik and voskresnik (from rus, суббо́та, p=sʊˈbotə for "Saturday" and , for "Sunday") were days of volunteer unpaid work on weekends after the October Revolution, though the word itself is derived from (''subbota'' for Satur ...

railroad ties A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English) or railway sleeper (Australian and British English) is a rectangular support for the rails in railroad tracks. Generally laid perpendicular to the rails, ties transfe ...

Background

On April 22, 1920, the

Executive Committee of the Communist International The Executive Committee of the Communist International, commonly known by its acronym, ECCI (Russian acronym ИККИ - for ), was the governing authority of the Comintern between the World Congresses of that body. The ECCI, established by the Fo ...

(ECCI) voted to hold a 2nd World Congress of its member parties at some indefinite date in the near future.John Riddell (editor and translator), ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!: Proceedings and Documents of the Second Congress, 1920.'' In two volumes. New York: Pathfinder Press, 1991; vol. 1, pg. 6. This was followed on June 14, 1920, by the formal publication by ECCI of a call for a 2nd World Congress to be held in Moscow one month hence. Political parties pledging allegiance to the organization were urged to send delegations at once. During this period

Soviet Russia The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

was subject to an armed

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

by land and sea, making travel extremely difficult. Legal passage was possible only through the

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n port of Revel (known today as

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

), but even this means was difficult due to the systematic denial of travel passports to radicals intending on traveling to

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

. War between Soviet Russia and Poland raged in the summer of 1920 and wrecked locomotives and derailed freight cars lined the tracks, further complicating the transportation situation.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 10. Some delegates were forced by circumstances to use false passports and identity documents or to travel without any legal documentation whatsoever, such as by

stowing away A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus. Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other ca ...

on a ship.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 7. Three French delegates lost their lives in transit, when a small fishing boat setting sail from

Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...

in an attempt to run the Allied blockade went down in stormy weather.

Proceedings

Opening of the Congress

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.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 14. Following a meal in the Great Hall of

Smolny Smolny is a place name in central Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is a compound of historically interrelated buildings erected in 18th and 19th centuries. As the most widely known of the buildings, the Smolny Institute, has been used as the seat of ...

, the delegates, accompanied by thousands of Petrograd workers, marched to the Uritsky Theater where they heard a

keynote address A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework fo ...

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.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 15. 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.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 16. 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 Deliberative assemblies – bodies that use parliamentary procedure to arrive at decisions – use several methods of voting on motions (formal proposal by members of a deliberative assembly that the assembly take certain action). The regular me ...

taken; rather, a simple counting of cards raised on the floor determined all outcomes.

Notable Topics and Decisions Discussed

The 21 Conditions

The 2nd World Congress began its actual work on July 23, 1920.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 42. Two sessions were dedicated to discussion of the structure and role of Communist parties, with a summary report and theses delivered to the body by Comintern Chairman Grigorii Zinoviev. After Zinoviev's theses on the matter were unanimously adopted by the assembled delegates, debate moved to conditions for admission to the Communist International, a discussion which ultimately produced a document known as the 21 Conditions. Ever since the founding of the Comintern in 1919, a number of political parties in the Social Democratic tradition — including the

Socialist Party of America The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...

(SPA) and the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) — had sought admission into the ranks of the international organization. To the Comintern leadership, the electoral orientation and

pacifism Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ...

of such organizations marked them as fundamentally different from the Communist movement and its orientation towards armed struggle and saw the Comintern as a mechanism for the centralized coordination of such efforts around the world. Such so-called "Centrist" parties, with the German USPD in the first rank, sought a more inclusive and advisory role for the Comintern, in line with the model utilized by the ill-fated

Second International The Second International, also called the Socialist International, was a political international of Labour movement, socialist and labour parties and Trade union, trade unions which existed from 1889 to 1916. It included representatives from mo ...

. The four delegates of the USPD remained united before the session of the 2nd Congress's Commission on Conditions for Admission.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 43. On July 25, the Commission on Conditions for Admission voted 5–3 on a proposal by Lenin that only parties with a clear majority on their governing Central Committee favoring affiliation to the Comintern prior to the 2nd World Congress would be permitted membership in that organization. Subsequent debate by the Congress itself on July 29 and 30 urged against any concessions to so-called "Centrist" leaders. Following extended commission discussions, a set of 21 Conditions for admission to the Comintern was proposed.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 44.

The trade union question

The 2nd World Congress dealt extensively with the relationship between the

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

movement and the emerging international communist movement. Left-wing communists were scornful of the "conservative" nature of the established union movement in many counties, exemplified by the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

in the United States and the

reformist Reformism is a political tendency advocating the reform of an existing system or institution – often a political or religious establishment – as opposed to its abolition and replacement via revolution. Within the socialist movement, ref ...

International Federation of Trade Unions The International Federation of Trade Unions (also known as the Amsterdam International) was an international organization of trade unions, existing between 1919 and 1945. IFTU had its roots in the pre-war International Secretariat of National Tr ...

, based in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 46. The limited horizons of such organizations, limited to matters of daily concern as wages, hours, and working conditions, were seen as a manifestation of

class collaboration Class collaboration is a principle of social organization based upon the belief that the division of society into a hierarchy of social classes is a positive and essential aspect of civilization. Fascist support Class collaboration is one of ...

and an impediment to the revolutionary transformation of society. The left-wing communists argued that these unions were a by-product of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

and that they, like the political parties of the Second International, had betrayed the working class by supporting their national governments in

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 ...

— seen as a war of imperial conquest. Such unions were worthy only of expeditious destruction, the left-wing communists believed. Lenin and other Comintern leaders disagreed sharply with the demand of the left-wing communists that new explicitly revolutionary dual unions should be established and supported, arguing the 25 million workers participating in unions affiliated with the Amsterdam International had already made their basic organizational decision. Instead, Lenin and his co-thinkers argued, radical workers should remain within these established unions and to attempt to work from within to move them onto a revolutionary course. At the same time the Comintern leadership had already been working to establish a new revolutionary international union organization to compete with the Amsterdam International — a goal which the left-wing communists saw as contradictory with the policy of remaining within the established "conservative" unions. Meetings between Comintern officials and trade union leaders in Moscow in the summer of 1920 had led to the establishment of the International Council of Trade and Industrial Unions (Mezhsovprof), forerunner of 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 ...

(Profintern) that was established the next year. The union question remained a matter of heated contention at the 2nd World Congress, with the representatives of the British

Shop Stewards Movement The Shop Stewards Movement was a movement which brought together shop stewards from across the United Kingdom during the First World War. It originated with the Clyde Workers Committee, the first shop stewards committee in Britain, which organised ...

and

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 ...

delegates from Germany and the United States refusing to abandon their hostility to the strategy of " boring from within" the established unions.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 48. Ultimately, the majority of the 2nd World Congress moved to support Lenin's policy, detailed at length in his recently published book ''"Left-Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder.''

The colonial question

The 2nd World Congress also for the first time paid serious attention to the national

liberation movement A liberation movement is an organization or political movement leading a rebellion, or a non-violent social movement, against a colonial power or national government, often seeking independence based on a nationalist identity and an anti-imperiali ...

s of the

colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...

of Asia, Africa, and the Americas.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 51. While Lenin drafted theses on colonial issues, supplementary theses were presented to the Congress by

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n radical M. N. Roy, formally a delegate from the fledgling

Communist Party of Mexico The Mexican Communist Party (, PCM) was a communist party in Mexico. It was founded in 1917 as the Socialist Workers' Party (, PSO) by Manabendra Nath Roy, a left-wing Indian revolutionary. The PSO changed its name to the ''Mexican Communist ...

, Avetis Sultan-Zade of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, and Pak Chin-sun of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, during the 4th Session of the Congress. Dutch communist Maring served as secretary on the commission to review both theses. The final resolution of the Congress directed communists in colonial countries to support the "national-revolutionary" movement in each, without regard to the fact that non-communist and non-

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

elements such as the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

and the

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasan ...

ry might be dominant.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 52. Particular attention was paid to formulating an alliance with the rural poor as a means of winning and holding power in a revolution.Riddell, ''Workers of the World and Oppressed Peoples, Unite!'' vol. 1, pg. 55. Russia's Bolsheviks did not apply any of this to non-Russian territories under Bolshevik control at the time—although non-Russian communist parties in those territories did.

Cultural and sports activities

There were several cultural and sports activities arranged to accompany the second congress: *a

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

match between Moscow and an International XI. Willie Gallagher captained the International XI, which included John Reed. However, they lost heavily to Moscow in front of a crowd of 18,000 in the Red Stadium, located in the former Moscow River Yacht Club.

Legacy

Historian E. H. Carr has argued that the 2nd World Congress — to some extent unintentionally and unconsciously — was the first to "establish Russian leadership of Comintern on an impregnable basis." In addition to the esteem accorded the Russians as practitioners of the first successful Marxist revolution, Carr noted that the Russian delegation "invariably spoke with a united voice," in sharp contrast to the contentious and divided delegations from Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, and the United States. Therefore, "the Communist International which would make the world revolution was created in the image of the party which had made the Russian revolution," Carr observed.Carr, ''A History of Soviet Russia,'' vol. 3, pp. 198-199.

Footnotes

External links

"Minutes of the Second Congress of the Communist International"
Marxists Internet Archive, www.marxists.org/ Retrieved April 10, 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:2nd World Congress of the Comintern Comintern Marxism–Leninism 1920 in Russia 1920 in politics 1920 conferences Events in Moscow