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example which furnishes the best proof of the soundness of our proposition to form nuclei within the Trade Unions. Had we followed the proposals of our comrades of the K.A.P.D., where would we find ourselves now? We would be even further removed from our goal than we are now, and we would have merely added water to the mills of Jouhaux. Our advice was a Communist one. In spite of the hard conditions within the Party, in spite of the unfavourable situation generally, we have a large number of the Trade Unions on our side. Relatively chaotic as the situation in France may be, there is still the hope that the Party will find the way to the Syndicalists and to the Trade Unions. It is the very example of France that shows how the Second Congress acted rightly in enjoining the Party to turn its attention to the Trade Unions.
I maintain that in spite of all the weaknesses, in spite of all the evil habits, which has been brought over from the old Party, we must have confidence in the French Party. France is the very place where during the war no confidence could be entertained in the Labour Party, and you know that also the workers were full of mistrust towards the Party.
But just because there is a Communist group present in Parliament and in the Trade Unions, we may now safely declare without exaggeration that confidence in our banner, and in our ideas, has been fully re-awakened in France. This is clear. We already have a Party of over 100,000 members. A new spirit is reigning in the French Party, although we do not close our eyes to its weaknesses and imperfections. Our greatest enemy is the opportunist tendency. Yet we must admit that we have made a big step forward, that we have regained the confidence of the workers in France.
In the French parliament there is a small and weak, but International Communist faction. The situation is yet far from favourable, but it improves day by day.
