The Lessons of the German Events/Chapter 9
IX
RESOLUTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF
THE COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL ON
THE ORGANISATION OF FACTORY NUCLEI
The Party organisation must be adapted to the conditions and aims of its work. Under the reformist policy of the Social-Democratic parties, which endeavoured to exert an influence upon the bourgeois government by means of the ballot box, it was natural that attention should be chiefly directed to the organisation of voters. The organisation, therefore, was based upon electoral divisions and residential areas. The Communist Party inherited this form of organisation from the Social-Democratic parties, but it is entirely opposed not only to the final aims of the Communist Party, but also to its immediate tasks. The final aim of our Party is to overthrow the power of the bourgeoisie, seize power for the working class, and bring Communism into being. Its immediate tasks are to win the majority of the working class by active participation in the everyday struggles of the working masses, and to secure the leadership of these struggles. This can only be achieved by means of the closest contact between our Party organisations and the working masses in the factories.
It was from this point of view that the Third Congress of the Communist International decided that the basis of the Communist Party must be the factory nuclei. In the majority of the Sections of the Communist International this has not yet been carried into effect; and in many, the question of organising factory nuclei has not been even concretely formulated. The experience of the German Revolution (at the end of 1923) once more clearly demonstrated that without factory nuclei and the closest contact with the working masses, it is impossible to draw the latter into the struggle and to lead them, that it is impossible to gauge their moods accurately and thus take advantage of the most favourable moment for our action, and that it is useless to expect victory over the bourgeoisie.
The Fundamental Forms of Local Organisation
(1) The Factory Nuclei form the Basis of the Party Organisation. All Communists working in a factory must be members of the nucleus in that factory.
Note.—Where there are only one or two Party members in a factory and therefore they cannot form a nucleus, they are to be attached to the nucleus of the nearest factory, which must conduct the work in all adjacent factories where there are no nuclei.
(2) Communists who do not work in factories, workshops, shops, &c. (housewives, domestic servants, house porters, &c.) form Residential Party Nuclei.
Note.—Members of factory nuclei who live in other sections are obliged to register with the committee of the section (part of the town) where they reside. The section committee assigns them to residential nuclei. Members of Party nuclei of other sections who are assigned by Section Committees to residential nuclei, vote in these nuclei on questions which they have voted on in the factory nuclei, (question of Party principle, election of Party delegates, &c.).
(3) Unemployed members remain attached to the nucleus of the factory where they were formerly employed. In the event of protracted unemployment, with the consent of the section committee, they may leave their nucleus and be transferred to the sub-section where they live, and be attached to another nucleus.
(4) In small industrial centres, towns and villages, where the workers reside in close proximity to their factories, or farms, uniform nuclei are formed as far as possible around the factory or farm.
(5) Factory nuclei and residential nuclei elect an executive committee consisting of three or, at most, five persons. The elections take place at the general meetings of the nuclei. The executive committee of the nucleus distributes the work amongst its members. Depending upon the size of the nucleus, the executive committee appoints comrades for the distribution of literature, the conduct of propaganda, a comrade for trade union work, one to conduct the work of the fractions in the factory committees, one for co-operation with the young communist nucleus, one to conduct the work among women, &c.
(6) Party members who are members of a factory nucleus pay their dues to that nucleus; Party members who are members of a residential nucleus pay their dues to the latter.
(7) In large towns where there are numerous factory and residential nuclei, they are united into sub-sections. The sub-sections are joined into sections. All the sections of a large town constitute the local organisation. The section committee fixes its own sub-sections. In doing so, the section committee should attempt as far as possible to form the sub-sections around large factories.
In medium sized towns, sub-sections should be formed, uniting the factory and the residential nuclei. The sub-sections constitute the local organisation. In small towns and villages the nuclei are united into local groups. The local organisations in middle-sized towns and the local groups of small towns and of villages are united into sub-districts.
Note.—Sub-sections and local groups, in accordance with local needs and requirements, hold regular meetings of all the members of the factory and residential nuclei of their sub-section.
(8) At the head of each sub-section or local group, is an executive committee consisting of three to five persons, elected at the general meeting of the members of the nuclei of the sub-section or local group, or else, depending upon local conditions (e.g., when the Party is illegal) at delegate conferences. The Secretary of the committee of the sub-section and of the local groups must be confirmed by the section committee (in the country districts, by sub-district (committee) is the section or sub-district committee elected at section or sub-district Party conferences.
(9) At the sub-section and group delegate meetings, and at district and sub-district conferences, the nuclei should be represented in proportion to the size of their membership, but in such a manner that the majority should consist of delegates from the factory nuclei. The number of delegates from each nucleus should be decided by the sub-section or sub-district committee.
In organisations where, owing to the fact that they are illegal, it is impossible to have a large representation at the sections or sub-district conferences, the delegates may be elected not directly by the nuelei, but at sub-section or group delegate meetings.
(10) Local Committees (in large towns) are elected at local conferences consisting of delegates from all the sections elected at section conferences in proportion to the size of the membership of the district.
(11) In order to increase the influence of the factory nuclei, more than half the members, both of the sub-section committees and of the section committees should be members of factory nuclei. The locall committees should consist partly of factory workers.
(12) Where the Party is illegal, the higher Party organs in special circumstances (e.g., the arrest of a section committee, &c.) have the right to appoint new members of the section committee, with the understanding that a delegate meeting or conference will be summoned at the first opportunity in order to confirm the appointed committee or elect a new one. Members of a committee who have escaped arrest have the right of co-opting new members to the committee, with the agreement and confirmation of the higher party organs, until a conference is summoned, If the party is illegal, the number of members of the section committee should be as small as possible.
The Tasks of the Factory Nuclei
The political organisational work of the Party should be centred in the factory nuclei. The factory nuclei, by leading the struggles of the working masses for their everyday needs, should direct them into the fight for the Dictatorship of the Proletariat. A factory nucleus should, therefore, consider and determine its point of view upon every political or economic question agitating the working masses, and upon every conflict arising in the revolutionary method of settling questions and, as the most conscious and active part of the working class, must assume the leadership of the struggle.
In addition to general Party work, the tasks of the factory nuclei are as follows:—
(1) To carry on Communist agitation and propaganda among the non-party working masses; systematic instruction of individual workers in order to draw them into the ranks of the Communist Party; distribution of political literature in the factories; discussion of questions affecting the factory and even the publication of a special factory newspaper; the carrying on of social and agitational work among the factory workers.
(2) Determined and continual efforts must be made to win elected posts in the shops, trade unions, co-operatives, factory committees, control commissions, &c.
(3) The nuclei should participate in all the economic conflicts and demands of the workers. The task of the nuclei is to broaden and deepen the movement, to point out to the workers the political consequences of the struggle, and to persuade them to adopt the wider struggle (both economic and political) and to set up a United Front of the workers against the bourgeoisie and against Fascism.
(4) The nuclei must carry on an obstinate fight in the factories and workshops against the members and followers of other parties, also of the socialist parties and other "labour parties," using for this purpose facts relating to the activities of these parties which can be understood even by the most backward section of the working class.
(5) They must bring about contact between the employed and unemployed workers in order to avoid a conflict between them.
(6) Where conditions are ripe, they must carry on a fight for workers' control of the industries, banks, land and transport, and for the supply of the workers with the primary needs of life.
(7) They must exert an influence upon the youth and working women employed in the factories, and draw them into the struggle. They must assist in the formation of young communist nuclei in the factories, and support them wherever they already exist.
(8) Every member of a nucleus must actively participate in every kind of party work in the factory to which he is assigned by the executive committee of the nucleus. {{dent/e]}
Apart from the special tasks in their factories, the factory nuclei have also to perform territorial tasks at their places of restdence, since workers employed in factories also have various needs and fulfil various social functions in the places where they reside (housing, food, health, education, elections, &c.).
The chief territorial tasks are as follows:
(1) To conduct the political and organisational work of the Party at the place of residence, the carrying on of campaigns of various kinds (electoral, against bad housing, high rents, &c.), to see that the families of workers, clerks, &c., are assured of the primary necessaries of life.
(2) The distribution of Party literature, the recruiting of new readers and new Party members, agitation, propaganda, individual instruction of non-party workers, educational work in the sub-sections (clubs, &c.), inviting sympathisers to participate in workers' demonstrations, and generally carrying on the working class fight.
(3) House to house propaganda in the sub-sections, the collection of information as to the party affiliations of persons residing in the sub-sections, as to political work, and the activity of Fascists; keeping records of stores of firearms, &c.
(4) Work among women and children.
These Territorial Tasks apply also to the Residential Nuclei.—Their work must be carried on under the direct control of the sub-section committee, and be co-ordinated with the work of the factory nuclei.
Establishing the Factory Nuclei
In view of the novelty of this question for many sections of the Communist International and the varying conditions in different countries, the Executive Committee of the Communist International proposes that the subject should be widely discussed in the Party press and at Party meetings, and then only should the reorganisation of the Party on the basis of factory nuclei be attempted. Nuclei should first be organised in the larger factories.
The nuclei should in no circumstances be confused with the communist fractions in the trade unions, co-operatives, &c., whose function cannot be replaced by the nuclei. The functions of the fractions are narrower than those of the nuclei. The nucleus, or rather, the executive committee of the nucleus, must direct the work of the factory committee fractions in the factory.
The Executive Committee of the Communist International earnestly requests all Sections of the Communist International to furnish it with detailed information on the progress of the discussion on the question here touched upon, and of the results achieved in the organisation in the factories.
Instructions for the Organisation of Factory Nuclei in
Germany
Concerning the Communist Party of Germany, the following special instructions were adopted by the Presidium of the E. C. C. I.:—
(1) In accordance with the resolution on the organisation of factory nuclei (see above) adopted by the Executive Committee of the Communist International, the Party must carry out its re-organisation in such a way as to make the factory nuclei the basis of the Party organisation.
(2) Members of factory nuclei must be in a majority in the section and sub-section committees. Big cities must be divided into sections. The local Party committee must include workers from the bench.
(3) Factory and residential nuclei are to be amalgamated into sub-sections, which are to be under the control of section committees. Wherever possible, the section committees must form the sub-sections around big factories.
(4) Local committees (or section committees) must immediately elaborate a program with a time-limit, with the object of carrying out this re-organisation in every locality, and must submit it to the Central Committee of the Party for approval. In the course of two months, the re-organisation must have been carried out throughout the country under the direction of the Central Committee of the Party. The Central Committee must keep the Executive Committee of the Communist International regularly informed on the progress of the re-organisation work.
Consequently the last paragraph of the resolution on the re-organisation of factory nuclei, does not apply to the German Communist Party.
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