Communist Union

The communist Union is a French communist group political resulting from a gathering of groups located at the left of the French Communist party and from a scission of the communist Ligue. The CPU existed of 1933 at the beginnings of the Second world war.

History

The foundation and beginnings

In 1933, on the initiative of a local group of the Western suburbs of Paris formed by Henry Chazé (Gaston Davoust) and the XV° ray, a conference of unification of a dozen communist groups of opponents and individuals is organized. After some meetings held between April and June 1933, this conference leads to a partial unification. A few months afterwards, the communist Union (CPU) is born from a scission, half-half, in the communist League trotskist who had taken part in the conference but had remained independent. The CPU publishes in November 1933, the n°1 of its newspaper the International one. As soon as born, in December 1933, the communist Union , amalgamates with the organization resulting from the Conference of unification, and publishes its n°2 with Jean Lastérade as manager. In this same number, the CPU asserts four groups in the Paris region: Paris, Courbevoie, Clichy and Bagnolet. A permanence is also announced with the seat of the organization, 10 Rue July in the twentieth district. The CPU which was maintained to the war (the last number of International, n° 43, being gone back to July 1939) numerically became the communist group of opposition to the most important Stalinism, in front of the Italian Left wing and the small group trotskyste tiny room to the state of bunch (less than one forty members) by the scission of 1933.

After this fusion, the CPU evolves gradually to the Communisme of council, absorbing the only small group claiming this current then (around Bayard). The CPU collects in addition a good part of the Bordiguiste S (Italian for the majority) Parisian while continuing to move away from the official Bordiguisme: “… the bordiguists declare themselves predestined almost to become the core of the future international organization, because Italians, and of this fact armed with an experiment and a political and doctrinal luggage incomparable” (connection and News bulletin, n° November 2nd, th and th 1935).

“All that explains why comrades gave up us, ones to seek audiences at Doriot into 34-35, others because in the u.a., they could not play “number one”, others still quite simply because our quick change frightened them. Departures on the point of the feet or after discussion, short and friendly. A few years afterwards, very logically besides, almost all these comrades were or in the socialist left of Green woodpecker or at the “Stalinist ones of left” of the group which published “That To make. The particularly dynamic situation opened by on February 6th 1934 caused reclassification and selection, especially with the birth of the Popular front, greeted by a “wall cupboard with the One” of “the International one”: “Popular front equalizes Front National”, wall cupboard taken again by “Ground Free”, except for some sentences (better than ours) and drawn in leaflet by André Prudhommeaux. Even critical severe of the Trade-union unit”. Then our articles “Against any defense of the U.S.S.R.” in 1935 and at the beginning of 1936. Our heading on the evolution counter-revolutionary of the U.S.S.R. ended, vis-a-vis the facts, and conclusion of our effort of theoretical reflection, to consider the U.S.S.R. as a power imperialist whose nature was the capitalism of State. ” (1). This heading was particularly assured by Voradi (pseudonym: Lang).

The other principal writers of International are Lasterade (Jean de Lastérade de Chavigny), Laroche (Szajko Schönberg), Henry Chazé (Gaston Davoust).

The War of Spain

During the Spanish Civil war the CPU does not recommend the departure of militants for Spain, while including/understanding the Italian militants Bordiguiste S (condemned by their own organization) who made this choice, in particular to fight in the militia. Henry Chazé and another member of the CPU (Robert Glassman) goes to Barcelona in August - September 1936 to establish connections.

“The long discussion with Federica Montseny remained long-lived in my memory… during the discussion, it spoke “about anarchism of State”!! I did not stumble, but my young comrade remained about it pantois and dumb until the end of maintenance. “Anarchism of State”, about on August 20th 1936, that promised! The discussions with the comrades of POUM were also very disappointing. Refusal to undertake within POUM a discussion on the U.S.S.R. (Gorkin). ” (1)

Moving in several cities starting from Barcelona, they note that the CNT (Confederación Nacional del Trabajo) there controls all, by in top and its basic groups. To go from Barcelona to Tarassa, with Gorkin, they are controlled several times but can move freely thanks to a " except-conduit" delivered by an organization chaired by Santillan. This safe conduct is useful to them also with the return to stop in Gerona and Figueras, also controlled by the CNT. These various stops are the occasion of talks more trustful than with the anarchistic leaders and POUM ists.

Before and after the days of May 37 in Barcelona, the CPU clearly dissociates its support for the Spanish combatants of that with the Spanish Republic:

" The assassination of the revolutionary militants such as Berneri, Andreu Nin, of the anarchistic comrades of extreme-left, the Friendly of Durruti and Libertarian Youths, the destruction of POUM, the arrest of its leaders, Gorkin, Andrade, etc, show the will stopped of the republican middle-class of Spain decapitating the Catalan revolutionary movement before operating a news and deep bleeding in the proletariat.

This repression which currently prevails in all republican Spain is the result of the throttling of the Spanish Revolution carried out by the imperialisms " démocratiques" , fascists and Soviet, with the complicity of the treacherous parties of International IIe and IIIe…

By different means, Free and the government of Valence pursued the same goal: to subdue the proletariat and to consolidate the dictatorship of class of the borgeoisy…

L'" antifascisme" led our brothers of Spain to one to demolish bloody. L'" antifascisme" allowed the Popular front in France to also divert the working class of a true action of class.

(Leaflet - not dated distributed by the communist Union to a meeting with Reciprocity)

In March 1937, with the call of the CPU, is held in Paris an International Conference. Y take part a series of groups which had been opposed to the bordiguists (Assessment) in connection with the Spanish Civil war: LCI (League of the Communists Internationalists, Belgium), RWL (Revolutionary Workers League, the USA) represented by Oehler, League for Revolutionnary Workers Party of Field, GIK (Group of the international Communists, Holland) represented by Meijer Cane), and of individualities like Gabriel Miasnikov, Arkadi Maslow and Ruth Fischer, representing the old oppositions Russian and German. The failure of this conference will lead the RWL to create an international commission of contact.

In 39, before its disappearance, the CPU joined the position of Anton Pannekoek or KAPD; preserving the word Left while rejecting the Leninist design a leading party.

The war, with the mobilization, the arrest or the escape of the foreign militants, brings the disappearance in fact of the in September 1939 group, even if connections are maintained during the war by women of the CPU. Henry Chazé is stopped then off-set. He will survive Sachsenhausen and will take again an activity on positions Communist of councils, but the CPU will not be reconstituted.

1. Henry Chazé, Union Communist 1933-1939, foreword with Chronique of the Spanish Revolution, editions Spartacus, 1979

Note: This organization should not be confused with the organization trotskyste of the same name founded later on by Barta.

Documents and correspondences

Letter of Andre Prudhommeaux with International (5/25/35)

Dear comrades,

I received this morning-even a specimen of your body the International one.

The clearness of your attitude vis-a-vis the Laval-Stalin agreement is extremely sympathetic nerve. This urges me to kindly request to you to note our newspaper " Libre" ground; (A. Prudhommeaux, 10 rue Emile Jamais Nimes- gard) on your list of exchanges.

In addition to that I would be happy to exchange a collection of 14 N) published of Free Ground against the 14 n° published of International, and a collection of our review now finished " International correspondence ouvrière" (15 numbers) against a collection of the review " Bilans".

In the future we will have a pleasure of forwarding to you all our publications. You will verez by there that the anarchistic thought is not only limited to the " Libertaire" , body that for my part I regard as infected reformism and of the same of nationalism (see n°450 of May 24th, 4° page columns 1 and 2 " How they conceive the national" spirit;).

Well fraternally with you, A. Prudhommeaux

Letter of Andre Prudhommeaux with International (11/17/37)

Dear comrades,

I intend to publish in next a n° of Spain Nouvelle (with reference of course) pages 3 and 4 of your number 32 of " Internationale".

In addition allow moii to congratulate you for beautiful theoretical work - national question pages 7 to 11 (article signed Laroche).

I had raised this question on the Marxist level in a published periodical there are 6 or 7 years, and I had arrived at the same conclusions. Ajotons that these conclusios necessarily leads to an anarchistic theory, because the psychologically and materially inseparable State and the Nation its, and any national matter nihilism leads to a nihilism with respect to the forms and of the official forces. Still a small effort and you will arrive at the Bakouninienne design of the armed struggle révoutionnaire expropriatrice and decentralized, recommended by Bakounine starting from Sedan (1870). Introduced by the communards into the field of the facts; recognized afterwards by Marx in its Civil war in France which joined by there certain works of its youth (the Jewish question already a theory of the State contains) - this design bakouninienne is, in my opinion, the solution with the Spanish problem, as all the problem war and revolution. One cannot draw aside without falling in the negativism from the Assessment-majority group, or into the collaborationnism recommended by the UA with the trailer of leaders CNT-FAI. I add that on this ground currently meet Spain Nouvelle and the Amis of Durruti.

I am extremely happy to learn that articles of Amigo del Pueblo, that I passed to you in the original will be translated by you.

I have another periodical: Alerted! who succeeded Amigo and who currently appears each week with very alive contents and very rich person.

I hope to translate it almost completely, which was hardly possible for Amigo del Pueblo, with the too long articles and often a little smoky…

Hoping that this letter will inspire the desire to you to announce again or to quote Spain Nouvelle in your columns, I send to you, dear comrades, my best wishes of good and useful work for the social revolution.

Well fraternally,

Andre Prudhommeaux

Letter of Henry Chazé with the group For a Communist Intervention (5/5/75)

… Compared to Masses and Spartacus which represented a left wing of the SFIO, the Communist Union was an organization which, vis-a-vis the facts, and those were hustled like currently, taken position clearly against the frontism, the defense of the USSR, on the nature of the Russian State (capitalism of State) and the Spanish revolution (July 36 - May 37), etc….

At the beginning, the Communist Union was born from a scission in the League trotskist, half-half as Craipeau in its book recognizes it. Moderately, it does not give figures. I have these figures and the names: 35 then 37 for the half which formed the u.a. Only these figures make include/understand why other half hastened to enter the SFIO. “The infiltration” had been born.

Communist Union, in December 33, amalgamated with what remained organization resulting from the Conference of unification of April-June 33, organization which included/understood refractories with the trotskism. And it is there this u.a. which evolved quickly to the Communism of the Councils, absorbing the only small group claiming C.C. (around Bayard) (A. Prudhommeaux being with “Free Ground” of the F.A.F.) - but losing some trotskists indécrottables, of the Jewish group in particular. From 36 to 39, the u.a. was a center of attraction for the individuals and bunches nauseated by the gymnastics trotskist (infiltration in the SFIO, then in the PSOP), but well not very assimilable. It should be noted that the u.a. collected the near total of the bordiguists (Italian for the majority) Parisian, a score of good working comrades who had not digested the delirious position of the Belgian bordiguists and Vercesi (not of party bordiguist in Spain, therefore not of revolution) on the revolutionary movement in the peninsula - to see “Assessment” and “Communism”.

Rioux in its book is unaware of the u.a. and “the International one”. On the other hand it quotes my paper (which I had completely forgotten) of 38 in the Alarm clock Trade unionist (the Popular front, strait jacket of the workers. The expression seems to have rained to you because I found it in your leaflet on Portugal). However, all that is known as in this paper, perhaps too concise and condensed, was in “the International one” since 34-35, longitudinally, into broad and diagonal. For example “Face-Popular = Front National”, wall cupboard with the one of “the International one”, taken again by Prudhommeaux in “Free Ground”, and whose Barrot quotes only the title in its book on the F.P. It reproduces other articles of “the International one” of 35, but nothing according to 35. Nothing on the articles “Against any defense the USSR” and on “the evolution counter-revolutionary the USSR” (permanent heading)… and nothing on Spain. On the other hand, it reproduces papers of “Assessment” and “Communism” where it is question of the u.a. and its alleged defense of the Spanish Republic. They are not serious when have wants to play historian. The bordiguists of Belgium, a handle, had an aberrant position (see higher) and, for example, included/understood nothing at the days May 37, Spanish Kronstadt (all things considered)…

… It is about an evolution vis-a-vis the facts and for this reason calling into question “it” or the theories inherited the past. I must say that we did not have time to better do because we did not have among us distinguished theorists - we were as a large majority of the “militants”, trade-union also, no matter what perfectly conscious of the integration of the trade unions which we denounce as it was carried out through the F.P., of the Trade-union unit, etc…. You will not find anything on the Party, if it is not the repetition of positions inherited Leninism, with however a critic “leading” role. In 39, we were about on this question with the position of A. Pannekoek or the KAPD - preserving the word Parti, but with the significance which you know. We did not have, and I still do not have it, the fetishism of the Councils…

Henry Chazé, 5/5/75 (according to Young Mole! N° July 6th, th and th 1975)

Extract of a letter (not dated) of Henry Chazé to a militant of " For a Communiste" Intervention; (PEAK) in connection with Bayard

… I would start with Bayard and his small group. They joined the u.a. at the beginning of 1936 - a stage in the evolution of the u.a., in particular on the USSR, that after the denunciation of the Popular front dice its birth. It was not so much a long time only we had contacts with the Communists of the Council of Holland. Canne Meijer had come and was to thereafter maintain these contacts (visits and correspondences, plus articles in " Internationale". The whole small group of Bayard did not have any more reasons to exist consequently. It was acted in fact of some friends of Bayard: an old craftsman of art (reproduction of the tables by the old process which one called " water-forte" , his/her oldest son who assisted it, and his young person sons dentist. In addition to this family, a couple (she teacher and him, I does not remember any more).

It is the personality of Bayard who was interesting. Polytechnician, senior executive of the P.T.T. (underwater cables). But often in displacement. So the group did not publish anything, met irregularly.

You know that after the strikes of June 36, the compulsory arbitration was born, the collective agreements, in short a whole procedure which will harm the Statute of Work… what I had called a " Nightshirt of force" for the workers.

However, Bayard, senior official, was designated as referee. Before accepting or refusing, he requested the opinion of the u.a. After having discussed, we were of agreement so that he accepts at least ue time given that… that he would polish an arbitration favorable to the workmen… arbitration which can make jurisprudence thereafter. And it is what it did, and it is also what made it possible some other referees to be based on this arbitration. It was about a strike in Charente, I believe. Conclusion: Bayard was solicited never again, of course. What is to be retained, it is the political honesty of Bayard, more than the result.

Bayard was a very good comrade, a good friend. He made known me another Polytechnicien which was Directeur of AOIP (Workers' association out of Precision instruments, in telephony), Coopérative worker - with all the defects and illusions of such experiments. AOIP was used however as refuge for militants with the barks because too much known employers. I made there enter the young buddy Robert Glassman, that which had come with me to Barcelona… and was some time managing of " Internationale".

Bayard died a few years after the war… and one of the boats of the service of the underwater cables bears its name.

Bayard and his small group were probably a residue of the experiment of " The Communiste" Workman;. But I cannot guarantee it. Jean Rabaut, in his book " All be possible" , devotes 2 or 3 pages (77-78-79) to " The Communiste" Workman; , on a tone of mockery poisonous and répugant (as when he speaks about the u.a.), but does not mention Bayard, only Dautry and Prudhommeaux. What is sure, in any case, it is that Bayard was well-known Dutch buddies.

Knows an important thing: very few militants in France knew the Communists of the Councils and the K.A.P.D. - for lack of translation. It is the book of Lénine " The Disease infantile" who caused curiosity to know these far lefts that Lénine attacked.

External bonds

History reported in:

* communist left of France, Editions of the international communist Running *, Paris, 2000.

NB: it is about the version of the facts of a group nonfavorable to the Communist Union.