The working councils are assemblies of workmen functioning according to the principles of the Direct democracy, and being organized in insurrectionary capacity.

History

The first working councils (or Soviet S) appear in Russia during the Révolution of 1905.

In February 1917, the reformation of the Soviets leads to the inversion of the mode tsarist. But the Soviets will never exert really the power: from February in October 1917, the capacity is held by a “provisional government” directed by Kerensky. The watchword defended by the Bolsheviks is then: “All capacity with the Soviets! ”. Starting from October 1917, the capacity is held by “police chiefs of the people” directed by Lénine.

The working councils also appear in Germany in November 1918. They oblige the army to sign a Armistice with the France. The working councils of Germany are beaten in January then in March 1919 (see also: German Revolution). They appear at the same time in Alsace, Hungary and in Italy in 1920. Each time, these proletarian insurrections last only a few weeks or a few months and are quickly destroyed by the Bourgeoisie. In 1921, the sailors of Kronstadt revolt against the capacity Bolshevik to defend that of the Soviets: they will be crushed by repression.

One sees later reappearing of the working councils in Hungary in 1956 (against the Stalinist capacity), in France in May 1968, like again in Italy in 1969.

From 1968, the term of working councils starts to be replaced by that of assembled working , then General meetings . From 1973, one speaks in assembled Italy of autonomous , in the direction where these assemblies are not controlled by the trade unions. The autonomous assemblies remain in Italy until in 1979: they gather all kinds of workers, but also of the unemployed and the students.

In France, it is the term of coordinations which is used in 1987 to designate the assemblies of railwaymen and nurses in strike. But contrary to the working councils of the beginning of the century, these assemblies of workers do not take an insurrectionary form. The General meeting is only regarded as a form of organization. It is into the same for the assemblies of strikers who constituted themselves in 1995. Sometimes controlled by the trade unions, these assemblies limited themselves to a purely claiming framework.

Operation

The working councils function according to the principles of the Direct democracy. They gather the whole of the workers in basic assemblies. The elected officials of these assemblies are elected for imperative tasks, do not have decisional capacity, must give an account of their activities before the assembly, and are revocable constantly by the assembly.

Conseillism

The conseillists are those which preach the capacity of the working councils. Current of extreme left, its most known theorists are Anton Pannekoek and Paul Mattick (this current asserts also sometimes Rosa Luxemburg).

Internal bonds

• Soviet
• revolutionary Movements
• Social movement
• Communism
• Socialism
• Russian Revolution
• Revolution
• German Revolution
• Insurrection of Budapest
• Direct democracy