The Labour and Socialist International (LSI; German: Sozialistische Arbeiter-Internationale, SAI) was an international organization of socialist and labourist parties, active between 1923 and 1940. The group was established through a merger of the rival Vienna International and the Berne International, and was the forerunner of the present-day Socialist International.
The LSI had a history of rivalry with the Communist International (Comintern), with which it competed over the leadership of the international socialist and labour movement. However, unlike the Comintern, the LSI maintained no direct control over the actions of its sections, being constituted as a federation of autonomous national parties.
History
Founding
Arthur Henderson (1863–1935) of the British Labour Party was chosen as the first chairman of the executive committee of the LSI in 1923.
Despite the hostility expressed by the Communist International, the left wing of the social democratic movement sought an international "union of the whole proletariat" through 1922.[1] This initiative finally came to a close at the end of the year with the convocation of the 4th World Congress of the Comintern, which decisively rejected calls for a broad and inclusive international body.[1]
This rejection by the Communist wing of the international socialist movement left the center and right — in the form of the Vienna International and the London International, respectively — to patch together their own joint international body.[1] Planning for such a body began in January 1923, a month after the conclusion of the Comintern's 4th World Congress, with the Executive Committees of the Vienna and London groups issuing a joint statement condemning the Communists' decision.[1] The two Executive Committees subsequently issued a convention call for a unification congress in May.[1]
On May 21, 1923, some 620 delegates representing 41 socialist political parties in 30 countries was convened in Hamburg, Germany to bring about the unification of the two Internationals.[1] A wide array of political tendencies were represented among these delegates, running the ideological gamut from activists in the left wing of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) and the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany (USPD) to moderate reformists of the British Labour Party.[2]
The unity congress voted to establish itself as a new International under the name "Labour and Socialist International" (LSI).[2] In marked difference from the Communist movement, no preconditions were established for admission, nor was any binding policy program adopted.[2] Instead the Hamburg Congress issued a manifesto stating that the new International "must grow naturally from the process through which Socialist parties get adapted to one another."[2] Total agreement on fundamental principles was not expected "at the moment of its birth," but the desire was voiced that establishment of the new international body would over time serve as "one of the most important conditions for the harmonizing of their views."[2]
Structure
The LSI was to remain a federation of fully independent and autonomous political parties — groups which were freely allowed under organizational statutes to determine their own internal policies and programs.[3] The organization was modeled upon the old Second International, with supreme authority vested in the international congress, which could be convened at any time upon the demand of 10 or more affiliated parties, so long as these represented at least a quarter of the organization's voting strength.[4]
Governance between congresses was to be conducted by an executive committee, with its participants elected by the member parties.[4] The executive committee was given the power to elect its own chair and other officers, to determine the location for its central office, and to elect a 9-member Bureau for prior consideration of matters of concern in advance of meetings of the full Executive Committee.[4] The executive committee was additionally to establish a 6-member special committee of local members residing at or near the seat of the committee, who were to be responsible for supervising the work of the Executive and its officers and arranging meetings of the Bureau and the executive committee.[4]
The first Executive Committee, elected by the 1923 Hamburg Congress, included Arthur Henderson of the British Labour Party as chairman, Harry Gosling of the British Labour Party as treasurer, with the Austrian Friedrich Adler and the Englishman Tom Shaw joining as members of the group's Secretariat.[4] London was chosen as the seat of the executive committee.[4]
Development
The LSI functioned as a continuation of the Second International,[5] and was often referred to as the "Second International" by the Comintern.[6]
With the rise of Nazism in Europe, there was increased pressure on the LSI and Comintern to cooperate. On February 19, 1933, the LSI Bureau issued a call for joint action of the SPD and the Communist Party of Germany against Adolf Hitler's regime. The Comintern responded by stating that they were not convinced of the sincerity of the declaration. However, the Comintern did soon call its national sections to form united fronts together with social democratic parties locally. The LSI, on its side, did not accept the notion of local social democrats forming united fronts with the communist parties.[8] However, as the Comintern adopted a more conciliatory tone, the resistance of the LSI against forming such united fronts on the national level softened.[9]
Within the LSI, a north–south cleavage emerged, as the Mediterranean LSI parties built fronts with the communists whilst the British and Scandinavian parties rejected the notion of cooperation with the communists. With the German party in disarray, the British and Scandinavians became more influential within the LSI. Thus the space for socialist-communist cooperation decreased. On September 25, 1934, the Comintern Executive issued a call for 'peace negotiations' between the two internationals, but the LSI rejected the offer.[10]
Although the communists opposed colonialism, the LSI were generally supportive of colonialism. For example, the participation of the British Independent Labour Party in the communist-sponsored League against Imperialism caused a controversy within LSI, and the ILP was asked to break its ties with the League. However, the support of the LSI for colonialism was not complete. Regarding the Rif War, the second LSI congress, held in Marseille August 22–27, 1925, adopted a resolution calling for support of the independence of the Rif and urging the League of Nations to accept the Rif Republic as a member.[13][14]
Otto Bauerb (May 1923 – July 1938), Ferdinand Skaret [de] (May 1923 – October 1931), Robert Danneberg (October 1931 – December 1935), Karl Seitz (October 1931 – December 1935), Franz Korac (December 1935 – 1938), Joseph Buttinger (1939/1940, under the pseudonym 'Gustav Richter')
Louis de Brouckère (May 1923 – May 1939, b August 1935-), Emile Vanderveldeb (May 1923 – June 1925, November 1927 – March 1935, February 1937 – December 1938), Joseph Van Roosbroeck [nl] (June 1927 – 1940, became the treasurer of LSI in November 1927), Camille Huysmans (August 1931 – 1940), Désiré Bouchery [nl] (March 1935 – June 1936), Arthur Wauters [fr] (August 1935 – February 1937), Jean Delvigne (June 1936 – 1937, b September 1936-), Max Buset [fr] (1937–1940), Achille Delattre (1938–1940)
Antonín Němec [cs] (May 1924 – August 1925), František Soukup [cs] (August 1925 – September 1938, b 1932-), Leo Winter (August 1931 – August 1935), Josef Stivín [cs] (August 1935 – September 1938), Gustav Winter (1937–1938)
Thorvald Stauning (May 1923 – April 1924, January 1927 – May 1929), Carl Madsen (May 1923 – October 1928), Alsing Andersen (April 1924 – January 1927, May 1929 – November 1935), Vilhelm Nygaard [da] (October 1928 – December 1936), Hans Hedtoft (November 1935 – 1940, b May 1936-), Jensen (February 1938 – 1940)
Alexandre Marie Desrousseaux [fr]b (May 1923 – May 1936), Jean Longuet (May 1923 – 1939), Pierre Renaudel (August 1925 – June 1929, July 1930 – November 1933), Léon Blum (June 1929 – July 1930, May 1934 – May 1936, b June 1939 – 1940), Jean-Baptiste Séverac [fr] (November 1936 – 1940), Jean Zyromski (-November 1936), Marceau Pivert (1938), Salomon Grumbach [fr] (1939–1940)
Wallhead (February 1924 – August 1925, Treasurer of LSI), Clifford Allen (January 1924 – November 1927), Fenner Brockway (November 1927 – November 1932)
Johann Kowoll (January 1929 – June 1936, 1929 – July 1931 seat shared with Brill, July 1931- seat shared with Chobot), Emil Zerbe [pl] (June 1936 – 1940)
Julián Besteiro (May 1924 – October 1932), Largo Caballero (October 1932 – November 1932, September 1933 – September 1936), Remigio Cabello (November 1932 – September 1933), Fernando de los Ríos (September 1933 – 1937), Manuel Cordero Pérez [gl] (September 1933 – 1938)
Hjalmar Brantingb (May 1923 – October 1924), Gustav Möller (May 1923 – October 1924, b July 1929 – September 1932), Arthur Engberg (October 1924 – July 1926), Rickard Lindström [sv] (October 1924 – July 1926, b September 1932 – 1940), Per-Albin Hansson (July 1926 – September 1932), Zeth Höglund (September 1932 – 1940)
Živko Topalović (May 1923 – January 1929, until August 1925 seat shared with Sakazov, August 1925 – June 1928 seat shared with Drobner, June 1928- seat shared with Kruk)
b = Bureau member
Other Executive members: International Women's Commission: Adelheid Popp (February 1924 – September 1935), Alice Pels (September 1935 – 1940)
Socialist Youth International: Karl Heinz (February 1924 – October 1932), Erich Ollenhauer (October 1932 – 1940)
^Smith, Jackie; Chatfield, Charles; Pagnucco, Ron (1997). Transnational Social Movements and Global Politics: Solidarity Beyond the State. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. p. 35.
^Saage, Richard (2007). "Sowjetmarxistische Interpretation des Faschismus" [Soviet Marxist Interpretation of Fascism]. Faschismus: Konzeptionen und historische Kontexte. Eine Einführung [Fascism: Conceptions and Historical Contexts. An introduction] (in German). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. pp. 24–48. ISBN9783531153872.
^Jonathan Derrick, Africa's "Agitators": Militant Anti-Colonialism in Africa and the West, 1918–1939. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008; pp. 156, 180.
^Kowalski, Werner (1985). Geschichte der sozialistischen arbeiter-internationale: 1923 - 19 [History of the Socialist Workers' International: 1923 - 19th Century] (in German). Berlin: Dt. Verl. d. Wissenschaften. pp. 282–338.
Bibliography
Braunthal, Julius (1967) [1963]. History of the International. Vol. 2: 1914-1943. Translated by Clark, John. New York: Frederick A. Praeger.
Jupp, James (1982). The Radical Left in Britain, 1931–1941. London: Frank Cass.
