Page:Grigory Zinoviev - Report of the Executive Committee of the Communist International (1921).pdf/69

 At Livorno we have seen a split in a mass party of 200,000 members. The majority went to the Centrists, and the minority to the Communists. The only fault on our part had been our placing too much confidence in Serati, and having failed to organise a strong opposition in the Italian Party against Serati. When they declare that if we condemn the opportunism of Smeral—the Czecho-Slovak Party will immediately break up and only a small minority will remain Communist—what does it mean? It means that they have a big mass party wherein only a minority are Communist. Were the case really so tragic, they should be entertaining no illusions. But I do hope that the case is not so tragic. We know that there exists a group within the Czecho-Slovak Party which has fully grasped these facts. For, have we not read the letter that was written from prison by Comrades Muna and Zapotocki? This letter must be very diligently studied by everyone. The letter represents a very interesting document. They say the same thing as we are saying. It is much to be regretted that they did not mention the name of Smeral. I do not know for what reason. But they see things exactly as we do. The fact that nobody dared to protest against their letter, shows that these comrades have a following in the party. It is at least the duty of the Communist International to declare its solidarity with the declarations of these comrades who are still languishing in prison. But we must go even further and speak against Smeral all that we have to say.

We do not wish to tell the comrades: "Make your revolution at once." We are not to be drawn into any such thing. Nor do we say: "You must break loose to-day, to-morrow, or within a month." But we do say that the agitation and propaganda must be revolutionary and not Centrist. As I listened to the speech of Comrade Tausik yesterday I had to say to myself: These are the words of a man of the Two-and-a-half International. He said among other things