Page:Solomon Abramovich Lozovsky - The World's Trade Union Movement (1924).pdf/123

 Rh Thus, this period of ideological crisis definitely affected the anarcho-syndicalist wing of the world's trade union movement and brought into its ranks a great internal confusion, dissolution and sharp variation.

It is necessary to point out that among all these anarcho-syndicalist groupings only a small part remains fixed to the old point of view. The peculiar attribute of this group is that neither the war nor the revolution has had any influence on it. Perhaps it is a virtue but, at the present moment, a very doubtful virtue. They are striving to create their own "international" on the basis of the pre-war pure syndicalism, being sure, as before, that only the trade unions are revolutionary organizations, and all other organizations, including the Communists, are the tools of the capitalist class.

What does this international represent? It embraces the German syndicalists, 30,000; the majority of the anarcho-syndicalists of Spain, about 100,000; a majority of the Portugal Confederation of Labor, about 40,000 members; a minority of the Unity General Confederation of Labor (C. G. T. U.) of France; finally, small separate groups in Sweden, between 15,000 and 20,000; in Holland, about 5,000; and smaller groups and organizations in South American countries: Argentina, Mexico and Brazil. These are all the forces of the anarcho-syndicalist international. I have already mentioned the character of their platform which was adopted by their constituent congress.

In every international one country is playing the leading role—this defines the physiognomy of the international unit. In the Amsterdam International the leading role is played by the British trade unions. In the Profintern the leading role is played by the Russian trade union movement. Who is playing the leading role in the anarcho-syndicalist international?

This role is played by the syndicalist-Tolstoian organization of Germany. The leadership in this international belongs to the German syndicalists, the main attribute of which is absolute passivity. What are the German syndicalists doing? Nobody knows. They are busy with advocating individual improvement, preaching non-resistance to evil, non-resistance to violence, defending Russian anarchists against the soviet power, they are attacking the Soviet government for its "crimes." In short, these people are busy, on one hand, with self-improvement, and on the other, in agitation that is absolutely harmless to the bourgeoisie.

More than that, this international is striving to split its followers from other organizations, It is, on principle, for splitting the trade unions and withdrawing from them all the more pure—from their point of view—elements. The organization which leads this international—the German syndicalists—is as "dangerous" to the German bourgeoisie as is, for instance, the Esperanto Association or the Skating