Red Union International

The purpose of the Profintern was to coordinate actions at different stages between the communist trade unions and the communists and communist organizations operating in mass unions. The trade-union was organized in opposition to the reformist Amsterdam International - the Social Democratic International Federation of Trade Unions.

In July 1920, the Second Congress of the Comintern created the interim International Council of Trade and Industrial Unions (Intersovprof), which included representatives of the Russian, Italian, British, French and Bulgarian delegations. The new body was headed by Solomon Lozovsky , his deputies were Alfred Rosmer of the General Confederation of Labor of France and Tom Mann of Great Britain.

The first, founding, Congress of the Profintern was held on July 3, 1921. It recognized the slogan of the dictatorship of the proletariat, rejected the principle of "neutrality" of the trade union movement in the political struggle. Congress decided "to establish as close ties as possible with the Communist International , the vanguard of the revolutionary movement around the world, on the basis of mutual representation in the executive bodies of the two internationals, joint meetings," etc. (although the syndicalist wing, in particular Big Bill Heywood from the " Industrial Workers of the World ", defended the idea of ​​the independence of the Profintern from the Comintern). Congress set the task of "not destroying, but conquering the trade unions, that is, the multimillion masses in the old unions." The congress was attended by 380 delegates from 41 countries.

The second congress was held from November 19 to December 2, 1922. It was attended by 213 delegates from 51 organizations in 41 countries. One of the main issues addressed at this congress was questions about work in the " reformist " trade unions and about the trade union movement in colonial countries. Delegates spoke out against withdrawal from mass trade organizations. Concerning the colonial countries, the Congress set several tasks: the creation of class production unions; equalization of working conditions for local and European workers; support for national liberation movements while maintaining the "class positions of the proletariat"; the struggle against racial and national prejudices of workers.

The general line on the unity of trade union organizations and work in mass trade unions was continued at the Third Congress of the Profintern, which took place on July 8–22, 1924. There was a discussion at the congress between supporters of the unity of the trade union movement and supporters of the creation of separate "red" trade unions.

A little earlier, in June 1924, at the congress of the Amsterdam International in Vienna, his left wing raised the question of merging with the Profintern. Despite this, most delegates to the congress adopted the point of view of the "right." In accordance with this decision, the congress decided in those countries where separate "red" trade unions — Czechoslovakia, France, and others — to restore unity with the mass reformist unions. In total, 311 delegates from 39 countries participated in the congress.

“The nature of their work is more reminiscent of a large agitprop or a large publishing house than an organizational center for managing the trade union movement,” Melnichansky, Grigory Natanovich ^[1] noted at the XV Congress of the CPSU (B.) In December 1927.

1928 was a year of change in the policies of communist organizations around the world. This was expressed both in the decisions of the 9th plenum of the Executive Committee of the Comintern, - February 1928, and in the decisions of the 4th Congress of the Profintern, held in April 1928. Based on the theory that capitalism is entering its final, "third period", which is marked by a general strike wave and a revolutionary situation, the main blow of the Communists should be directed at the Social Democratic parties and reformist unions. The 4th Congress of the Profintern decided on the need to create "red" trade unions and fight against reformist trade unions. The same line was supported at the 5th Congress of the Profintern in the following 1930.

In subsequent years, in connection with the departure of the Comintern from the line of the "third period" to the tactics of cooperation with reformist organizations, the Profintern moves to the same position. In France, Czechoslovakia, the USA, Romania, India, Spain, Canada and in a number of other countries, the union of trade unions took place in 1935-1937. By the end of 1937, a significant part of the sections of the Profintern ceased to exist. In this regard, the organization ceased its activities.

The two highest organs of the Profintern were the Central Council and the Executive Bureau. The organ of the Profintern was the publication International Labor Movement . The leading figures in the Profintern were: Solomon Lozovsky (Secretary General of the Profintern in 1921-1937), Andres Nin (Deputy Secretary General of the Profintern, member of the Executive Bureau, editor of the organ of the Profintern), Mikhail Tomsky (chairman of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions) and others.

The headquarters of the Profintern was located in Moscow, where all its congresses took place. In addition, the Profintern had offices in Berlin (Central European Bureau), Paris (Latin Bureau), Bulgaria (Balkan Bureau) and Great Britain (British Bureau). The British bureau acted in conjunction with the National Minority Movement, a left-wing union movement opposed to official labor unions. The League of Workers Unity (Canada) and the League of United Trade Unions (USA) operated in North America. In 1929, the Confederation of Latin American Trade Unions was formed as the local section of the Profintern. In 1927, the Pacific and Latin American Secretaries of the Profintern were established.

• Political Dictionary. Under the total. ed. A.I. Stetskii . - L .: “Surf”, 1928 // Article “Profintern”
• Profintern in resolutions. - M., 1928
• Ten years of the Profintern in resolutions, documents and figures. - M., 1930
• Lozovsky A. Ten years of struggle for the Profintern. - M., 1930
• Lozovsky A. For a united front and unity of the trade union movement. - M., 1935
• Foster, W. 3. Essays on the World Trade Union Movement, trans. from English - M., 1956
• The history of the trade union movement abroad, [h. 1] (From the 60s of the 18th century to 1939). - M., 1962
• Adibekov G.M. Red International of Trade Unions. - M., 1971

• Red International of Trade Unions // Big Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vol.] / Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov . - 3rd ed. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
• Materials on the history of the Profintern (English)