Kollontai played an important role in the United States popularizing the Zimmerwald Left, the internationalist opposition to World War One. Alexandra Kollontai was in the United States twice for two extended stays, one a country-wide tour. Invited by Ludwig Lore and the German Socialist Federation of the Socialist Party of America to come to speak against the war, and with her own agenda working with Lenin and European internationalists, she arrived in September, 1915. For three and a half months, until early 1916, she toured the country from coast to coast. In late 1916, she returned to New York indefinitely to renew contacts and act as Bolshevik envoy, but also to be near her son Misha, living in Patterson, New Jersey. In addition, her former partner Alexander Shliapnikov was living in New York, with Nikolai Bukharin and Trotsky soon to arrive. All would unite in the ‘New International’ project in January, 1917 and return to Russia with the fall of the Tsar in March, 1917

‘A Valliant Fighter for the International’ from Young Socialists Magazine. Vol. 10 No. 2. February, 1916.

These unhappy days have brought us so many bitter disappointments, so many shattered ideals, have driven so many of our comrades into the enemies’ camp. that we sometimes feel as if national feeling had entirely wiped out International brotherhood. We forget that in every nation of Europe Socialists are suffering long months of imprisonment for speaking and writing as Internationalists, that more than one comrade has given his life rather than sacrifice his ideals.

Alexandra Kollontay is, we may say it without reservation, one of the heroic figures of our International movement. A Russian by birth, a daughter of the ancient feudal nobility, she early became drawn into the revolutionary movement of her country. The breaking of all family ties was inevitable and, with nothing to live for but the movement which had become her life, she went to Switzerland where she spent a short time in the study of social sciences. But after two years she returned to her native land to take an active part in its revolutionary propaganda, though her activity for the Russian Social-Democratic Labor Party endangered life and liberty. Oftener than we have time to tell she was arrested. She worked under a constant cloud of suspicion and persecution until in 1906 she fled from Russia and took up her home in Berlin. Russia’s loss was Germany’s gain, at least so far as the movement was concerned. The brilliant young speaker toured the country for the German Social Democracy and was likewise active in England, Belgium, Switzerland, France and Norway. Here her extraordinary talent for languages was of great value to her in her work.

When the war broke out Comrade Kollontay was arrested, as were all Russians in Berlin, but was released a few days afterward, with the friendly permission to leave Germany.” But where was she to go, this woman without, a country? France, Belgium and England were closed to her. So she went to Sweden but was driven from there for her anti-militaristic agitation. In Stockholm and in Malmö she spent a number of weeks behind prison bars for the same unpardonable offense. In Norway, where Comrade Kollontay finally took up her abode, she again took up her activity, but a little more carefully, so that she remained there until she came, at the invitation of the German language group, to our country.”

Comrade Kollontay is now closing a splendidly successful tour through the United States. Her enthusiastic meetings are proof of the fact that here, as everywhere, the great mass of the class-conscious working class has not forgotten its mission that, though leaders may have fallen, the rank and file are standing firm for solidarity and international brotherhood. To have recalled American Socialists to their mission, to have torn the veils of nationalist prejudice from the eyes of deluded comrades, this has been the great service that she has rendered to our American movement. In a few days Comrade Kollontay will return to Europe where the work of reconstruction calls for all hands on deck. But before she leaves our shores she has another message to deliver; a message to the young Socialists of the nation: “In the hands of the coming generation lies the future of the Socialist movement and its problems. But that the International of the future may be fit to live and to take up the struggle against our enemies it must build three fundamentals, must lay three corner stones upon it to build up the superstructure of education and agitation. First, a united, international organization of the working class, an organization, whose highest duty shall be to substitute international solidarity for chauvinism and narrow patriotism, which shall place class feeling above the feeling for the fatherland. We are rapidly approaching terrible struggles and revolutionary actions. To prepare the proletariat to fight these struggles effectively and successfully, this is the second duty of the International.

The third cornerstone, however, shall be an unceasing, uncompromising war upon war, a campaign against militarism and militaristic spirit.”

So says Comrade Kollontay in a call to the youth of the International movement.

The Young Socialists of Greater New York have arranged a mass meeting to be held on February the 8th at Stuyvesant High School, at which our comrade will speak to the young people of our movement. It will be more than a meeting, it will be a pledge of the young people that they will join us in the battle against patriotism and narrow nationalism, against militarism and war. It will show that the future of the proletariat will be safe in the hands of the coming generation.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/youngsocialist/v10n02-feb-1916_Young%20Socialists.pdf