An early resolution on work in the East from the Young Communist International with sections on China, Japan, Mongolia, Korea, and India.

‘Work in the Countries of the Near and Far East’ from Resolutions and Theses of the Third World Congress of the Young Communist International. 1923.

THE growth and development of the communist movement among the working class youth in the countries of the Near and Far East has made considerable progress during the last year. The resolutions of the Second Congress on the problem of the work amongst the Oriental peoples and the energetic action of the congress of the working class youth of the Far East have considerably advanced the organisations of the young workers of these countries under the banner of the Y.C.I.

During the past year organisations were established in China and Corea. The essential foundations for the definite formation of the Y.C.L. of Japan were laid down. The revolutionary youth organisation of Mongolia became affiliated with the Y.C.I.; and connections were established with the Y.C.L. of Turkey. These, however, were only the preliminary accomplishments. The Young Communist International is still confronted with the task of furthering and strengthening the development of the movement as a whole. Unfortunately it must be stated that, so far, the movement has affected only Asia and that Africa has scarcely as yet been touched.

(2) The growth and the consolidation of the movement enables the Y.C.I. to present to the Young Communist Leagues of the Oriental countries a number of new tasks for the extension of their practical work and for their organisational improvement.

China. The Young Socialist League of China was formed during the period of a most acute struggle against imperialism. This fight was especially supported by the revolutionary-nationalist students, who are the most vigorous social force in China. The Young Socialist League of China was formed of the most active left elements among the students. Within the League, however, there remained a few traces of the general students’ movement in the form of conflicts between different tendencies (the right-nationalist-liberal elements on the one hand and the left-anarchistic on the other).

At the time of the first congress of the Young Socialist League of China this internal struggle had practically come to an end. At this congress the League was already a strong and ideologically uniform organisation. This was achieved by practical work in a number of mass campaigns, in the organisational strengthening of the League and in the intensification of its influence upon broad masses of the working class youth. The Young Socialist League of China has grown numerically and has advanced in political importance.

The tasks that now confront the Young Socialist League of China are to still further strengthen its organisation and to give particular attention to the work among the industrial and rural youth. This work demands special and persistent efforts, since up to this time the movement was supported principally by the students. The composition of the League is responsible for certain features which handicap its further development: Lack of strict discipline, a strong inclination to engage in academic discussions, insufficient contact with the actual every-day struggles, and above all–isolation from the masses of the working class youth.

While the Third Congress records with satisfaction the achievements of the Y.S.L. of China, it considers it necessary to point out the following:

(a) The Young Socialist League of China must concentrate its main forces on organisation and propaganda work among the working class youth. In order to win the young workers to the League and to defend them against exploitation, the League must take up an economic struggle based upon the elementary demands of the working class youth (increase of wages, shortening of working hours, etc.). On the other hand it must extend its political educational work (clubs, schools, etc.) in order to raise the cultural and class level of the working class youth and to make it possible, at the same time, for the League to exist legally.

(b) In order to strengthen its organisation, the League must use a number of measures and, above all, it must bring about a strict centralisation of the movement. In order to establish strict discipline within the League, the work must be carefully and thoroughly distributed among the members, utilising each member for organisational and propaganda work amongst the working class youth. The congress is of the opinion that members of the Y.S.L. of China should not simultaneously be members of non-communist political organisations.

(c) The Y.S.L. of China must transform its organ “The Pioneer” into a popular organ of the industrial and rural youth, to be devoted to their lives and struggles. In future it is particularly necessary to establish a close practical contact between the Y.S.L. of China and the E.C. of the Y.C.I.

Japan. (a) The communist movement in Japan has but recently crystallised into the formation of the Communist Party of Japan. The sympathetic youth were admitted into the ranks of the Party and did not form a special organisation. Only recently with the participation of the E.C. of the Y.C.I., were there formed special groups of younger party members for the work amongst the youth.

(b) It is necessary that the young communist movement of Japan should, from the beginning, endeavour to make the working class youth its main supporters. For this purpose it is essential to find and use every possibility of legal propaganda among the young workers. The League must carry on activities for the defence of the economic interests of the working class youth (equal wages for boys and girls, increase in wages in general, a shortening of working hours) for which work it must utilise the trade union movement. Fractions must be formed within the trade unions for the organisation of the propaganda amongst the young proletariat.

(c) After the consolidation of the organisation and the development of legal possibilities of work, the League will be able to transfer the centre of its organisational and economic work (by means of nuclei) into the factories and into the country. The already existing Young People’s League of the State must be utilised. The Y.C.L. which is to be formed, must regulate its relations to the Communist Party of Japan on the basis of the decisions of the Second Congress of the Y.C.I. and the Third Congress of the Communist International.

Corea. The political terror used by Japan, has hitherto prevented the organisation of the revolutionary youth into a Young Communist League. Only very recently a Y.C.L. was formed. It is confronted, first and foremost, with the task of strengthening its organisation and extending its influence.

(a) The League must establish strict discipline within its ranks. In order to increase its influence it must take advantage of every possibility of legal work amongst the masses. To win new members, the League must work in two directions:

(1) Directly among the masses of unorganised urban and rural workers and (2) within the existing youth organisations by winning their best revolutionary and proletarian elements over to the Y.C.L.

(b) This work can be successfully accomplished only if the Y.C.L. utilises every legal possibility of work; takes up the struggle for the improvement of the economic situation of the working class youth, and at the same time, trains and educates its members.

(c) The main task of the Y.C.L. of Corea is agitation against Japanese occupation. This agitation must possess a strictly class character without any nationalist tendencies. The Y.C.L. of Corea must form a close connection with the E.C. of the Y.C.I. The Third Congress instructs the E.C. of the Y.C.I. to undertake the political guidance of the League until a Communist Party has been formed in Corea that will be recognised by the Communist International.

Mongolia. The Mongolian revolutionary youth organisation is the only organisation which actually unites the proletarian elements of the Mongolian population and fights for their interests. Recently the Mongolian League recorded a considerable success in its numerical growth and in the strength of its influence. The exceptional role which the League plays in Mongolia and the particular conditions of its work, which result from the cultural and economic backwardness of the country, confront the League with the following special tasks:

(a) Support of the Revolutionary People’s Party.

(b) Work among the masses in order to train them for the administration of the country, and the creation of a basis for a form of government that would express the interests of the workers.

(c) Political work within the League in order to raise the cultural level of the members and to provide them with practical knowledge on the structure of the country.

(d) Organisation of various forms of agitational work, and a struggle against illiteracy.

(e) Fight for the establishment of various kinds of schools and classes for the working class youth and the members of the League.

India. The development of the movement in India, the most important British possession, is of particular significance. The first attempts at organising branches of revolutionary youths in India have proved that there is fertile soil for such work among the students, in the schools, and among the young workers. The E.C. is confronted with the task of strengthening its connections with the existing groups of the revolutionary youth, to support them and to establish rallying points for the movement. In this work the Y.C.L. of Great Britain must take an active part. It must carry on propaganda among the Indian students in Great Britain and among the colonial sailors that come into British ports. To intensify the propaganda, special columns of the League organ should be devoted to the Indian movement. Furthermore, the Berlin Bureau should provide printed propaganda material.

While endorsing the decisions of the Second Congress on the problem of the work in the Oriental countries, the Third Congress instructs the future E.C. to pay more attention to the support of the youth movement in the Oriental countries.

Endorsing the decisions of the Second Congress on the work in the colonies, the Third Congress proposes to the E.C. to attract the special attention of the Young Communist Leagues of Europe to this work by assigning them concrete tasks and requesting them to report on their colonial activities.

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