Passed at the Comintern’s Fifth Congress in 1924.

‘Resolution on the Role of the Co-operatives and the Duty of Communist Co-operatives during the Present Period of Proletarian Revolution’ from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 4 No. 64. September 5, 1924.

Three years of communist work in the co-operatives have proven that the decisions of the recent Congresses on the role and character of the co-operatives and on our role and our tactics were absolutely correct. The Fifth Congress endorses the former decisions, supplements them on certain points, and particularly emphasizes the following:

1. During the present period of proletarian revolution, the organizational, educational and propaganda work within the co-operatives is of greater importance than ever before. The prospects of material advantages tempts such workers and peasants into the co-operatives who have not yet become conscious of the necessity of participating in the class struggles of the political parties and trade unions. Under these circumstances, the co-operatives are an extraordinarily useful factor in the organization of the proletarian class. They render particularly important services in organizing the proletarian women, who belong to no trade union, because they do not work in any factory or institution.

Hence, activity among the backward workers and peasants, and especially among the women, is one of the first duties of the co-operatives.

2. In the capitalist countries, a proletarian victory is impossible without the peasants. Hence the active workers must endeavour to make clear the identity of interests of the workers and peasants.

An excellent opportunity for this purpose is offered in the relations which exist between the various consumers’ co-operatives and the labour union on the one hand and the peasants’ co-operatives on the other hand.

In this way the middlemen and traders, who exploit the peasants as well as the workers, will be forced from the field. In order to accomplish this, we must apply the methods which were recommended by the First International Peasants’ Conference in its decisions on the co-operatives.

This alliance is useful not only for the proletarian struggle but is also the means by which the proletariat which has conquered power, can assume the general leadership of the co-operative movement. This leadership is one of the economic foundations of the proletarian state.

3. It is of great importance that the elements which are not antagonistic to the proletariat, such as the administrative workers, handicraft workers, intellectuals, and other elements of the petty bourgeoisie, take part in this work.

Experience teaches that joint work with the opportunist elements of the petty bourgeoisie within the co-operatives has a damaging influence on class-consciousness and might increase the reformist illusions. Therefore the communists must intensify their agitation and propaganda within the co-operatives movement.

4. In order to bring about the class solidarity of the co-operatives, contact and joint activity with the trade unions must be developed. Contact with the red trade unions is particularly necessary, especially on an international scale with the Red International of Labour Unions in Moscow. Such an alliance would be all the more useful, when a coalition has been formed between the Amsterdam International and the Co-operative International.

5. In regard to the danger of fascism, the communist co-operatives must form a united front with the other labour organizations and lead the peasants’ organizations against fascism. Moreover it is necessary to form organizations for defence and for preparing for the armed struggle, in order to exclude the possibility of such a destruction of the co-operatives, as took place in Italy. Where fascism is in power and has taken over the leadership of the co-operatives, the communist co-operators must not leave their ranks. They must continue their activities secretly and as soon as the interests of the working class demand it, they must come out into the open.

6. At present, in the countries where a Labour Government is in power, there exists the danger that reformist illusions will again temporarily revive.

The influence of these illusions is specially harmful in the co-operatives, since the co-operatives embrace many backward elements, and their leadership is mostly in the hands of the opportunists.

7. The menace of new wars which will be more terrible than anything we witnessed in the world, is very great. All the burdens of the war will fall on the shoulders of the workers; therefore the co-operatives, like the other labour organizations, must energetically fight against the growing militarism and the possibility of war. In this fight, which must be carried on in harmony with the Communist Parties, the revolutionary trade unions and the International Peasants’ Council, the co-operatives must do everything that was outlined by the Russian Delegation at the Peace Congress of the Hague in December 1922.

The communist co-operators must develop active agitation in all countries, so that the co-operative union can take the initiative in calling a new international congress embracing all labour organizations which adopt a class war attitude, for the purpose of taking energetic measures against the war.

8. In view of the great importance which the co-operatives assume on the eve of the seizure of power, the Fifth World Congress of the Communist International resolves that.

a) All members of the Communist Parties must join the co-operatives; they are in duty bound to form communist nuclei within the co-operatives and to form fractions with other proletarian opposition elements. Every campaign must be endorsed by the nuclei and systematically carried out by the communists.

b) Every question regarding the work in the co-operatives must be examined by the Communist Parties on its own merits, and all party organs must lend their support to this work. The co-operatives, like the proletariat, must be induced to take part in all conflicts, whether they are of a political or an economic nature.

c) Every Communist Party must entrust active members with the work in the co-operatives.

d) The Party press must devote considerable space to co-operative questions. The daily papers must, whenever possible, issue co-operative supplements; as soon as possible, communist co-operative literature must be issued and distributed.

e) The decisions of the Third and Fourth Congresses on joint activity of the trade unions and the co-operatives (see also the decisions of the Second Congress of the R.I.L.U. of 1922) must be carried out from now on in all countries.

International Press Correspondence, widely known as”Inprecorr” was published by the Executive Committee of the Communist International (ECCI) regularly in German and English, occasionally in many other languages, beginning in 1921 and lasting in English until 1938. Inprecorr’s role was to supply translated articles to the English-speaking press of the International from the Comintern’s different sections, as well as news and statements from the ECCI. Many ‘Daily Worker’ and ‘Communist’ articles originated in Inprecorr, and it also published articles by American comrades for use in other countries. It was published at least weekly, and often thrice weekly. A major contributor to the Communist press in the U.S., Inprecorr is an invaluable English-language source on the history of the Communist International and its sections.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/international/comintern/inprecor/1924/v04n64-sep-05-1924-Inprecor-loc.pdf