Held around the Comintern’s Fifth World Congress in the summer of 1924, this report on the Second International Conference of Communist Co-operators also includes the manifesto from the gathering.

‘An International Conference of Communist Cooperators’ by Algo from The Daily Worker Magazine. Vol. 2 No. 122. August 9, 1924.

Since the III World Congress in July, 1921 the Communist International has taken up Co-operative work as a component part of political work. As is known, the II International at its congress in Copenhagen in 1910 dealt with the Co-operative question from the point of view of the class struggle, and for its work within the Co-operative movement drew up theses of an ambiguous character with the result that in certain countries very radical phrases could be made use of, while in other countries, on the ground of the same theses, the most blatant opportunism was possible.

Now after three years there exists in the III. International a clearer plan which accords with the Co-operative resolution which comrade Lenin submitted as member of the Co-operative Commission of the II International in 1910. In order to meet before hand the reformist danger of the individual party members acting as they wish in this important section of party work, the Communist co-operative theses lay it down as the absolute duty of every Communist to be a member of a co-operative society and at the same time to form nuclei in the numerous co-operative societies in order that a systematic work by party discipline is assured.

Already in November 1922 there took place in Moscow the first International Conference of Communist co-operators, whose task it was to lay down a theoretically based attitude for the class-conscious proletariat with regard to the co-operative question and at the same time to approve the tactics by means of which the co-operatives under reformist leadership could be got into the hands of the class-conscious proletariat. This task which the conference undertook, was completely accomplished and was embodied in the co-operative theses of the IV World Congress. The Enlarged Executive at its sitting in June 1923 extended the co-operative theses in a comprehensive manner and expressly called the attention of the sections of the Comintern to co-operative work.

From the 11th to 17th of July there took place in Moscow the second international conference of Communist Co-operators, in order on the one hand to sum up the results of the co-operative work accomplished in the various countries and on the other hand to state in concrete terms the practical work lying ahead. The conference was attended by 43 delegates from 17 countries and 10 institutions. To the presidium were elected Comrades Chintchuk, Algo and Marran. The conference dealt with a very extensive agenda which included the report of the section and the reports from the various countries. The first two speakers dealt with “the role of the co-operatives in the present period of proletarian revolution,” while comrade Algo dealt with the role and the task before the capture of political power by the proletariat. The co-operatives can not only serve as tribunes for revolutionary propaganda among the masses of proletarian housewives and the politically indifferent among the broad strata of the petty bourgeoisie, but they also have the possibility to render moral and material support to all trade-union and proletarian campaigns and to act themselves as class organs by setting up strike funds and acting as suppliers of provisions for the fighting working class. As regards illegal work there are many possibilities offered within the co-operative organizations, whilst co-operative work is admirably suited for the important task of the proletarian united front from below, for the revolutionizing and neutralizing of the masses. Comrade Chintchuk dealt with the highly important role of the co-operatives during and after the proletarian revolution. Comrade Meschtcheryakov spoke on the international task of the co-operatives, comrade Marran dealt with the question of the trade-unions and the co-operatives, while comrades Stromer and Ostrovskaya spoke upon the women and the co-operative movement. Under the item “miscellaneous,” comrade Tishomirov gave an interesting report on the housing co-operative societies in Soviet Russia. All the reports were followed by detailed and thorough discussions.

In the resolution of the section report, it was pointed out that the old decisions of the congress must be carried out with all energy, that a co-operative section must be set up in the party central of every country and that in the general political campaigns, as well as in the press the co-operative work must form an essential part. Resolutions were adopted to the effect that there must be a better mutual exchange of information, that an international co-operative journal, “the co-operatives in the class struggle,” must appear regularly, that visits must be arranged to the various countries and a national Communist co-operative conference take place, that co-operative courses must be arranged in the various countries for the education of trained Marxist functionaries, etc. The first three reports are embodied in theses, which lay special stress upon the importance of co-operative work as regards the political education of the backward working masses and of the housewives, and further emphasize the necessity of collaboration with the trade unions, of the fight against fascism and MacDonaldism and the necessity of intensive participation in anti-war propaganda. Finally, a manifesto to all members of co-operatives was issued, the full text of which is given below.

The Conference has shown that almost everywhere there are comrades possessing the energetic will to link up the co-operative work within the frame of Communist party work. It was repeatedly stated that there was no country where sufficient work has been carried on among that great reservoir of masses of proletarian housewives and petty bourgeois elements, who are organized in the co-operatives. There is scarcely any other organization which is so highly adapted for the realization of the slogan “Into the masses” as the co-operatives.

Manifesto.

To all Co-operators.

To all Workers and Peasants.
To all proletarian Housewives in the world.

The International Cooperative Alliance (London) appealed to all co-operative societies to conduct a campaign on the 5th of July to attract the masses of the workers into the co-operatives. We wish to take advantage of these days when the eyes of the masses are directed towards the co-operatives to issue the following manifesto to all members of the working class conscious of their interests. What are the co-operatives?

The co-operatives form an enormous organization covering the whole world; its members are recruited from all strata of the oppressed and exploited by capital; it is formed of thousands of separate organizations, tens of thousands of stores and industrial enterprises.

What could this organization become, what power could it exert? What does it represent in reality? In what manner did the co-operatives demonstrate their power when the hideous nightmare of the imperialist war hovered over Europe?

When grasping capitalists drove house-wives to despair? What did the co-operatives do to ameliorate the unheard-of distress of the working class? When and where did the co-operatives really try to place the control of industry into the hands of the workers?

The practical help that the co-operative gave the masses of workers is insignificant. All members of co-operative societies know this and are loudly expressing their dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs. The co-operatives cannot lag behind in the development of the capitalist production. The advance of capital in many countries has seriously affected the co-operatives and thrown them back several years in their development.

The illusions of the reformist leaders of the co-operative movement who thought that they could reconstruct society through “peaceful” development, are scattered.

All conscious members of the co-operatives are beginning to understand, that it is impossible to improve the conditions of the exploited workers under the capitalist system. The only way is the victory of the social revolution. The slogan of the working class is: “Proletarians! prepare to seize political power.” The class-conscious members of the class co-operatives are also convinced that this is the right way.

What have the co-operatives done and what could they do to help the emancipation of the working class? This question is most important for every co-operator. It is high time to reconsider the old theses formulated by the Rochdale pioneers in 1844. It is high time to adapt and develop the theses to suit the epoch we live in. Every co-operator must understand that the idea of political neutrality at a time when fascism is attacking the workers’ organizations and ruthlessly destroying the co-operatives, is wrong and may even be disastrous. In Italy the co-operative stores have been plundered and closed, the co-operative leaders have been killed, thrown into prison and kidnapped. Both Communist and reformist leaders have suffered. The strongest workers’ co-operative society in Bulgaria, the “Osvobjdehie” (Emancipation) has been destroyed, and the peasants co-operatives have suffered considerably. Is it possible to talk of neutrality toward the present sate of affairs?

Class Conscious Workers, Women Proletarians!

We call upon you to help us to force the co-operatives to take an active part in the fight of the working class for its emancipation. The value of the co-operative societies consists not only in that they supply products cheaper and pay a dividend, but that they can be of help in the class struggle to free the workers completely from the yoke of the capitalist dictatorship.

You must put yourselves the question: What have our co-operatives done till now? Have they established funds to help the workers during strikes? Have they supported the workers in all their demonstrations, political and trade union, that form the preparatory fights for the seizure of power? Have they formed close connections with the revolutionary trade unions and proletarian parties? Have the town co-operatives closely coordinated their activities with those of the country co-operatives and other organizations? What have they done to create and support close economic relations with Soviet Russia? Relations that are so essential to improve the industrial life of the world and thus ease unemployment? What have the co-operatives done to fight the constant danger of war and fascism?

The answer to these questions will show how far the co-operatives have realized the task that confront us in the great fight of the working class. It will show whether they have remained passive to the important international events and whether they have become converted into a useless, commercial, compromising organization in the hands of the reformists.

The co-operatives will only fulfil the historical tasks they are called upon the perform when they become a component part of the proletarian movement and take an active part in the fight of the working class and in this manner help establish a united front between the revolutionary workers and peasants.

We delegates to the Second International Conference are astounded at the successes of the Russian co-operatives and now understand that those achievements were only possible after the proletariat had seized power.

We participants in this conference, delegates from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Germany, France, England, Italy, Bulgaria, Jugoslavia, Austria, Poland, Lithuania, Esthonia, U.S.A., Canada, Brazil, Argentine, Spain, turn to you with the following call:

Working men and women, join the co-operatives and make them a weapon of the class war!

Follow the path marked out by our great leader Lenin!

Follow the slogans of the Communist International and the Red Trade Union International in the fight to overthrow capitalism!

Workers of the World, Unite!

Moscow, 17th of June, 1924. The Second International Conference of Communist Co-operators.

The Saturday Supplement, later changed to a Sunday Supplement, of the Daily Worker was a place for longer articles with debate, international focus, literature, and documents presented. The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1924/v02a-n122-supplement-aug-09-1924-DW-LOC.pdf