The reorganization of certain newly-formed Communist Parties to a workplace and neighborhood basis began immediately upon their founding, with the Communist International formalizing and expanding the process as part of ‘Bolshevization’. Here are early instructions from the E.C.C.I. on implementing the changes.

‘The Organization of Communist Nuclei and Fractions in Non-Party Institutions’ from International Press Correspondence. Vol. 4 No. 14. February 27, 1924.

Resolution of the Executive Committee of the Communist International on the Organization of Factory Nuclei.

The following resolution on the Organization of Factory Nuclei was unanimously adopted at the Session of the Presidium of the E.C.C.I. on January 21st, 1924, with the proviso, that amendments necessitated by conditions within the various Sections may be introduced.

The Party organization must be adapted to the conditions and aims of its work. Under the reformist policy of the social-democratic parties, which endeavoured to exert an influence upon the bourgeois government by means of the ballot box, it was natural that attention should be chiefly directed to the organization of voters. The organization, therefore, was based upon electoral divisions and residential areas. The Communist Party inherited this form of organization from the social-democratic parties, but it is entirely opposed, not only to the final aims of the Communist Party, but also to its immediate tasks. The final aim of our Party is to overthrow the power of the bourgeoisie, seize power for the working class, and bring Communism into being. Its immediate tasks are to win the majority of the class by active participation in the everyday struggles of the working masses, and to secure the leadership of these struggles. This can only be achieved by means of the closest contact between our Party organisations and the working masses in the factories.

It was from this point of view that the Third Congress of the Communist International decided that the basis of the Communist Party must be the factory nuclei. In the majority of the Sections of the Communist International this has not yet been carried into effect; and in many, the question of organizing factory nuclei has not even been concretely formulated, The experience of the German revolution, (at the end of 1923) once more clearly demonstrated that without factory nuclei and the closest contact with the working masses, it is impossible to draw the latter into the struggle and to lead them, that it is impossible to gauge their moods accurately and thus take advantage of the most favourable moment for our action, and that it is useless to expect victory over the bourgeoisie.

The Fundamental Forms of Local Organization.

1. The Factory Nuclei form the Basis of the Party Organization. All Communists working in a factory must be members of the nucleus in that factory.

Note: Where there are only one or two Party members in a factory and therefore they cannot form a nucleus, they are to be attached to the nucleus of the nearest factory, which must conduct the work in all adjacent factories where there are no nuclei.

2. Communists who do not work in factories, workshops, shops, etc., (housewives, domestic servants, house porters, etc.) form Residential Party Nuclei.

Note: Members of factory nuclei who live in other sections are obliged to register with the committee of the section (part of the town) where they reside. The section committee assigns them to residential nuclei. Members of Party nuclei of other sections who are assigned by Section Committees to residential nuclei, vote in these nuclei on questions which they have voted on in the factory nuclei, (questions of Party principle, election of Party delegates, etc.)

3. Unemployed members remain attached to the nucleus of the factory where they were formerly employed. In the event of protracted unemployment, with the consent of the section committee, they may leave their nucleus and be transferred to the sub-section where they live, and be attached to another nucleus.

4. In small industrial centres, towns and villages, where the workers reside in close proximity to their factories, or farms, uniform nuclei are formed as far as possible around the factory or farm.

5. Factory nuclei and residential nuclei elect an executive committee consisting of three or, at most, five persons. The elections take place at the general meetings of the nuclei. The executive committee of the nucleus distributes the work amongst its members. Depending upon the size of the nucleus, the executive committee appoints comrades for the distribution of literature, the conduct of propaganda, a comrade for trade union work, one to conduct the work of the fractions in the factory. committees, one for cooperation with the young communist nucleus, one to conduct the work among women, etc.

6. Party members who are members of a factory nucleus pay their dues to that nucleus; Party members who are members of a residential nucleus pay their dues to the latter.

7. In large towns where there are numerous factory and residential nuclei, they are united into sub-sections. The sub- sections are joined into sections. All the sections of a large town constitute the local organization. The section committee fixes its own sub-sections. In doing so, the section committee should attempt as far as possible to form the sub-sections around large factories.

In medium sized towns, sub-sections should be formed, uniting the factory and the residential nuclei. The subsections constitute the local organization. In small towns and villages the nuclei are united into local groups. The local organizations in middle-sized towns and the local groups of small towns and of villages are united into subdistricts.

Note: Sub-sections and local groups, in accordance with local needs and requirements, hold regular meetings of all the members of the factory and residential nuclei of their sub-section.

8. At the head of each sub-section or local group, is an executive committee consisting of three to five persons, elected at the general meeting of the members of the nuclei of the sub-section or local group, or else, depending upon local conditions (e. g. when the Party is illegal) at delegate conferences. The Secretary of the committee of the sub-section and of the local groups must be confirmed by the section committee (in the country districts, by the district committee). At the head of the section (city) and sub-district (country) is the section or sub-district committee, elected at section or sub-district Party conferences.

8. Every member of a nucleus must actively participate in every kind of party work in the factory to which he is assigned by the executive committee of the nucleus.

Apart from the special tasks in their factories, the factory nuclei have also to perform territorial tasks at their places of residence, since workers employed in factories also have various needs and fulfil various social functions in the places where they reside (housing, food, health, education, elections, etc.).

The chief territorial tasks are as follows:

1. To conduct the political and organizational work of the Party at the place of residence, the carrying on of campaigns of various kinds (electoral, against bad housing, high rents, etc.), to see that the families of workers, clerks, etc. are assured of the primary necessaries of life.

2. The distribution of Party literature, the recruiting of new readers and new Party members, agitation, propaganda, individual instruction of non-party workers, educational work in the sub-sections (clubs, etc.), inviting sympathisers to participate in workers’ demonstrations, and generally carrying on the working class fight.

3. House to house propaganda. in the sub-sections, the collection of information as to the party affiliations of persons residing in the sub-sections, as to political work, and the activity of fascists; keeping records of stores of firearms, etc.

4. Work among women and children.

These Territorial Tasks apply also to the Residential Nuclei. Their work must be carried on under the direct control of the sub-section committee, and be coordinated with the work of the factory nuclei.

Establishing the Factory Nuclei.

In view of the novelty of this question for many sections of the Communist International, and the varying conditions in different countries, the Executive Committee of the Communist International proposes that the subject should be widely discussed in the Party press and at Party meetings, and then only should the reorganization of the Party on the basis of factory nuclei be attempted. Nuclei should first be organized in the larger factories.

The nuclei should in no circumstances be confused with the communist fractions in the trade unions, co-operatives, etc., whose function cannot be replaced by the nuclei. The functions of the fractions are narrower than those of the nuclei. The nucleus, or rather, the executive committee of the nucleus, must direct the work of the factory committee fractions in the factory.

The Executive Committee of the Communist International earnestly requests all Sections of the Communist International to furnish it with detailed information on the progress of the discussion on the questions here touched upon, and of the results achieved in the organisation in the factories.

Instructions for the Organization of Factory Nuclei in Germany.

Concerning the Communist Party of Germany, the following special instructions were adopted by the Presidium of the E.C.C.I.:

1. In accordance with the resolution on the organization of factory nuclei (see above) adopted by the Executive Committee of the Communist International, the Party must carry out its re-organization in such a way as to make the factory nuclei the basis of the Party organization.

2. Members of factory nuclei must be in a majority in the section and sub-section committees. Big cities must be divided into sections. The local Party committee must include workers from the bench.

3. Factory and residential nuclei are to be amalgamated into sub-sections, which are to be under the control of section committees. Wherever possible, the section committees must form the sub-sections around big factories.

4. Local committees (or section committees) must immediately elaborate a program with a time-limit, with the object of carrying out this reorganization in every locality, and must submit it to the Central Committee of the Party for approval. In the course of two months, the reorganization must have been carried out throughout the country under the direction of the Central Committee of the Party. The Central Committee must keep the Executive Committee of the Communist International regularly informed on the progress of the reorganization work.

Consequently, the last paragraph of the resolution on the reorganization of factory nuclei, does not apply to the German Communist Party.

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Introduction to Instruction for Communist Fractions in Non-Party Institutions and Organizations.

The question of communist fractions (in America, caucuses) in non-party organizations is closely connected with the necessity of Communist Parties gaining an influence over large non-party masses. In order to achieve this, every Communist Party must have organs to conduct a communist policy within non-party(caucuses Among these organs are also communist

fractions Their correct organization determines the correct application of the directives of the Party, and guarantees the unity of communist will and tactics and ensures coordinate actions. In other words, without these qualities the Communist Party cannot properly carry on its work.

At the same time, the fact of the existence of communist fractions raises the question of their interrelation with Party organs. One cannot expect satisfactory results from the work of the communist fractions if these inter-relations do not promote the interests of the Party as a whole. The communist fractions are not independent autonomous organizations endowed with powers to deal with all questions of Party life. They are subordinate to Party organs which supervise and guide the work of the Party in the given region and in the locality where the work of the communist fraction lies. Thus, for instance, in a factory, the fraction in the factory committee is subordinate to the Party nucleus. The fraction in a town cooperative, a municipality or trade union is subordinate to the local Party organization as represented by its committee. The fraction in any national congress or in National Parliament is subordinate to the Central Committee of the Party.

The aforesaid order of subordination is easily understood, both in regard to the lowest and the highest communist fraction. In a factory where the factory committee discusses and decides questions connected with the factory, the nucleus as a whole is responsible to the factory workers for the actions of the committee. Therefore the Party nucleus cannot allow the fraction in the action within the factory Committee to decide and act independently on behalf of the whole nucleus. The nucleus carries out its directives in the factory committee through this communist fraction. In the event of the fraction deviating from these directives or refusing to carry them out, the nucleus can recall such communists from the factory committee or compel them to submit to the directives by means of a special regulation. Such a procedure is justified by the fact that the communist nucleus, being the basis and the primary fundamental unit of the Party, carries out only the directives of the Party as whole. Moreover, the communist nucleus has to discuss and decide questions which concern the entire local organization or even the entire Party, while the fraction only deals with questions concerning the factory Committee.

This applies equally to fractions within local trade unions, cooperatives or municipal councils. The responsibility for the work, the actions or the decisions of any of these fractions to the workers and peasants, employees or government officials, does not rest with separate members of the fraction nor with the fraction as a whole. The responsibility to these sections of workers rests with the whole Party organization of the given town. But

apart from the questions of responsibility, one must take into account that it is easier for the local Party Committee to get a clear conception of the general political situation. It can more easily determine what demands to bring forward at a given moment and what is of greater importance at this or that period. Therefore in the given case, the interests of the entire Party render it incumbent on the fractions to carry out implicitly all directives of the corresponding Party organs and always to work under the latter’s guidance. At the same time, in their capacity as members of the Party, the fraction members in their nuclei and at general meetings of their sub-section, section, or local groups, have the right to discuss all Party questions. In these organizations they may also criticize Party organs for inadequate guidance and wrong directives given to the fraction by the Party organ.

The responsibility for decisions or actions at congresses and in Parliament, viz. for fractional actions on a national scale, rests with the Communist Party as a whole. Hence, the Central Committee of the Party must use great care and circumspection in the selection of communist candidates for Parliament, or for the fraction of the national trade union executive committee or for the executive committee of the factory committees. Careful selection in such cases will safeguard the Party from being compromised by the actions of communists within these fractions, and will ensure an adequate application of the Party policy.

Circumspection in this respect will also minimise the danger of insubordination on the part of the members of such fractions to the decisions of Party organs. For it must be taken into account that the more important the role of the communist fraction (in Parliament and in the national executive committees, trade unions, cooperatives, and factory committees), the stronger will be its tendency to emancipate itself from the influence of the Party.

Endeavours to create a homogeneous organization, capable of establishing contact with the masses and of leading the latter in a victorious struggle against capitalism, will not be realised, if Communist Parties neglect to organize communist fractions in all non-party organizations and to establish adequate interrelations between the Party organizations and the communist fractions. But even the organization of communist fractions presupposes that in the entire organizational work, the centre of gravity is transferred to the establishment of nuclei in the shops and to making these nuclei the basis of Party organization and the foundation of the entire Party.

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Instructions for Communist Fractions in Non-Party Institutions and Organizations.

1. Wherever there are not less than three communists in workers’ and peasants’ organizations and in various institutions trade unions, cooperatives, educational, athletic and other societies, factory and unemployed committees, as well as at congresses, conferences and in municipal councils, parliaments, etc., it is essential to establish a communist fraction with the object of increasing Party influence and introducing the policy of the Party into non-party masses.

2. All communist fractions, regardless of their size and importance, must be subordinate to corresponding party organs the nucleus (the executive committee of the nucleus), group, local, district, (in America, nucleus, branch, section, local, district) or central committee, according to the position occupied by the given communist fraction (local or national). Such Party organs must issue the to the e necessary instructions to communist fractions unity nucleus (thus, for instance, the executive committee of a fraction in the communist of the must control and direct the work factory committee, in accordance with the directives received from Party organs. I the higher District committees must control and direct the work of the communist fractions in all the non-party organs and organizations in its district, etc.). In all questions on which decisions were made by corresponding Party organizations, the fractions must strictly abide by these decisions.

3. When discussing in the Party committees questions concerning a fraction, the committee must carefully prepare these questions and organize preliminary conferences with the representatives of the fraction wherever existing police conditions. allow.

4. Communist fractions, with the consent of the corresponding party committee, elect their executive committee, which is responsible to the corresponding Party organ for the work of the fractions.

5. During the interval between Congresses (conferences), the communist fractions within the executive committees of local trade unions and co-operatives are the guiding and unifying organs for all Communists in these organizations. The communist fraction in the executive boards of trades councils (in America, central labor councils, State federations of labour) and of district co-operatives, are the guiding and unifying organs for all Communists in these organizations.

These fractions are all subordinate to the control of the local or district Party committee, but must also report to the fractions in local conferences or district conventions of trade unions and co-operatives. Candidates to the executive boards of the above-mentioned organizations are nominated by the fractions of the corresponding conferences and conventions in agreement with the local or district Party committee. The above regulations apply also to the national trade union and co-operative congresses or con conventions.

6. The corresponding Party committee has the right to stall or recall any member from the fraction, notifying the fraction of the reason for such action.

7. Communist fractions must come to an agreement with the corresponding Party organs with respect to candidatures to the executive boards of all the organizations and organs mentioned above. The same procedure is to be adopted with respect to recalls or transfers from one fraction to

8. Fractions have complete autonomy in questions of their inner life and current work. Party committees must not interfere with their everyday work. They must, on the contrary, allow fractions as much freedom of action and initiative as possible. In the event of serious differences of opinion between the Party committee and the fraction on any question within the competence the latter, the corresponding Party committee must once more investigate this question together with the representative of the fraction, and arrive at a final decision by which the fraction must abide.

9. All questions having a political significance and subject to discussion by the fraction, must be discussed in the presence of the committee. The committees must delegate of representatives immediately on receipt of a notification their from the fraction.

10. Every question subject to the decision of non-party institutions and organizations in which the fraction works, must be previously discussed at a general meeting or in the executive committee of the fraction.

11. Party organizations (nuclei, group (branch) local and other bodies, Party conferences and conventions or committees elected by them) should receive reports on the work of fractions, decide on the tactics and political lines of their further work etc.

12. At general meetings of non-party organizations, all fraction members must act and vote as a unit on all questions. Disciplinary measures must be taken against any Party members infringing this regulation.

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.

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