Page:Samuel Gompers - Out of Their Own Mouths (1921).djvu/197

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THE NEW RED LABOR UNION
171

July, to form a new Internationale of Red Labor Unions. This organization is based upon the fictitious membership of five millions claimed by the official Russian Soviet trade unions, upon the temporary adhesion of the Italian Confederation of Labor with its two million, members—although this organization is at present rather outside than inside the Communist Internationale, and upon lesser but equally doubtful claims in other countries. The Communist Internationale adopted, by an overwhelming majority, the following amendment proposed by Radek in connection with this new Red Internationale:

It is the one weapon of the world revolutionary movement against the yellow International, because the principal enemy of the revolutionary proletariat is not Brussels but Amsterdam—that is the yellow international of trade union organizations. By overthrowing Amsterdam we shall deal the most terrible blow to the capitalistic order, but this blow can be dealt only by the Red International of trade-unions.

This Red Internationale is somewhat stronger than at first appears. While it has comparatively little direct support from the labor unions, with the exception of the Latin countries, it has a very strong support from the newly formed Communist parties created during the last six months by the split of the Socialist parties—according to Moscow orders—in several European countries. Thus a majority of the Socialist Party members of France, through the newly created Communist Party, have accepted the dictatorship of the Moscow Communist Internationale, including