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General Strike, in fact the completion of the General Strike by the military strike, was defended by the Dutch delegate Domela Nieuwenhuis.
In all international working men's congresses held since the congress in Paris in 1889, also in Brussels in 1891, Zurich in 1893, London in 1896, Paris in 1900, and Amsterdam in 1904, the General Strike idea was proposed as a weapon for the emancipation of the proletariat by different revolutionary parties, previously by the Dutch through Domela Nieuwenhuis, and later by Frenchmen and by the Allemanists through Allemane and Aristide Briand, recently French Premier; but was always defeated by the German Social Democrats and their followers; as can thus be seen, by the countries with the most insignificant Labour movement.
A great debate took place in the congress of Brussels in 1891, regarding a resolution against war. Nieuwenhuis proposed a resolution, supported by the Dutch, English and French, which contained at the end of it a declaration, that the Socialists of all countries should answer a declaration of war with a general call upon the people to strike.
In the latter congress the German Social Democrats contented themselves with sneering at the long speeches of the French agitators for the General Strike, with a few flat expressions like "General Nonsense!" But in the congress of Amsterdam, 1904, they could not prevent a debate on the General Strike, since amongst their own ranks voices were heard (Dr. Friedberg for one) in favour of the General Strike idea. The resolution which was adopted at last was a striking evidence of the duplicity of the Social Democratic leaders, who evidently fear the idea of the Social General Strike, and only justified eventual mass strikes for the purpose of gaining political rights.
In France this idea was proposed for the first time in the congress of the National Federation of Trade Unions and co-operative groups in Bordeaux, 1888. It was adopted by an overwhelming majority in the Trade Union congress of Marseilles, 1892, Paris, 1893. Nantes, 1894, Limoges, 1895, Tours, 1896, Toulouse, 1897, Rennes, 1898, Paris, 1900, Lyous, 1901, Montpellier, 1902, and Bourges, 1904.
This idea was discussed in the political congresses in France in Bordeaux, 1888, Tours, 1891, Saint Quintin, 1892, Dijon, 1894, Paris, 1896 snd 1897, and accepted in Paris in the Congress in the Gymnasium, January, 1899.
The Allemanists always propagated the General Strike, the Guesdists always were against it; a few of the Jauresists are for it, and the Blanquists are also for it. In the congress of the Blanquists and Guesdists at Lille in 1904 the idea of the General Strike had to be adopted, because they declared that they would otherwise lose the support of the working men completely.
In Madrid in October, 1900, there was a congress held in which 213 delegates of the Trade Unions and working men's groups participated, representing 52,000 working men. Here they unanimously adopted the General Strike idea as the aim of the Labour Unions, and the means of freeing the proletariat.
