************************************************************************

HOME PAGE OF THE DEMOCRATIC POWER FACTION

The RandomPoster33 Press Page

From @RandomPoster33, an independent and censored contributor to WSWS.ORG comments section and advocating for a Fourth International Government

The First Founding of the Fourth International in 1921 by Sylvia Pankhurst

Random Poster Matt C 12 days ago Removed Did you know that Trotsky was not the first revolutionary to affiliate with or call for the creation of the Fourh International? The leader of the British Left Communists in the 1920s, Sylvia Pankhurst, began as a suffragette in the struggle to…

Did you know that Trotsky was not the first revolutionary to affiliate with or call for the creation of the Fourh International? The leader of the British Left Communists in the 1920s, Sylvia Pankhurst, began as a suffragette in the struggle to give women the right to vote. She later connected this to the wider struggle of equality between classes. As early as 1921, she wrote of breaking from the Third International, of the founding of the Fourth International being inevitable. On Jan. 7, 1922, she wrote:
“We are happier in the young rebel Fourth International than we should be in the Third, which has gone back on itself into a premature decay.”

Had she gained a sufficient following, the Russian Revolution may have been saved, Hitler’s rise to power prevented, and World War II replaced by Western European revolution to unite the continent. She was isolated, however, moved to Italy, fought to save Ethopian culture from the Italian invasion, and became a friend and advisor to the Emperor of Ethiopia. Ethiopia was the only African country never turned into a colony.

The real struggles of the workers and the oppressed nations found leaders in genuine communists with a small c. They believed not in party allegiance at all costs, but a fight for the unity and progress of all humanity. Party building certainly aided against isolation, but the isolation that conquered certain leaders can equally be blamed on the leftist hope of compromise with party bureacracy where none existed.

+

7 responses to “The First Founding of the Fourth International in 1921 by Sylvia Pankhurst”

  1. You write: “They believed not in party allegiance at all costs, but a fight for the unity and progress of all humanity. Party building certainly aided against isolation, but the isolation that conquered certain leaders can equally be blamed on the leftist hope of compromise with party bureacracy where none existed.”

    This is very interesting – and it has to be noted that throughout the history of the Internationals, there has been a tradition of factions and intense discussion between competing theories in an effort to strengthen the working class. Where there is no room for discussion, there is death. (Often literally.)

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Our openness to discussion and defense of democracy should defend us from that fate, as long as we respond with sufficient haste. Participation in revolution does not lead to death, it is killing which leads to death. This begins with the killing of discussion and other democratic principles. It continues with coverups in preparation for, and for the enabling of future acts. In order to prevent a descent into gangland, there should exist vigilence to root out and punish (including with monetary settlements): harrassment, assault, stalking, as well as other infringements of members rights, such as coverups of crimes.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Have you been following the situation with the (now defunct) ISO?

        Like

        1. Yes, and I wrote something about it in the comments on the WSWS article. I see it as good news, effected by #metoo activists. The ISO did not just support reformism, they also actively opposed the revolution. That’s why they could not continue to distract and disorient the students and workers. Many of them probably do not mind either, as they have comfortable sinecures in the union bureaucracy.

          Like

        2. What was your response?

          Like

        3. I could not find the link, so I pasted the comment here (in response to Ed Hightower):

          What seems absurd is not the collapse of this left prop for imperialism but the somberness in this article’s rumination. Has not the developing revolutionary movement removed a great block in the development of revolutionary consciousness? Has not the revolutionary movement felled a giant of opportunism?

          We should not miss the factional bickering, which almost seems designed to hold back the revolution. We should look forward to clearing the path to leadership of the masses for the SEP. In that sense, the participation of #metoo in this well-organized attack on the ISO leadership, the wrapping up of this trap, should be celebrated!

          Like

        4. I would also like to point out that the main actor in this story went simply by the name of FM, or Former Member. That sounds similar to Random Poster.

          Like

Leave a reply to randomposter33 Cancel reply