6th World Congress of the Communist International

{{Infobox recurring event |name = 6th World Congress of the Comintern |native_name = Шестой конгресс Коммунистического интернационала |native_name_lang = ru |logo = |logo_alt = |logo_caption = |logo_size = |image = |image_size = |alt = |caption = |status =  |genre =  |begins = {{start date|1928|07|17}} |ends = {{end date|1928|09|01}} |frequency =  |venue = |location = [[Moscow]] |coordinates =  |country = {{flag|Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|1918}} |years_active =  |first =  |founder_name =  |last =  |prev = 5th Congress |next = [[7th World Congress of the Comintern|7th Congress]] |participants = 515 delegates from 65 parties |attendance = |capacity = |area = |budget = |activity = |leader_name = |patron = |organised =  |filing = |people = |member = |sponsor =  |website =  |current = |footnotes = }} The '''Sixth Congress of the Communist International''' was held in [[Moscow]] from July 17 to September 1, 1928. The Congress was attended by 515 delegates from 65 organizations (including 50 Communist Parties) from 57 countries. Adopting the theory of the "[[Third Period]]", Congress proclaimed [[social democracy]] to be "[[social fascism]]".

==General assessment of the political environment== [[File:James P. Cannon 1928 Edit.jpg|thumb|left|American Communist leader [[James P. Cannon]] alongside [[Red Army]] soldiers at the Congress]] The Congress noted the approach of a new ("third") period in the revolutionary development of the world after the [[October Revolution]] - a period of a sharp exacerbation of all the contradictions of [[capitalism]], characterized by an [[Great Depression|impending global economic crisis]], an increase in [[class struggle]] and a new upsurge of the [[liberation movement]] in [[colony|colonial]] and [[Dependent territory|dependent countries]]. In this regard, the Congress approved the tactics outlined by the 9th plenum of the [[Executive Committee of the Communist International|ECCI]] (February 1928), expressed by the formula "class against class".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Communist International|publisher=[[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]}}</ref>

==Social fascism thesis== The Congress developed the strategic directive adopted by the [[Fifth World Congress of the Comintern|Fifth Congress]] (1924), according to which, in connection with the left turn of the masses in the capitalist countries, two equally hostile political forces confront the communists there: openly reactionary ([[fascism]]) and democratic reformist ([[social democracy]]). In accordance with this, the possibility of an alliance of communists with the social democratic parties in joint political actions and in pre-election blocs was rejected. The danger of the activities of the leaders of the "left wing" of social democracy was especially emphasized.

The thesis of "[[social fascism]]" was generally supported by the congress, only a small part of the delegates opposed it, in particular, the [[Italian Communist Party|Italian delegation]] headed by [[Palmiro Togliatti]].

Although the thesis was not included in the program of the Comintern adopted by the Congress, the provisions that social democracy often plays a fascist role in the most critical moments for capitalism, its ideology in many points being in contact with the fascist, were reflected in a number of documents of the congress.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://trst.narod.ru/rogovin/t2/oglav.htm|first=Vadim|last=Rogovin|title=Власть и оппозиции|publisher=T-vo Zhurnal "Teatr"|location=[[Moscow]]|year=1993|isbn=9785852720122|oclc=30568939|language=ru}}</ref>

==Program and Charter== The Congress adopted the Program and Statutes of the Communist International, which stated that this organization was a "united world communist party."

The main work on the draft of the new Program was carried out by [[Nikolai Bukharin]], on behalf of the [[Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]]. After discussing it in the Politburo and subsequent revision, the draft was submitted to the ECCI and published on May 25 for discussion. In the course of preparation [[Joseph Stalin]] made a number of significant amendments to the text of the Program, making it more "leftist". The Program consolidated the rigid centralization of the leadership of the communist parties and the demand for "international communist discipline", which was to be expressed "in the unconditional implementation by all communists of the decisions of the governing bodies of the Communist International." The Congress' support for Stalin's line strengthened his line in the struggle against [[Right Opposition|"right-wing" tendencies]], in particular against Bukharin.

According to the Charter, in each country there could be only one Communist Party, called a section of the Comintern.<ref>{{cite book|title=Коммунистический Интернационал в документах. 1919—1932|location=[[Moscow]]|year=1933|page=46|oclc=488507937|first=Bélia|last=Kun|publisher=[[Communist International]]|language=ru}}</ref> The charter presupposed the obligation of strict international party discipline and the urgent implementation of the resolutions of the Comintern. The sections had the right to appeal against the decisions of the ECCI at the World Congress, but until the congress canceled the decisions of the sections, they were not relieved of the obligation to fulfill them. It was decided to expand the Executive Committee of the Comintern so that it included representatives of all sections united in the Comintern as members or candidates. According to the Charter, the rights of the delegates of the ECCI in certain sections of the Comintern were expanded.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.fedy-diary.ru/html/012011/29012011-03a.html|last1=Adibekov|first1=Grant Mkrtychevich|last2=Shakhnazarova|first2=E. Н.|last3=Shirini︠a︡|first3=Kirill Kirillovich|title=Организационная структура Коминтерна, 1919—1943|location=[[Moscow]]|publisher=[[ROSSPEN]]|isbn=9785860041127|oclc=38862428|year=1997|language=ru}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * [http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/K/Kommunisticheskiy_Internacional/_Komintern.html#1061 VI Конгресс Коминтерна. Стенографический отчет. (М.-Л.: Госиздат, 1929)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224035212/http://publ.lib.ru/ARCHIVES/K/Kommunisticheskiy_Internacional/_Komintern.html#1061 |date=2013-02-24 }}

[[Category:1928 conferences]] [[Category:1928 in politics]] [[Category:1928 in the Soviet Union]] [[Category:July 1928 in Europe]] [[Category:August 1928 in Europe]] [[Category:September 1928 in Europe]] [[Category:Marxism–Leninism]] [[Category:Organized events in Moscow]] [[Category:Congresses of the Communist International]]