Pacifisme, Communisme et Fascisme

Study Notes

WWI led to the rise of three political cultures: pacifism, communism, and fascism.
Communism, as defined by Marx and Engels in 1848, aims for workers' control of the state and eventual classless society.
European Communism is a revolutionary movement rejecting war.

Historical materialism is the driving force of history, where class struggle is key.
Vladimir Lenin advocated for a vanguard party to lead the proletariat's revolution, emphasizing democratic centralism.
Lenin's The State and Revolution (1917) proposed a dictatorship of the proletariat as a socialist stage before communism.
The Bolshevik revolution in Russia (1917) established the Soviet Union, concluding a separate peace treaty with Brest-Litovsk.

Attempts at proletarian revolution in Germany (1918) ultimately failed, despite the involvement of Luxemburg and Liebknecht.
The Third International (Comintern), established in 1919, aimed to coordinate communist movements globally.
Comintern divided socialist parties across three waves, creating new communist parties in various countries including France, Italy, and others.

Twenty-one conditions set for a party's admittance to the Third International.
The international communist movement encountered internal divisions and disagreements about strategies, with some parties adopting a more national focus beyond solely targeting revolution.
Opposition to the Third International, and the Soviet Union, grew in some socialist groups.

New communist parties emerged from 1919-1923, driven by the idea of a global proletarian revolution.
The Bolshevisation process from 1924-1928 aimed to reshape existing parties, modeling them after the Bolsheviks' structure and organizational principles.
The change in party structure led to local parties adapting to community interests and workers struggles.
Stated policies (class against class from 1928-1934) focussed on fighting perceived enemies (bourgeois and social democrats).
This policy isolated the communist parties.