Maurice Thorez

AND HER MISSION IN THE WORLD MAURICE THOREZ 20C? FRAN CE OF THE PEOPLE'S FRONT AND ITS MISSION IN THE WORLD BY MAURICE THOREZ GENERAL SECRETARY COMMUNIST PARTY OF FRANCE WORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS NEW YORK 1938 PUBLISHED BY WORKERS LIBRARY PUBLISHERS, Inc. P. O. BOX 148, STATION D, NEW YORK CITY MAY, 1938 PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. FOREWORD HE NINTH CO:>;GRESS of the French Communist Pan}" T was held December 25 to 29, t937, in the ancient city of Arles, in Provence, in the south of France. This city, in which relics of Roman and Greek civilization stilI stand, and whi ch is a cradle of French culture, was a fitting place for such a congress, symbolizing the role of the Communists as the tru e inheritors and defenders of the best traditions of their country. French Party Congresses are held in various sections of the count ry; such meetings are not simply gatherings of dele gates in a convention hall, but are made part and parcel of the people of the particular province. Such was the case with the meeting in ArIes. The whole population partici pated in the events of the Congress, which was celebrated as a festive occasion, like a national holiday. Christmas was opened in the city auditorium with the Mayor, a Socialist, and the Parliamentary Deputy, a Communist, officiating. Here , around a huge Christmas tree, toys were presented to the children of the city. There was also a public festival in the old Roman arena where the people came dressed in their provincial and ancestral costumes, joining in the games and festivities. Thirteen hundred delegates from all parts of France at tended the Congress. About a dozen delegations came from foreign countries, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Eng land, Belgium, some Scandinavian and Balkan countries, etc. The United States was represented by Earl Browder, William Z. Foster, Robert Minor and the writer, while Canada sent Tim Buck and Jack Davis. As the General Secretary and leader of the Party, Maurice Thorez delivered the main report of the Congress. The seats were all filled bright and early the morning of December zfith, the delegates waiting eagerly for the speaker. The be loved founder of the Communist Party, Marcel Cachin veteran editor of l'Humanite and co-worker of Jean Jaurcs -was in the chair. He was aglow with joy as he introduced Thorez, and as the later proceeded with his address it was like a father beaming with pride upon his son delivering a prize oration. Advancing to the rostrum, Thorez looked youthful, buoy ant, full of vigor. He did not walk to the platform-he leaped to it. Here was a typical proletarian who had de veloped into a great political leader: he had been an agri cultural worker and a miner, active in the labor movement since boyhood; he not only knew the theory of the class struggle, he had experienced it among his own people; he had not only mastererd Marxism-Leninism, he was the acknowledged leader of the working class-truly a son of the people of France, and a champion of their best interests. You will get the healthy, robust spirit of the man in his extensive, brilliant report to the Congress, which is printed here. The heart of his four-hour speech was-not a special group of people, not a narrow problem or set of problems, but-Frallce, France today, France of the People's Front. And since the fate of the French people cannot be severed from the fate of the human race, his speech dealt also with France and its mission in the world. The other reports at the Aries Congress were also colorful and impressive. Jacques Duclos, leader of the Party in the Chamber of Deputies, a forceful Marxist writer and speaker, dealt with the question of organic unity of the political parties of the working class. He recited the history of the division of the proletariat, and pointed to the achievements of unity in the trade union field and the great desire and struggle of the Communist Party for unity with the Social ists. Renaud Jean, head of the agricultural commission of the Chamber of Deputies, reported on "The Obligations of the People's Front to the French Peasantry." Marcel Gitton, one of the secretaries of the Party, dealt with the organizational growth of the movement. Character istic of the whole spirit of the French Party was the nature of th'is report; it was not merely an account of dry facts, but a spirited address, epitomized in its very title-s't'The Great Communist Family," He showed how the French Party grcw from 87,000 at the beginning of 1936, at the Eighth Congress, to 341,000 in about two years; and together with the Young Communists to a total of 450,000 Communists of France, organized in about 13,000 Party units. L'Humanite, the Party organ, founded by Jean Jaures, which in 1934 had 200,000 readers, reached 425,000 at the time of the Ninth Congress, and its daily edition on special occasions had reached the million mark. The Communist vote had increased from 784,000 in 1932, when ten deputies were elected, to 1,5°0,000 in 1936, when 73 deputies and two senators were elected. It is impossible in this foreword to do more than indicate the main theme of Thorez' address-the prime emphasis upon consolidating the forces of the people to smash the threat of fascism; the gains made through the People's Front by the workers, the peasants, the veterans, the small business and professional people, and the fight for further immediate improvements and for the final victory of social ism which must be carried on; the glorious role which the French people has always played in the fight for liberty, enriched by the revolutionary traditions of 1789, and 1871; the inspiration of the existence and progress of the Soviet Un ion to the French people, as the Paris Commune had in- spired the Russian proletariat; the necessity of a firm French peace policy, of unity with the democratic countries to stop the aggression of the fascist powers and to aid the heroic Spanish people. Rather than attempt to summarize the highlights of the speech, we urge the reader to take full ad vantage of the opportunity afforded by this booklet to acquaint himself thoroughly with the masterful analysis of Maurice Thorez, so full of important lessons not only to the French but to the democratic masses everywhere, and espe cially to the American people. As in France, dark forces are at work in this country, chal lenging the democratic institutions and rights of our people. The story of how the French masses, aroused by the Com munist Party and its allies in the Front Populaire, fought off the attempted coup of the fascist elements in league with Hitler and Mussolini; and of how the Communist Party proposes to destroy every vestige of these sinister forces and make France a happy and prosperous country for its people -all recited by Maurice Thorez at the Arles Congress-must be mastered by us, if we are determined to prevent the reactionary forces from transplanting the fascist system 011 our soil. When Thorez spoke at Arles last Christmas week, he spoke not only to the French Communists gathered there but also to the democratic forces of France and the entire world. ALEXANDER TRACHTENBERG CONTENTS Foreword, by Alexander Trachtenberg Introduction .. I. France of the People's From: Land of Liberty and Progress . II. France's Mission in the \ \Torld 49 III. In Order to Go Forw ard 88 Conclusion ..... 126 FRANCE OF THE PEOPLE'S FRONT AND ITS MISSION IN THE WORLD INTRODUCTION OMRADES, almost two years ago, on January 25, 1936, Cthe Eighth National Congress of the French Communist Party, in concluding its remarkable work, launched a slogan which soon became popular: Unity of the French Nation. On the eve of the national elections, the Communist Party, the principal builder of the successes of the laboring classes and the French people in the struggle against reaction and fascism, pointed out to the toiling masses of our country the direction and the conditions for a new advance of the forces of liberty and peace. For a long time the Communist Party of France had been emphasizing the growing threat of fascism. For a long time, too, it had asserted that the fascist dictatorship was not an unavoidable evil. For a long time it had advocated unity of all workers against fascism, their most implacable enemy. On the morrow of the fascist assault of February 6, 1934, the Communist Party alone called the proletarians of Paris to the unforgettable demonstration of February 9, which was the heroic prelude to the general strike and powerful demonstrations of February 12. I" June, 1934, the National Conference at Ivry declared: 9 FRANCE OF THE PEOPLE'S FRONT "The Communist Party wishes at all costs to obtain unity of action against the bourgeoisie and fascism . ... "At this moment, fascism is the main danger. The full force of proletarian mass action must be concentrated against it, and every section of the toiling populat ion must be won over to the struggle." Our Party proposed and brought about the acceptance of the Pact for Unity of Action which successfully united So cialists and Communists. It supported the efforts of the mili tant members of the Unitary, Confederated, and indepen dent unions which resulted in the formation of a single C.G.T.* Our Party launched and brought about the triumph of the idea of the People's Front for bread, liberty and peace.

Load more