The Communist Party of Australia and Proletarian Internationalism, 1928-1945 Robert Bozinovski This thesis is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social Sciences Faculty of Arts, Education and Human Development Victoria University April 2008 ii Abstract The theory and practice of ‘proletarian internationalism’ was a vital dimension of the modus operandi of communist parties worldwide. It was a broadly encompassing concept that profoundly influenced the actions of international communism’s globally scattered adherents. Nevertheless, the historiography of the Communist Party of Australia has neglected to address sufficiently the effect exerted by proletarian internationalism on the party’s praxis. Instead, scholars have dwelt on the party’s links to the Soviet Union and have, moreover, overlooked the nuances and complexity of the Communist Party’s relationship with Moscow. It is the purpose of this thesis to redress these shortfalls. Using an extensive collection of primary and secondary sources, this thesis will consider the impact of a Marxist-Leninist conception of proletarian internationalism on the policies, tactics and strategies of the Communist Party of Australia from 1928-1945. The thesis will demonstrate that proletarian internationalism was far more than mere adherence to Moscow, obediently receiving and implementing instructions. Instead, through the lens of this concept, we can see that the Communist Party’s relationship with Moscow was flexible and nuanced and one that, in reality, often put the party at odds with the official Soviet position. In addition, we will see the extent of the influence exerted by other aspects of proletarian internationalism, such as international solidarity, the so-called national and colonial questions and the communist attitude towards war, on the Communist Party’s praxis. iii I, Robert Bozinovski, declare that the PhD thesis entitled ‘The Communist Party of Australia and Proletarian Internationalism, 1928-1945’ is no more than 100,000 words in length including quotes and exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, bibliography, references and footnotes. This thesis contains no material that has been submitted previously, in whole or in part, for the award of any other academic degree or diploma. Except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is my own work. Signature_____________________________ Date_________________________________ iv Table of Contents Abstract ii Declaration of Authenticity iii Table of Contents iv Acknowledgments v Abbreviations vi Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review 1 Chapter Two: The Ideological Foundations of Proletarian Internationalism 21 Chapter Three: Resisting the Third Period 41 Chapter Four: From the Third Period to the Popular Front 104 Chapter Five: Proletarian Internationalism, the Popular Front and War 167 Chapter Six: The People’s War and Proletarian Internationalism 225 Conclusion 249 Bibliography 256 v Acknowledgments I would like to thank my supervisor, Professor Phillip Deery, for his guidance, advice and support. I would also like to thank Dr. Marc Askew for his valuable advice and assistance during the early stages of this monumental task. I would also like to thank my friends for their encouragement and comic relief during times of frustration. I thank also the Hon. Brendan O’Connor, and my co-workers Julie, Colin, Sean and Stacey, for their encouragement, support and understanding over the past three years. To my mother Blaga, sister Belinda and her husband Mark, words cannot express my debt to your boundless support, patience and understanding; without it none of this would have been possible. vi Abbreviations AAS Anglo-American Secretariat ACTU Australasian Council of Trade Unions AIF Australian Imperial Force ALP Australian Labor Party ARU Australian Railways Union AWU Australian Workers Union CI Communist International Cominform Communist Information Bureau Comintern Communist International CC Central Committee CCP Communist Party of China CEC Central Executive Committee CP Communist Party CPA Communist Party of Australia CPGB Communist Party of Great Britain CPNZ Communist Party of New Zealand CPSA Communist Party of South Africa CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union CPUSA Communist Party of the United States of America EAM Greek National Liberation Front ECCI Executive Committee of the Communist International ELAS National People’s Liberation Army vii FOSU Friends of the Soviet Union ICWPA International Class War Prisoner’s Aid ILD International Labor Defence ILP Independent Labour Party IRA International Red Aid IWW Industrial Workers of the World KMT Kuomintang KPD Communist Party of Germany LAI League Against Imperialism LLL Week Lenin-Liebknecht-Luxemburg Week MAWAF Movement Against War and Fascism MMM Militant Minority Movement PCF Communist Party of France PCI Communist Party of Italy PPTUS Pan-Pacific Trade Union Secretariat Profintern Red International of Labour Unions (see also RILU) RAN Royal Australian Navy RILU Red International of Labour Unions (see also Profintern) SFIO French Socialist Party SPD German Social Democratic Party SRC Spanish Relief Committee THC Trades Hall Council TUC Trade Union Congress viii UAP United Australia Party UCP United Country Party UFAF United Front Against Fascism UWM Unemployed Workers Movement WDC Workers’ Defence Corps WWF Waterside Workers’ Federation YCL Young Communist League 1 Chapter One: Introduction and Literature Review Proletarian internationalism was a central tenet underpinning communist thought. It was a broad concept which influenced the Communist Party of Australia’s (CPA) policies, strategies, propaganda and actions. For communists, it represented the unshakable unity of the proletarians of all lands against the common foe of all workers: capitalism. It epitomised solidarity in the international class war; global proletarians against global capitalists; and a mortal struggle that a Marxist reading of history predicted would result in victory for the underdog. Against an expansionistic capitalism with outposts in all countries, victory could only be conclusive if it were global. Only then could the eradication of the scourge of capitalism, the raison d’être of revolutionary socialists, become a reality. For the attainment of this goal, proletarian internationalism was indispensable. Proletarian internationalism also presented a unique and radically different perspective of the world from that offered by the mainstream national centric political doctrines. It was the diametric opposite to bourgeois ‘nationalism.’ Whereas nationalism emphasised loyalty to one’s own countrymen/women, regardless of class, proletarian internationalism underscored loyalty to class, across borders, irrespective of colour or religion. In the Australian context, this set apart the CPA from the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the United Australia Party (UAP). The two major parties of Australian politics did not possess anything vaguely reminiscent of an internationalist worldview; this was understandable as neither had as its raison d’être the militant prosecution of the class war or the annihilation of capitalism on a global basis. With the triumph of the Bolsheviks in 1917, revolutionary socialists witnessed the emergence of a living embodiment of their ideals. Proletarians could now point to a supposedly worker run state, building a worker’s paradise. The primary aim of all class conscious proletarians was emulation of the Bolshevik example. Particularly encouraging was the seeming willingness of the new workers’ government to render assistance via the Communist International (Comintern) to those who shared its quixotic ideals. In return, it became the duty of all revolutionaries loyal to the cause to defend the USSR. It was the sole workers’ state; its destruction would be a tremendous setback to all revolutionary socialists. Refuting anti-Soviet propaganda and resisting anti-Soviet war was a central duty that fell on the shoulders of the faithful scattered around the globe. 2 These various threads all lead to the following question: what was proletarian internationalism? It must be stated from the outset that a detailed working definition of proletarian internationalism will be provided in chapter two and will serve as a constant reference point for this thesis. But generally speaking, proletarian internationalism meant a range of things to different people at different times. To communists it meant solidarity with fellow proletarians, wherever in the world their struggle was waged. It also meant defence of the land of socialism where the workers supposedly held state power. It meant affiliation to the Comintern, the global Communist Party, which in turn meant behaving in unison with the Comintern; ‘exceptionalism’ was anathema. It also meant waging struggles at home on behalf of fellow workers abroad and demanding an end to colonisation and imperialist expansion. Proletarian internationalism also entailed (in the CPA’s case) fighting for the acceptance of Australia’s neighbours and rejecting racism, bigotry, national chauvinism and the ‘White Australia’ policy. In a word, it meant fighting for class interests and socialism on a global scale, rejecting jingoism and racism along the way. The values inherent in proletarian internationalism attracted many to the CPA’s ranks; yet it was also a liability, often placing the party at uncomfortable loggerheads with mainstream opinion. To others, proletarian internationalism held