4. The Second World Congress

The Second World Congress

Editor’s Note:

The Second World Congress took place from 17 July to 7 August 1920. The Congress opened its sessions in Petrograd, where Lenin delivered his report on the world situation and the tasks of the Communist International. Subsequent sessions were held in Moscow from 23 July to 6 August.

Despite the Allied blockade, delegates came to the Congress from Europe, America, Africa, Asia and Australia. In all, thirty-seven countries were represented by 218 delegates, of whom 169 had decisive votes and forty-nine consultative votes. The major reports on the Congress agenda were: Zinoviev’s report on the role of the Communist Party in the proletarian revolution (23 July); Lenin’s report on the national and colonial questions (26 July); Zinoviev’s report on the conditions of admission to the CI (29 July); Bukharin’s report on parliamentarianism (2 August); Radek’s report on the trade union movement (3 August); Zinoviev’s report on the conditions for the organisation of Soviets (5 August); and Trotsky’s report on the Manifesto at the concluding session of 7 August. Among the important discussions was that of 6 August, devoted to the question of the entry of Communists into the British Labour Party. The Congress concluded its work by electing the Executive Committee.

The Russian Bolshevik Party was represented by a large delegation consisting of Lenin, Trotsky, Zinoviev, Radek, Bukharin, Dzerzhinsky, Rykov, Ryazanov, Tomsky, Krupskaya, Pokrovsky, Rudzutak, and others. (Stalin was so unimportant at the time that he was not included in the delegation.)