Third extraordinary congress of SEKE (Communist)
[26 November -3 December 1924]
The divisions within the party intensified placing hurdles in its development and action. At this juncture the Third Extraordinary Congress of the SEKE (Communist) was held from 26th November to 3rd December 1924.
The congress was initially considered to be Ordinary, but since it wasn’t properly constituted shortly after the opening it was considered as extraordinary. D. Manouilski and R. Smerald from the Third Communist International and the Balkan Communist Confederation respectively participated in the congress. Basically the party had to resolve matters related to safeguarding the Party’s revolutionary nature not only in terms of a program but also in terms of its constitution; to confront, through this procedure, the strong dissent within its lines so as to create the conditions of popular support which would enable it to correspond to its mission.
According to its press release in «RIZOSPATIS» on 12th December 1924, «the congress was able to look upon all the matters of principles and tactics, to provide the party with distinct lines of direction in the several fields of struggle and to put the solid bases of giving the party a Bolshevik character.
The Congress unanimously accepted the Communist International and the Balkan Communist Confederation resolutions and the 21 conditions for the communist parties to join the Communist International. In this congress, and according to 21 conditions of the Communist International the SΕΚΕ (Communist) changed its name to Communist Party of Greece- Greek Division of the Communist International. It also resolved the reorganisation of the party based on the Party cells and adopted a new constitution which reaffirms the principle of democratic centralism as the fundamental principle of its organisation and functioning. It dealt with the opportunist view points within its ranks, conceptions which had led it to unprincipled divisions and had brought it to the brink of liquidation; also it discussed the measures for the illegal organisation of the party. The party began to safeguard the base for its organisation on the Leninist theory. It adopted in its platform the policy of the United Front in accordance with the 5th Congress of the Communist International resolution and oriented the party towards the everyday struggle for the people’s immediate problems and the improvement for their miserable situation.
| The hardships the labour movement faced due to the adverse circumstances not only in Greece (suppressing of strikes, prosecutions, reign of terror, court-martials etc.) but in Europe as well (defeat and retreat of the revolutionary movement in Germany, Poland, Bulgaria), influenced negatively the discord within the party and as a result strong opportunist viewpoints were developed. The claim that the working class is not inspired by revolutionary ideas and that it cannot conduct long-term struggles was accompanied by the assertion that the party should resign from revolutionary activity. Respectively, the idea of rejecting alliances was strengthened. |
The divisions within the party intensified placing hurdles in its development and action. At this juncture the Third Extraordinary Congress of the SEKE (Communist) was held from 26th November to 3rd December 1924.
The congress was initially considered to be Ordinary, but since it wasn’t properly constituted shortly after the opening it was considered as extraordinary. D. Manouilski and R. Smerald from the Third Communist International and the Balkan Communist Confederation respectively participated in the congress. Basically the party had to resolve matters related to safeguarding the Party’s revolutionary nature not only in terms of a program but also in terms of its constitution; to confront, through this procedure, the strong dissent within its lines so as to create the conditions of popular support which would enable it to correspond to its mission.
According to its press release in «RIZOSPATIS» on 12th December 1924, «the congress was able to look upon all the matters of principles and tactics, to provide the party with distinct lines of direction in the several fields of struggle and to put the solid bases of giving the party a Bolshevik character.
The Congress unanimously accepted the Communist International and the Balkan Communist Confederation resolutions and the 21 conditions for the communist parties to join the Communist International. In this congress, and according to 21 conditions of the Communist International the SΕΚΕ (Communist) changed its name to Communist Party of Greece- Greek Division of the Communist International. It also resolved the reorganisation of the party based on the Party cells and adopted a new constitution which reaffirms the principle of democratic centralism as the fundamental principle of its organisation and functioning. It dealt with the opportunist view points within its ranks, conceptions which had led it to unprincipled divisions and had brought it to the brink of liquidation; also it discussed the measures for the illegal organisation of the party. The party began to safeguard the base for its organisation on the Leninist theory. It adopted in its platform the policy of the United Front in accordance with the 5th Congress of the Communist International resolution and oriented the party towards the everyday struggle for the people’s immediate problems and the improvement for their miserable situation.
e-mail:cpg@int.kke.gr