3rd World Congress of the Communist International


The 3rd World Congress of the Communist International was held in Moscow between 22 June and 12 July 1921. The third official meeting of the Communist International included delegations from more than 50 different national structures and took place in the back-drop of two major events; the failure of the German revolution and the introduction of New Economic Policy in Soviet Russia.
The main language of the congress was German, with three further working languages: French, English and Russian.
Over 600 delegates were housed at Hotel Lux.

Agenda

The agenda was circulated in several languages from March 1921:
  1. Report of the executive committee.
  2. The world economic crisis and the new role of the Communist International.
  3. Tactics of the Communist International during the revolution.
  4. The period of transition.
  5. The campaign against the Yellow Trade Union International of Amsterdam.
  6. The International Council of Red Trade Unions and the Communist International.
  7. The internal structure of the Communist Parties, their methods of action, and the essence of that action.
  8. The internal structure of the Communist International—and its relations with the affiliated parties.
  9. The Eastern question.
  10. The Italian Socialist Party and the Communist International.
  11. The K.A.P.D. and the Communist International.
  12. The women's movement.
  13. The Young Communist movement.
  14. Election of the executive committee, and designation of its place of session.
  15. Miscellaneous.

    Delegates

There were delegates from the following countries.
CountryPartyNo.
ArgentinaCommunist Party of Argentina2
ArmeniaCommunist Party of Armenia8
AzerbaijanCommunist Party of Azerbaijan6
AustriaCommunist Party of Austria7
AustriaPoalei Zion14
AustraliaCommunist Party of Australia4
BakuYoung Communist International1
BakuEastern Bureau2
Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist RepublicCommunist Party of Bashkiria2
BelgiumSocialist Revolutionaries2
BelgiumYoung Communist International1
BelgiumCommunist Party of Belgium2
BritainCommunist Party of Great Britain14
BritainSocialist Party1
BritainAnti-Parliamentary Communist Federation1
BukharaCommunist Party of Bukhara7
BulgariaBulgarian Communist Party19
BulgariaYoung Communist International1
CanadaSocialist Party of Canada1
ChinaChinese Communist Party1
ChinaYoung Communist International1
ConstantinopleCommunist Party of Turkey1
CzechoslovakiaCommunist Party of Czechoslovakia27
CzechoslovakiaYoung Communist International2
DenmarkCommunist Party of Denmark6
EgyptCommunist Party of Egypt1
EstoniaCommunist Party of Estonia5
EstoniaEstonian Independent Socialist Workers' Party2
EstoniaYoung Communist International1
Far Eastern RepublicRussian Communist Party 1
Far Eastern RepublicYoung Communist International1
FinlandCommunist Party of Finland30
FranceCommunist Party of France8
FranceSyndicalists9
FranceYoung Communist International3
FranceSyndicalist Minority11
FünfkirchenSocialist Party3
GeorgiaCommunist Party of Georgia11
GeorgiaYoung Communist International1
GermanyCommunist Workers' Party of Germany 5
GermanyUnited Communist Party of Germany25
GermanyYoung Communist International8
Germanywomen1
GermanyUnited Communist Party of Germany 2
GreeceCommunist Party of Greece3
HungaryCommunist Party of Hungary12
HungaryYoung Communist International1
India4
IndiaYoung Communist International1
IranCommunist Party of Iran5
IrelandCommunist Party of Ireland2
ItalyCommunist Party of Italy21
ItalyYoung Communist International4
ItalySocialist Party of Italy4
JavaCommunist Union of the Indies1
KhivaYoung Communist International1
KhirgiziaCommunist Party of Kirghizia1
KoreaCommunist Party of Korea1
LatviaCommunist Party of Latvia11
LatviaYoung Communist International1
LithuaniaCommunist Party of Lithuania9
LithuaniaYoung Communist International2
LuxemburgCommunist Party of Luxemburg4
LuxemburgSocialist Party of Luxemburg1
LuxemburgYoung Communist International1
MexicoCommunist Party of Mexico1
MexicoYoung Communist International1
MongoliaMongolian People's Revolutionary Party1
Near EastYoung Communist International1
NetherlandsCommunist Party of the Netherlands5
NetherlandsYoung Communist International1
NorwayNorwegian Labour Party11
NorwayYoung Communist International1
NorwayCommunist Party of Norway1
PalestineCommunist Party of Palestine1
Poale Zion1
PolandCommunist Party of Poland20
PolandBund3
RomaniaCommunist Party of Romania10
RomaniaYoung Communist International4
RussiaCommunist Party of Russia 72
RussiaYoung Communist International4
South AfricaInternational Socialist League1
SwedenCommunist Party of Sweden15
SwedenYoung Communist International3
SwitzerlandCommunist Party of Switzerland13
SwitzerlandYoung Communist International2
SpainCommunist Party of Spain5
SpainCommunist Workers Party of Spain4
SpainSyndicalists5
Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist RepublicTatarstan Regional Committee of the Communist Party 1
TurkeyCommunist Party of Turkey4
TurkestanCommunist Party of Russia 4
TurkestanRevolutionary League4
UkraineCommunist Party of Ukraine22
United States of AmericaUnited Communist Party of America10
United States of AmericaYoung Communist International2
United States of AmericaJapanese Communist Group1
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist RepublicCommunist Party of Byelorussia2
YugoslaviaCommunist Party of Yugoslavia10
YugoslaviaYoung Communist International1

Armenia

The Communist Party of Armenia delegation was led by Sarkis Kasyan. Other delegates included Sahak Ter-Gabrielyan and Avis Nurijanyan.

Azerbaijan

The Communist Party of Azerbaijan delegation included Gazanfar Musabekov, and Mikheil Kakhiani.

Austria

The Communist Party of Austria delegation included Franz Koritschoner, Joseph Frey, Jacob Riehs and Karl Steinhardt.

Australia

By the time of the third Comintern congress the Australian Socialist Party and the Communist Party of Australia had not settled differences between the two parties. Both groups sent delegations to the congress, with Paul Freeman being sent by the ASP to represent the party. The CPA leader William Earsman travelled together with Jack Howie, reaching Great Britain and from there went to Moscow where they arrived on 13 June 1921. Upon arrival in Moscow the CPA delegates realised that they had beaten the ASP leader Paul Freeman in the quest to arrive first to the congress, but that another ASP member Alf Rees had already reached the city to attend the RILU congress. Rees had already acquired the Comintern congress credentials for the ASP delegation. Freeman arrived later whilst a third ASP delegate, Jim Quinton, was arrested in England whilst en route to Moscow.
Freeman died in the Aerowagon experimental monorail crash on 24 July 1921, along with his close friend Commissar Artem. Both were buried at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.