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Left Radical Internationalism, the Fracturing of the Second International, and Founding of the Third International, 1910-1920

Yildiz, Ali Yagiz (2024) Left Radical Internationalism, the Fracturing of the Second International, and Founding of the Third International, 1910-1920. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Between 1910 and 1920, an international faction of revolutionary Marxists organized itself first inside and against the Second International, and then outside of it, with the aim of finding a new revolutionary International. This dissertation explores the origins, development, and the dissolution of this movement, which is defined as “Left Radical Internationalism” Although the historiography has approached different national groups that were a part of this radical movement (like the Dutch Tribunists, Russian Bolsheviks, or German left-radical groups), this is the first work that analyzes the movement’s evolution as an international faction beyond the limits of narrow national settings. The dissertation reveals the international organizational structure of the Left Radical Internationalist movement, as well as the global scope, content, and shape of its intellectual development as a collective. Left Radical Internationalism formed its initial organizational center (the Zimmerwald Left Bureau) in 1915 as a radical anti-war group. The dissertation com-pares this structure with its political counterparts, most importantly the International Socialist Bureau (ISB) of the Second International and the Bern International Socialist Commission of the Zimmerwald Movement, to illuminate its organizational originality. In addition, it analyzes the evolution of the Left Radical Internationalist tendency’s organizational structure at various key moments, most importantly, the establishment of the Communist International and its Bureaus in 1919 and the dissolution of the original Left Radical Internationalist organizational structure immediately before the Second Congress of the Communist International in 1920. Throughout, the dissertation explores the evolution of intellectual and political positions of this unique revolutionary group. One of the most important findings of the dissertation is the centrality of the “Mass Action Debate” in the evolution of left-radical positions. Starting from 1910, the mass action debate informed and determined the Left Radical Internationalist perspective and strategy on vital political and organizational questions, including war, imperialism, trade unions, parliaments, and organization. Until the founding of the Communist International, the Left Radical Internationalists’ defense of mass action tactics constituted the key impulse for their distinctive politics.

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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Yildiz, Ali YagizALY87@pitt.eduYildiz, Ali Yagiz0009-0008-4968-6003
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairChase, Williamwchase@pitt.edu
Committee MemberHarris, Jonathanjonharri@pitt.edu
Committee MemberHolstein, Diegoholstein@pitt.edu
Committee MemberPickett, Jamespickettj@pitt.edu
Date: 10 January 2024
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 9 November 2023
Approval Date: 10 January 2024
Submission Date: 24 November 2023
Access Restriction: 2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years.
Number of Pages: 585
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > History
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Left Radical Internationalism, First World War, Zimmerwald Movement, Zimmerwald Left, Anti-War Movements, Communism, Social Democracy, Second International, Third International (Communist International, Comintern), Russian Revolution, German Revolution, Mass Action, Marxism
Date Deposited: 10 Jan 2024 13:45
Last Modified: 10 Jan 2024 13:45
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45581

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  • Left Radical Internationalism, the Fracturing of the Second International, and Founding of the Third International, 1910-1920. (deposited 10 Jan 2024 13:45) [Currently Displayed]

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