The London Congress
The next Congress was held at London in November 1920, It occupied itself firstly with the Red International of Labor Unions and then with "socialization," economic questions and financial exchange. One of the leaders of the international trade union movement, the representative of the French Confederation of Labor, Jouhaux was especially busy with the stabilization of the financial unit. It was not by chance that this question was proposed by a representative of France—France, as it is known, is a country of pawn-brokers, and financial questions, questions of banking, stock exchanges, etc., are of especial interest to wide circles of the French bourgeoisie.
But looking over the decisions and resolutions of the London Congress about the stabilization of the monetary unit, we see again that all these decisions resolve around the axis of the League of Nations and the institutions which were created by it.
What should be done in order to stabilize the monetary unit? It is necessary that the League of Nations shall deal with it. That was the decision of the London Congress, What should be done in order to start socialization, with which industry should we begin? First of all, we should approach this very carefully (so carefully that probably nobody can notice it), and after that it is necessary again that the International Labor Bureau of the League of Nations shall take it up. In short, no mattter what the Amsterdam International would take up or start—it would begin with the League of Nations and end with it. All this proves the inherent weakness of the organization of the Amsterdam International and the complete subordination of this organization to the bourgeois institutions which were created as a result of the world war.
The Rome Congress
The next Congress of the Amsterdam International was held in Rome in April 1922. It dealt with the problems of war, reparations, etc. Here, again, we see not one revolutionary decision. At the same time we see that all the aspirations and hopes of the leaders of the Amsterdam International continue to revolve around the same circle as in the first two years, notwithstanding the fact that the danger of war has grown and the reparation problem was very confused. This is the general outline of the work of these three Congresses.
Let us take up the separate questions, but not in a chronological way of the Congresses. Let us consider the theory and practice of the Amsterdam International and, as a result, we will be able to discover our point of view. The problems which are today dividing the world labor movement are mainly the following: the attitude toward the Versailles Treaty, the problems of reparations, the methods of struggle against
