Syndicalism in FranceLorwin, Lewis L. (Lewis Levitzki)
History
Syndicalism in France
Lorwin, Lewis L. (Lewis Levitzki)
Labor unions -- France -- History; Syndicalism -- France
The Congress of Marseilles rejected the proposition to apply the
principle of proportional representation which was again advanced. It
discussed the question of industrial and trade unionism and decided in
favor of the former, inviting all trade federations to fuse into
industrial federations.
But the main question which agitated the Congress was that of
anti-militarism. At Amiens (1906) an anti-militaristic resolution
introduced by Yvetot (Secretary of the Section of _Bourses du Travail_)
had been passed. But it was passed in a hurry, as there was no time to
discuss it, and it raised strong opposition among the "reformist"
elements. It was taken to the Congress of Marseilles, therefore, for
another discussion.
The Congress of Marseilles accepted the resolution introduced by Yvetot.
The resolution read:
The Congress of Marseilles, repeats and renders more precise the
decision of Amiens, namely:
Considering that the army tends more and more to take the place of
the workingmen on strike in the factory, in the fields, in the
workshop, when it has not the function of shooting them, as in
Narbonnes, Raon-L'Etape, and Villeneuve St. George;
Considering that the exercise of the right to strike will be only a
fraud as long as the soldiers agree to substitute the workers in
civil work and to massacre the workingmen; the Congress, keeping
within purely economic limits, recommends the instruction of the
recruits (_jeunes_) in order that on the day when they put on the
military uniform they should be convinced that they should remain
nevertheless members of the family of workingmen and that in the
conflict between capital and labor their duty is not to use their
arms against their brethren, the workingmen;
Considering that the geographical boundaries are modifiable at the
will of the possessors, the workingmen recognize only the economic
boundaries separating the two class-enemies--the working-class and
the capitalist class.
The Congress repeats the formula of the International: "The
workingmen have no fatherland;" and adds:
That whereas, consequently, every war is but an outrage
(_attentat_) against the workingmen; that it is a bloody and
terrible means of diverting them from their demands, the Congress
declares it necessary, from the international point of view, to
enlighten the workingmen, in order that in case of war they may
reply to the declaration of war by a declaration of a revolutionary
general strike.[207]
[207] _XVI Congrès National Corporatif_, p. 213.
The resolution was adopted by 681 votes against 421 and 43 blank. Many
voted against the resolution because of its anti-patriotic character,
though they accepted the part bearing upon the use of the army in
strikes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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