Collected Works of V. I. Lenin - Vol. 31 - From Marx to Mao

NOTES5637778the discussion of his theses on the terms of admission into theCommunist International. Both the commission and the Congressapproved the article. Lenin’s theses entitled “The Terms of Admissioninto the Communist International” and published beforethe Congress met contained 19 articles. The Congress adopted21 articres, the last article reading as follows: “Party memberswho reject in principle the obligations and theses laid down bythe Communist International shall be expelled from the Party.“This shall also apply to delegates to extraordinary Partycongresses.” p. 212The Second Congress of the Communist International met fromJuly 19 to August 7, 1920. The opening session was held in Petrogradand the subsequent sessions in Moscow. It was attended byover 200 delegates who represented workers ‘ organisations of37 countries. Apart from delegates representing the Communistparties and organisations of 31 countries, there were delegatesfrom the Independent Social-Democratic Party of Germany, theSocialist parties of Italy and France, Industrial Workers of theWorld (Australia, Britain and Ireland), the National Confederationof Labour of Spain and other organisations.Lenin directed all the preparatory work before the Congress.At its first session he made a report on the international situationand the fundamental tasks of the Communist International.Throughout the Congress, in his reports and speeches, Lenin foughtuncompromisingly against the opportunist Centrist parties, whowere attempting to penetrate into the Third International, andlevelled sharp criticism at the anarcho-syndicalist trends and“Left” sectarianism of a number of communist organisations.Lenin took part in the work of various commissions and deliveredreports and speeches on the international situation and the fundamentaltasks of the Communist International, the national andthe colonial questions, the agrarian question and the terms ofadmission into the Communist International. Lenin’s theses onthe fundamental tasks of the Second Congress of the CommunistInternational, the national and the colonial questions, the agrarianquestion and the terms of admission into the CommunistInternational were endorsed as Congress decisions.The Second Congress laid the foundations of the programme,organisational principles, strategy and tactics of the CommunistInternational. p. 213This international organisation was being set up at the timeby the Centrist socialist parties and groups which had left theSecond International under pressure from the revolutionarymasses. The International Union of the Socialist Parties, as thenew organisation was officially called was formed at a conferencein Vienna in February 1921 and; was also known as theTwo-and-a-Half or Vienna International. Professing oppositionto the Second International, the leaders of the Two-and-a-HalfInternational actually pursued the same opportunist and splitting