Communist Workers' International Kommunistische Arbeiter-Internationale | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | KAI |
| Founder | Communist Workers' Party of Germany |
| Founded | April 1922 (1922-04) |
| Dissolved | De facto: February 1927 (1927-02) De jure: February 1933 (1933-02) |
| Split from | Communist International |
| Headquarters | Essen(1922–1927) Amsterdam(1927–1933) |
| Ideology | Council communism |
| Political position | Far-left |
TheCommunist Workers' International (German:Kommunistische Arbeiter-Internationale,KAI) orFourth Communist International was acouncil communistinternational. It was founded around theManifesto of the Fourth Communist International, published by theCommunist Workers' Party of Germany (KAPD) in 1921.
The organisation was founded in 1922, following a split in the KAPD, by members of theEssen Faction, includingHerman Gorter andKarl Schröder,[1] theBerlin Faction holding that the formation of an international was premature.[2] It was joined by theCommunist Workers' Party of the Netherlands,Sylvia Pankhurst'sCommunist Workers' Party inBritain, theLeft Communists inRussia (who accordingly renamed themselves theCommunist Workers' Party), theCommunist Workers' Group in Russia and someleft communists inBelgium andBulgaria.[3]
The International was never able to organise joint activities and probably never reached 1,000 members. It was weakened by the divisions (and in some cases dissolution) of the parties that formed it,[4] and the departure of the Russian Communist Workers' Group, who disagreed with its opposition to aunited front with theThird International.[5]
The KAPD's Essen Tendency dissolved in 1927, and the leadership of the International was passed to the Netherlands, as the Dutch group was the only party still holding membership, the other constituents being isolated individuals.[6] It still nominally existed at the start of the 1930s, but undertook no international activity, only publishing work in the name of the organisation, until it was formally dissolved in February 1933.[4]
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