Alfred Rosmer
Encyclopedia
Alfred Rosmer was a syndicalist leader before World War I
and one of the few leaders of that movement to oppose the war from a revolutionary internationalist
position.
A friendship with Leon Trotsky
dated from that period, when the latter was living in Paris
. After the war he became a leading figure in the Communist Party of France before being ousted as early as 1924, along with Boris Souvarine
and Pierre Monatte
, for opposing Stalinism
and the elimination of the Old Bolsheviks, as that party underwent so called "Bolshevisation". He then became a leader of the early Trotskyist movement only to drop out of politics in 1932.
Nevertheless he remained a convinced revolutionary and his friendship with Trotsky was later repaired. The founding congress of the Trotskyist Fourth International
was held at his home outside Paris.
Rosmer was a member of the Dewey Commission
which cleared Trotsky
of all charges made during the Moscow Trials
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and one of the few leaders of that movement to oppose the war from a revolutionary internationalist
Proletarian internationalism
Proletarian internationalism, sometimes referred to as international socialism, is a Marxist social class concept based on the view that capitalism is now a global system, and therefore the working class must act as a global class if it is to defeat it...
position.
A friendship with Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
dated from that period, when the latter was living in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After the war he became a leading figure in the Communist Party of France before being ousted as early as 1924, along with Boris Souvarine
Boris Souvarine
Boris Souvarine was an Imperial Russian-born French socialist, communist activist, essayist, and journalist.-Early years:...
and Pierre Monatte
Pierre Monatte
Pierre Monatte was a French trade unionist who worked in the printing industry . He was the responsible of the Confédération générale du travail at the beginning of the 20th century, and founded its journal La Vie ouvrière on 5 October 1909...
, for opposing Stalinism
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...
and the elimination of the Old Bolsheviks, as that party underwent so called "Bolshevisation". He then became a leader of the early Trotskyist movement only to drop out of politics in 1932.
Nevertheless he remained a convinced revolutionary and his friendship with Trotsky was later repaired. The founding congress of the Trotskyist Fourth International
Fourth International
The Fourth International is the communist international organisation consisting of followers of Leon Trotsky , with the declared dedicated goal of helping the working class bring about socialism...
was held at his home outside Paris.
Rosmer was a member of the Dewey Commission
Dewey Commission
The Dewey Commission was initiated in March 1937 by the "American Committee for the Defense of Leon Trotsky." It was named after its Chairman, John Dewey...
which cleared Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
of all charges made during the Moscow Trials
Moscow Trials
The Moscow Trials were a series of show trials conducted in the Soviet Union and orchestrated by Joseph Stalin during the Great Purge of the 1930s. The victims included most of the surviving Old Bolsheviks, as well as the leadership of the Soviet secret police...
.
See also
- Revolutionary HistoryRevolutionary HistoryRevolutionary History is a British journal dedicated to the history of the far left. It was founded in 1988 by Sam Bornstein and Al Richardson and has maintained an editorial board representing many strands of British Trotskyism. In its articles, it also covers other anti-Stalinist communist...
, vol 7, no 4 (Autumn 2000) (special issue on Alfred and Marguerite Rosmer).
External links
- Alfred Rosmer Internet Archive
- They kept the flame of revolution burning (2004 article on Alfred and Marguerite Rosmer by Ian BirchallIan BirchallIan Birchall is a British Marxist historian and translator, a member of the Socialist Workers Party and author of numerous articles and books, particularly relating to the French Left...
). - Alfred Rosmer: Trotsky in Paris during World War I: Recollections of a Comrade and Co-worker