Tactics in clections came our of the experience of the Ches as sated in the resolutioa or the munist International en well as walkine out of Parlamem, are ermisable primarily when the conditions for the romediate transition to armed struggle for power are ar hand. DIf Simply outlining this proposition however, while important in the sruggle against the powerful ultra-left current in the carly period of the Communist International, was not at all suficient to solve all the poblems which confronted the carly Communist arries in their dectoral tactics.
Desin could aready write in Left Wing CommuAn Infantile Desorder that i was necessary to creater *a new, uncustomary, non-opportunist, and non-carecrist parlamentarianism. 12) But in a number of Communist Parties in Western Europe the massive pressure of bourgeois parlamentarianismn, and thie previous reformist electoral training many of the Communist Party leaders had received in the social democratic parties, led to parlamentarist method: dominating election ractics. 131 The developing of really revolutionary factics for elections in imperialist countries was lo be a slow and painful process for revolutionary socialists.
Ironically chough one of the ibost outstanding first cane not from the Corubunis Partios bur Trom a Communist Incerational on ao mitro-left policica:
MacLean was able do soosshully combine wock in DEMASILL unciopioned, undemocracio decia: of premises for revolenionary modings, participation in the Way Way demonstraLious, and work in defenes of political prisoners with a In the General Election of 1922 Maciean war able to gel 4000 votes standing in the Gorbals against Labour. In the spring al 1923 he personally ran in two byelecions and, througb his Scottish Workers Republican Parte, was preparing to car candidates in 12 soais Delegates to the Second Congress of the Communist International. now tactically to utilise elections, despite their evenqual fruitlessness due to MacLean's wrong positions on a whole range of basic programmatic questions. But the British Communist Party rapidis came to provide some of the clearist examples of how not to combine electaral work with other tactics.
In the early period of its formarion the British Communist Party, Tollowing the advice of Lenin, had developed relatively coerent and clear tactics for work in relacion to the Labour Party, the trade unions and elections, it combined systematic work to build a lett wing in the unions (which was to culminate in 1924 in the Jormamon of me minority porcen wi ork to build the left inside the Labour Party (leading to the formationofthe National l eft Wing Movement).
However in combination with these tactics, all of which were essentially an application of the line of the woted frout, the Communis Party clearly intervened to counterpase itsell politically to the Labour Party-Ir did this through the combinarion of applications co affiliate to the Labour Party, when this was rejectod proposing separate workers elections to decide whether Labour or Communis, should stand in cach area against the Tores and Liberals, aod finally standing its own candidates in safe Labour soas where there was no chance of lerting the Torics in. P)
Such elecioral work did not bring dramatic results. lo 1923 che Communis Party roceived 73,000 votes (avernge 9000 votes per candidate) and in 1924 55,000 voles (average 6900 votes per candidare), but it was a way to slowly build up their support and membership. M9 1924-25 ibbluence dominated the Comunist Paris of Greal ЗАТЕНИЛ Under the intlacnce of the Stalinist degeneration of the Soviet Lition aed the Communise International. the CPCB bogan co move from a united froer with the Labour beltto a polion decrumodation to them policy embodied in the shape of the Anglo-Russian Trade Lion Comminee. This accombodation sook the foren of the dissiution of the political arugale of the CPGR isto the frade amonom of the Minoricy Movement. An Trarsky pal it:
The disascrous expericace with the Anglo-Russian Committee war hased cotirely upon effacing the Communis Party This was colained by the actual dissolution of the party inco-the so-called "'Minority Movemen", that is. a left" epposition inside the trade acions. 171 and struggle of the CPGB —a policy whuch clearly involved an electoral componeni.
he Laoour Party and cootrade uions - Bics ate not two principies, they are only a technical division of labour. Together they are the fundamental support of the domination of the British bourgeoisie. The latter cannet Lahourite bureaucracy. And that cannot be atraineu by opposing the trade umn to me saireus auca, bal by the active opposition of the Communist Party to the Labour bureaucracy in all fields of social life. lo the trade unions, in strikes, in the electoral carpaign, in parlament, and in power." 18)
Naturally a clear electoral policy was not by liself suficient to estabilish the political independence of the CPGB — this would have involved a whale series of sepi including raising the demand lor 3 Labour Government in the period prior to the 1926 Lieneral Strike — hut it was one of the incasures which were necessary to prevent a uniled front policy turning inta political accommodation.
THE PERIOD from 1925-26 was, for the Communis Partics, one of accommodation to tbe reformists the period of 'Rich: Centrial Downsliding'. as Trotsky laver described it. From 1928 onwards this was ousted by the ultra leftism of the so-called "Third Period the time during which the Stalinists declared the socia democratic parties to be social fascist", in this "Third Period the Communist Parties par big ressarces into elections - showing that electoral participation in itself is not in the slighiest a safeguard against ultraleftism Tratsky sapported the policy of the Communist Parties of running in elections, against those in the Trotskyist movement who criticised the German agninst the social democrars, bur of course criticised the Cartunist Parties" suicidal ultra-left policies in thescelections.
Following the disaster of the Thind Poriod, the Comintern from 1934 onwards turned to the policy of Popular Front collaboration with ESCOREIS parties. In certain coustries this menot big electoral gains for the Comunist Parties - ar she expense of giving up their resolutionary programme But in countries where there were social democratic or bourgeois liberal parries it led to the CPs virmally giving up staeding candidates in electoos in Lhe name of 'unity'. In the 1935 elections in Bricain, for example, the CPCB ran a grand tocal of two candiIn responding to this changing political sicuation Trotsky once again carefully adapted decional tacrics to the needs of the situarion In the inicial phase of the "Third Period' the doctoral tacties proposed by Trotsky were in line with the orientarion of that period of reforming the
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