Communist front

Communist front organizations are characterized by their common origin, the rigid conformity of these organizations to the Communist pattern, their interlocking personnel, and their methods of deception.

Munzenberg on fronts

During the first few years of the Communist International, immediately after the October Revolution, its international appeal was stridently revolutionary. As world economic conditions improved following the First World War, the international revolutionary movement began to wane. The Hungarian and German Communist revolutions failed and the Communist International began to lose strength. Hence it was deemed necessary to moderate the earlier revolutionary appeal, to adopt middle-of-the-road slogans, and to build so-called united front organizations, as bridge and supporting organizations in the interest of the international Communist movement.

One of the leading organizers of these 'innocent' organizations on an international scale was Willi Munzenberg, a prominent German Communist, whose organizing ability won him the sobriquet of the 'Henry Ford of the Communist International.' Munzenberg was engagingly frank in describing the real purpose of these organizations:

“

To arouse the interest of those millions of apathetic and indifferent workers...who simply have no ear for Communist propaganda. These people we wish to attract and arouse through new channels, by means of new ways. Our sympathetic organizations should constitute bridges for the nonparty workers...who have not yet mustered the courage to take the final step and join the Communist Party, but who are nevertheless in sympathy with the Communist movement and are prepared to follow us part of the way. By means of the mass organizations we wish to extend the Communist sphere of influence in itself. The organizational linking up of the elements in sympathy with the Soviet Union and with the Communists. We must build up our own organizations in order to counteract the increasing efforts of the bourgeois and social-democratic parties in this respect, and Through these sympathetic and mass organizations we should train the cadres of militants and officials of the Communist Party possessing organizational experience.

”

Stalin on fronts

“

We have fashioned a number of organization without which we could not wage war on capitalism: trade unions, cooperatives, workshop committees, labor parties, women's associations, a labor press, educational leagues, youth societies. A often as not these are non-party organizations and only a certain proportion of them are linked with the party. But under special conditions, every one of these organizations is necessary; for, lacking them, it is impossible to consolidate the class positions of the workers in the various spheres of the struggle. There is a veritable ant heap of independent organizations, commissions, and committees comprising millions of non-party members. Who decides upon the direction that all these organizations take? Where is the central unit of organization that wields sufficient authority to keep them within prescribed lines in order to achieve unity of command and to avoid confusion? The central unit is the Communist party!

”