Formative Years of Communist International and the Metamorphosis of Bolshevism

This work attempts to engage in a critique of the theses and reports adopted in the sessions of the Congresses of Communist International (CI), popularly known as the Third International. The Four Congresses, 1919-1922 held in Moscow, Russia are considered as the formative years of CI.

Aside from the theoretical arguments over the theses, we examine the steps of socio-economic re-organisation that the Bolsheviks exercised in the name of dictatorship of the proletariat. We also review the issues in the practice of workers’ democracy, ideology, juridical and political rights that should also come under the purview of theses on dictatorship of the proletariat. As a continuation of our review, we critically examine Marx’s idea of Communism, transition to a communist society from capitalism and Lenin’s interpretation of the state in a transitional society. All these reviews are based on the documents adopted in the Congresses of CI, and more recent commentaries by experts on the subject.