The Italian Section of the Comintern, Stalin and “the Russian Question”
The verbatim record of a closed meeting between the General Secretary of the AUCP (b) and the Italian delegation which took place during VI Enlarged Plenum of the Comintern Executive Committee, 17 February to 15 March 1926, is kept in Moscow in the Russian State Archive of socio-political history (RGASPI). The source is translated by the author from Italian, published in Russian for the first time and is of academic interest, since it gives an opportunity to clarify the respective positions of Joseph Stalin and the Italian Communists, among whom Amadeo Bordiga stood out for his principled attitude. Contrary to the directives of the CPSU (b) delegation to the ECIC and the new Central Committee of the Italian Communist party, he consistently advocated transferring the discussion of the "Russian Question" to the ranks of the Communist International. The document reflects echoes of internal party disagreements on the key problems of building socialism in the USSR, concerning industry, trade, taxes, and policy towards the peasantry, as well as ambiguous assessments of the NEP. In addition, the organizational aspects of the Comintern's activities were touched upon: the conversation took place at a time when, after the successful "Bolshevization" of the national sections, a change in the leadership of the "headquarters of the world revolution" was gradually being prepared. It is difficult to call the judgments of the General Secretary of the AUCP (b) recorded verbatim as prepared in advance or formal: clarifying what was said, J. Stalin sometimes repeats himself, tries to be clear and convincing, while allowing some frank confessions. The future "great leader" is self-restrained and patient with his Italian comrades, except when, instead of answering a particularly acute question posed by A. Bordiga, he, a Communist and an atheist, has to call on the help of God himself.