First Congress of the Communist International

Declaration of the Participants in the Zimmerwald Conference, made at the Congress of the Communist International in Moscow


Source: Theses Resolutions and Manifestos of the First Four Congress of the Third International, translated by Alix Holt and Barbara Holland. Ink Links 1980;
Transcribed: by Andy Blunden.


4 March 1919

The Zimmerwald and Kienthal conferences were of importance at a time when it was essential to unify all those proletarian elements ready to protest in any way against the imperialist slaughter. But the Zimmerwald Association, besides including men and women of a clearly defined Communist orientation, attracted other wavering, pacifist and ‘centrist’ socialists, who are now – as the Berne conference has shown – forging an alliance with the social-patriots to wage a struggle against the revolutionary proletariat. Thus, Zimmerwald is being exploited in the interests of reaction.

At the same time, the Communist current in a number of countries is gaining in strength. The struggle against the ‘centrist’ elements, which are obstructing the social revolution, is now a priority task for the revolutionary proletariat.

The Zimmerwald Association has outlived its usefulness. Everything in it that was truly revolutionary is passing over to the Communist International.

The undersigned members of the Zimmerwald movement declare that they regard its organisation to be dissolved and propose that all the documents of the Bureau of the Zimmerwald Conference be transferred to the Executive Committee of the Third International.

C. Rakovsky, N. Lenin, G. Zinoviev, L. Trotsky, Fritz Platten.