National Communism

IT was in 1974 that a meeting of 28 European Communist parties decided to hold a conference of all the European parties not later than the middle of 1975. The time-table had to be postponed by about one year because of various reasons, particularly the refusal of Yugoslavia and the Communist parties of France and Italy to recognise Moscow as the centre of the international Communist movement. The present conference of 29 European Communist parties has been possible by a recognition on the part of Moscow that the days of monolithic Communism are over. In his opening address to the conference, Mr Leonid Brezhnev said: “There is sometimes speculation whether proletarian internationalism is still timely or whether it is not outdated, and whether its maintenance does not signify the intention to restore a centre of decision inside the Communist movement. No one is expressing the idea of creating such a centre.” He called for solidarity among the Communist parties “in the strict respect of each party’s equality of rights and autonomy.” The first crack in the monolithic unity of European parties under Soviet leadership occurred when Yugoslavia was expelled from the Cominform in 1948. The controversy between the Soviet and Chinese parties from 1960 developed two centres of Communist leadership, Moscow and Peking. The decisive turning point in relations between the European parties themselves was brought about by the Soviet policy in Czechoslovakia in 1968. It was disapproved by Yugoslavia, Romania and many European parties, including the Italian, French, Spanish and British.