Gramsci’s non-abstentionist communist platform was rejected by Bordiga’s faction
Evidence
In May Bordiga, who had begun to organise a national communist fraction in the previous autumn, called a meeting in Florence of the various left groups within the Socialist Party. His own fraction called itself the “abstentionist” fraction, and had already made electoral abstentionism the basic differentiating feature of its positions. The Third International, which had been counselling restraint, since it hoped that the communists would carry a majority in the P.S.I., sent a representative; Gramsci attended as an observer. Gramsci proposed, on behalf of the Turin comrades not already members of Bordiga’s abstentionist fraction, that a national communist fraction should be formed on a non-abstentionist platform, in line with Comintern recommendations. This was rejected, and Gramsci returned to Turin isolated. — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 99
Categorization
- DEFINE: Defines the abstentionist vs. electionist split within Italian communism — electoral abstentionism as the distinguishing issue.
Related
- Gramsci opposed Comintern policy in 1923 as firmly as Bordiga did. (similarity 0.80)
- Gramsci broke from Bordiga’s immobilism while keeping his own critique of Comintern (similarity 0.80)
- Gramsci’s shared anti-centrism with Bordiga delayed his open dissent (similarity 0.79)