FICTITIOUS SPLITS IN THE INTERNATIONAL 
 
 
                   written by Marx and Engels between  
                        January and March 5, 1872 
  
          adopted by the General Council as a private circular 
 
             published in Geneva 1872 as a French pamphlet  
         called _Les Pretendues Scissions dans l'Internationale_ 
 
       this etext is derived from a Progress Publisher translation 
 
 
                                   VI 
 
Now, turn to the report presented by the Jura Committee at the Congress 
of the Sixteen.  
 
     "A perusal of the report," says their official organ, _Revolution 
     Sociale_ (November 16), "will give the exact measure of the 
     devotion and practical intelligence that we can expect from the 
     Jura Federation members." 
 
     It begins by attributing to "these terrible events" -- the 
     Franco-Prussia War and the Civil War in France -- a "somewhat 
     demoralizing influence...  on the situation within the 
     International's sections." 
 
If, in fact, the Franco-Prussian War could not but lead to the 
disorganization of the sections because it drew great numbers of workers 
into the two armies, it is no less true that the fall of the Empire and 
Bismarck's open proclamation of a war of conquest provoked in Germany 
and England a violent struggle between the bourgeoisie, which side with 
the Prussians, and the proletariat, which more than ever demonstrated 
its international sentiments.  This alone should have been sufficient 
for the International to have gained ground in both countries.  In 
America, the same fact produced a split between in the vast German 
proletarian emigre group, the internationalist party definitely 
dissociating itself from the chauvinist party.  
 
On the other hand, the advent of the Paris Commune gave an unprecedented 
boost to the expansion of the International and to a vigorous support of 
its principles by sections of all nationalities, except the Jura 
sections, whose report continues this: 
 
     "The beginning of the gigantic battle...  has caused people to 
     think...  some go away to hide their weakness....  For many, this 
     situation" (within their ranks) "is a sign of decrepitude," but "on 
     the contrary...  this situation is capable of transforming the 
     International completely," according to their own pattern.  
 
This modest wish will be understood more completely after a deeper 
examination of so propitious a situation. 
 
Leaving aside the dissolved Alliance, since replaced by the Malon 
section, the Committee had to report on the situation in 20 sections.  
Among them, seven simply turned their backs on the Alliance.  This is 
what the report has to say about it: 
 
     "The section of box makers and that of engravers and designers of 
     Bienne have never replied to any of the communications that we sent 
     them.  The sections of Neuchatel craftsmen, i.e., joiners, box 
     makers, engravers, and designers, have made no reply to letters 
     from the Federal Committee.  We have not been able to obtain any 
     news of the Val-de-Ruz section.  The section of engravers and 
     designers of Locle have given no reply to letters from the Federal 
     Committee." 
 
That is what is described as _free_ intercourse between autonomous 
sections and their Federal Committee.  
 
Another section, that "of engravers and designers of the Courtelary 
district, after three years of stubborn perseverance...  at the present 
time...  is forming a resistance society" -- independent of the 
International, which does not in the least deter them from sending two 
delegates to the Congress of the Sixteen.  
 
Next come four completely defunct sections: 
 
     "The central section of Bienne has currently been dissolved; one of 
     its devoted members wrote to us recently, however, saying that all 
     hope of seeing the rebirth of the International at Bienne is not 
     lost.  The Saint-Blaise section has been dissolved.  The Catebat 
     section, after a brilliant existence, has had to yield to the 
     intrigues woven by the masters" (!) "of this district in order to 
     dissolve this valiant" (?) "section.  Lastly, the Corgement section 
     also has fallen victim of intrigue on the part of the employers." 
 
The central section of the Courtelary district follows, which "took the 
wise step of suspending its activity"; which did not deter it from 
sending two delegates to the Congress of the Sixteen.  
 
Now we come to four sections whose existence is more than problematical.  
 
     "The Grange section has been reduced to a small nucleus of 
     socialist workers....  Their local action is paralyzed by their 
     numerically modest membership.  The central section of Neuchatel 
     has suffered considerably from the events, and would inevitably 
     have disbanded except for the dedication and activity of some of 
     its members.  The central section of Locle, hovering between life 
     and death for some months, ended up by being dissolved.  It has 
     been reconstituted quite recently, however," evidently for the sole 
     purpose of sending two delegates to the Congress of the Sixteen.  
     "The Chaux-de-Fonds section of socialist propaganda is in a 
     critical situation....  Its position, far from getting better, 
     tends rather to deteriorate." 
 
Next come two sections, the study circles of Saint-Imier and of 
Sonvillier, which are mentioned only in passing, without so much as a 
word about their circumstances.  
 
There remains the model section, which, to judge by its name of central 
section, is nothing but the residue of other defunct sections.  
 
     "The central section of Moutier is certainly the one that has 
     suffered least....  Its Committee has been in constant contact with 
     the Federal Committee...  no sections have yet been founded...." 
 
That is easily explained: 
 
     "The action of the Moutier section was particularly favored by the 
     excellent attitude of a working population...  given to their 
     traditional ways; we would like to see the working class of this 
     district make itself still more independent of political elements." 
 
One can see, in fact, that this report 
 
     "gives the exact measure of the devotion and practical intelligence 
     that we can expect from the Jura Federation members." 
 
They might have rounded it off by adding that the workers of 
Chaux-de-Fonds, the original seat of their committee, have always 
refused to have anything to do with them.  Just recently, at the general 
assembly of January 18, 1872, they replied to the circular of the 
Sixteen by a unanimous vote confirming the London Conference resolutions 
and also the French Switzerland Congress resolution of May 1871: 
 
     "To exclude forever from the International Bakunin, Guillaume, and 
     their supporters." 
 
Is it necessary to say anything more about the courage of this sham 
Sonvillier Congress, which, in its own words, "caused war, open war, 
within the International"? 
 
Certainly these men, who make more noise than their stature warrants, 
have had an incontestable success.  The whole of the liberal and police 
press have openly taken their side; they have been backed in their 
personal slander of the General Council and the insipid attacks aimed 
against the International by ostensible reformers in may lands: by the 
bourgeois republicans in England, whose intrigues were exposed by the 
General Council; by the dogmatic free-thinkers in Italy who, under the 
banner of Stefanoni, have just formed a "Universal Rationalist Society" 
with permanent headquarters in Rome, and "authoritarian" and 
"hierarchical" organization of monasteries for atheist monks and nuns, 
whose rules provide for a marble bust in the Congress hall for every 
bourgeois who donates 10,000 francs; and lastly by the Bismarck 
socialists in Germany who, apart from their police mouthpiece, the 
_Neuer Social-Demokrat_, played the role of "white shirts" for the 
Prusso-German Empire.  
 
The Sonvillier conclave, in a pathetic appeal, requests all sections of 
the International to insist on the urgency of an immediate Congress "to 
curb the consistent encroachments of the London Council," according to 
Citizens Malon and Lefrancais, but actually to replace the International 
with the Alliance.  This appeal received such an encouraging response, 
that they immediately set about falsifying a resolution voted at the 
last Belgian Congress.  Their official organ (_Revolution Sociale_, 
January 4, 1872) writes as follows: 
 
     "Lastly, which is even more important, the Belgian sections met at 
     the Congress of Brussels on December 14 and 25 and voted 
     unanimously for a resolution identical with that of the Sonvillier 
     Congress, on the urgency of convening a General Congress." 
 
It is important to note that the Belgian congress voted the very 
opposite.  It charged the Belgian congress, which was not due to meet 
until the following June, to draft new General Rule for submission to 
the _next Congress_ of the International.  
 
In accordance with the will of the vast majority of members of the 
International, the General Council is to convene the annul Congress only 
in September 1872.  
 
 
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