(en) France, Alternative Libertaire AL #225 - Read: Fran?ois Guinchard: The International Workers Association - The slow decline (fr

In 1922, Berlin was founded International Association (TIA), second of the name, taking 
the official title of the First International, disappeared almost 50 years ago. If its 
nature anti-authoritarian and working was similar, however, the new organization was of a 
totally different character, since it was purely syndicalist. And after a few years, she 
would move to a new doctrine: anarcho-syndicalism. ---- In 1913, a first attempt to 
establish an international office revolutionary trade unions had proved unsuccessful. Then 
the Great War and the Russian Revolution had changed the situation. ---- In 1921, Moscow 
is trying to bring under its aegis, a Red Trade Union International (SRI). Confederations 
revolutionary as important as the ICU Italian, Spanish CNT or soon CGTU French, experience 
this attraction. Most, however, declined by becoming aware of a police nature of the 
Soviet government.

SRI held at arm's length from Moscow, will remain an international rump, powerless except 
in France.

It is on this basis to deny the Bolshevik dictatorship that most of the revolutionary 
syndicalist movement is its own international: AIT. The book looks at Fran?ois Guinchard 
these first fifteen years (1922-1936), which are those of the splendor and the descent 
into hell. The AIT will indeed see its sections Italian, Portuguese, German, Argentine and 
Japanese destroyed by fascist regimes.

Guinchard examines a question about this misunderstood: the report of the AIT unity of 
action with the reformist trade unions and the Communist unions. It reveals a TIA early 
years pragmatic enough to reach out to other union forces without ever receiving a 
response ... despite the slogan of "united front" constantly brandished by the Stalinists. 
After 1933, Spain is the last bastion of the AIT. But the CNT, which was never very 
involved in international life - animated mainly by Germans, French and Dutch - is not 
interested in more of a TIA become stunted. We are on the eve of the Spanish Revolution. 
Following is another story.

Synthetic, Fran?ois Guinchard book is almost too much to risk falling into the schematic 
approach. We would have liked some stories of great battles, or a collective portrait of 
men (rarely women) who have done this story. Trajectories Schapiro, Rocker, Besnard or 
Lansinck have much informed discussion of the time. But the main shortcoming of the book 
is also, as its title says " From syndicalism to anarcho-syndicalism "and in fact, the 
author makes no mention of this shift, how this new doctrine was born, and it was assumed 
or not in different sections of the AIT.

William Davranche (AL Montreuil)

Fran?ois Guinchard, The International Association 1922-1936. Revolutionary syndicalism 
to anarcho-syndicalism , time lost Publishing, 2012. 19 euros