Newsletter of the International Communist Movement Salon, Issue 3, 2023: The First International and the Paris Commune Revolution
In order to profoundly implement the spirit of the 2023 Annual Work Conference of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), strengthen training in academic history, understand the origins and evolution of contemporary Chinese scholarship, and practice scholarship from the commanding heights of history and the era [1], the International Communist Movement Research Department of the CASS Institute of Marxism Studies held its third academic salon of 2023 on the morning of February 23. Associate Research Fellow Pan Xihua, Director of the International Communist Movement History Research Office, gave a trial lecture titled "The First International and the Paris Commune Revolution." The meeting was chaired by Research Fellow Pan Jin’e, Director of the International Communist Movement Research Department, and all scientific research personnel from the department participated in the study and discussion.
Research Fellow Pan Jin’e, Director of the International Communist Movement Research Department, presided over the meeting. Director Pan Jin’e stated that the first and second sessions of the 2023 International Communist Movement academic salons generated a positive response and received unanimous praise from attendees. Moving forward, the teaching group will further expand the scope of collective lesson preparation and trial lectures to include two courses overseen by the research department: "History, Theory, and Practice of World Socialism" and "Thematic Research on Marxist International Political Theory and World Party Diplomacy." This aims to further consolidate the theoretical foundation and promote the deep and substantive implementation of the "Foundation Strengthening Project" [2].
"The First International and the Paris Commune Revolution" constitutes the second chapter of the History of the International Communist Movement textbook. In this lecture, Associate Research Fellow Pan Xihua led the group in reviewing milestone historical events in the process of socialism moving from theory to practice. Following a chronological thread, she first systematically organized the establishment of the First International (the International Workingmen's Association), its major activities, and the process of its dissolution. She explained in detail how the First International, under the leadership of Marx, gradually established the guiding position of Marxism within the international workers' movement through struggles against erroneous trends of thought such as Proudhonism, British Trade Unionism, and Bakuninism. She conducted an in-depth analysis of the causes of the First International's dissolution and evaluated its historical status. Subsequently, she provided a detailed explanation of the Paris Commune—the first attempt by the proletariat to establish political power. She introduced the historical background of the outbreak of the Paris Commune revolution, the process of its creation, and the political, economic, and social policies it adopted. By introducing the contents of The Civil War in France written by Marx, she focused on evaluating the historical experience, lessons, and contemporary inspirations of the Paris Commune. During the lecture, she also interspersed analyses of issues such as "the relationship between the First International and the Paris Commune revolution" and "the contingency of the outbreak of the Paris Commune revolution versus the inevitability of its failure."
Associate Research Fellow Pan Xihua’s trial lecture was well-prepared and rich in content, utilizing innovative forms such as mind maps to provide a graphic and integrated presentation. During the trial lecture, research personnel from the International Communist Movement Department engaged in spontaneous and heated discussions regarding the course content, delivery methods, and techniques, offering constructive suggestions on how to emphasize the thematic focus, logic, and coherence of the taught material. Participants unanimously agreed that this method of collective lesson preparation and trial lecturing encourages everyone to deepen their understanding of the "past and present lives" [3] of the First International, as well as the historical position, experience, and inspiration of the Paris Commune through teaching and interactive discussion. Furthermore, everyone expressed that in future scientific research work, they must continuously strengthen the study of the history of the international communist movement, use history as a mirror [4], and continuously promote the disciplinary development and theoretical research of international communist movement history through the integration of history and reality. With this, the International Communist Movement academic salon concluded successfully.
(Contributor: Wang Zifeng, International Communist Movement Research Department)