That year, Russia hosted the third Communist International. Listen to Lenin speak about it.

‘In March of this year of 1919, an international congress of Communists was held in Moscow. This congress founded the Third, Communist International, an association of the workers of the whole world who are striving to establish Soviet power in all countries.’ (00.48)

Vladimir Lenin managed the work of the first Congress. Communists from several countries visited it. A Swiss communist, Fritz Platten, is sitting next to Lenin. On his other side are German delegates, Eberlein and Klinger. (01.03)

‘The First International, founded by Marx, existed from 1864 to 1872. The defeat of the heroic workers of Paris-of the celebrated Paris Commune-marked the end of this International. It is unforgettable, it will remain forever in the history of the workers’ struggle for their emancipation. It laid the foundation of that edifice of the world socialist republic which it is now our good fortune to be building.’ (01.38)

The second Congress became a political school for revolutionary workers from all over the world, a school of strategy, tactics, and organization of the Communist movement. (02.02)

Representatives of 41 country were present, including John Reed, an American communist, Marcel Cachin from France, a German communist, Clara Zetkin. Why did they come here crossing seas and oceans? Many of them had to do it secretly, using fake names. It was life threatening at times. They came to determine the communists’ goals of the proletarian revolution together with Lenin, to think of the ways to win over the majority of the population. Lenin taught how to fight in various ways. He talked about the global meaning of the October Revolution and about the experience of communists in our country. (02.54)

The languages of East and West merged in the oath made on the Field of Mars, where Saint Petersburg buried the fighters who perished during the days of the Revolution. (03.12)

The city of the Great October welcomed the chiefs of the global proletarian population. The Congress called the workers of all countries to stand for the protection of socialist Russia. (03.44)

The beginning of 1921 was hard. Thousands of factories in the country were idle. The working class population was halved compared to 1917. During the years of the civil war, thousands of kilometers of railroads were destroyed. Agricultural production was down to 2/3 of the 1917 level. At that time, Lenin compared the state of Russia to the state of a man beaten nearly to death. (04.30)

Rebels began an attack on Kronstadt. The Kronstadt Rebellion was like a bullet shot into the heart of Petrograd. Its sources were found outside of the country. The Bolshevist organization in Kronstadt was weakened. The civil war separated the revolutionary sailors. Their troops were supplemented by village people dissatisfied with the policy of War Communism. The Kronstadt Rebellion was a vivid expression of political fickleness among peasants. (05.05)

The 300 delegates of the Congress became fighters those days. The Party sent them to help Kronstadt. All the Red Army commanders were devising an attack plan. Tukhachevsky was appointed to lead the military campaign. (05.26)

Red Army warriors, hardened by the revolutionary battles, were moving forward on ice that was being blown up by shells. Lenin said, ‘I don’t know the latest news from Kronstadt, but I don’t doubt that the rebellion led by White officers will be eliminated within hours. There can be no doubt here.’ (05.58)

By the morning of March 18, the rebellion was crushed. The rebels were going to destroy Petrograd with shells, which later were shot into the sea – fireworks to celebrate the proletarian revolution and scare its enemies. (06.16)

On March 8, the 10th Communist Party Congress began. More than 700,000 Party members were attending. Andreev, Dzerzhinsky, Kirov, Kalinin, Stalin, Voroshilov, Ordzhonikidze, Kuibyshev, Frunze and others were among the delegates. (07.12)

Lenin managed the Congress work, elected by the communists of Petrograd. He made a report about the political activities of the Central Committee, analyzing the political situation and the activity of the Party. He stated that a transition from war to peace was the key point. The Congress approved of the foreign and internal politics of the Central Committee. (07.44)

One of the main issues at the Congress was the transition to the New Economic Policy. He began his report on the substitution of a tax in kind for the surplus grain appropriation system with these words, ‘Comrades, the question of substituting a tax for surplus-grain appropriation is primarily and mainly a political question, for it is essentially a question of the attitude of the working class to the peasantry.’ (08.09)

On March 17, in the Sverdlovsk Hall of Kremlin, Party delegates agreed to begin the transition to the New Economic Policy.