Saga - 2007, Page 111

Abstract
j ón ólaf s son
COMINTERN OPPOS ING THE SPL IT
REACT ION TO THE 1 9 3 8 FOUNDING OF THE UNITED
PEOPLE ' S SOC IAL IST PARTY
In the late 1930s, Communist parties sought to join hands with other left-wing
political parties. The so-called united front policy became the official policy of
Comintern, the Communist International, after the Nazis took power in
Germany, and especially after the 7th Comintern Congress, which was held in
Moscow during the summer of 1935. As advised by this official policy, the
Icelandic Communist Party sought cooperation with the Social Democratic Party;
however, in discussions on their cooperation the possibility of full unification
soon became the main subject. Between 1936 and 1938 there was a great deal of
negotiating on that subject, although considerable opposition to unification exist-
ed in both parties. While the Comintern did not directly oppose the parties'
merging, it emphasised that discussions about unification should not be allowed
to contribute to a split in the Social Democratic Party. In the summer of 1938 an
agreement was reached between the leaders of the Communist Party, and
Hé›inn Valdimarsson and the left wing of the Social Democratic Party, on estab-
lishing a new Socialist Party. Einar Olgeirsson, one of the leaders of the
Communists and an MP of the party, informed the Comintern of this by letter in
August of that year. Documents have now been unearthed which show that this
aroused little pleasure in the Comintern camp. One of the leaders of the organi-
sation, Wilhelm Florin, said that by dividing the Social Democratic Party and
founding a Socialist Party in its wake, the Icelandic Communists were violating
the prevailing policy, and he suggested that action be taken to prevent the found-
ing of a new party. Among other things, the article discusses a memo of Florin
revealing his opinion, reviews the events which led to establishing the Socialist
Party, and outlines the involvement of the Comintern in negotiating with the
Social Democratic Party on cooperation or unification.
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