RSFSR Presidium Executive Committee Congress Of Unified Communist International Badge

[Aharim]

Starting a new thread with Komintern. A special badge pictured. The legend says "RSFSR Presidium Executive Committee Congress of KOKI."

KOKI stands for Congress of Unified Communist International. (Komintern)

There were 7 Congresses. But the third was in July of 1921 and there is another badge for deputies to that congress in the shape of a star and a second badge in the shape of a rectangle. That leaves 4 Congresses possible. I do not think they had gone to flags by the fourth Congress but any information would be appreciated.

There were 5 members of the executive committee from the RSFSR, according to the regulations of Comintern (Komintern). They do not say SSSR so it might be the fourth congress of 1922 (before or just at the moment of founding the USSR). According to the early constitution Komintern was an organ of the Communist Party and looked to the leadership of the VKP(b) [All Russian Communist Party (of Bolsheviks) for leadership.]

In addition to voting members there were candidate members. Two. Other nations only got one member total except for certain "important" countries like Germany or Poland, and Italy with Ercoli which each got two total. Later Poland will be disregarded, but it was important for a while. So, three or four congresses with 5 members and possibly two candidates from the RSFSR, for a total possible population of 28 such badges, or less (seven total if this was only used for one Congress)!

The members for Russia (RSFSR) for the sixth and seventh congress I already know, and are they ever a rogues gallery.

Sixth Congress -
Bukharin - later shot
Stalin - survived
Molotov - survived
Rykov -
Manuklsky - candidate - I think he survives
Pyatnitsky - survived
Losovsky - candidate - from trade union international


from KTM - Khitarov - candidate

Seventh Congress -
Yeshov - shot
Manuilsky - survived so far
Stalin - survived
Moskvin (aka Trilisser) - shot
Zhdanov - died of apparently natural causes

There might thus be 28 of these. If a Russian friend would have a listing of the members of the executive commitee to the 4th or 5th Congress from the RSFSR it would be greatly appreciated. I expect to find Zinoviev in there along with another Stalin and Bukharin. Who do we think this might have belonged to among that group so far? Hmmm.

The badge appears to be in silver but unmarked. Badge was previously shown in Udachka/Likhitsky "Art of Russian Medal Miniature" 1994 in English/German, reissued in Russian/English/German and in color in 1995. (Badge no 685 in those books, check page XXXXIII of the Russian edition for picture with same enamel breaks.)

Separately there is a badge from KIM (Komunist International Youth [Mlad + ending]). They had representation in the Komintern Executive Committee (ECCI or KoKI TsIK). In 1929 there were as above 5 members from the RSFSR plus one Russian from the Trade Unions and One Russian from KIM.

But, if you are interested in the history beyond the badges, a great, really, guide to the USSR in the late 1920's is "Guide-Book for the Soviet Union - complete edition" also known as "Guide-Book to the Soviet Union" (interior page title - English was not their first language or second - it is listed as "first German edition - but is in English).

The book is in English published in Germany in 1928 (hardcover edition) or 1929 (soft cover). While this sounds really rare, I found one each hard and soft cover on a certain internet web site. I also saw more but did not bid or win depending.

As to the connection, the editor is Willi Munzenberg, listed in "Enemies within the Gate" (Book in the US about the purges within Komintern) as a Komintern employee and publisher in France in the 1930's. But in the 1920's he appears to have been in Germany.

Komintern was behind at least one Communist Putsch attempt in Germany in the late 1920's so if you can find this book (I got it for $10 and $30 but it will go up because of this posting no doubt) you can get a real piece of early Soviet history.

The book is great because it is before the complete rewrites of history that would occur in the 1930s. The history described includes - The Red Army wins and republics turn Soviet, - but that is true. But it does include and name/mention the various white commanders defeated, such as Kolshak dictator of Siberia. And acknowledges counter-revolutionaries such as the basmachi.

It reads like a Baedeker against which it was competing with more up to day (internal) information. They give economic progress compared to 1913 (last pre bolshevik data available).

And if you have early badges and wonder about the VKhTM - all Union Artist Collective in Moscow the book describes how the best artisans are all on Kuznetsov Most as part of the ministry of finance, with history of how "most" (Embankment) came to be on a dry river! And Kuznetsov = the place of the armorers guild. (Just for that it was worth the first $10) All in all great book, on many levels and it is a real Komintern publication.

You can have the history in your hands.