Founding of the Communist International and Periodical Agency in the History of the Turkish Working Class

In the ninth chapter of the history of the Turkish working class, the founding of the Communist International (Third International), a turning point in the world revolutionary movement, and the effects of this process on the working class movement in the Ottoman/Turkish geography are examined in depth. This historical cross-section reveals how the political tremors experienced in the world and in our region, especially in the years 1919-1920, shaped the organizing forms of the working class and how the local movement integrated with global dynamics. This work, presented by Yıldırım Koç and Burakhan Başeren, contains not just a national history, but also a significant example of internationalist solidarity and ideological transfer.

The wave that swept the world after the Russian Revolution also spread to the worker and laborer migration during the disintegration process of the Ottoman Empire, and in this period, socialist ideas in Turkey struggled to gain an organized structure. The news text discusses how socialist and communist formations in Turkey were nourished and directed through the first congresses and decisions of the Communist International before they gathered under an official party roof. In particular, the initiatives led by Mustafa Suphi and the diplomatic and ideological tensions this process created on the ground are of critical importance for understanding the region's political climate prior to the single-party regime. In this context, this chapter of the 'Türkiye İşçi Sınıfı Tarihi' series presents a concrete case study on how ideology is appropriated by classes and how local resistance is blended with global strategies.

The founding philosophy of the Communist International and theses of the 'era of imperialism' put forward by Lenin radically changed the perspective of intellectuals and worker leaders in Turkey, moving the struggle from merely union rights to political power. The text details the divisions experienced by the Turkish working class during this period, the efforts of different factions (Türk Komünist Fırkası vs.) to be represented at the International, and the bureaucratic obstacles and internal conflicts these efforts sometimes encountered. The perception of a 'center' created by the Third International following the collapse of the Second International also brought with it the squeeze of the working class between the national liberation war and socialist revolution dreams amidst the war environment in Anatolia. This historical impasse played a decisive role in the subsequent period on the legitimacy ground and illegal struggle strategies of the TCKP (Türkiye Komünist Partisi).

This historical journey extending from the local to the universal reveals not only party history, but also how the economic difficulties experienced by the working class in daily life transformed into a political consciousness. It is told through the examination of the communication traffic between Moscow and Istanbul/Ankara, organizing techniques, and propaganda methods, and how the distinction between theory and practice was tried to be overcome under the conditions of Turkey at that time. Instead of relying solely on the chronology of events, the authors make a 'period depiction' of that day through documents and memories reflecting the spirit of the era, drawing the reader into that atmosphere. Thus, it is seen that the Communist International settled not just as an external support or political center, but also as a 'reference point' and 'ideological ideal' in the historical memory of the Turkish working class.

In conclusion, this work, written by Yıldırım Koç and Burakhan Başeren and part of the 'Türkiye İşçi Sınıfı Tarihi' series, has the quality of a resource that will shed light on today's political debates. The analysis of past experiences, failures, and ideological deviations emerges as an inevitable necessity for today's working class and left movements. The events experienced during the founding process of the Communist International can be read as the 'birth pangs' and 'identity search' of the socialist movement in Turkey. This study is essential reading for political consciousness, beyond mere academic curiosity, regarding that complex and bloody period along with the global dynamics it was involved in. In future chapters, how this historical heritage was ossified or exiled under the single-party regime of the Republican period and beyond will continue to be a matter of curiosity.