The opposition of the anarcho-syndicalists shows itself in several different unions. Among these we may mention: the bakery workers' unions in Moscow as well as several clubs of anarcho-syndicalists, which function as propaganda centers inside the industrial organizations of the workers of all occupations. This is a trade union opposition, whose form of organization corresponds to the Danish Trade Union Opposition. The position of this trade union opposition towards the central unions is not like that of the mensheviks, but of a radical nature. The leading ideas of this opposition come from the anarcho-syndicalist world conception, which against Marxist bolshevism raises the theory of libertarian socialism, and against state communism the theory of anti-state communism. On this ground they combat the subordination of the unions to political parties, generally, and to the state in particular. They point to the workers' loss of interest in their unions, which has resulted from the changing of the unions into state organs. This change tends to destroy the free development of the worker, and is dangerous to the social revolution. According to them the workers have, through the change of the unions into state organs, come under the control of the ruling party, while the sense of the social revolution is that the workers should be economic masters. Briefly, against the "statifying" of the unions they propose the syndicalization of the state, i. e., the dissolution of the state functions into functions of economic organizations. (In principle the bolsheviks agree with the syndicalists on this point, f. i. Lozovsky in his pamphlet on the Russian unions. But they hold that this should be deferred to a later time; now, during the dictatorship, it is not to be thought of, in their opinion.)
But as they thought that the rise of such tendencies would weaken the rule of the proletarian party, they see a danger in it and combat it. The syndicalists, consequently, see a danger in the
"statifying" of the unions and the communist-bolsheviks see a danger in the syndicalization of the state. But the bolsheviks admit that development is bound to go in the direction in which the syndicalists are driving. These ideas of the anarcho-syndicalists are also supported by so-called industrialists. The industrialists also object to the supremacy of the state over the unions and demand self-determination and autonomy and independence of the state. In Petrograd this tendency was quite strongly represented this summer of 1920, and the presiding officer of the Petrograd Soviet, Zinovieff, who is also known as the chairman of the Executive Committee of the III. International, was then strenuously combatting this tendency.
The union demand for independence from the party as well as of the state lately showed itself also among the party-communist unions. At the railroad workers congress in the summer of 1920, when the Executive Committee of the union was elected, consisting of 20 men, one half stood for the independence of the unions, that is, they favored giving the unions the last word in union affairs and not the party. And still all of the elected were party members. Persons not members of the Communist Party cannot be elected to the executive committee of any union. As this executive committee now was to elect a chairman, they could not agree, being that ten of them belonged to one tendency while ten were of the other tendency, and each tendency, naturally, wanted one of their own as a chairman. As will appear from this the aversion of the union men against being ruled by a party is on the increase. But in the same measure as this takes place the syndicalist and industrialist ideas gain influence, and these demand the absolute independence from the party for the unions.
Due to the sovereignty of the party over the unions, no actions are permitted the unions which are against the party. As it also is the party which has the rudder of state in its hands, every attack of the unions which is directed against the party, is also directed against the state, and vice versa.