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The Stockholm Conference of 1917

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

Hildamarie Meynell
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As was shown in the first part of this article, some sections of Socialist opinion throughout Europe had never fully accepted the need for war in 1914, and the advent of the first Russian Revolution in March, 1917, had stimulated a general hope for an early peace. The Dutch and Scandinavian Socialist parties took the initiative in proposing an international Socialist conference to be held at Stockholm to discuss peace terms. By the end of July, 1917, this proposal seemed likely to succeed. The Petrograd Soviet had joined forces in preparing for the conference with the Dutch-Scandinavian Committee led by Huysmans, the Secretary of the Second International; the Governments of Russia, Great Britain, and Germany showed at least some degree of benevolence towards the idea; the Socialist parties of the Central and neutral powers, and also of France, had agreed to attend; and a Russian mission from the Petrograd Soviet had set off to gain support for Stockholm from the Socialists of the Entente countries.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , August 1960 , pp. 202 - 225
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1960

References

page 203 note 1 “Stockholm”, (op.cit., p. xx) gives the dates of Henderson's return to London and of the Executive meeting as 3 July. Fainsod (op.cit., p. 138) repeats this in his book. However all British sources, including Henderson himself in his resignation speech in the House of Commons on 13 August, give the dates as 24 and 25 July. It seems reasonable to accept that they are right on this point. Brand, op.cit., p. 95 and p. 184; Elton, Godfrey (Baron), The Life of James Ramsay MacDonald (1866–1919), Collins Publishers, London, 1939, pp. 324–7Google Scholar; Lloyd George, op.cit., pp. 1898–1899; Hamilton, op.cit., pp. 135–6; The Herald (The Daily Herald), The “Limit” Printing and Publishing Co., London, editor: George, Lansbury, 18 August, 1917Google Scholar, “The Choice for Labour, Stockholm or the Doormat?” pp. 4–5; “Parliamentary Debates”, op.cit., Vol. XCVII, pp. 910–11.

page 204 note 1 U.S., “1917”, op.cit., pp. 147–8 andpp. 149–51; Sharp, William Graves, The War Memoirs of William Graves Sharp, American Ambassador to France, 1914–1919, edited by Warrington, Dawson, Constable and Co., Ltd., London, 1931, pp. 167–8Google Scholar; Daily Telegraph, Frances, Caine, London, 25 September, 1917Google Scholar, “German Socialists”, p. 6.

page 204 note 2 Bourgin, op.cit., pp. 237–8.

page 204 note 3 Hamilton, op.cit, p. 138.

page 205 note 1 Labour Leader (The New Leader), A Weekly Journal of Socialism, Trade Unionism and Politics, the Official Organ of the I.L.P., Manchester, 30 September, 1920, “Jean Longuet on Tourfor the I.L.P.,” p. 7.

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page 206 note 3 Lennox, op.cit., Vol. II, pp. 161–2.

page 206 note 4 Bourgin, op.cit., pp. 226–46.

page 206 note 5 L'Humanité, op.cit., 14 August, 1917, “La Conférence de Stockholm et l'adhésion du Parti socialiste français”, pp. 1–2; The Times, op.cit., 15 August, 1917, “M. Thomas and Stockholm.”

page 207 note 1 Fainsod, op.cit., p. 139; L'Humanité, op.cit., 31 July, 1917, “Les Débats sur l'Organisation de la Conférence internationale”; The Labour Party, Adjourned Party Conference to be Held in Central Hall, Westminster, London, S.W.I., On Tuesday, August 21st, 1917, at 10:30 a.m.: Report of the Special Party Conference Held in London on Friday August 10th, 1917, with Report of the Executive Committee and Agenda for Adjourned Conference, etc., The Labour Party, London, n.d. [1917], p. 29; P.S.F., “Pendant la Guerre”, op.cit., pp. 180–2; The Labour Party, Executive Committee, Special Party Conference Held in Central Hall, Westminster, London, S.W.I., on Friday, August 10th, 1917, at 10:30 a.m., The Labour Party, London, n.d. [1917], pp. 12–4.

page 207 note 2 The New Europe, A Weekly Review of Foreign Politics, Constable and Co., Ltd., London, 13 September, 1917Google Scholar, “Stockholm: A French View”, Villehardouin, p. 262.

page 207 note 3 Gankin and Fisher, op.cit., p. 601.

page 208 note 1 “Parliamentary Debates”, op.cit., Vol. XCVI, pp. 2218–26 and p. 2285; Vol. XCVII, pp. 916–7.

page 208 note 2 Clynes, op.cit., Vol. I, p. 211; Hamilton, op.cit., pp. 124–5.

page 208 note 3 Elton, op.cit., pp. 524–8.

page 208 note 4 Sharp, op.cit., p. 168.

page 209 note 1 U.S., “1917”, op.cit., p. 749.

page 209 note 2 Golder, op.cit., p. 356.

page 209 note 3 Buchanan, op.cit., Vol. II, pp. 160–1.

page 210 note 1 Price, op.cit., p. 67.

page 210 note 2 Nabokoff, , Constantin, The Ordeal of a Diplomat, Duckworth and Co., London, 1921, pp. 134–6.Google Scholar

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page 211 note 2 “Parliamentary Debates”, op.cit., Vol. XCVH, pp. 914–6.

page 211 note 3 Nabokoff, op.cit., p. 157.

page 212 note 1 It was in fact, according to Nabokoff himself, sent six days previously. By saying “three or four days ago”, he implies that it was to ascertain the views of the new Provisional Government. This had not been formed when he sent his telegram.

page 213 note 1 Nabokoff, op.cit., pp. 157–9; Lloyd George, op.cit., pp. 1912–3.

page 213 note 2 Miners' Federation of Great Britain, Special Conference Held at the Central Hall, Westminster, London, on Thursday and Friday, August 9th and 10th, 1917 (hereafter called Miners' Federation, “Special Conference, August 9–10”), Miners' Federation of Great Britain, Manchester, n.d. [1917], pp. 2–8.Google Scholar

page 213 note 3 “Parliamentary Debates”, op.cit., Vol. XCVTi, p. 930.

page 213 note 4 ibid., p. 919; Hamilton, op.cit., p. 148.

page 214 note 1 Miners' Federation, “Special Conference, August 9–10”, op.cit., pp. 9–28; I.L.P., “Annual Report, 1918”, op.cit., pp. 11–2; The Dockers' Record, A Monthly Report of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers' Union of Great Britain, August, 1917, “Special Conference of Labour Party Re Proposed International Conference at Stockholm”, pp. 6–7.

page 214 note 2 “Parliamentary Debates”, op.cit., Vol. XCVII, p. 922. Though Mantoux himself did not remember this conversation when the writer spoke to him, he said that he often saw Henderson in the Secretary's office at Downing Street and that it was perfectly possible that he did see him at this time and tell him of the telegram.

page 215 note 1 Manchester Guardian, op.cit., 17 August, 1917, “Kerensky and Stockholm Passports”, David, Soskice, p. 5Google Scholar; Buchanan, op.cit., Vol. II, pp. 163–4.

page 215 note 2 Nabokoff, op.cit., p. 148.

page 215 note 3 The Times, op.cit., 24 July, 1917, “Mr. Henderson's, Views on Stockholm”, p. 5Google Scholar; ed. Tracey, Herbert, The Book of the Labour Party: Its History, Growth, Policy and Leaders, Caxton Publishing Co., Ltd., London, Vol. I, pp. 212–3.Google Scholar

page 215 note 4 ed. Cole, Margaret I., Beatrice Webb's Diaries, 1912–1924, Longmans, Green and Co., London, 1952, p. 93.Google Scholar

page 216 note 1 ibid., p. 94.

page 216 note 2 Nabokoff, op.cit., pp. 149–50.

page 216 note 3 Manchester Guardian, op.cit., 13 August, 1917, “Russian Comment on the Russian Message”, p. 5.

page 217 note 1 Miners' Federation of Great Britain, SpecialConference Held at the Westminster Hall, London, on Monday, August 20th, 1917, Miners' Federation of Great Britain, Manchester, , n.d. [1917], pp. 3–35.Google Scholar

page 217 note 2 Interview with Raymond Postgate.

page 217 note 3 Labour Party, Report of the Seventeenth Annual Conference of the Labour Party, Nottingham and London, 1918 (hereaftercalled L.P., “Annual Report, 1918”), B.L.P., London, n.d. [1918], pp. 6–7.

page 218 note 1 The Herald, op. cit., 25 August, 1917, “Frenchmen and Stockholm”, p. 7.

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page 219 note 1 Trades Union Congress, Parliamentary Committee, The Stockholm Conference, n.p., September, 1917, pp. 1–2.

page 219 note 2 Fainsod, op.cit., p. 157.

page 219 note 3 ibid., p. 157; “Archiv…”, op.cit., Vol. XII, pp. 381–8.

page 220 note 1 Balabanoff, “My Life…”, op.cit., p. 183; Fainsod, op.cit., pp. 157–8.

page 220 note 2 Carr (op.cit., Vol. III, p. 570) says it was held early in September, 1918, but this is presumably a mis-print.

page 220 note 3 Delegates were: Germany: U.S.P.D.: Ledebour, Haase, Stadthagen, Hofer, Duncker, and Wengels; Russia: Bolsheviks: Orlovsky and Aleksandrov (Carr [op.cit., Vol. III, p. 570] gives Semashko rather than Aleksandrov); Mensheviks: Axelrod and Panin; Menshevik-Internationalists: Ermansky; POLAND: The Presidium of the Social Democracy of Poland and Lithuania: Radek and Hanecki; Finland: Social-Democratic Party: Sirola; Rumania: Social-Democratic Party: Constantinescu and Frimu; Switzerland: Social-Democratic Party: Bloc and Nobs; United States: The Socialist Propaganda League and the International Brotherhood: Ahsis and Howe; Norway: Socialist Youth League: Nissen, Christian, and Erwig; Sweden: Socialist Youth League and left Social-Democratic Party: Samuelson, Strom, Lindhagen, and Lindstròm; Austria: Opposition within the Social-Democratic Party: Schlesinger and Luzzato; I.S.C.: Balabanoff, Carleson, Hoglund, and Nerman. Also two Bulgarians left Stockholm just before the conference and two arrived just after it. The Bulgarians accepted the resolutions of the conference.

page 221 note 1 Balabanoff, “My Life…”, op.cit., pp. 187–9; “Archiv…”, op.cit., Vol. XII, pp. 597–403; Gankin and Fisher, op.cit., pp. 664–6, pp. 669–70 and p. 673; Balabanoff, “E. und E.”, op. cit., pp. 166–72; Fainsod, op.cit., pp. 159–60.

page 222 note 1 Balabanoff, “My Life…”, op.cit., pp. 189–90.

page 223 note 1 “Stockholm”, op.cit., pp. xxvi–xxviii; Comité Organisateur de la Conférence Internationalede Stockholm, Un Avant-Projet de Programme de Paix. Manifeste avec Mémoire explicatif des Délégués des Paysneutres aux Partis adhérants à la Conférence générale, Appelbergs Boktryckeri Aktiebolag, Uppsala, 1917, pp. 1–31.Google Scholar

page 223 note 2 P.S.F., “Pendant la Guerre”, op.cit., p. 189 and pp. 192–3.

page 223 note 3 Van der Slice, op.cit., p. 170.

page 223 note 4 Golder, op.cit., pp. 646–8.

page 224 note 1 Scheidemann, “Memoirs…”, op.cit., Vol. II, pp. 404–5; Daily Telegraph, op.cit., 3 September, 1917, “Enemy Socialists” Demands”, p. 3; Vorwärts, , Berliner, Volksblatt, Zentralorgan der Sozialdemokratischen Partei Deutschlands, Berlin, 2 09, 1917Google Scholar, “Stockholm”, pp. 1–2.

page 224 note 2 Scheidemann, “Memoirs…”, op.cit., Vol. II, p. 433.

page 224 note 3 ibid, Vol. II, pp. 434–42.

page 225 note 1 L'Humanité, op.cit., 28 November, 1917, „Une nouvelle Conférence internationale sera-t-elle convoquée?”; 30 November, 1917, “La Conférence de Stockholm”, p. 2; and 3 January, 1918, “Un Rapport de Camille Huysmans sur la Proposition faite par Stauning de convoquei une Conférence internationale”, p. 1.

page 225 note 2 “Stockholm”, op.cit., pp. xxix-xxx.