In 1944, Europe was not as wary of the Communist International as it was in 1974.
Many people will ignore the fact that the Communist International, the so-called First International, was not established in Russia or France, but in the United Kingdom.
The Second International was founded in France.
The Third International is in Russia.
Therefore, countries around the world currently do not have a clear understanding of the influence of the Communist International. They will have to wait until the Cold War begins before European countries will become truly wary of the Communist International.
The current background in Europe is still the fight against Germany, and everything else has to be postponed in this context. The environment facing the Communist International is unprecedentedly relaxed, so much so that it gives the leaders of the Communist International the illusion that as long as they are willing, the Communist International can
It can subvert the whole world.
So we have the Southern Africa Working Group, which is unprecedented in scale.
There is no doubt that Kurci is a very powerful person. He was able to organize French railway workers to go on strike under the German White Terror, which fully proves Kurci's ability.
However, the situation in southern Africa is completely different from that in France. After fully understanding the current situation in southern Africa, Curchi also felt deeply troubled.
"So, we are unlikely to mobilize Cape Town workers to launch a labor movement. They lack the motivation to change the status quo, do not want to be enemies of the capitalists, and cannot recognize who are their friends and who are their enemies--" Kurci told
The Cape Town office is not very satisfied with its work capabilities. Not only the workers in Cape Town lack motivation, but the Communist International staff in Cape Town also lack motivation.
This is evident from the working environment in the Cape Town office.
The Cape Town office of the Communist International is located in a four-story building in the center of Cape Town. It is said that it was the property of a British nobleman. After the independence of Southern Africa, the British nobleman left Cape Town, so the Communist International
The international office will take over at a low price.
This building has more than 80 rooms. The entire building is made of white marble. The decoration in the city is extremely luxurious. The faucets in the bathtub are even inlaid with gold.
This is outrageous.
In European countries, not to mention gold-inlaid faucets and bathtubs are luxury goods.
Strictly speaking, this doesn't seem to be a serious problem.
However, within a week of arriving in Cape Town, Kurchi discovered many problems one after another. The staff in the Cape Town office could not even guarantee working hours, which made Kurchi very angry.
Domestic International is now working hard to secure an eight-hour working day for workers.
But in the Cape Town office of the Comintern, according to Kurci's observation, the office staff never work more than four hours a day, which is outrageous.
This is outrageous.
If you can't do it yourself, how can you ask others to do it?
"The situation in southern Africa is different from that in Europe." Petrovich, director of the Cape Town office, looked helpless. He didn't want to fulfill his duties faithfully, but unfortunately conditions did not allow it.
The life pressures faced by workers in southern Africa are completely different from those in Europe.
Europe is the country where the labor movement first emerged, and the eight-hour working day was first implemented in Europe.
A good start does not mean a good result. Europe is like a pioneer, setting the best example for late-developing countries such as southern Africa and the United States, thus avoiding the worst possibility.
In factories in Cape Town, an eight-hour work system has been implemented a long time ago, and there is also a weekend system. Overtime work is double overtime pay, and there is one week of paid leave every year. If you are sick, you can get paid with a doctor's diagnosis.
Sick leave, and even maternity leave for men when their wives give birth to children. Taking all conditions together, the workers in Cape Town have fully achieved the goals pursued by the Communist International.
"Peter, you are wrong. Cape Town workers have some personal rights, but they still cannot change their exploited situation. So the root of the problem does not lie in the conscience of the capitalists, but in whether the workers are willing to work hard to change the status quo."
Kurtz understands human nature.
What is the welfare system?
If the capitalists give workers a pitiful little favor, will it change the workers' fate of being exploited?
Don't be ridiculous, in Kurci's concept, capitalists are always greedy.
"So, we should fight for a six-hour working day on the basis of the eight-hour working day?" Petrovich collapsed. He felt that Kurci had entered the devil's path. How could this be fighting for rights? It was clearly self-digging.
grave.
Southern African companies are now facing increasing competitive pressure.
When Southern Africa first became independent, competitive pressure mainly came from British local companies.
Later the situation improved and competition began to spread across the continent.
After the end of World War I, world integration entered a new stage, and southern African companies finally ushered in their biggest competitor - their American counterparts.
Don’t look at Ford’s eight-hour plan and its all-middle-class policies, but think that all American capitalists have a conscience.
Think about Rockefeller at the same time. He was a tyrant who would use armored troops and machine guns to shoot at workers. Carnegie and Mellon were not good people either. The wealth accumulation of American capitalists was based on the exploitation of Indians and cheap American workers.
Therefore, Southern African companies are now facing great competitive pressure.
In the past, southern African companies were known for their low costs.
The situation has changed dramatically in recent years.
In the context of the world war, business operations are becoming more and more difficult. If southern African companies want to survive now, the main problem is not to reduce costs, but to pioneer and innovate.
"No, no, no, Peter, you misunderstood me. Even if Paris railway workers take a day off, many people will still be dissatisfied. Therefore, our task is not to seek benefits for the workers, but to infinitely amplify their dissatisfaction with reality.
"Kulchi said surprisingly, he is a guy who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
The French railway workers' strike during Operation Dragoon was not the first strike by French railway workers. French railway workers had organized many strikes before, and each time they ended with concessions from the employer.
This has greatly fueled Kurci's ambitions. In Kurci's concept, there is nothing that a strike cannot solve.
If one strike doesn't solve the problem, then two.
"Perhaps what you say makes sense, but I have reservations." Petrovich gave in. After all, Kurchi holds the sword of Shang Fang.
Kurtz spent a week formulating a huge and complicated plan, which required the cooperation of all staff in the office. Kurtz could really mobilize only a dozen people, but none of them knew enough about Cape Town.
Condition.
"Help me contact Mr. Curtins of the Progressive Party. I need to communicate with him face to face." Kurci will also take the upper-level route. He is best at moving between different forces to make profits.
During the German rule of France, the situation in France was also very complicated. The Vichy government and Germany, workers and capitalists, politicians of different schools, and agents from various countries——
Under that kind of environment, Kurchi could successfully launch a workers' strike in Paris, so Kurchi would never give up easily.
One evening a few days later, Petrovich and Bakikas met unexpectedly in a tavern not far from the Comintern offices.
"From each according to his ability, distribution according to need, no exploitation, no oppression, everyone lives in a utopia of equality and freedom. How is this possible? Do you believe it?" Bakikas now works for Brad's office, but
He cannot yet appear in public.
"Why not?" Petrovich was still conscious.
"In the early days of mankind, everyone hunted together and distributed the fruits of labor equally. What was the result?" Bakikas now also has a complete theoretical structure.
Petrovich didn't say anything, and the result was obvious: Utopia is a utopia after all.
"That's why competition will bring social progress. I used to agree that a workshop worker who works eight hours a day should receive the same pay as an engineer who works eight hours a day. Later I found out that I was wrong. The reason why engineers become engineers
"It's because he has gone through more than ten or twenty years of systematic training and has the ability to be an engineer, so he can receive a high salary -" Bakikas raised his hand and asked the bartender to ask for wine. Cape Town is the main producer of wine in southern Africa.
District, if you are not drunk with wine, everyone will get drunk.
"While engineers are working hard to solve problems, workers are drinking and picking up girls in bars. When engineers are trying to overcome difficulties, workers demand an eight-hour working day and are unwilling to extend working hours even for one minute." Last year, Robert Goddard said to space
The seventh rocket was launched, so do you think it was Robert Goddard who made a greater contribution, or the workers who processed the rocket models?" Bakikas spared no effort, and Black has promised that as long as Bakikas devotes himself wholeheartedly to the launch of the rocket,
Working in Ladd's office, Massage Black will sponsor Bakikas for Southern African citizenship.
Country of Citizenship!
Southern African nationality!
Only in this era, Europeans who had experienced the world wars could understand the meaning of the nationality represented by southern Africa.
There is nothing to emphasize, one is heaven and the other is hell.
"You don't need to tell me this. Now Kurci is asking us to mobilize Cape Town workers. Do you have any good suggestions?" Petrovich was impatient. We all work for Brad's office, so no one should dislike the other.
"If it were me, I would find a few hooligans, put Mr. Curchi in a sack, and throw it into the sea-" Bakikas completely darkened, and little Christian cast too great a shadow on him.
, making him think that the powerful people in southern Africa are as lawless as little Christian.
"No, I will never do that." Petrovich had a bottom line. He didn't like Kurci, but he absolutely respected him.
This may seem a bit contradictory, but it's actually quite normal.
Human beings have many special qualities that cannot be quantified, such as charisma.
Kurki has a very magical personality charm that makes people like him unconsciously, and then join Kurki's camp without fear.
During the French railway workers' strike, Kurchi did not seek even a single franc for personal benefit. This was so rare that Petrovich thought he could not do it.
Some people are destined to be great.
"Your current thinking has entered a misunderstanding -" Bakikas is the real ideological worker, while Petrovich is strictly an actioner.
"What?" Petrovich still didn't know.
"You have been in Southern Africa for a long time. Haven't you noticed that the methods practiced in Southern Africa are different from those in Russia, but they lead to the same goal by different paths. I only want to ask you one question, who are the workers in Southern Africa and the workers in Russia?
A better life?" Bakikas asked a sharp question.
Petrovich fell silent.
Who lives better——
This is a problem, but it is not a problem.
In terms of pure living standards, there is no doubt that the living standards of workers’ families in southern Africa far exceed those in Russia.
In 1944, the average monthly salary of a worker in southern Africa, excluding foreign workers, was approximately R1,000 per year.
Don’t be too little. About five years ago, the income level of workers in southern Africa was still around R400 per year.
In other words, in recent years, the income of workers in southern Africa has been growing at a rate of about 20% every year.
Also in 1944, the average monthly income of Russian workers was about 200 rubles, equivalent to rand——
There is no way to convert, because the ruble has not joined the international monetary system and cannot circulate internationally at all, so there is no exchange ratio between the ruble and the rand.
It is not appropriate to measure it by price. Russian prices have risen rapidly since the outbreak of the world war. In January 1942, the price of potatoes was 1.60 rubles per kilogram. A year later, the price rose to 12 rubles per kilogram. By January 1943,
The price of potatoes has soared to 40 rubles per kilogram.
Prices in southern Africa have always been very stable. Ten years ago, the price of potatoes was 4 cents per kilogram, but now they are 9 cents and 2 kilograms.
There is a slight increase, but it is not at the same level as Russia's increase.
Moreover, the scissor gap between Russia's industry and agriculture is very serious.
The most stable group in southern Africa happens to be large-scale farmers.
So the two are really not comparable.
However, as a Russian who has lived in Cape Town for about ten years, Petrovich is very clear that the living standards of farmers in southern Africa are far higher than those of Russian farmers.
If we really want to measure it, the income of a farm of about 500 acres in southern Africa is roughly equivalent to that of a minister in Russia.
So the two cannot be compared at all.
"——This is what I want to say. Our goal is world unity, but in southern Africa, they have already achieved world unity. This is the social structure we dream of, where every household has its own house, every cultivator has its own land, and every child has his own land.
Raise a child and provide for him in old age -" Bakikas is really not flattering, he really agrees with the development model of Southern Africa from the bottom of his heart.
"I'm going to the Transvaal tomorrow with Kurci, and this will be my last ditch effort -" Petrovich had not given up yet.
The Transvaal has the largest Rand mining area in southern Africa. The number of workers still exceeds 200,000, so Kurci's first stop was the Rand mining area.
Kurci probably didn't know that Rock's starting point was also the Rand mining area.
