Cardiff Conference

At the height of the British Civil War, delegates from all over Britain assembled to decide the future of their movement, called in Cardiff, the birthplace of the revolution, they gathered to discuss several pressing issues for what the future of the revolution would look like.

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Soviet line
Main article: Soviet Question Being the first to take the podium and address the thousands of delegates, R. Palme Dutt, a committed member of the CPGB and Bolshevik supporter, addressed the delegates in an opening statement by saying"I address this great convention to address a monumentous task in front of us. In order for this esteemed convention of this coalition of the working class, of workers and soldiers, of trade unionists and fishermen, of Labourites, of the disparate soldiers of the cause of freedom to ultimately succeed, we must not let internal squabble and rabble fracture us, but we must form a cohesive unit, a vanguard, to effectively lead the revolution and herald the creation of the first socialist republic in the history of our fair isles. Whether ye be a trade unionist or a member of the Labour party, it is undeniable we are strong, we have allies across the channel in France, and to the east in Russia, and it is paramount we take note of their success and emulate such ways in our fair republic. It is paramount to our success we see to the Bolshevik policies of Lenin and look not away, but towards what brough two socialist revolutions to success. If we are to take our place in the socialist brotherhood of nations, we are to carve our path with the strength of all of us together, all of us as a vanguard of the revolution."What followed was a general uproar from the independent-minded delegates at the convention, who coalesced behind several key figures, such as ILP member Philip Snowden, feminist Sylvia Pankhurst, Labour minister Arthur Henderson, the second of the three was nominated by the opposing delegates to speak on their behalf. Citing her experiences with Russia, including her correspondances with Lenin, and her visits to the country, she illustrated her harsh criticism of Russia and Bolshevism, saying"I address this convention to call to light the great falsehoods as espoused by the esteemed R. Palme Dutt. Dutt claims with great enthusiasm that the only way forward is Bolshevism, that alliance with Russia is necessary to victory, so let me enlighten you all on my experience of Russia. During my travels to Russia, I brought away with me a prevailing memory of beautiful, well-grown children and healthy people. It appeared that a happy contentment and buoyant, confident enthusiasm was radiating from the active makers of the revolution and builders of the proletarian state, to wider and wider sections of people. But eventually, I saw that the Soviet project had begun to devour itself and decline into expressions of authoritarianism. I warned Vladimir Lenin that the Bolsheviks had begun to desert communism, that they were opening Europe up to the flourishing of bourgeois capital, that it would only weaken the Revolution. I saw the dispensation of land into small peasant land ownership and saw the distancing of the Soviet state from communism, I saw the expansion and consolidation of the Soviet bureaucracy and how it ran in the face of our values. I eventually concluded the so-called 'dictatorship of the proletariat' had been a thinly veiled justification for the rule of the state by a coalition of party officials over the rule by the party members. The Bolsheviks posed as the prophets of centralised efficiency, trustification, State control and the discipline of the proletariat in the name of increased production. I still hold that Russian workers remain wage slaves, and very poor ones, working, not from free will, but under compulsion of economic need, and kept in their subordinate position by a system of state coercion."WIP

Despite attempting to call a vote on the matter, delegates of the opposition successfully prevented a vote from being held to decide the matter of the Soviets. As a result, the issue would be put on the shelf for the duration of the conflict and never be resolved officially.

Structure of the socialist republic
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Scotland & Wales
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Canada
One issue highlighted at the convention was of the Republic of Canada. Following the outbreak of war between the United Kingdom and United States, Canada declared its independence from the empire, forming a republican form of government in the process. Holding a vote, the convention decided unanimously to recognize the Republic as sovereign, and that they held no authority over Canada.